It appears some holidays from hell are more disappointing than others following a couple’s wedding anniversary trip to a four-star resort billed as “luxury” in Safaga, Egypt.
A couple have returned from their “holiday from hell” comparing their hotel to a “warzone”. With their two friends, Robbie and Dawn Bennett put down £3,700 for a two-week, all-inclusive stay in Safaga, Egypt. They arrived expecting to be greeted by scenes of beachside tennis and crazy golf on the outside and at the very least, a clean modern room on the inside.
The reality, they claim, was anything but the four-star luxury expected from the Paradise Abu Soma Resort which they booked through On The Beach. An alleged power cut at the hotel even left the group sitting in complete darkness during dinner time, relying on their phone torches for light.
After complaining about the state of their room to the front desk, the pair said they were offered alternative accommodation in another area of the hotel, which guests reportedly called the ‘prison block’.
Robbie and Dawn, a 49-year-old civil servant, believe the holiday was ‘misrepresented’ to how it was advertised on website retailer On the Beach, describing their stay as the worst trip they’ve ever been on.
Robbie, who lives near Colchester, Essex, said: “It’s an annual trip that me, my wife and our friends take to celebrate our anniversaries. We got married in the same month, in different years, to our respective partners. I’ve been to Egypt eight or nine times over the course of the last 13 years. We’ve never had any issues in the past.
“My wife booked the hotel online and all the pictures and reviews looked really good. It looked really picturesque. When we got to the hotel, we thought this can’t be right. My wife was practically in tears.
“We were supposed to be staying in one of the beachside, ocean-view chalets, which was just a double bedroom with 1980s decor in really poor condition. I think we had one plug socket in the whole room that we could use. It was really dirty – there were hairs in the bed. Just very poor quality.
“This was supposed to be a four-star hotel. We didn’t even have a duvet, each bed just had a single sheet on it. There was no additional bedding in the room. We just froze the whole time.”
Robbie and Dawn immediately complained to the front desk and On the Beach who they claim offered them £700 to find alternative accommodation nearby.
Robbie said: “We started looking at relocating hotels straight away. My wife was so disappointed because she’d booked the whole thing. She thought she’d ruined it for everybody. She wanted to go home. We would have to rearrange the whole transfer ourselves. There was zero customer support from On the Beach. The hotel offered us a different hotel room in what the guests call the ‘prison block’. It looked terrible.
“They advertised basketball courts, tennis courts, crazy golf, sports facilities and it looked more like Syria or Beirut. You couldn’t use them. It looked and felt like a warzone. If we’d taken them up on their offer and stayed in the ‘prison block’, that would’ve been our view when we opened the curtains.”
The couple were also disappointed by being offered plastic cutlery at breakfast, despite the resort being a four-star hotel. Robbie said: “In the morning at breakfast, instead of them putting out metal spoons, we had a collection of plastic spoons and plastic cups for drinks. One evening, while we were eating dinner, there was a power cut so we were out of power for five minutes or so sat at the dinner table.
“It was just shabby. We weren’t happy with the hotel at all. It was a holiday from hell. Out of all the holidays we’ve been on, I’d rate it as the worst. It was completely misrepresented to how it was advertised online. It shouldn’t be advertised as four stars.
“The On the Beach support was minimal if not non-existent. We’d never use them again. I’d advise anyone else to avoid them as well. We were going out there to celebrate our anniversary and have a relaxing time, but we just thought thank god that’s over. It was a relief leaving. We’d like some compensation for the experience we had. It was the one holiday we save up for every year that we spend our hard-earned cash on.”
An On the Beach spokesperson said: “We’re sorry that Mr and Mrs Bennett’s hotel did not meet our expected quality standards. “We always want our customers to have a great holiday and have offered a cash refund to reflect their experience. We have also implemented new processes and additional training to quickly and proportionately manage, resolve and support customers who contact us with issues while on holiday.”