A newlywed couple said their honeymoon turned into a “holiday from hell” due to the state of their luxury spa hotel.
Erika and James Mitchell checked in just two days after their dream wedding.
But they claimed they found chewed carpets, cans spilling from the bin and sick up the wall.
The pair, both 36, were forced to stay the night at the Riviera Hotel, in Weymouth, Dorset when they couldn't find anywhere else.
But quantity surveyor James brought the wrench from his car into the honeymoon suite out of fear for their own safety.
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Nursery teacher Erika said: “It ruined the honeymoon. “From what it said on their website I thought I was going to this big spa hotel. It ended up being the hotel from hell. It was disgusting.”
The couple, of Bromley, Kent, were treated to the £138 a night break as a present at their wedding, after Erika’s parents recommended the flash spa.
But they arrived at 1pm there was no one to greet the couple and they were forced to wait in a nearby beach bar.
And by the time they were shown to their rooms two hours later, they said they found someone still cleaning it.
When she left they were wowed by the stunning coastal view, but brought quickly down to earth by the scummy state of their pad.
All the other hotels in the area were booked up and after having a drink they realised they were trapped.
Erika claimed: “I started to look around the room and it was just disgusting.
“There were wrappers on top of the wardrobe, the carpet looked like mice had been chewing it up and when my husband lifted it up it was disgusting underneath.
“Outside the room on the balcony there were cans on the side and sick up the wall. It was disgusting. I even thought about sleeping in the car. That is how bad it was.
“The swimming pool which is advertised in the pictures was green and empty. It was a shambles.”
The loved-up pair had been excited by the thought of a pool as temperatures breached 25 degrees during their three-night stay from July 17.
But they arrived to find it drained and filthy - despite the hotel advertising it on their website.
Also shut was the hotel bar - Erika and James said they couldn’t even enjoy a cup of tea in their room because the cutlery and cups were covered in mould and dirt.
The next day the shower came off the wall while he was trying to freshen up.
Because of this, she refused to eat the breakfast they had paid for the next day out of fear she may get food poisoning.
At night, the couple were left terrified as people were able to come in off the beach and wander through the hotel’s facilities.
The blushing bride fumed: “I didn't sleep all night because I felt really unsafe in the hotel.
“My husband went to the car and got the wrench because he thought we might get mugged in the night.
“I didn't want to go to sleep because I kept hearing things - my mind was going into overload. It was just horrible.”
A queue formed at the desk the next day behind a sign declaring that guests would not get refunds, as couples were furious about their experiences.
While the newlyweds could not get their money back for the night because the hotel claimed they had used the facilities, they managed to get £138 back for the planned second night.
Erika raged: “The customer service was disgusting. The receptionist was so blunt and rude.
“My husband and I go fishing all the time and stay in tents. I don't mind a little bit of outside but this was just vile.
“The man next to me said he had stayed in better prisons than there.”
In another grossed-out couple’s room, even the toilet would not flush.
They went instead to a local BnB for £90 a night, but had to cut the holiday short by a day because they couldn’t afford more.
At their new accommodation, the boss claimed the business had been run down after it was used to house the homeless during the pandemic and they could not make any money.
The Hotel Riviera was one of three Weymouth hotels which opened its doors to rough sleepers in 2020.
It continued right up until 2022, when 10 rooms were still used by the Safe Sleep project run by The Lantern Trust to battle the cold weather in January.
But the decision was slammed by locals - who slammed hotel for a rise in anti-social behaviour.
The Riviera Hotel spokesperson said: “I cannot comment on the room, as I have no details of the guest or what room they stayed in.
“The outside pool has been closed since the pandemic and on Booking.com it states that it is not open.
“We are in the process of getting quotes to have pool repaired and updated so we can open it again.
“The hotel bar is open every night from 6 till 11, we run breakfast service every morning, but only evening service on a Friday and Saturday Night as we find in the good weather people eat out in town.
“The bar is open to the public not just our guests so we do get people coming in off the beach.
“I know reports went around about rough sleepers and the damage that locals claimed they had done to the hotel, but this was all untrue.
“We had no damage and all rooms were steam cleaned ready to reopen to the public.
“The staff try their very best to make everybody’s stay a happy one.”
Booking.com, which Erika and James did not use to book the hotel, does not currently list the pool as one of the hotel’s facilities and it is not included in their photos.
The hotel spokesperson added: “Most people will see the photos of the outdoor pool online which is obviously out of our control. We no longer advertise the outdoor pool at all.”
