A mother from Cardiff has been left paying £1,500 for what she described as a 'holiday from hell' after checking into a hotel room she compared to 'a prison cell'. Linda Martin, 64, had booked a nine-night, all-inclusive getaway to Kos in Greece through Love Holidays to celebrate her daughter's 26th birthday, following the recent loss of her husband of 10 years.
The trip got off to a poor start when a delayed flight from Cardiff meant they arrived at the four-star Kipriotis Village Resort later than planned. Exhausted and arriving at 2am, Linda and her daughter were eager to check in but became apprehensive about their booking.
Room 'did not resemble' brochure photos
Linda said they 'dragged suitcases through buckets of vomit' after being told their rooms were outside the main hotel and left to find them on their own in the dark. She described the room as 'prison cell block H', with stifling heat, a bad smell, mosquitoes, rock-hard single beds, and curtains too narrow to close.
Her daughter burst into tears and said she wanted to go home. Linda said she immediately contacted Love Holidays' emergency helpline, and the hotel offered to upgrade them to two Executive Suites, which she declined.
Complaints and rebooking
After complaining at reception around 3am, Linda said she was handed a bottle of mosquito spray and told to return at 11.30am to be moved to a sister hotel. However, the person she had spoken to was gone, and staff denied any promise had been made.
The mother and daughter left and tried the sister property themselves, only to find it fully booked. They were shown alternative rooms at the original hotel, which Linda said were 'marginally better' but still not like the brochure. The pool area was 'derelict', with hanging sun loungers.
Compensation offer
They booked a different hotel for the rest of their stay at around €2,000 (£1,715), which Linda described as 'absolutely stunning'. She refused a £300 compensation offer from Love Holidays in hope of a full refund. A loveholidays spokesperson said the company had taken the hotel off sale while investigating and offered to reimburse £1,772, covering 50% of accommodation costs and taxi expenses. The Kipriotis Village Resort has been contacted for comment.
