A mum-of-one has described how her five-star family holiday turned into a nightmare – with her "terrified" 13-year-old son forced to call her an ambulance.
Samantha Broadbent, 49, said she was left "dangerously ill" after a serious case of food poisoning at a luxury resort.
The administrator from Stockton-on-Tees, Country Durham, booked a holiday at Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort in the Dominican Republic – a partner hotel of the holiday firm TUI.
Samantha forked out £4,500 for the trip with her teenage son Ben, as a celebration of his finishing primary school.
They arrived in the luxurious resort on August 7 excited to spend quality time together but the holiday soon turned into a horrifying nightmare.
On August 21, as they were due to fly home, the mum-of-one claims to have started experiencing painful cramps and “vicious” diarrhoea – and says she was left "fearing" for her life.
“I was so scared and I wasn’t sure how my son would cope with me being in a hospital over 3,000 miles away from home,” she told NeedToKnow.Online.
“Luckily, we were able to make our flight but upon arriving home I fell seriously ill and my temperature went through the roof.
“I was talking gibberish and the stomach cramps were like being in labour – I was forever on and off the toilet too.”
Ben, who was concerned for his mum’s health, phoned 999 and shortly after, she was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
After spending 48 hours hooked up to various drips of medication and oxygen, Samantha was allowed back home.
She claims doctors informed her she had contracted a "serious illness" with many "long-term side effects" which they diagnosed as Shigella virus, a form of food poisoning, and claims they said this can only be transmitted via food.
The bacterial infection, which causes a range of symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps, can result in a life-threatening blood infection in rare cases.
Samantha alleges her traumatic ordeal was caused by food poisoning from the meals the family had eaten at the hotel – but her son has walked away unscathed.
As they booked an all-inclusive trip, they claim to have only eaten in the restaurants dotted around the complex, but she believes the food was "bog standard".
The 49-year-old claims: “We were put on tables which were dirty and had no clean cutlery, plates or glasses.
"We ate steak, fruit, pasta and salads, but everything was such poor quality and didn't taste right.
"Most of the food wasn't hot enough and tasted quite funny, especially the meat, which we stopped eating because of it's odd taste and smell.
“I booked the hotel as the water park looked fantastic, as did the clear blue sea.
“All I wanted was a Caribbean holiday to celebrate my little boy finishing school.”
Since then, Samantha has sought out compensation from TUI over the phone, but alleges they’ve only offered her either £100 in cash or a £200 voucher – which she has declined.
The mum claims to have been left “embarrassed” to leave the house due to her toilet urges, which she says occur each time she consumes dairy – and says this wasn't the case before.
She added: “It’s hard not knowing what each day is going to be like, as some are OK and others are really not.
“Travelling abroad will be really hard and this is something I love to do with my son, as it’s our time together – especially with how much I work.
“I truly don’t know if I will ever be ‘well’ again.
“I urge everyone to avoid this hotel at all costs, read the negative reviews and believe them.
“This trip has been horrendous from start to finish – it’s been a living nightmare.”
While the hotel is rated highly among guests, there are multiple reviews which discuss the food's quality not being "too great", though many others believe the food on offer is "amazing."
The Grand Sirenis Punta Cana hotel has been contacted for comment.
A TUI spokesperson said: "We’re really sorry to hear Ms Broadbent was unhappy with her experience, and we’d like to reassure her that we take matters like this incredibly seriously.
"As a global business, we’re committed to making sure our customers and colleagues feel that TUI is an inclusive environment and always feel welcome with us.
"We’re investigating Ms Broadbent’s claims with the hotel as a matter of urgency.
"We can also confirm there are currently no known issues of illness at this hotel."
