The one wish of elderly British couple, Josie and Roy Perry, after she had been diagnosed as terminally ill was to spend a few days at a resort where they could enjoy the sea and sun together, while Roy could have a break from caring for his wife.

The only problem is that Roy is partially blind and needs a guide dog to get around, and having animals around is not something which many hotels would be amenable to. Their wish was granted however, by the Calypso Hotel in Gozo.

This hotel, which the couple describes as “a hotel with a mission – to help those with special needs”, not only accepted them for a ten-day stay, but went out of their way to cater for the couple’s every need. This was something that Mr Perry greatly appreciated.

Mr Perry said they were given a comfortable air-conditioned room, with a bay and harbour view, which enabled his wife to relax and enjoy the sights below as fishermen sailed away, tourist boats explored the dramatic coastline and visitors enjoyed the resort.

When faced by such a situation it is impossible to remain passive and do nothing, general manager, Joe Muscat, told this newspaper, adding that the couple resides in Gozo and love the island so much, they almost consider themselves as Gozitan.

Furthermore in this case the hotel considers Zac, the guide dog and his owner as one person, he said, since this is so much more than a pet, but rather an animal with a mission to guide his owner.

Mr Perry said that Zac, an 8-year-old Labrador/Golden Retriever cross soon made friends and tucked himself away under the table during meals. He was free to explore the roads and alleyways without opposition, and his toilet training was impeccable.

While Mrs Perry had the chance to relax in her room, Zac and his owner were free to access the sun roof and bar. The duo were also accepted in the dining areas, once they saw a properly trained dog is actually less of a problem than an infant in a push-chair.

Mr Muscat said that although pets are not allowed this was not a pet, and furthermore not only had he been impeccably behaved but there had been no complaints at all from other guests during his stay there. “The dog was very well-behaved and learned”.

All in all Mr and Mrs Perry described it as a very pleasant experience and thanked Mr Muscat, catering and housekeeping staff, specifically Joe, John, Lorenzo, Manuel, Martin and Katie.

When asked whether such needs would be catered for in the future, Mr Muscat said that if the request was of this nature then the hotel would seriously consider it. This was an issue of flexibility and basically the in-house rules were put aside for a good cause.