A grandmother has described a family holiday to Turkey as "the worst experience ever", saying she cried with relief when she returned home. Tammy Turner, from Cramlington, Northumberland, booked the seven-night stay at the five-star Granada Luxury Belek to celebrate her 50th birthday with her mum, daughter and one-year-old grandson.
Sickness struck on second day
Tammy told Chronicle Live: "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." The family spent most of the holiday in their hotel room with severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Tammy said the hotel attributed the illness to a seasonal bug going around at the time, but she believes they became unwell after dining at the hotel or using the swimming pool.
Claims of review request
Tammy claimed that when she spoke to hotel reception staff, she was told they would wash the family's clothes if she did not write a negative review. She said: "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 unwell on the second day of the holiday, appearing lethargic and dehydrated. Tammy said he was taken to hospital, where doctors wanted him to remain overnight for IV treatment, blood tests and paediatric assessment. Despite having medical insurance, the family were asked to pay almost £3,000 upfront. After paying part of the cost, a holiday rep advised Tammy not to pay and to take Blake to a local pharmacy instead.
In the hours that followed, other family members became unwell. Tammy said: "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."
Dining area concerns
Reflecting on how the family may have fallen ill, Tammy described an incident in the hotel dining area: "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."
She added: "I then approached one of the more senior members of staff but he just put the lid down [on that tray] and walked away." Tammy noted that her grandson had only been in the dining area and the swimming pool, and that stray cats were coming in and out of the dining room. The family used the pool for about 10 minutes.
A spokesperson for loveholidays, the company Tammy booked through, said: "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 whilst we work towards a satisfactory resolution." Granada Luxury Belek was contacted for a comment.
