An American couple returned to Bermuda half a century after they spent their honeymoon here and said that the island is “a whole different place” now.

Bruce and Susan Kamich, who are from Delaware and this week enjoyed a relaxing few days at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort and Spa, said the island is more built up and the roads are much busier than they remembered.

They reminisced about how they toured around Bermuda on rental scooters as newlyweds without a worry in the world.

Mrs Kamich said: “We got some scooters, we went to the Botanical Gardens, we went to the Crystal Caves and the perfume factory.

“We went on a tour in a taxi and I thought, I would never drive a scooter here any more.”

Mr Kamich added: “It looks like it is tremendously built up, and I have noticed the number of hotels that are closed.”

The couple, who married on March 2, 1974, and came to Bermuda the following June, said the natural beauty of the island was as breathtaking as ever.

They recalled a story about their time at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, when they first arrived on the island.

Mrs Kamich said: “We checked in, went up into our room and there were two twin beds.

“I called downstairs and I said, this is our honeymoon and there are twin beds in the room.

“They said, ‘oh, we’ll fix that’, and they came in the room and pushed the beds together.”

The pair were inspired to visit the island as both their parents earlier travelled on cruises to Bermuda and told them all about it.

Mr Kamich first visited in 1959, when he was eight years old, and recalled being “terrified” during the journey.

“I found out that the ship we came on was previously a troop carrier from the Second World War. It was ancient,” he said.

“The funny thing was, my mother would have an occasional cigarette, a habit she picked up from the war, and my father went around trying to find Benson & Hedges cigarettes — for some reason he thought they were made here.

“They also bought postcards and stamps. There was no social media to send back reports; it was postcards and stamps in those days.”

In the 1990s, the Kamichs brought their three sons to holiday in Bermuda.

The couple also visited the island about 20 years ago when Mr Kamich, who works in the finance sector, landed a brief role working for Reuters as a journalist, thanks to his extensive contacts in his profession. He was asked to cover a conference for the cocoa industry.

Mr and Mrs Kamich arrived in Bermuda on Saturday and will leave tomorrow.

They planned to take things easy during their visit, and hoped to take the bus into Hamilton for some shopping and sightseeing.

Mrs Kamich, who enjoyed a career in an environmental consultancy firm, said: “Bermuda is beautiful. You think about a paradise island with all the colours. It looks like a painting.”