A letter-writer has warned fellow timesharers that a stay at the Hamiltonian Hotel Resort in Bermuda "may be hazardous to your vacation''.

David Weaver, of Laguna Hills, California, visited Bermuda in June with his wife with plans to celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary here.

"But that was not to be,'' he wrote in a letter addressed to readers of TimeSharing Today.

The resort was supposed to organise a taxi to pick the couple up from the airport when they arrived, but it never materialised.

Upon arriving at the resort they were checked in and found their unit to be "very musky'' with two noisy air conditioners and a soiled and spotted carpet.

"The toilet was dirty, there was trash in the waste basket and the bar soap had been used,'' continued Mr. Weaver.

"Dirt had accumulated in the corners of the tile floor in the bathroom as well as the carpeted area and the sliding glass door rails, the furnishings from the 1970s were dirty, smelly and in need of repair and replacement.

"The pull chains on the window coverings were broken and the toilet continued to run.

"In short, the unit was in deplorable conditions barely fit to stay in.'' Mr. Weaver said management were contacted but no other unit was available for the Weavers to move into. It was also disclosed that another person was in the unit before the Weavers but was moved after finding its location unsatisfactory.

The Weavers found the outside of the property to be in much the same condition as the inside of their room.

"The next morning we found that the grounds and exterior was an extension of the interior, in need of repair and maintenance.'' And a visit by the maid -- maid service at the property is $10 a day -- made no improvement to the room. "We found the daily cleaning of the unit did not enhance it as the maid must have been vision challenged to miss the obvious.'' Mr. Weaver noted: "It appeared to be common knowledge that the place was on the decline, the developer `taking money out and not putting money in for improvements'.'' The Weavers attempted to change accommodation but they found other alternatives too expensive.

A return flight to California was then sought and on June 24, their anniversary, the couple flew home. "We spent our 37th wedding anniversary savouring airline food, but very happy and content to have left the Hamiltonian.'' Mr. Weaver said he and his wife had 14 weeks of timeshare which they had successfully exchanged in the US, England and Europe. They had never experienced anything similar to the treatment they received at the Hamiltonian, he stressed.

And he pointed out that his criticisms were directed at the hotel, not the Island as a whole.

"Bermuda is very nice and we saw the majority of the Island as we wanted to spend as much time away from the resort as possible.'' But Mr. Weaver said he felt timesharers needed to be warned about the Hamiltonian.

"I suggest that RCI warn their members of what to expect, similar to cigarette warnings: `staying at the Hamiltonian may be hazardous to your vacation'.'' Management from the Hamiltonian Hotel/Island Club could not be reached for comment yesterday.