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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.
“I said to Joanna, we just need to go, it needs to be fumigated … you know, cockroach on toast anyone?
“It felt really unsafe, after seeing that, I wouldn’t even want to use the oven, it made me feel really sick and ruined what was meant to be a relaxing break.”
In June 2023, Melissa began to experience exhaustion, leg buckling and severe constipation as her kidney disease caused her potassium levels to drop.
As a result, she was hospitalised for three days and given potassium through an IV tube.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, potassium is needed for many of the body’s functions including conducting electricity through the body – this electricity is needed to keep the heart beating regularly and the muscles working properly.
People with kidney disease are at risk for low potassium, especially during earlier stages of kidney disease.
Once she returned home from hospital, she and Joanna decided they both needed a holiday.
The pair scoured Booking.com for accommodation and, after booking their flights separately, found a “basic but clean” apartment in Gran Canaria with positive reviews.
They thought it would be the perfect base, close to amenities and the beach, and suitable for Joanna to work remotely as a HR adviser – so they booked it for three weeks for £742.67.
Currently, a three-week stay in July for an apartment in Gran Canaria via Booking.com averages at around £1,600 for three weeks and around £70-£80 per night.
However, when they arrived at the apartment on July 1, they were very disappointed.
“On the surface, it looked fine apart from the television lead being broken and the bathroom window being jammed shut,” Melissa explained.
“I was really, really tired and I felt something fly around my head and I thought ‘What’s that? Maybe it’s just a wasp’.
“But it was actually a flying cockroach – I thought maybe it’s just the one but it didn’t really click for me (that there might be more).
“My sister slept in the living room and she said something wasn’t right and she kept seeing these flying things.”
The next morning, Melissa opened a door to a small room with a fridge in it, and there were “cockroaches everywhere” – they even found cockroaches in the toaster.
Melissa and Joanna immediately contacted Booking.com, who apologised for the inconvenience and advised them to message the owners for potential compensation or a refund.
Melissa contacted the owners, via the Booking.com app, informing them of the infestation and in a message, the owners replied: “But seriously if you do not like cockroaches you do not have to come to hot countries (they) are everywhere in the street.
“Nobody ever complained about anything.”
Booking.com claim that the owner provided a solution to the cockroach infestation, however, Melissa opposes this.
She said: “The owner provided no solutions at all – she had an assistant … but all she did was look at the ‘roaches and jump over them.
“The owner mentioned using chemicals and said that they use pest control every three months.”
The owners also refused to give them a refund or compensation.
Melissa said: “I was really upset and it just wasn’t what we expected – we just wanted somewhere to relax and do our own thing and instead we were having to call Booking.com.
“Booking.com’s customer service was terrible. They basically said: ‘What do you expect with cheap accommodation?’
“I was like, I don’t see nearly 800 euros as cheap for three weeks – regardless, I don’t know why money would be bearing on it.
“I just don’t think any of the people could put themselves in our shoes.”
The sisters booked alternative accommodation for two nights, costing around £62 each, with Joanna having to stay in a shared Airbnb thanks to the lack of last-minute options.
“It was so stressful because we weren’t getting any money back and my insurance only covered the health side of things, not accommodation, and we didn’t pay on a credit card,” she said.
“We were essentially going to be homeless in a foreign country … it was meant to be a relaxing holiday.”
Melissa and her sister continued to contact Booking.com, calling and emailing multiple times a day to push for a refund.
Melissa claims this stress caused her potassium levels to become “extremely low” and just three days into the holiday, she was hospitalised and given a potassium tablet.
Melissa’s husband then flew out to be with her and helped her and Joanna pay an additional £1,600 to stay in a hotel for the remainder of their holiday.
It was not until she returned home that she received a £200 refund from Booking.com, less than 50% of her payment.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Melissa thinks she could not have done anything differently to avoid her holiday from hell, but in future will avoid Booking.com
A spokesperson from Booking.com said: “We always strive to support our customers in the best way possible and were in touch with the customer about this reservation in July 2023, after concerns were initially raised about the street noise levels.
“We offered further support by liaising directly with the property owner who provided a number of solutions, all of which were unfortunately declined by the customer.
“While the property, which is responsible for the experience guests have staying at their property, did not opt to provide a refund, we can confirm that we offered a gesture of goodwill.”
