Midlands Family's Dream Holiday Turns into 21-Hour Nightmare
A family from the Midlands has described their utter disgust after a £2,500 winter sun holiday to Cape Verde lasted less than a day, forcing them to cut their losses and end up in the traditional British seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare instead.
Chaotic Arrival and Payment Confusion
Paul England, along with his wife Kim and their 13-year-old son Zac, booked a last-minute trip to the Aguahotels Sal Vila Verde in Cape Verde during the February half-term break. The family, from Great Witley near Stourport-on-Severn in Worcestershire, departed from Bristol Airport on Saturday, February 14, expecting a week of sunshine.
However, their arrival at 7pm was immediately chaotic. The resort was in complete darkness due to a power cut, with guests waiting in the dark reception area with little communication about the situation. After two hours waiting for electricity to be restored, they were informed they could not check in because the hotel claimed it had not received payment from tour operator TUI.
"We'd paid in full before travelling," explained Paul. "We stayed in reception until 10pm while calls were made and TUI told the hotel it had been paid. But the hotel said the only way we could access our room was paying for it again."
'Disgusting' Room Conditions
When the family finally gained access to what was advertised as a premium deluxe room, they were horrified by what they found. The conditions were so poor that Paul stated he "couldn't even give it one star" despite the hotel's four-star rating.
The most shocking discovery was the mattress intended for their son Zac, which had what appeared to be blood and urine stains that looked ingrained and unhygienic. "He said 'I'm not sleeping on that'," recalled Paul. "It looked like someone had chucked it out and thrown it in the road."
The problems extended throughout the entire accommodation:
- Visible grime on walls, cooker, bathroom fittings, and air conditioning unit
- Chipped and damaged furniture
- A lopsided microwave
- The room appeared not to have been cleaned prior to their arrival
The wider resort also appeared tired and poorly maintained, with broken outdoor seating visible in communal areas.
Breakfast with Flies and the Decision to Leave
The next morning, the family found they could not eat the breakfast because of its appearance and because "it had flies on it." Local TUI representatives worked to try to resolve the issues but could not find suitable alternative accommodation.
After what Paul described as "hours of stress," the family made the difficult decision to abandon their holiday entirely. They had arrived at 7pm on Saturday and departed at 4:30pm on Sunday - their week-long family break had lasted less than 24 hours.
Costly Return and Alternative Break
The family had to pay £330 for replacement flights back to the UK, though these only went as far as Manchester. They then paid £150 for car hire to get back to Bristol Airport to collect their vehicle. Desperate for some kind of break after their ordeal, they ended up spending time in Weston-super-Mare instead.
Initially, TUI offered only a £100 voucher "as a gesture of goodwill," which Paul found insulting. "People save for months or a year for their holidays," he said. "What rattled me more than anything was the insulting £100 voucher offer. If I had it we would never use it because I would never go with them again."
Resolution After Intervention
Following intervention, TUI eventually offered a full holiday refund of £1,720, plus £750 for expenses and an additional £400 holiday voucher. Paul said he was satisfied with this offer, though he noted he would "give the £400 voucher away" and was still waiting for the refund at the time of speaking.
"They passed me from pillar to post and only offered a refund after I'd refused their offer of vouchers," Paul explained, adding that the hotel had finally confirmed the payment issue was its mistake.
TUI confirmed it had "come to a resolution" with the family, offering a full refund and an "additional gesture of goodwill," which had been accepted.
The 58-year-old, originally from Wolverhampton, reflected on the experience: "I think people have to be persistent. That's the lesson." His family's dream winter sun holiday had become a costly nightmare that ultimately led them to the traditional bucket and spade resort they never planned to visit.
