Expert Irwin Mitchell Travel Lawyers Investigating Cause of Illness Following Stay At Hotel Sunwing Waterworld

A couple whose luxury winter break in Egypt to celebrate their anniversary with their family was ruined by gastric illness have instructed expert travel illness lawyers to investigate the cause, saying the experience left them shell shocked.

Rae Claydon and his partner Rachel, from Ingatestone, Essex, spent a week at the five-star Hotel Sunwing Waterworld, in Makadi Bay, Egypt, in December 2014 along with Rachel’s daughter Bethany, 5, and Rae’s mother.

However, after the first night at the hotel, which they booked through Red Sea Holidays UK, all four woke up with insect bites, which they told expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell they thought were caused by bed bugs.

Rachel suffered hundreds of bites and was prescribed pain killers, a cortisone injection and antihistamines. She was left with scars from the bites on her legs.

The family were moved to different rooms in the hotel, but by the next morning all four began to suffer with diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sickness. They were all so ill that they were unable to eat or drink anything for 24 hours. The illness left the group unable to fully enjoy the facilities on offer at the hotel.

Rachel lost over half a stone in weight and continued to suffer symptoms after returning to the UK.

They have now instructed specialist lawyers in Irwin Mitchell’s International Personal Injury team to investigate the cause of the bites and illness they suffered, following their stay at the hotel.

The family told lawyers at Irwin Mitchell that a number of rooms they were offered were dirty and that crockery and cutlery used in the restaurant were often dirty. They also say that old food was added to freshly cooked food and meals often appeared to have been reheated and served on more than one occasion.

Jennifer Downing, a specialist travel illness lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: 

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“Rae and Rachel waited a year for this holiday, which was supposed to be spent relaxing with their family, but they were left suffering with gastric illness symptoms as well as significant number of bites.

“We have seen first-hand how much of an impact gastric illness can cause and the effects it can have on the many people who suffer long-lasting problems.

“The hygiene and cleanliness concerns raised by Rae and Rachel are worrying and we will now begin investigations into the cause of the illness and bites, which ruined their holiday.

“We would welcome any feedback from holidaymakers who also stayed at the Hotel Sunwing Waterworld who may be able to assist with our investigations and encourage them to come forward and provide us with their account of events.” Jennifer Downing - Solicitor

Rae, a company director, said: “We had been looking forward to this well-deserved break for over a year and it very quickly turned into a nightmare. It was an awful holiday and the effects of the illness have left us completely shell shocked.”

Rachel, an accountant, added: “We wanted a nice break in the sun with our family after working so hard all year and had been looking forward to it for months. It was meant to be a celebration of the two years Rae and I have been together, but we have been left feeling let down and very disappointed.

“Visiting the resort doctor and my own GP after coming home was really not what I was expecting when we booked the holiday and the scars I have been left with from the bites are a constant reminder of the week we spent at the hotel.”