Family who paid £4,000 for ‘holiday from hell’ at a Rhodes resort say they are furious
A family who paid £4,000 for a ‘holiday from hell’ at a Rhodes resort say they have been left furious after TUI told them it would not be offering any compensation despite claiming they had to endure bug-filled rooms.
Kimberley Tooth, her husband Stephen, and daughter Sarah, from Hatton, Warwickshire, said they paid just under £4,000 to stay at the Lydia Maris hotel on the Greek island of Rhodes at the start of July.
But they said what should have been an idyllic trip turned sour when, on two occasions, they were served raw food and left with an infestation of flying ants and bugs swarming their accommodation.
The family say they had no choice but to move into different hotel rooms and eat at restaurants elsewhere.
Sleepless nights and a huge bill for eating out followed, but the family claim TUI has refused them any compensation on the grounds they had rejected an offer for compensation during their stay at the resort.
Kimberley Tooth (right), her husband Stephen (centre) and daughter Sarah, from Hatton, Warwickshire, said they paid just under £4,000 to stay at the Lydia Maris hotel on the Greek island of Rhodes at the start of July
After the family returned to the hotel for an evening meal, the family said they were served minced beef that was pink in the middle
Kimberley said: ‘Our holiday was ruined. It was horrific. I’ve stopped in two-star hotels before that were better than this. I’m disgusted with TUI.
‘It’s not even the money that we’re bothered about, it’s the fact that we’ve not even had an apology and they’ve not looked into it.’
The eleven-night trip, which started on July 1, was going swimmingly until the first morning when Kimberley described the breakfast as ‘stone cold’ and inedible. She says she gave it the ‘benefit of the doubt’ as a minor blip.
But that night, on returning for dinner, Kimberley’s husband Stephen, 38, cut into some roast chicken which she described as ‘bleeding, pink and still raw’.
The family complained to the chef, but claim they were turned away and told that the chicken was ‘meant to be like that’.
That evening, they claim they went back to their room to find flying ants everywhere. In the middle of the night, Kimberley says a centipede crawled across her daughter’s face.
The family complained to the receptionist but say they were told that there were no spare rooms left so they couldn’t be moved elsewhere. Instead, they say, they were told someone would be sent to fumigate the apartment.
The following evening, however, the apartment remained infested, says Kimberley, 35, with ‘dead insects absolutely everywhere’.
Her 16-year-old daughter, frightened, didn’t sleep at night and would instead sleep on the sun loungers during the day, restricting the family to spending much of their holiday at the resort.
On the third day, having eaten out for the previous two nights after the incident with the chicken, the family opted to return to the hotel for an evening meal.
The family said they went back to their room to find flying ants everywhere. In the middle of the night, Kimberley says a centipede (pictured) crawled across her daughter’s face
After the apartment was fumigated, the family said it was still filled with ‘dead insects absolutely everywhere’
But they say they suffered the same misfortune as on the first night – claiming the minced beef was pink in the middle. They claim they were again told by a chef that there was nothing wrong with the food.
Kimberley says she herself suffered with an upset stomach on one of the nights. For the rest of the holiday, they purchased food elsewhere – setting them back another 500 euros (£430).
They then complained to a holiday rep and were moved from the infested room to a room Kimberley described as ‘really dated’.
She says the rep told her he’d have to contact the head office to resolve the complaint after the holiday.
With the Rhodes wildfires erupting just a week or so after their return to England, Kimberley said that while the family hadn’t heard anything regarding their trip, they understood that the fires would have been top priority for the company.
But then she received an email, almost a month later, which said: ‘I can see that you were offered compensation in resort that you have chosen not to accept. On this occasion, we will not be able to offer any compensation but we greatly appreciate your feedback.’
Mrs Tooth emailed back to allege that they had not been offered the refund in question.
But a response from TUI then said: ‘Thank you for your email. From reviewing the complaint and speaking to the necessary members of staff we will not be able to offer any compensation. If you are not happy with the outcome of the complaint then you can see further advice from ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents).’
TUI has been approached for comment.