A New York couple who have enjoyed “perfect” vacations in Bermuda for 21 years vowed yesterday that they would never stay at the former Stonington Beach hotel again.

Elizabeth and Joseph Funk, of Staten Island, have been travelling to Bermuda for yearly vacations and staying at the South Shore hotel, enjoying its warm and friendly atmosphere and excellent service. But after arriving last week and finding a non-responsive staff, part of the pool fenced off, the beach littered in seaweed, and afternoon tea and Sunday brunch cancelled, the couple said they will return to the Island - but not to Coco Reef.

“The staff are not friendly,” said Mr. Funk. “They look right through you. One girl at the front desk was very helpful and listened to our complaints. She told us this was her last day and that we wouldn't see her again. She had only worked there two weeks.”

The Funks said the hotel was almost empty this week and other guests had been complaining about the lack of atmosphere and amenities once enjoyed by repeat guests.

The Funks first came to Bermuda on a cruise for their daughter's 16th birthday, and returned after falling in love with the Island. They made their July reservation in April and said they usually spend about $5,000 when they are on holiday.

“It's a lovely place, the people are so friendly and pleasant. The Stonington to us was paradise. The staff were exceptional, to us it was everything that we had come to love in Bermuda. It was our home away from home,” said Mrs. Funk.

However, after arriving on the Island last Friday they were shocked to find they were the only guests on their floor, afternoon tea was cancelled and the hotel bar, once the gathering spot for guests to mix and mingle, was empty. They said only 13 tables in the dining room were occupied at dinner and only a handful of guests come down to breakfast. The rum swizzle party, a yearly event the Funks looked forward to, has been cancelled.

Yesterday, a Royal Gazette photographer who took photos of the couple on the property found broken bottles and trash on the beach, and shards of glass littering one of the hotel's main pathways. Topless sunbathing also seems to be allowed, and the couple say one guest in particular, who has been sunbathing topless all week was not given a warning by staff.

“It seems like they are doing everything they can to keep guests apart,” said Mrs. Funk, a teacher.

Although they said the dining room staff were “amazing” and very courteous, general hotel staff did not seem to be responsive to visitors concerns.

Mr. Funk, a director with Citigroup bank, is also questioning why they had been sent a brochure from the Stonington Beach hotel rather than the Coco Reef hotel and had assumed the atmosphere and staff in the hotel would remain the same after receiving no further details from management.

“The only thing that was different was the reservations address which gave an e-mail for Coco Reef,” said Mr. Funk.

Small touches of hominess at the hotel have also been removed, and the Funks, who made good friends with Toby, the former Manager's cat who is now deceased, said his grave was dug up and moved to another part of the hotel. They used to come to the Island for Toby's birthday party every year, an event also enjoyed by other guests and a small detail the Funks say helped to create a warm atmosphere.

They have taken their complaints to the Department of Tourism.

“They said to us when we came in, not another one,” said Mrs. Funk. “What we are calling for the Government to look into whatever is being promised and isn't being delivered. Our question is why is this gentleman able to take over the hotel the way he is? It should be returned to the people of Bermuda to develop rather than an outsider. He took the Bermuda out of Stonington,” said Mr. Funk.

The Funks are not the only guests to complain about the Coco Reef. Alan and Barbara Maccarella, a Connecticut couple, wrote in a letter to the Editor that they had just returned from their fifth visit to Stonington Beach Hotel.

“We were expecting that the services and amenities would be comparable to those that we enjoyed at Stonington Beach. Needless to say, we were extremely disappointed,” said the Maccarellas. “We were not embraced with the warmth and hominess that we are accustomed to at Stonington Beach and Bermuda. Other repeat patrons, as well as first time visitors to the island, were displeased with the services that had been provided, or NOT provided. We also began to read and hear about all of the legal and political problems surrounding Coco Reef. We can honestly say that this became the main topic of conversation on our vacation, and was quite distracting. The staff that remained greeted us with open arms and welcomed us home. For that we are very grateful,” they said.

The Maccarellas said in the letter upon their departure they were asked by the front desk, to elaborate on our opinions and reactions to the new Coco Reef.

“They added our concerns to a list already started by other patrons. These complaints were not fabricated by the staff at Coco Reef. These were honest criticisms by real visitors, hoping to return to Bermuda and Coco Reef.”

Government has come under fire recently for the the process whereby businessman John Jefferis negotiated a cut-price deal to take over Government-owned Stonington Beach Hotel now named Coco Reef. Auditor General Larry Dennis claimed the deal should have been re-tendered.

Coco Reef Hotel director Andrea Jennings said yesterday she was unaware of the feelings among guests. “I'm very disappointed to hear the complaints. I have four sets of repeat visitors who are in house totalling 12 rooms who are all very happy to be here and have booked for next year.”

She said afternoon tea had been cancelled since guests were filling up on the treats before dinner and not having dinner at all. Sunday brunch, according to Ms Jennings, had to be cancelled because it was not a money making venture for the hotel. She said she would look into the other complaints.

Operations Manager Rodney Gilbert told The Royal Gazette yesterday the list of visitors concerns was a maintenance record sheet and is meant to address visitors maintenance concerns.