A Massachusetts couple who visited the island for their honeymoon in 1975 have returned to Bermuda this week to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

David and Jan Morrissey said they fell in love with the island on their first visit and plan to return each March to mark the important milestone.

Mrs Morrissey said: “We were very young and it was during college week when we came but we didn’t mind.

“We were just on our honeymoon. The people are still friendly as they were then and we stayed at Grotto Bay, which was small then but a lot has changed.”

She said the couple travelled to and from the island six times and a few of the trips were made via cruise excursions.

“This year didn’t take us long to plan and sometimes we do look at cruises but we love to enjoy the island some more,” she added.

Mrs Morrissey said: “We enjoy meeting the people. We got our bus passes and we’ve been talking to everybody and the weather has been great all week.”

Like their honeymoon, the couple spent their anniversary at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa, and Mr Morrissey said he was impressed by the service.

He explained: “Everybody has been just so kind and in 1975 it was the same.

“Back then we would see mommy and daddy on the bus with the children and when people would enter the bus everybody stood up.

“A lot of that is still the same throughout all these years and everybody has been so courteous.”

He said the couple enjoy the island’s scenery, and on this trip they hired a taxi to go sightseeing.

The two visited popular beaches as well as the “little unknown ones”.

Mr Morrissey noted that an important aspect of their trips is always to enjoy the food and drinks.

He said: “When we get into Hamilton there is a nice coffee shop — Brew — and we like it there.

“I can’t get enough of the people and the humility that we have seen here on our trips.”

The Morrisseys, who are both 70, live in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Mr Morrissey has lived all his life.

He said while he loves his home town, “nobody there engages you as much as the people here in Bermuda”.

With a laugh, he added: “I love my friends where I live but nobody can compare to Bermuda and that’s the truth.

“That’s the thing we appreciate the most because just last night we had our anniversary party and we stayed there from 6.30pm until 10pm out on the gazebo.

“They set that up for us and we love that about Bermuda.”

Mr Morrissey said he first saw his wife in 1968 while they were in junior high school.

He reflected: “I would protect her all through high school and we got married after that.

“We courted for two years, and back then you always respected the girl. This is the only woman I’ve been with and we built the relationship.

“We are just madly in love more than we first were, and after 50 years of living with each other, after losing our child and our parents, we stick together.

“Those are the things that are important, and the inner person comes out and reveals itself later in life because you don’t see that earlier in the relationship.”

The union produced two children, one of whom died 18 years ago, and Mr Morrissey said they always held their family values at a high standard.

He advised young people, including those entering marriage, to always work things out and “always think about why your partner is angry with you”.

Mr Morrissey added: “When my wife is saying something and we’re angry or adverse to each other, I always say ‘I’ll get back to you’ because the emotions are too high.

“We do that and we pray together every time, we hold hands together at our bed every night and we always work things out.

“So, my advice is to not take things too seriously when you’re angry or adverse to each other.”

The couple will depart for the United States today, but Mr Morrissey said: “We definitely are going to come back and we will do it every March.

“All of Bermuda appreciates family. Not only is the island beautiful but the people make it home.

“There is no place like Bermuda, so we definitely will come back until our last days.”