A surprise gift left Jack and Barbara Finnegan shedding tears of joy.

The couple had fallen in love with Bermuda when they first came here for their honeymoon, 42 years ago.

But caring for their disabled son, Christopher, meant they had not been away on vacation in 17 years.

That was until their elder son, Tim, won a five-night, all-expenses-paid stay at The Reefs Hotel for his parents.

Without their knowledge, he entered an essay writing competition, explaining how deserving his parents were and what Bermuda meant to the family.

In the essay he said: “Having six children meant that my parents had to give up many things, especially time for themselves.

“My youngest brother is severely mentally disabled and every day for 31 years my parents have dedicated themselves to his well being.

“My parents have changed every diaper, given every feeding and attended to every illness without a moment’s consideration of giving him less.

“Despite the tragedy of also losing two sons unexpectedly to illness, my parents continue to be the two most positive and generous people imaginable.”

He added: “Since I know they would never reach out on their own, I am submitting this entry in their honour. I cannot think of any two people more deserving of the chance to relive their cherished time at The Reefs.”

Online votes

His heartfelt story received more than a third of the hotel competition’s 3,000 online votes. Tim Finnegan presented his parents with the prize at his brother Kevin’s wedding in Washington D.C. in March.

Mrs. Finnegan said: “We were both crying like babies. It was such a surprise. We could not believe it.

“Tim asked me where I would choose if I could go on holiday anywhere in the world and of course I said Bermuda.

“He then opened a lap top which had the e-mail from the Reefs on it and said, ‘well you are going’.

“We never thought we would be able to go on vacation again – so to come to our favourite place has been amazing.”

Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan, who grew up in the Bronx and are high-school sweethearts, arrived here on July 16 from their home on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. They are due to fly home today.

Mr. Finnegan, a retired sales and marketing boss of a commercial paper business, added: “Both Tim and his sister, Kelly, spent their honeymoons at The Reefs – so it is a bit of a family tradition.

“We have had some amazing vacations at The Reefs and to come back has been fantastic.

“We’ve been to the beaches like Jobson’s Cove and into Hamilton. And it has been incredible to just sit back and relax at The Reefs.

“We have loved every minute of our time here again – Bermuda is still as perfect as it was when we first came here.”