Bahamas -- not Bermuda, it was revealed last night.

English newspapers today reported that the couple spent a secret break at the Island's Pink Beach Club in Smith's.

But Pink Beach chief Mike Williams said: "It is accommodation fit for a Prince -- but he wasn't here.'' And The Royal Gazette can disclose that the UK newspapers were out by more than 1,100 miles -- and a sea.

For the couple plumped for a pre-Christmas break in the Caribbean -- not the Atlantic.

Jonathan Morris -- manager of the Coral Sands Hotel in the Bahamas' Harbour Island -- said he saw the couple quit the Caribbean hotspot just before Christmas as he picked up a friend from the airport.

Mr. Morris said: "Prince Edward was smiling and his girlfriend was looking very happy, although I didn't know what it was all about then. They did look like a perfect couple.'' Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones stayed at the mansion of Lord Abercorn on Windermere Island, off Eleuthera.

Mr. Morris said: "It would be an ideal spot to propose -- I didn't know anything about that, but you couldn't miss all the security at the airport.'' A Bermuda engagement for the couple is a recipe for romance made in heaven as the Island is billed as one of the most romantic spots in the world for young lovers.

But -- despite efforts by the UK press to give a pink sand blush to the engagement -- it was not to be.

Inquiries by The Royal Gazette prompted by calls to the newspaper from English tabloids drew a blank.

And Buckingham Palace added fuel to the fire by refusing to confirm or deny where the engagement took place.

A spokeswoman for the Royals said yesterday: "That is a private matter.'' Deputy Governor Tim Gurney said: "We are not aware of any visit by Prince Edward to the Island and I'm sure we would have been.'' And it is understood the airport and Police would also have been alerted to a Royal visit -- no matter how private.

Prince proposes But it is believed neither were put on the alert as would be normal in advance of a visit by Britain's first family.

One English newspaper claimed that Prince Edward and his fiancee had stayed at the upmarket Pink Beach Club.

It gushed about the idyllic setting for what was claimed to be a three-day break just before Christmas, with the couple jetting back to London on December 23 -- the day they left the Bahamas.

But Mr. Williams said his cottage colony closed for the winter on December 15 -- days before the Prince was said to have arrived on the Island.

He admitted: "We would have loved to have had him as a guest -- but sadly we didn't.

"And he couldn't have stayed with us after the 15th because we closed then.'' But the Pink Beach Club won rave reviews for its cottages, which nestle in 18 acres of lush greenery overlooking a sapphire sea.

And it praised its two private beaches, tennis courts, swimming pool and easy access to top golf courses and watersports.

One newspaper even quoted "a Royal source'' who said that the couple had added Pink Beach to a list of possible honeymoon spots.

Mr. Williams said: "Everything they said fits exactly -- except the last fact. They weren't here.

"But if they wanted to come on honeymoon to Pink Beach, I'm sure they wouldn't be disappointed.''