A couple's £2,700 three-week luxury beach resort holiday was cut short after their room reeked of sewage and loud techno music was constantly blaring.
Clive Murray, 65, and his wife Rosie, 52, booked an all-inclusive stay at Hotel Riu Touareg in Boa Vista, Cape Verde, through TUI in April and had hoped for a relaxing break while moving house, but were met with unpleasant surprises. Clive, a former British Army airborne engineer, had to repair the shower head with a rubber band and repeatedly reattach the toilet flush, which fell off the wall each time it was used and their room reeked of sewage.
Enduring nearly an hour's walk daily to escape the deafening music from the pool bar, the couple finally gave up after two weeks and moved to an Airbnb in Sal Rei, forfeiting the remaining five nights of their stay. Having spent over £3,000 in total, Clive and Rosie said they were frustrated that their complaints to TUI representatives went unanswered. Now busy renovating their new home in Cumbria, Clive vowed never to book with TUI again.
The couple had to walk nearly an hour to escape the pool bar's loud techno music (PA)“We wanted a relaxing three weeks away because, with the house move and everything, the whole year has been really stressful,” he told PA Real Life. “We just wanted to relax… if only. “It’s not happening. Never again.” The retired couple recently moved from Cheshire and decided to take a holiday in early April after moving into an Airbnb while waiting to exchange on their new property.
Having visited Cape Verde in 2019, Clive and Rosie wanted to book the same hotel, but couldn't recall its exact name. Instead of the Hotel Riu Karamboa, Clive mistakenly booked the Hotel Riu Touareg, 15 miles away on Boa Vista’s south coast, costing them £2,700. At first, the mistake seemed fortunate. The all-inclusive, five-star hotel boasts three saltwater swimming pools, a jacuzzi, and a Turkish bath, promising an “unforgettable experience” and a relaxing stay.
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However, alarm bells rang from the moment they arrived at the vast hotel with over 1,100 rooms. When they opened the door to their luxury room, a five-minute walk from the lobby, they were met with a strong stench of sewage. “Immediately I thought, there’s a bit of a smell of sewage in the room, perhaps it’s not been used for a long time because it’s so far away,” said Clive. “So we opened the door and walked out on the balcony and literally, the white plastic furniture, I’ve seen better in skips.”
The white plastic funiture on the balcony was said to be filthy (PA)
Clive had to repeatedly reattach the toilet flush (PA)After a gruelling six-hour flight, Clive and Rosie were eager to relax with a warm shower. But their hopes were dashed when Clive discovered the shower head was broken. He had to use an elastic band to hold it in place. The problems didn't end there. When he flushed the toilet, the button fell off the wall, revealing the source of a foul smell. “We were on the top floor and of course smells rise,” he said.
“The smell was coming out of the hole … and clearly every bathroom is on top of the other. Ultimately, it was just poorly designed. This shouldn’t be advertised as a five-star." Clive, a DIY enthusiast, managed a temporary fix by fiddling with the system inside the wall. They complained to TUI reps, who promised to report the issues, but nothing was done, the couple said. When Clive approached reception a few days later, they were unaware of the complaint.
However, the room wasn’t their only concern. They planned to spend most of their time outdoors, but their peace was shattered when the hotel bar started blasting loud techno music and shouting bingo numbers as soon as they settled on their sunbeds. “Some people like that sort of holiday and that’s great for them, I’m not judging. But I went there for a quiet, peaceful, five-star holiday, I didn’t go to replicate Benidorm or Ibiza.”
Clive had to repair the shower head with a rubber band (PA)
Clive and Rosie took daily walks along the beach to escape the noise (PA)Seeking refuge from the constant noise, Clive and Rosie took daily walks along the beach and explored the surrounding desert. But after enduring two weeks of discomfort, Clive and Rosie had enough. They decided to book an Airbnb in Sal Rei, the island’s main city, for the remaining five nights, costing them an additional £200.
“I said, right that’s it, we’re not staying any longer, I’ve had enough of this,” said Clive. “I went down to reception with all our bags and said I want to check out. The TUI rep came over and said, ‘Why are you checking out?’ And I went through the whole thing. I said, I just can’t stand it any longer, I would rather pay for an Airbnb and stay in Sal Rei She said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry’, but saying sorry doesn’t help does it. They just weren’t interested.”
The couple enjoyed a "lovely time" for the rest of their holiday in Sal Rei.
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