Experts Instructed By Over 40 Holidaymakers In Relation To Sentido Perissia Gastric Illness Outbreak

Expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are investigating the illness suffered by a number of holidaymakers at the Sentido Perissia hotel in Turkey in August 2013.

Over 40 people whose holidays were ruined by illness suffered by them or their family members whilst staying at the five-star resort in 2013 are pursuing legal action  and claim that hygiene standards were not what they expected at the resort.

Irwin Mitchell’s international illness team, investigating the cause of the illness, would like to hear from other holidaymakers who suffered similar symptoms at the resort in 2013, or who have information on the hygiene standards in place.

Some of those affected by the illness outbreak at the hotel were Gary Hipwell, aged 44, and his partner Simone, 48, were hoping for a relaxing holiday in the sun at the Sentido Perissia with their daughter Hollie, 14. However, all three suffered diarrhoea and sickness during their holiday and continued to suffer with symptoms after returning to the UK.

The family, who travelled to the resort in August 2013, fell ill within the first few days of their two-week holiday. Hollie was ill for just over two weeks, while Gary and Simone suffered for over a month with acute symptoms, with both missing days at work as a result.

Their legal team at Irwin Mitchell, who also represent many other holidaymakers who fell ill at the resort are looking for other people who suffered similar symptoms at the hotel in 2013, as well as anyone with information on the hygiene standards in place at the hotel.

Gary, a Vice President of a financial services corporation, from Worcester Park in Surrey said there were occasions during the holiday that they saw flies around the food in the restaurant and that old food was topped up with freshly-cooked food.

The family also explained that the pool toilets were not properly cleaned once people became ill.

Suki Chhokar, a Partner and travel law expert from Irwin Mitchell, said: 

Expert Opinion

“We are investigating the cause of the illness which has affected many people who stayed at the Sentido Perissia Hotel in Turkey.

“The illness Gary and his family suffered ruined their holiday and continued to suffer symptoms on their return to the UK. Gary and his family were not the only people affected and we now represent more than 40 guests who stayed at the Sentido Perissia hotel who are looking for answers as to what caused their holiday to become ruined.

“Thomas Cook have denied liability for the illness and indicated that they believe that good health and hygiene procedures were in place at the hotel. We would like to hear from other holidaymakers who suffered illness at the resort or who have information on the standards at the hotel.

“The cause of the illness suffered by guests who stayed at the Sentido Perissia has not yet been established and we are now supporting holidaymakers in their quest for answers. As part of this investigation we will seek to determine the likely cause and if anything could have been done to prevent the illness.” Suki Chhokar - Partner

Gary, who was forced to take time off work to recover from the illness, said: “Our family holiday which we were looking forward to for so long was ruined by the illness we suffered. We were hardly able to enjoy our time at the resort and the conditions were unacceptable and not what I would expect from a five-star resort.

“In the hotel dining room I saw new food being added to existing food and often the hot food was only lukewarm. There were so many guests ill. Had we been made aware beforehand we would not have travelled there.

“This was supposed to be a relaxing family holiday but it quickly turned into a nightmare and we want answers about what caused our illness and prevented us from having the break we were looking forward to.”

Another family whose holiday at the Sentido Perissia was ruined by severe gastric illness, which prevented them from celebrating a wedding anniversary and their daughter’s birthday, have instructed specialist travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help seek answers as to the cause of their illness.

Andrew and Angela Steward, both 41, and their two children visited the luxury resort in August 2013. Just days into their holiday they began to suffer severe gastric problems, including diarrhoea, sickness, fever and nausea.

Andrew, from Sudbury, fell ill two days into the holiday and was visiting the toilet up to 15 times a day and was unable to sleep due to his symptoms. He lost more than a stone in weight and continued to suffer symptoms on his return to the UK.

His daughter Amy, who also suffers with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, experienced the same symptoms, as well as stomach cramps and a lack of energy, which continued for two weeks after her return to the UK.

Andrew, an engineer, said: “We were looking forward to a well-deserved luxury holiday in Turkey, but our trip really did turn into the holiday from hell, as myself, Angela and Amy all fell ill.

“The illness was horrendous and many of the symptoms stayed with us for weeks after returning to the UK. The trip had been booked to celebrate Angela recovering from back surgery and to celebrate our wedding anniversary and Amy’s birthday, none of which we could do.”