The family claimed their holiday was “ruined” by a number of factors
A British family who claim to have experienced the “holiday from hell” while away in Spain said they felt so “unsafe” they left two days early.
Frankee and Jonny James – both 33 – have said there were a number of problems during their £1,800 holiday with son Rowan, eight.
The couple say it was a “holiday from hell” due to bad smells, poor hygiene standards and “mistreatment” of English guests at the Hotel Sorra Daurada Splash in Malgrat de Mar.
They claim they were ignored for 10 to 15 minutes by hotel staff who went “over and above for the Spanish guests.”
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Ultimately, the family decided they were going to fly back to the UK two days early, after they claim they got food poisoning and alleged staff made them feel “unsafe.”
They now plan to stick to UK holidays instead of going abroad. Jonny, a prison officer from Bedford, said: “When my wife and I were ignored for 10 to 15 minutes at the bar, I witnessed the staff go over and above for the Spanish guests.
“They’d serve the Spaniards first while the Brits waited in the queue. I expected it to some extent because I’m aware how the Spanish in Spain can be but it was annoying at the same time.
“We had all paid the same amount but they were getting a better service than anyone else. It was annoying and frustrating.”
The family of three headed out on Saturday, October 25, hoping to spend quality time in the sun and enjoy a well-deserved break from work and school.
They claim the four-star resort had advertised a water park and family-friendly atmosphere.
“In my head, I can get food and drinks whenever I want and there’ll be things to do for my son”, Frankee, an optical adviser, said.
“I purposefully booked somewhere I assumed I wouldn’t need to leave the resort. It turned out to be the holiday from hell.”
Frankee said they had to pay five euros for a reusable drinking cup upon arrival and the vegetarian claimed the food was “bland” and poorly labelled.
She said the water park was closed and there was a pungent smell of sewage from their room’s toilet, she claimed. The mum added: “We had to keep the toilet seat down and the bathroom door closed.
“If someone went to the toilet in the middle of the night, they’d wake us all up with the smell.”
Frankee claimed the hotel buffet was stacked with raw eggs, mouldy butter and tomatoes. She said ate only chips, pasta, salad and pizza, but by the next morning, she was “vomiting”.
She said: “I thought it could be because there was water on the salad. The same pizza cutter was being used for every pizza like ham and fish etcetera, so it could have been that also.”
Jonny also fell ill following the meal and a doctor later confirmed that both parents had acute gastritis, they said.
Frankee continued: “The manager only spoke Spanish and said he didn’t understand English. When I did find him, he went to walk off while shouting in Spanish.”
She said tensions with the manager reached such a height that she felt “unsafe.”
That prompted the family of three to head home two days early on Thursday, October 30 instead of their planned return date of Saturday, November 1.
Frankee said she felt “horrible” that their first family holiday abroad since before the pandemic had been “ruined.”
The family, who normally holiday in Devon, plan to stay in the UK for future breaks. They have been refunded just £214 of the £1,800 they had to pay out – but they also had to pay £370 to change their flight.
Online reviews of the resort show many guests have had similar experiences. One TripAdvisor user said it was the “worst holiday I have ever been on” and also complained of the water park being closed.
Another holidaymaker scribed: “Rooms don’t get cleaned properly. Manager is arrogant and denies he is the manager and doesn’t take complaints.
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“Seen an elderly Spanish man push a child over and the manager refused to do anything about it. Manager speaks awfully to the younger generation of workers even though they work the hardest.
“Entertainment is awful and on too late for children. You can just tell they don’t want British tourists in this hotel.”
Another said the food was more befitting of a one-star establishment than a four-star one. They added: “The lack of labelling of foods – you just did not know what you were eating or what was in the food.
“Trying to communicate this to the catering staff was a waste of time and energy as most did not speak any English. I have been to a few 4* hotels and this one takes the biscuit.”
Hotel Sorra Daurada Splash did not respond to a request for comment.