A teacher who wanted a relaxing holiday after suffering kidney disease said she was re-hospitalised while abroad because of the stress of her Canary Islands trip.
Melissa Hamilton, 38, from Norfolk, says her £740 apartment was so infested with cockroaches they were even in the toaster.
Melissa was rushed into hospital in June 2023 as her kidney disease caused her potassium levels to drop, making her feel exhausted and struggling to walk.
After recovering, she and her sister, Joanna Hamilton, an HR adviser, 31, decided to book a three-week holiday to Arguineguin, Gran Canaria, to continue her recuperation.
The two booked their accommodation for £742.67 through Booking.com and were meant to stay in the apartment from July 1 to July 22 2023 but left after one night as upon arrival they discovered a swarm of cockroaches on the floor, flying around the apartment and even in the toaster.
This made Melissa “feel sick” and “so upset” but contacting Booking.com and the apartment owners, she said she was denied a refund and told by the owner they should not have come to a hot country where cockroaches “are everywhere”.
Just three days into her holiday, she began feeling sleepy, light-headed and had heart palpitations and was hospitalised – it turned out her potassium levels were “extremely low” which she believes was because of stress.
Melissa’s husband, Vladimir Lungan, 37, decided to fly out to support her, helping to pay an additional £1,600 for a hotel.
The sisters eventually received a “goodwill” partial refund of around £200 when they arrived home, but the ordeal “ruined” their holiday and Melissa has said she will never use Booking.com again.
“I felt really angry – you pay for your holiday and you don’t get the service you deserve,” Melissa told PA Real Life.
“It was beyond cleaning, it was an infestation problem that needed to be dealt with, it wasn’t in our hands.
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