The captain and crew of the luxury clipper The Maltese Falcon have given the thumbs-up to Bermuda after sailing in for the weekend.

The Maltese-registered 289ft yacht — owned by American venture capitalist Tom Perkins — arrived at Ordnance Island last Friday and set off for the Azores earlier this week.

And while its international crew may be used to living on-board a boat said to have cost between $150 million and $300 million, the down-to-earth delights of the Island proved a big hit with them — even if they have yet to master the names of our nightspots.

Captain Chris Gartner e-mailed The Royal Gazette to say: "The crew and I have enjoyed Bermuda very much! We went out and saw the islands by way of scooters, visited all of your sights and beautiful beaches and managed to eat a dinner at Flanagan's and then dance the night away at the Onion and Pig, or something like that!

"The people here in Bermuda are very friendly and polite. I like the way everyone says 'good day' when you walk past them."

St. George's, where the unusual-looking vessel attracted crowds of admirers, came in for particular praise from the captain.

He wrote: "St. George's is a very nice town, where the people are especially nice! At Malcolm's barber shop I got the chance to meet Malcolm and his clientele and had a great talk to all! We will be back!"