Couples' dream TUI holiday becomes a nightmare after falling ill
It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime. A five-star trip to celebrate 25 years of marriage. Within days Shirley Doyle saw her husband Rob begin to waste away.
He ended up at a medical centre, on a drip, after losing consciousness on a day trip.
Shirley said 'I was terrified and it was like I just went into a panic. I didn't know what was going on. He came back round again and he didn't have a clue what had happened.'
Rob was told he had an infection, but says he didn't get the proper tests and his own doctor later told him he had salmonella poisoning. He spent the rest of his holiday confined to his room.
He said 'I was stuck in the room and all I wanted to do was go home and then go to my doctors to get treated because it seemed like I wasn't going to get the proper treatment out there.'
The couple booked the holiday at the Rixos Sungate in Antalya through TUI. They say they have not heard from the travel firm since they lodged a complaint.
More than 100 holidaymakers are threatening legal action over claims they too fell ill at the resort.
Shirley said 'There's been no apology. Not even a phone call to see how we are doing. There was no check up on Rob in his room.'
Rob said 'it cost us just under £3,000 for a week's holiday for the five star hotel. When we first got there we thought oh, yeah, this looks fantastic but obviously the food was a big letdown.
'A lot of people became ill because of the food. This has been going on for a few months now.'
Shirley said 'we were supposed to have a big family party in the garden when we came home. We had to cancel that as well. So it's just been a big nightmare really.'
Rob and Shirley want an apology, and say food hygiene issues need to be addressed.
In a statement TUI said:
"We were very concerned to hear of a small number of cases at Rixos Sungate in Turkey, as the health and safety of our customers is our highest priority. As this is now a legal matter, we are unable to comment on specific cases."
The Rixos Sungate Hotel also gave a statement:
"We are aware of recent media reports regarding alleged food poisoning incidents at RixosSungate. We take these allegations very seriously, as well as the safety and satisfaction ofour guests, which is of the utmost importance to us.
"We deeply regret any discomfort experienced by guests impacted by any illness whilestaying at the Hotel. The Hotel accommodates over 70,000 guests every season and hashosted over 18,000 since March 15, 2023. For any guests who felt unwell, we haveprovided support within the Hotel’s Medical Centre.
"We have launched a thorough investigation into these claims to determine the factssurrounding the incidents, including health assessments of all our staff members and wehave not identified any issues within the Hotel. We want to assure our guests that weimplement the highest health, food safety and hygiene standards and follow strictprocedures throughout the hotel in accordance with ISO 2000 Food Safety ManagementSystem.
"We appreciate our guests' trust in us and will continue to uphold our commitment to theirwell-being."