A mum claims she was forced to sleep on a "piece of wood" in a "disgusting room" on a £4,000 family holiday from hell. Sarah Kershaw had booked the all-inclusive resort in Icmeler, Turkey, for her husband Stephen and children Paige, 16, Patrick, 13, and Stephanie, 12, in July.
The family had been "so excited" for their first trip abroad together, despite having to reschedule the trip multiple times. Initially booked for October 2020, the dream vacation had to be moved to July 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic - with the family charged an additional booking fee.
However, with restrictions still in place in July 2021, Sarah had no choice but to move the holiday again. Speaking to Manchester Evening News, the 42-year-old said: “I was getting stressed out. The more times I changed it, the more money the company wanted."
Not wanting to lose the £4,000 put towards the trip, the care worker forked out to change the holiday again. She also had to pay a £240 fine for taking two of her children on holiday during term time – the only date left available. Sarah also ended up having to pay extra for her daughter, Paige, who had turned 16 and was classed as an adult by the time the holiday eventually went ahead.
The family finally jet off to hotel Mirage World in July. But when they arrived, they claim they were met with a “disgusting” room with dirty bedsheets, a used shower and poo marks in the toilet.
Sarah said: “I couldn’t believe my first family holiday was happening. We were all excited. But we got there only to find a disgusting hotel room in a disgusting part of the complex. The food was disgusting and the beds were dirty and stained.
“The first thing I noticed was the bathroom. There was a towel that hadn’t been cleaned and there were poo stains around the toilet. The shower looked like it had been used with soaps and shampoos half empty.
“I had to sleep on a piece of wood which was made up like camp bed. I’d call it a camp bed but it wasn’t, because camp beds are more comfortable than what I slept on. I suffer with back problems and I hardly got any sleep all that week. There was no support underneath. Just lying on it for five minutes, my back was killing.”
Sarah says she has received £228 in compensation from loveholidays but is pushing for a full refund over their nightmare holiday. “The reason we haven’t been able to go on holiday is because my husband was made redundant in 2012 and we lost our home and everything,” she added.
“We got into major debt; we were homeless. We were lucky to get into private rented accommodation which we’ve been in for 10 years. We were finally able to afford to go on holiday, that’s why this was important to us.
“At the end of the day, I understand there was a pandemic going on and I can be quite reasonable. But it was my first family holiday where I took my kids away and I wanted it to be nice. I don’t want another family to go through the experience I’ve had especially if it’s their first family holiday.”
A spokesperson for loveholidays said: “We’re sorry to hear that Ms Kershaw’s holiday did not live up to expectations. Once she had returned home, we raised her issues with the accommodation provider but, as no complaints were made at the time, they were unable to investigate or resolve any issues she may have had during her stay.
"We have therefore offered her a gesture of goodwill, which she has accepted."
Sarah said she did complain to hotel staff during her holiday and handed a letter listing the issues to the manager. The MEN contacted hotel Mirage World for comment and at the time of publication have not received a response.
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