A pensioner’s dream holiday turned into a nightmare as she was left with infected sores from mosquito bites after her hotel had no running water.
Marjorie McCance, 66, from Westerton, splashed out £1,800 for an all-inclusive stay at the TUI Sol Dunas complex in Cape Verde, only to find herself in a “holiday from hell.”
The island was hit by a burst pipe that left half of Cape Verde without any water supply. However, Marjorie claims she only discovered the lack of water facilities in her room after settling in.
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“What should have been a lovely holiday turned into a complete nightmare,” Marjorie lamented.
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“No one told us anything at all. It was only after asking our reps and hotel staff what was going on that we discovered the place had been without water for two days prior to our arrival.
“I just couldn’t believe that TUI were still flying people out to a large hotel without a properly functioning water supply. We had to find out what was going on from other guests who were also at reception asking for answers.”
“To make matters worse there was no hand sanitiser and folk were using buckets of water from the swimming pool to flush their toilets. I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
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Marjorie’s holiday took a turn for the worse when she was left covered in painful mosquito bites, which then became infected and required medical attention.
Marjorie was in for a nasty surprise when she found herself covered in over 50 sores from bites, despite being moved to a different room and the use of insect repellent. She recounted her ordeal: “I was bitten badly but even to get an antihistamine there you need a doctor’s prescription.”
The situation escalated as she struggled to get the attention of TUI reps or hotel staff: “By the time I got TUI reps or hotel staff to realise I needed one and something to wash my body I was quite ill.”
It wasn’t until she had a severe infection that she saw a doctor: “I was asking Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and only then did I see the on-site doctor, at which point a bad infection had taken hold.”
Marjorie had to fend for herself, seeking out medication: “I had to go into St Maria myself to find a chemist for antibiotics, antibiotic cream, antihistamines and a foot spray.”
The discomfort was unbearable: “By this point I was in a lot of discomfort. I was feeling awful, and it was a struggle to do anything. At one stage I even started counting the bites on my body but gave up when I reached 50.”
Her dream holiday turned into a nightmare: “I was just counting down the days until I could fly home – it really was a holiday from hell.”
According to Marjorie, TUI did indeed propose a compensation offer, but she declined it.
She asserted :”I was offered £120 to make up for a £1800 holiday being ruined. In my opinion, it’s an insult – a lot more should have been done over there to address the issues or relocate holidaymakers elsewhere.”
TUI stated that during April, some hotels on the island faced lowered water pressure due to pipe leakage.
They also argued that the most affected guests were offered alternative hotel accommodations and the predicament only lasted for a couple of days.
The company vehemently denies allegations of zero water supply. They insist food services were unaffected and passengers were presented with a token of goodwill upon their return home to account for the ‘minor impact’ on their holiday experience.
A representative from TUI concluded: “We will not be providing any further comment.”
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