A visitor from California experienced the vacation from hell last week after a decision to drive drunk left him recovering in hospital and paying a hotel bill at the same time.

Matthew Brenner, 34, appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday to face charges for drunk driving on May 24 in Southampton. The court heard that Brenner was seen driving in an erratic manner on South Road close to the Fairmont Southampton Hotel with a passenger on the back of a cycle without a helmet. He struck the curb and fell off the bike resulting in a fracture to his left elbow and an injured ankle.

Brenner pleaded guilty to the charge. A blood alcohol test revealed that he had 166 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

He told Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves: “I'm here for a wedding. I was with a group of Irish people who are prominent drinkers. I made a tragic mistake, but I decided to drive because my friends told me I didn't have far to go.”

Brenner asked Mr. Greaves to be lenient in his fine and told the court he had spent $10,000 on hotel bills and had saved up for four years to come to Bermuda. “You haven't stopped spending yet,” said Mr. Greaves while slapping a $1,000 fine on Brenner.