A group of about 15 travelers – including a couple that spent $5,000 on their getaway — have taken legal action against the tourism agency that arranged their stay at a five-star hotel where they suffered from severe gastric symptoms.
Three hotel guests even landed in the hospital during their stay at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria in Cape Verde off West Africa after falling ill amid horrid conditions at the posh location, according to reports. Now, they are among a group taking legal action against travel firm TUI which reportedly booked the trips.
One plaintiff, Lisa Bradly, 58, told SWNS that four days into her $1,637 vacation in September she began dealing with diarrhea and “felt like she couldn’t breathe.”
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An on-site doctor told the UK woman her blood pressure was critically low and she needed to go to the hospital where she was treated with bottles of intravenous fluids, a heart tablet and other remedies.
"It was absolutely awful. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart and I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” she told the UK news outlet.
Couple Lorraine Wilson and Mark Bonner, both 42, spent more than $5,000 on the hotel for a stretch in October only to suffer from diarrhea and brutal stomach cramps, SWSN reported.
They were also reportedly recommended to visit the hospital for treatment.
"The holiday quickly went from what we hoped would be a dream trip to a disaster,” Bonner told the outlet. "What’s even more concerning is that we didn’t appear to be alone.”
"We couldn’t even keep down water and I’ve never been so ill in my life,” Wilson added.
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The three hospitalized guests described a hotel rife with poor hygiene, including “cats roaming around” and “flies everywhere.”
"I was shocked at the hygiene standards,” Bradly said.
Riu Hotels declined to comment on the allegations, BBC reported.
TUI did not reply when asked for comment, the outlet reported.
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An international injury lawyer representing the vacationers, Jatinder Paul, said “action needs to be taken,” especially after another 300 people complained about the same hotel last year.
"Naturally, our clients now want answers as to how they became so ill on a five-star holiday,” he told SWNS.
