British family’s birthday trip turns into holiday from hell at Fuerteventura resort linked to tourist’s death

Another group of British holidaymakers have revealed how they were struck down with severe gastric illness while staying at the same hotel as a tourist who died after suffering from Salmonella the previous year.

Ten of the 11 members of a West Yorkshire family fell ill just a few days into their two-week all-inclusive holiday at the Occidental Jandia Playa Resort in Fuerteventura in July and August last summer. The family experienced severe sickness and diarrhoea that lasted for days, and four family members continue to be affected by the illness.

The group of holidaymakers have now instructed specialist international serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the outbreak. The law firm will now be taking legal action on their behalf against tour operator Jet2holidays.

Joyce Arandall, 60, a credit controller from Rothwell, was celebrating her 60th birthday when the family became unwell.

Joyce, her mother Lavine Bottomley, 81, and relatives Rachel Constable, 42, and Andrew Constable, 53, have now spoken for the first time about how their illness has affected them.

Irwin Mitchell is also representing four more British holidaymakers who fell ill at the four-star Occidental Jandia Playa resort in 2024, including the widow of Leslie Green from Bolton, who tragically died after contracting Salmonella.

Leslie, who was 70 at the time, and his wife Julie, 61, arrived at the resort on 1 October 2024. Leslie fell ill on 9 October and was admitted to a local hospital on 13 October. He died three weeks later on 4 November 2024.

An inquest in 2025 concluded that Leslie died from an illness he contracted as a result of eating partially cooked chicken.

Jennifer Hodgson, the expert international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said: 

“We’ve heard deeply concerning first-hand accounts from the family about their holiday at this hotel in Fuerteventura, including reports of poor hygiene and food served still frozen or raw.

 

“These descriptions are similar to complaints we received previously about the same hotel, which is particularly alarming given a former guest there in 2024 died after contracting Salmonella.

 

“Gastric illnesses such as Salmonella appear anywhere from between eight to 72 hours after exposure. While symptoms usually last 4 to 7 days, they can cause long-term complications and, in severe cases as we have seen, even be fatal.

 

“Understandably, our clients have serious questions about their illnesses, which appear to form part of a wider pattern, and we’re committed to getting them the answers they deserve.

 

“If our investigation uncovers any issues, action must be taken to protect future holidaymakers from enduring the same experience.

 

“To strengthen our investigation, we’d be interested to hear from anyone else who became ill after staying at this hotel.”

Case study

Rachel and Andrew arrived at the Occidental Jandia Playa resort on 22 July, 2025, with their two children and two members of their extended family - a few days before Joyce and Lavine came to join them.

Rachel and Andrew fell ill on 24 July after having dinner together at the hotel restaurant. Andrew felt nauseous as soon as the couple arrived at their hotel room and immediately needed to go to the toilet. He said his stomach felt as though it was “going to explode” and it was “like nothing he’d ever experienced”.

Rachel experienced symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea shortly after getting into bed. The couple experienced their most severe symptoms for three days, though the illness lingered throughout the holiday.

Rachel said: 

"After a few agonising days, my symptoms finally began to ease, but I still felt nauseous and drained for the rest of the holiday. I was sluggish, lethargic and overwhelmingly tired. For several days, I could eat hardly anything.

 

“Before I became ill, there were glaring signs the hotel restaurant wasn’t following basic hygiene guidelines. The restaurant staff didn’t wear hairnets or gloves until after we complained, and even then, only for one day. One day, the lasagne was cold and congealed; another, the spring rolls were frozen inside. One night, we were even served raw chicken.

 

“We’d looked forward to this family get-together for months, but it was a huge disappointment. I’m upset we didn’t get to celebrate Joyce’s 60th properly. This holiday left a lasting impact on all of us.”

On 24 July, Joyce and her mum, Lavine, arrived at the hotel with other members of their family. Joyce fell ill on 27 July, experiencing stomach cramps, sickness and diarrhoea.

Upon her return to the UK, Joyce visited her GP but no tests were able to be done and the cause of her illness is still unknown.

Joyce said: 

"The holiday was a disaster from the moment we stepped foot in the hotel.

 

“Our room wasn’t ready at check in, and when we finally got in, we were given the wrong ones. This was frustrating because we had booked a disability-friendly room for my elderly mother.

 

“The hotel was dirty. The bedding was unclean, towels were stained and there were cockroaches in our rooms. Even the pool had debris floating on top.

 

“The restaurant was chaotic, with cats and birds roaming freely. A waiter asked me to move out of the way while he played football with food. When we showed a waitress raw chicken we had been served, she rolled her eyes and shrugged as if it was normal.

 

“Staff were unhelpful when we complained. The assistant manager made inappropriate comments and admitted the hotel couldn’t cope with demand.

 

“Even to this day, I’m still not right. I’ve seen my GP and still need to stay close to a toilet due to ongoing symptoms.

 

“We were shocked to learn someone died after staying at this hotel in 2024. To see similar issues still happening is appalling."