Dear Sir,

Over the years, I have photographed many, many families who have come to the island to celebrate special occasions of birthdays and anniversaries.

On Monday evening at 5pm, I was at Café Lido to recreate and update a family of now 19 people whom I had photographed 20 years ago.

The family had booked to have dinner at Lido’s after the photo session on the beach, but I was met by the female maître d’hôtel who informed me that, as the family were not booked into the hotel, they could not go on the beach.

I could not persuade her. Despite the family being about to pay between $1,500 and $2,000 for dinner, she was determined. The family were immaculately dressed and obviously not going to linger on the beach, but there were no grey areas in her thinking.

Does Café Lido have this same rule if people want casually to walk along the shoreline after dinner and savour what has been a memorable evening or are they stopped because they are not guests at the hotel?

I was embarrassed by this and I know it didn’t go down well with the family. It does make you wonder if we really are in the hospitality business of pleasing our high-paying guests.

ERNIE MCCREIGHT