Lawyers Instructed Regarding Problems Linked To Five-Star Riu Touareg

A Warrington woman, who needed time off work after contracting food poisoning during a special break at a Cape Verde holiday resort, has instructed legal experts to investigate her experiences and help her gain answers regarding what happened.

Paula Jones, 52, developed symptoms including diarrhoea and stomach cramps four days into her week-long stay at the five-star Riu Touareg Hotel in September, which was arranged as part of celebrations for her friend’s birthday.

Paula suffered to such an extent that her symptoms were persisting upon her return to the UK, leaving her with no choice but to take time off work and subsequently reduce her hours as she attempted to make a recovery.

Now, Paula has instructed Irwin Mitchell’s specialist International Personal Injury team to investigate how her illness developed during the holiday and whether more could have been done to prevent the problems.

Expert Opinion

“Paula is understandably frustrated by her experiences and is desperate for some answers regarding how the issues could have emerged.

“The food poisoning Paula suffered has had a major impact on her life, not only affecting what was meant to be a special holiday, but also disrupting her life back at home and her job too.

“As a result, she is determined to understand how this could have happened and we are going to support her every step of the way.

“We have already begun our investigations into Paula’s illness and are determined to find out what caused it, to ensure that, where possible, lessons can be learnt to prevent other families from facing the same issues. As part of our work and to assist with our investigations, we would be keen to hear from anyone else who may also have been affected by illness whilst staying at the Riu Touareg hotel, Cape Verde.

“Currently, we have been approached by over 40 holidaymakers who have recently suffered with illness at this hotel, which is hugely concerning and we continue to be approached by further holidaymakers on a daily basis.

“Sadly, it is not the first time that we have been asked to represent holidaymakers who have suffered illness at the Riu Touareg resort - we have successfully acted for holidaymakers who holidayed at the resort in 2015 and more recently in 2017. We also continue to act for claimants who travelled to the resort last year.”
Amandeep Dhillon - Partner

The legal experts have vast experience of providing advice and support to thousands of people who have suffered injury and illness during holidays, helping them to access vital financial support to aid their recovery in the process. The team has recovered millions of pounds in compensation from tour operators, including representing over 600 holidaymakers who were affected by illness at the Holiday Village Hotel in Turkey between 2009 and 2010, and over 1,000 people who fell ill following holidays at the Bahia Principe in the Dominican Republic in 2007. The firm also notably acts for over 50 holidaymakers who suffered illness at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel, Egypt, in the summer of last year.

Paula’s holiday at the Riu Touareg resort was booked through tour operator TUI and began on 2 September. However, four days into her holiday she began to develop symptoms.

She said: “The illness was absolutely awful and when I returned home I knew I would have to seek medical help. I was immediately advised by my GP that I was suffering with food poisoning and I couldn’t believe it – this break was supposed to be relaxing and falling ill was the last thing on my mind.”

The illness had a lasting impact on Paula’s life back in the UK, as she needed to take time off from her job as a Holmes indexer and then also had to cut her hours while continuing with her recovery.

She added: “There were a few issues which concerned me during the holiday and I even complained to reception about the smell of sewage in the toilets. At times, food was served uncovered and flies were able to get to it. There were also lots of cats in and around the hotel, including the restaurant.  I also remember thinking the hygiene standards were poor and staff didn’t even wear gloves when they were handling the food.

“Falling ill was just the final straw and I am devastated that the holiday ended in the way it did. You simply never expect something like this to happen when you go away and I just hope steps can be taken to prevent others from facing similar issues in the future.”

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