Ronald Fletcher’s first trip to Bermuda almost 40 years ago was free because his wife, Hazel, won a trip from her employer.

But the couple fell in love with the island and have returned every year since.

Mr Fletcher said: “That free holiday cost me a fortune.

“We had never thought of Bermuda as a destination before then, but it was beautiful. We loved the beaches and the surroundings.

“Once we got a taste for it, we decided that from then on we would have our main holidays in Bermuda.”

Mr Fletcher, 82, a specialist in hair and scalp treatment, said the couple now regard the island as their second home.

He added: “Once you get to know the people of Bermuda, there is something here that is different to the rest of the world.

“I have not seen it anywhere else. I don’t care who you are or where you have travelled, you will not find the same attitude that you will see here, the friendliness you have here. It’s hard for me to believe how much generosity there is here.”

Mr Fletcher said the couple had built up a treasure trove of special memories over the years.

He added that a chance meeting with the head groundskeeper at the Fairmont Southampton led to a free round of golf on the hotel’s course.

And — when his young son became ill while on the island — staff at Paget’s Elbow Beach Hotel arranged for a doctor to come and see the child.

Mr Fletcher said Dr Gordon Black not only gave the boy a prescription, but called back every day of their stay to check he was doing well.

He added: “You usually won’t get that from a doctor without fees involved, but this was completely free.

“Where else in the world would someone give you that service?”

Mr Fletcher said he had noticed a decline in the island’s tourism fortunes over the years — but that Bermuda looked like it was bouncing back.

He added: “I feel it is coming back to the way it was. I have seen some tremendous improvements.”

Mr Fletcher added that he hoped to be able to retire to Bermuda at some point.

He said: “I hear a lot about Bermudians retiring to the UK, and I understand why, but personally I want to retire to Bermuda.

“I don’t find it too bad expense-wise, but that’s because I know where to go.”