A couple planning to spend their honeymoon at the defunct Daniel's Head village are threatening to boycott the Island after only just finding out that the resort has closed and their deposit possibly lost.

Alden Bourne and his fianc?e Joeli Hettler were due to fly to Bermuda in mid-September for a five-night stay at the holiday village in Somerset.

They booked in December and handed over a $730 deposit, equivalent to two nights' stay, and thought everything was in order - until just a few days ago.

Mr. Bourne, who works as a producer on the CBS `60 Minutes' show in New York, said he was informed by a friend who has relatives in Bermuda that Daniel's Head had gone into receivership earlier this year.

But he said nobody had bothered to call and inform him.

Now, he is demanding his money back and is threatening to change their honeymoon destination if it is not forthcoming.

"If we had not been told by friends that Daniel's Head had closed, we would have turned up in September fully expecting the holiday we had planned," said Mr. Bourne.

"It's outrageous that nobody bothered to call and tell us what was happening. We have heard nothing. Our honeymoon could have been ruined.

"I don't know if this is standard operating procedure in Bermuda. Why does Bermuda deserve to have us come down there and spend our money if this is how we are going to be treated?

"I have potentially lost $730 on our honeymoon. If we don't get it back, we may go somewhere else."

Mr. Bourne said he had contacted general manager of Daniel's Head Richard Quinn and had been told to contact the receiver to inquire whether or not he will get his deposit back.

And he also contacted the Department of Tourism.

Mr. Bourne has also questioned why the holiday village had demanded a deposit of two nights stay when it was the norm for many hotels to only charge one.

The couple have never been to Bermuda. He said his parents came to the Island for their honeymoon, so they were very excited about their holiday plans. But now, they are having second thoughts.

He added: "I feel as though someone has stolen my money. To me, this is basically fraud.

"In the last three or four years I have travelled to places like Kenya, India and Iraq, and Bermuda was the last place I thought something like this would happen.

"How many more other people with reservations at Daniel's Head are out there with no idea it has closed?

"This is a real black eye for Bermuda. The Government needs to investigate this to make sure people get their money back.

"If they don't, American travellers should be told that if they put down a huge deposit on a hotel in Bermuda, their money may be as good as gone."

Last night, official receiver for Daniel's Head, Malcolm Butterfield, would not speak specifically about Mr. Bourne's case.

And he would not say whether or not guests who had booked into the village and had paid deposits would be refunded or offered alternative accommodation.

But he said Mr. Bourne and his fianc?e should contact him as soon as possible.

He said: "I'm quite happy to speak directly with Mr. Bourne and, as the receiver, we have certainly worked very well with any potential guests of the property, the owners and my client.

"We have always taken the position that we will take the appropriate steps to keep all parties (including the Bank of Butterfield and the resorts' owners) satisfied."

And Mr. Butterfield said he, as appointed the receiver by the Bank of Butterfield, was in the process of contacting people booked into the resort this summer.

He added: "I would suggest that I think Mr. Bourne should certainly give us a call. I'm not at liberty to say how many parties had booked in."

But he said there was a plan to deal with situations like this one.

News broke in March that Daniel's Head would not be opening as planned for the summer season after only 18 months in operation.

Staff were told their contracts would not be renewed and owners Excel Legacy Corporation, based in San Diego, then informed the bank, along with the Department of Tourism and the Bermuda Land and Development Corporation that it wished to sell the site.

In April, the bank then appointed Mr. Butterfield as the official receiver, and it was believed a number of parties had shown interest in taking over the resort, but little has been revealed since.