Cape Verde Holiday Horror: Mother's Diary Exposes Hotel Nightmare Before Tragic Death
A grieving family has uncovered heartbreaking diary entries written by their mother during a holiday in Cape Verde, revealing shocking hotel conditions before she tragically died on the flight home. The discovery comes amid a major health crisis affecting thousands of British tourists who have visited the popular West African archipelago.
Diary Reveals Appalling Conditions
The family, who wish to remain anonymous, found their late mother's detailed notes from her 2024 holiday with husband. The 71-year-old retired civil servant from Berkshire documented a catalogue of failures at her all-inclusive TUI package hotel.
"Taken to room 3101. No water. Phone broken. Asked to be moved. Moved to room 117. No water apparently as Island," she wrote on arrival day, 25 April 2024.
The entries reveal she complained about food temperature to TUI representatives, who promised to escalate concerns. By 26 April, she recorded feeling seriously unwell, confined to her hotel room with no running water for washing. Staff had to manually flush toilets for several days during their stay.
Tragic Flight Home
The mother-of-two showed some improvement by 29 April, visiting the hotel pool only to suffer an asthma attack triggered by nearby grass mowing. While she managed this pre-existing condition well according to family, she never fully recovered.
The couple flew home on 2 May, but during the flight the woman began convulsing in her seat. A doctor passenger attempted to find her pulse as symptoms appeared, but tragically her heart had stopped beating. She died just 90 minutes before landing.
Her husband sat beside her throughout the ordeal, with a mental health nurse on board holding his hand during what family describe as an excruciating journey.
Growing Health Crisis
This personal tragedy emerges against a backdrop of widespread illness affecting Cape Verde tourists. Since September 2022, hundreds have reported gastric illnesses, with 263 British visitors testing positive for Shigella bacteria according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
More than 1,700 tourists have joined legal action against TUI through solicitors Irwin Mitchell. The claims involve various gastric illnesses including E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella, plus parasitic infections like Cryptosporidium causing diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever.
Postmortem Findings and Family Anguish
A postmortem examination revealed the gastric illness contracted during the holiday contributed to the woman's death. She had an undiagnosed heart condition, with the illness creating "increased physiological demand on the body" through fever and dehydration.
The family received £500 compensation from TUI for substandard hotel conditions after refusing an initial offer of 20% discount on future holidays or £157 cash. Her daughters describe their father's immense grief, saying part of him died alongside his wife.
"At the time, we were exasperated having dealt with Tui for three months," the eldest daughter told the Sunday Times. "When they offered a goodwill gesture of £500 for lack of running water we accepted. We needed to focus on being together and grieving. We had no idea other families were suffering too."
The younger daughter added: "The service and communications with Tui was just appalling. Even if she hadn't got sick on their holiday, the fact that there was no sensitivity surrounding her death was absolutely horrific. Mum always fought for other people, so now it's our turn to fight for her."
Multiple Deaths Linked to Outbreaks
Several other British tourists have died after visiting Cape Verde. Jane Pressley, 62, of Gainsborough, and Mark Ashley, 55, from Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, died in January 2023 and November 2025 respectively after staying at Riu Palace Hotel in Santa Maria.
Karen Pooley, 64, from Lydney, Gloucestershire, died in October after falling ill and suffering a broken leg at Riu Funana resort. Another anonymous man in his 50s died 12 weeks post-holiday from multi-organ failure after a £6,000 trip in August.
TUI Response and Legal Action
TUI has broken its silence on the growing crisis. A spokesperson stated: "We are deeply saddened by the reports of these tragic losses and extend our sincere condolences to the families affected. Customer health and safety is always our highest priority."
The company emphasized established procedures to support unwell customers, including access to medical care, but noted illness must be reported in destination for proper assistance.
Irwin Mitchell solicitor Jatinder Paul told BBC Breakfast: "In all my years, I have not seen a case this large with so many deaths resulting from illnesses. TUI had responsibility for package holidays that wouldn't cause illness. Unfortunately it was the opposite."
The UK Health Security Agency investigation found 112 reported Shigella cases and 43 Salmonella cases since October 2025, highlighting the ongoing severity of the health crisis affecting Cape Verde tourists.
