Illness At The Sol Cayo Guillermo Hotel

A family from Worsley, near Manchester, have contacted travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell after they were taken ill while on holiday at the Sol Cayo Guillermo in Cuba.

Travel specialists at Irwin Mitchell are now urging tour operators to carry out a thorough investigation after hearing a number of complaints about the hotel, including guests being served food on pieces of paper due to a lack of plates.

The Perry family booked their Cuban holiday through Thomas Cook, but were struck down with food poisoning just hours after arriving at the four star resort.

Helen Perry and husband Stuart travelled with sons Jack and Joe. All four suffered from stomach cramps and diarrhoea for more than a fortnight, with Jack’s symptoms being so severe that he had to visit the hotel doctor every day during their stay.

Amandeep Dhillon from Irwin Mitchell confirmed that the firm now represents eight holidaymakers who were taken ill at the resort in 2009 and 2010. Mr Dhillon also expressed his concern over reports of sickness and hygiene issues on review websites.

Mrs Perry said: "The holiday was an absolute nightmare. The food was uncovered, undercooked, and reheated, and in some cases added to food served at previous meals.

"One time at the pool bar we were served food on A4 paper as the hotel had run out of plates, and worse still the paper had confidential information on it – including a guest's marriage records and staff wage details.

"Some of the meat was cooked in front of us, and was placed on a plate while raw and waiting to be cooked, but then placed back on the same plate after cooking.

"The pool water was extremely dirty and had faeces floating around in it. It was the worst holiday we have ever been on."

Reviews on travel websites suggest that other guests had similar experiences at the hotel, with complaints being made about raw and undercooked food.

Mr Dhillon from Irwin Mitchell said: "Tour operators are responsible for ensuring the safety of their customers and must take reasonable steps to do so. Needless to say we were astonished to hear that guests at the Sol Cayo Guillermo had been served their meals on paper. This demonstrates a complete disregard for health and safety and is nothing short of appalling.

"Time and again we see holidaymakers suffering serious illnesses while on holiday because they have been sent to hotels which have substandard hygiene levels. We and are very concerned that on this occasion our clients suffered severe food poisoning as a result.

"We are now urging Thomas Cook to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation into the conditions at the hotel and hope that they will work with us to agree a prompt and fair settlement of our clients’ claims."