Holidaymakers Suffered Illness At Luabay Costa Los Gigantes Resort

Expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell representing 16 holidaymakers, whose family trip to a four-star resort in Tenerife was ruined by an outbreak of gastric illness, have secured an undisclosed settlement from tour operator TUI UK Ltd.

The large extended family from Gwent were hoping for a relaxing two-week break at the Luabay Costa Los Gigantes resort in January 2010, which is now known as the Be Live Family Costa Los Gigantes resort, but were struck down with  symptoms of gastric illness just days into their holiday.

The group told specialist international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell that the food was often served undercooked, or at incorrect temperatures, and food was frequently left uncovered for long periods of time. They also saw many flies in the restaurants during meal times.

They suffered gastric illness symptoms including diarrhoea, sickness, abdominal pains, lethargy and a loss of appetite. Some of those who fell ill also suffered from the symptoms upon their return to the UK, with two members of the group continuing to suffer with problems to this day.

Now, specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell representing the family affected by the illness outbreak have secured an undisclosed settlement for the group of holidaymakers from tour operator TUI UK Ltd, which had denied liability for the illness suffered.

Jennifer Mullins, a Solicitor and expert international personal injury lawyer representing the group, said:

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“This large family holiday was completely ruined by severe gastric illness and led to them coming to us for answers as to what caused their problems and to secure a fair settlement on their behalf.

“Many of the guests we represented suffered symptoms including stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and lethargy. These symptoms can be serious and two of our clients continue to suffer with problems even now.

“Our clients are now understandably relieved to have received a settlement from the tour operator for the pain and suffering they have endured. We hope they can now move on with their lives and put this terrible experience behind them.

“We hope this case acts as a reminder to all tour operators of the importance of keeping their holidaymakers safe and ensuring that appropriate health and hygiene standards are met.” Jennifer Hodgson - Associate Solicitor

Gaynor Thomas, 72, from Gwent, in South Wales, booked a two-week holiday at the resort with her husband, and their extended family. She was horrified when the group were struck with symptoms to include stomach cramps, sickness, diarrhoea and fever, which left some of them largely confined to their hotel rooms.

Gaynor said: “It was a horrendous holiday and we all suffered with symptoms of gastric illness. I was very worried about my husband as he has a heart problem and is on medication to treat this. We were concerned it would react with the medication he needed to take to stop the symptoms we experienced.

“The conditions and hygiene standards at the hotel were not what we were expecting and I’m glad that Irwin Mitchell have managed to secure a settlement for us so we can start putting the worst holiday of our lives behind us.”

Gaynor’s daughter Cheryl, 46, her husband, and their daughter, also stayed at the resort in January 2010 and all suffered the same symptoms.

Cheryl, from Gwent, said: “We were shocked by the hygiene standards at the resort and regularly saw food being left out for long periods of time, meat being served undercooked, with flies around the food in the restaurants. We were also aware of other guests at the hotel who suffered with illness.

“We booked the holiday as a family to spend some quality time together, but this was not possible as some of us spent the majority of the trip in our rooms. It was a complete nightmare and we hope that we can now put this behind us and look forward to our next family holiday.”