Pensioner left with over 50 insect bites after dream holiday turns into a nightmare

A pensioner has told how a dream trip abroad to celebrate her birthday turned into a ‘holiday from hell’.

Marjorie McCance was left covered in infected sores and spent days at the TUI Sol Dunas complex without running water after a burst pipe left half of Cape Verde without any supply.

The furious 66-year-old - who forked out £1,800 on the all-inclusive stay - claims it was only after settling into her room that she discovered there was no way to wash her hands, shower or flush the toilet.

Marjorie McCance (Image: Gordon Terris)

Speaking exclusively to the Glasgow Times Marjorie said: “What should have been a lovely holiday turned into a complete nightmare.

“No one told us anything at all. It was only after asking our reps and hotel staff what was going on that we discovered the place had been without water for two days prior to our arrival. I just couldn’t believe that TUI were still flying people out to a large hotel without a properly functioning water supply.

“We had to find out what was going on from other guests who were also at reception asking for answers. To make matters worse there was no hand sanitiser and folk were using buckets of water from the swimming pool to flush their toilets. I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing."

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Marjorie told how the holiday went from bad to worse when she was left covered in painful mosquito bites, which then became infected and required medical attention.

Marjorie was left covered in infected sores (Image: Supplied)

After speaking to TUI reps and hotel staff she says she was moved from the first floor to the ground floor, but claims even after the room was sprayed with insect repellent, the problem continued. After speaking to the on-site doctor, she was prescribed antibiotics to treat more than 50 sores on her body.

Marjorie, from Westerton near Bearsden, said: “I was bitten badly but even to get an antihistamine there you need a doctor's prescription. By the time I got TUI reps or hotel staff to realise I needed one and something to wash my body I was quite ill. I was asking Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and only then did I see the on-site doctor, at which point a bad infection had taken hold. I had to go into St Maria myself to find a chemist for antibiotics, antibiotic cream, antihistamines and a foot spray.

“By this point I was in a lot of discomfort. I was feeling awful, and it was a struggle to do anything. At one stage I even started counting the bites on my body but gave up when I reached 50.  I was just counting down the days until I could fly home, it really was a holiday from hell."

Marjorie claims even after the supply to the luxury hotel was restored, problems persisted.

She added: “The water was off from April 25 to 29.  It eventually came back on around 8am but it was a thick brown sludge, and it did not run clear in our room until around 11pm. We were given only two bottles of drinking water every day and I had to source wet wipes to stay clean.

“We discovered on the Sunday that the whole island was not impacted and that there were two other TUI hotels both within a five-minute walk which had water the full time, but not once was I offered a move there.”

Marjorie says the situation became so unbearable that she reached out to the UK embassy in Dakar and her local MP Amy Callaghan for help.

On her return to Glasgow, she also complained to TUI staff at her local branch about her experience.

She added: “Despite feeling dreadful and just wanting to rest, I went to my local TUI store and made staff aware of how awful our trip was."

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Marjorie says the firm has since made an offer of compensation, which she has rejected.

She added: "I was offered £120 to make up for a £1800 holiday being ruined. In my opinion, it’s an insult - a lot more should have been done over there to address the issues or relocate holidaymakers elsewhere.”

The Glasgow Times reached out to TUI for a response.

The firm say that during a period in April some hotels on the island experienced low water pressure due to a burst pipe. The company claims that guests impacted the most were offered a free hotel change and that the issue lasted only two days. The firm has also denied that there was no running water. They also say that meal services were not impacted, and that guests were given a goodwill gesture on their return home for the 'minor impact' on their holiday experience.

A spokesperson for TUI added: “We will not be providing any further comment.”