A grandmother has told of her relief at returning home after a family holiday in Turkey became "the worst experience ever" within hours of their arrival. Tammy Turner, from Cramlington, had booked a week-long stay at the five-star Granada Luxury Belek in Belek, Turkey, to celebrate her 50th birthday with her mum, daughter and one-year-old grandson.
Tammy said: "I'd only ever been on holiday once when I was 13 to the south of France via boat so it was an experience I was really looking forward to. But it was the worst experience ever." She added: "You know, the first thing I did when I walked through my door was break down crying."
Family confined to hotel room
The family spent most of their break confined to their hotel room battling severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Tammy claims hotel staff told them a seasonal bug had been circulating during their visit. However, she suspects they fell ill after eating at the hotel restaurant or using the swimming pool.
She alleges that when she approached reception staff, they offered to launder their clothing on the condition they would not post a negative review about the establishment. Tammy revealed: "I said to them that I've found a post on the internet [of people experiencing sickness during their stay] and I've put my comment on that with everybody else and they got me to delete it. Because I had mentioned that we had no clothes because everyone was being sick and going through their clothes, they said if you delete that post we'll do your washing."
Grandson hospitalised
Grandson Blake was the first to fall ill with sickness on the holiday's second day, appearing sluggish and dehydrated. Tammy revealed Blake was rushed to hospital, where medics wanted him to stay overnight for IV treatment, blood tests and paediatric assessment. Despite having medical insurance, the family were asked to pay nearly £3,000 upfront.
Tammy explained that after covering part of the expense, a holiday representative advised her against paying further and suggested taking Blake to a local chemist instead. In the following hours, other family members began falling ill with "severe vomiting and diarrhoea".
Tammy recalled: "The following day the whole family came down with it. While I had Blake being poorly, I had my mum and my daughter violently being sick and my daughter screaming out with pains in her stomach. At one point I had to try and hold my grandson to my daughter's breast so he could feed while she was throwing up because she was so poorly."
Alleged hygiene concerns
Reflecting on how the family may have contracted their illness, Tammy explained: "When we did go for food at the hotel on one occasion I saw a lady with her hand in the food. I did say to her 'no, you shouldn't be doing that' and I showed her the utensil but she just looked at me rather angrily. I did then speak to the chef and I tried to explain to him but he just laughed and walked off, which I think was down to a communication barrier.
"I then approached one of the more senior members of staff but he just put the lid down [on that tray] and walked away." She continued: "The only areas my grandson had been in were the dining area and the swimming pool. There were stray cats coming in and out of the dining room. We went in the swimming pool for about 10 minutes."
A representative for loveholidays, the firm through which Tammy arranged her getaway, stated: "We are very sorry that Ms Turner and her family's experience at their hotel in Turkey fell short of our usual high standards, and we are investigating the issues raised as a matter of urgency. We have been in touch with Ms Turner to offer our apologies and will remain in contact with her while we work towards a satisfactory resolution." Granada Luxury Belek was approached for comment.
