Parents Were Horrified By Hygiene Standards At The Tenerife Resort

A holidaymaker is taking legal action against tour operator Thomson Holidays after her two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with suspected cryptosporidium following their holiday at a Tenerife hotel where they regularly found cockroaches in the room.

Gillian Temple, from Ingoe, Newcastle upon Tyne, was looking forward to a relaxing, week-long family holiday in October this year at the four-star Holiday Village hotel, in Playa de la Arena, Tenerife Spain.

Instead, the holiday turned into a nightmare as Gillian, 39, and Isabelle, 2, both suffered from gastric illness symptoms, including stomach pains, diarrhoea and vomiting, and since returning they have sought medical attention for Isabelle, who following tests, has been diagnosed with suspected cryptosporidium. 

Gillian has now instructed specialist international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell and has told her legal team that she, and other family members that she was on holiday with, noticed numerous questionable food hygiene practices at the hotel, including on occasions leftovers being used for subsequent dinner services, raw meat being served and chefs using the same tongs for cooked chicken and raw fish.  

Irwin Mitchell is now acting on behalf of a number of holidaymakers whose trips to this hotel this year have been affected by illness.

There have also been media reports of a wider cryptosporidium outbreak at the Holiday Village hotel with guests, including Gillian, complaining about a sewage smell around the pool areas. A major concern is that there was a similar outbreak of illness last year at the hotel involving around 100 holidaymakers.

Clare Pearson, an expert international personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Gillian and Isabelle, said: 

Expert Opinion

“Gillian was looking forward to enjoying her first holiday with Isabelle, but instead they were not only left suffering with gastric illness, they also had to endure it in a room they felt was unclean and unsuitable.

“Cryptosporidium can be very serious for particularly vulnerable people such as Isabelle who is just two years old.

“No one goes on holiday expecting to suffer from illness problems, as Gillian and Isabelle both did, and then return home feeling even worse than when they left. In light of this case and the wider reported cases, we urge Thomson Holidays to look into the matter to prevent other holiday makers suffering with the same issues.

“If you also stayed at this hotel and suffered similar problems we would like to hear from you to assist with our enquiries.” Clare Pearson - Legal Executive & Associate

Gillian said: “The whole experience has completely ruined what was meant to be a special occasion for Isabelle and me, our first holiday together. 

“You place your trust in the tour operator when you book your holiday and you expect them to deliver what they promise, a four-star experience. Instead it has left my two-year-old daughter very ill, and she has lost a lot of weight since we returned as she is afraid to eat.

“I’d hate for anyone else to go through what we did, so I hope that we get the answers we are looking for and we can move on from this awful experience.”  

If you have fallen ill whilst on a cruise ship, our accident and illness abroad claims team could help you to secure compensation. See our Cruise Illness Claims page for more information.