A pensioner endured a "holiday from hell" after she was left with dozens of mosquito bites that became infected due to a lack of running water at her hotel complex.
Marjorie McCance, 66, from Westerton, just northwest of Glasgow, paid £1,800 for a getaway at the TUI Dunas complex in Cape Verde. But a burst pipe left half of the archipelago nation without a running water supply.
She claimed it was only after settling into her room that it dawned on her that there was no way to wash her hands, shower or flush the toilet. “What should have been a lovely holiday turned into a complete nightmare," said Marjorie.
“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.
Marjorie was left with some 50 mosquito bites across her body (Glasgow Times / SWNS)“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 then told how the holiday somehow became worse when she was left covered in painful mosquito bites that later became infected and needed medical attention. After speaking to TUI reps and hotel staff, she was moved from her first floor room to the ground floor, but claimed the problem persisted even after insect repellent was sprayed around the room.
After speaking to an on-site doctor, Marjorie was prescribed antibiotics to treat more than 50 sores on her body. She added: "“I was bitten badly but even to get an antihistamine there you need a doctor's prescription. 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. 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 described the experience as a "holiday from hell" (Glasgow Times / SWNS)"I had to go into St Maria myself to find a chemist for antibiotics, antibiotic cream, antihistamines and a foot spray. 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. I was just counting down the days until I could fly home - it really was a holiday from hell."
Marjorie further claimed that even after the supply to the luxury hotel was restored, the problems persisted. She continued: "The water was off from April 25 to 29. It eventually came back on around 8am but it was a thick brown sludge, and it did not run clear in our room until around 11pm.
"We were given only two bottles of drinking water every day and I had to source wet wipes to stay clean. We discovered on the Sunday that the whole island was not impacted and that there were two other TUI hotels both within a five-minute walk which had water the full time, but not once was I offered a move there.”
She said the situation became so unbearable that she reached out to the UK embassy in Dakar and asked her local MP Amy Callaghan for help. On her return to Glasgow, she also complained to TUI staff at her local branch.
“Despite feeling dreadful and just wanting to rest, I went to my local TUI store and made staff aware of how awful our trip was," Marjorie added. She said the firm has since made a compensation offer which she rejected. She added: "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.”
The firm said during a period in April some hotels on the island experienced low water pressure due to a burst pipe. The company claimed guests who were most impacted were offered a free hotel change and that the issue lasted only a couple of days.
TUI also denied there was no running water. They also say that meal services were not impacted, and that guests were given a goodwill gesture on their return home for the 'minor impact' on their holiday experience. A spokesperson for TUI added: “We will not be providing any further comment.”
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