A family have launched legal action against holiday giant TUI after being struck down with severe gastric illness during a five-star luxury break to Mexico. Katie Richards, 33, and husband Ashley, 34, travelled to Cancun with their six-year-old daughter and other relatives to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary in July.
But their two week stay at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort and Spa turned into a holiday from hell when many of the family began falling seriously ill. The couple said they noticed buffet food, including chicken, appeared to be undercooked and they even found a maggot in the salad.
They also reported seeing flies, cats, birds and raccoons around the food, some of which was not chilled and was served with dirty cutlery.
Katie, a nurse, and Ashley, a sales executive, arrived at the resort on July 20 but Katie began to feel unwell six days later with vomiting and diarrhoea. Within three days, Ashley, their daughter Ruby and nephew had also fallen ill, with Ashley bed-bound for part of their ruined trip.
Holidaying with them were Katie’s parents, Alison Whitmore, 60, a primary school administration assistant, and Philip Whitmore, 61, a former chef. Alison and Philip started to feel unwell on July 28 and by the following day, both had diarrhoea and complained of tiredness, sweating and stomach pains.
They were left bed bound for three days and most of the family reported they were still suffering symptoms following their return to the UK on August 3.
Katie and Ashley, of Derby, both lost weight as a result of the ordeal and went to see their GP while Alison and Philip have also spoken with a doctor. Philip even tested positive for Cyclospora - a pathogen that can be contracted by drinking unclean water or eating food that has not been cooked or washed properly.
The family-of-five have now instructed lawyers to investigate their case and begun legal proceedings against tour operator TUI UK. Katie said: “When we landed in Mexico, we were looking forward to two weeks of sun and relaxation.
"Ashley and I had honeymooned in the Riviera Maya area, and we had such a fantastic time back then that we agreed to bring our daughter on holiday on our ten year anniversary. Sadly, our trip was nothing like that. Instead, most of us spent most of the second week unwell.
“I recall some of the food, including chicken, appeared undercooked and was served lukewarm. New food was added on top of the existing buffet and some items were totally dried out and inedible. I also noticed that salad, yoghurts and cottage cheese weren’t kept chilled, and the cutlery and crockery were often dirty or stained.
"We also saw a lot of flies around the food, as well as cats, birds and raccoons hanging around. I even found a maggot in the salad one evening. It’s really not the standard you expect from a five-star hotel.
“The worst part was seeing most of the family become ill and distressed and there being nothing we could do about it. It’s more than a month since we got back and we’re still not 100 per cent, which indicates how ill we were.
“While there’s nothing that can be done to change what we’ve been through; we just want some answers as to how this happened in the hope it might help stop it happening to others.”
Philip, also from Derby, said: “I was shocked when I was told by the doctor that I had Cyclospora and learned about how it can be contracted. I did not expect to visit a five-star hotel and contract such an illness.
"Being a retired chef with 40 years of professional catering experience, I did notice some concerning issues around food hygiene as the holiday went on, but I never thought that most of my family would become so unwell.”
Nadhia Akthar, the specialist international serious injury solicitor at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said: “Katie, Ashley and their family were really looking forward to their holiday in Mexico. It was a time for the whole family to get together for a holiday abroad following the restrictions placed by Covid while also celebrating a special occasion.
“Our clients understandably have many questions regarding their illness and we’re now investigating these. If, during the course of our investigations, any issues are identified, it’s vital that lessons are learned to help prevent other holidaymakers from falling ill in the future.”
