PEARL CITY, Hawaii -- Two visitors from Tahiti said they were overjoyed Saturday after Honolulu police were able to recover original artwork worth $250,000 that the couple said was stolen from them.

In less than two days from when the artwork was reported missing, Honolulu police were able to arrest a suspect in connection with the missing artwork and return the work to its owners.

KITV's Denby Fawcett reported that it started with a burglary at the visitors' hotel room Thursday night. While the visitors slept, thieves took their money, jewelry, camera and keys to their rental car, police said.

The thieves then escaped in the visitors' rental car, not knowing that there were portfolios in the car containing some valuable art.

Marie Christine Auloy and Jean Louis Fradet displayed the 450 pieces of art that police recovered Saturday.

The art was their own original textile designs that the couple brought to Hawaii to sell to firms such as Hilo Hattie and Reyns for Aloha Wear Fabric.

They said they have the highest praise for the work of Pearl City police.

"(I'm) very happy. I am happy also that police find the car and give us fantastic news," Fradet said.

Auloy said it all makes her heart beat a little faster.

"It was such a relief," she said.

The art was taken when the couple inadvertently left the backdoor to their hotel room unlocked, officials said.

"The worst was just to see somebody just entered and went to both sides of the bed and took everything and had the idea to take the keys of the car too," Auloy said.

"If the thieves had any clue the textile art was worth, according to the visitors, approximately $250,000, I don't think they would have gotten their artwork back. Fortunately, they didn't know how valuable it was," Visitor Aloha Society President Jessica Lani Rich said.

Rich said she was helping the couple when Pearl City police called to say a suspect had been caught and the art was recovered.

Pearl City police Sgt. Ken Miyazaki said the suspect was caught in Pearlridge on Friday, where he and another man were trying to burglarize a house.

Police said they found the stolen rental car outside the house with all the paintings still inside.

Police said the 18-year-old suspect was returned to the youth correctional facility from which he'd escaped.