Cheltenham And Nottinghamshire Families Among Those Affected

Specialist lawyers have been instructed by 46 holidaymakers who stayed at sister five-star hotels in Cape Verde and suffered serious illness.

Those affected complained of gastric symptoms after travelling to the Sol Dunas and Melia Dunas hotels, which are located on the same site on the island of Sal, this summer.  The trips were booked with package holiday company TUI UK Ltd.

A total of 46 holidaymakers who fell ill have now instructed specialist international serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate.  Families from Cheltenham and Nottinghamshire are among those affected.

Expert Opinion

“It’s very concerning to hear of the illnesses that our clients have suffered. Their holidays, which they had been looking forward to for a long time, were ruined when they were struck down with gastric illness.

The symptoms that our clients have suffered should never be downplayed as, in some cases, they can result in long-term health problems.

It is also concerning that our clients were aware of many others who suffered with similar illness, we understand that the numbers affected are even higher so we would be interested in speaking to anyone who may have been impacted by illness at this hotel who would be able to assist with our investigations.

Understandably our clients have questions over how they fell ill, which we’re now investigating. If, during the course of our investigations, any issues are identified, it’s vital that lessons are learned to help prevent other holidaymakers from going through similar experiences in the future.”
Sarita Sharma - Associate Solicitor

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Matthew Roper, 53, travelled to the Sol Dunas Resort in July with his wife, Emma Roper, 54, and two children, Toby and Florence.  Within three days into the holiday, members of the family began suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting.

At one point, Florence fainted in the bathroom of her hotel room and was seen by the on-site doctor twice, from whom she received rehydration salts and anti-vomiting medication.

Matthew said: “We’d saved for a long time for our holiday to Cape Verde and were really looking forward to our first holiday since Covid.  It didn’t take long for it to turn into a complete nightmare.  It was obvious there was a wider issue at the hotel because so many others were in the same position.”

“We were forced to cancel one of the day trips we had planned, which was really disappointing.  Even when we began to feel a bit better, we ate very little and when we did it was just bland food like bread, spaghetti and chips as we didn’t want to risk getting sick again. The holiday was ruined.

“I know there’s nothing that can be done to change the experience we’ve had, but the least we deserve are some answers as to how this happened.  We wouldn’t want any other families suffering like this.”

Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire

Lesley Breed, 53, travelled to the Melia Dunas Resort on 26 July with her husband Grant Breed, 53, and son Finn Breed, 15

By 6 August, all three of them had been ill at some point during the holiday.  Lesley was still unwell on 8 August, which was the last day of their trip.

Lesley said: “We couldn’t wait to get to the hotel, particularly after an eight-hour wait at the airport on the way out.  But our holiday went from bad to worse.”

“We all fell ill, and I’m not surprised when I recall the undercooked meat at the restaurant and the poor hygiene.  I remember phoning housekeeping twice for basic essentials such as toilet paper and water, but still had to end up going to reception myself.  If they can’t get the basics right, it’s no wonder the hotel is in the state it is.

“Something needs to be done so no others have to go through what we did.”

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling holiday illness cases