A couple say their honeymoon was ruined and cut short after they both fell ill. Terry, 35, and Sarah Hawkins, 32, flew out to the five-star Rixos Sundate resort in Antalya with their children Ashton, 11, and Imogen, seven months.
They wanted to celebrate their honeymoon, which they booked through TUI, as a family and took off on Monday, May 29. But, the morning after they arrived, Sarah started to have diarrhoea, stomach cramps, sweats and vomiting, became dehydrated and struggled to breast-feed her daughter.
By the evening Terry, a graphic designer, had come down with similar symptoms. They were visited by a doctor soon after and given antibiotics.
Sarah was put on an IV drip. Due to their illness and concerns over their children falling ill, the family returned to the UK three days early on Tuesday, June 6. Terry and Sarah saw a GP and samples were taken, reports the Liverpool ECHO.
Terry said: “We’d spent a long time researching where to honeymoon and we were so excited as it got closer. We were particularly looking forward to celebrating with our children on our first big family holiday at what was supposed to be a luxury hotel.
“But early into the holiday, Sarah became really unwell, which was really worrying as she was still breast-feeding. Then that same evening I fell ill. It got so bad that Sarah ended up on an IV drip, which was terrifying, especially for the kids to see.
“It felt like we were stuck in our hotel room for most of our stay, which was awful, and we were so worried that the kids would get it, we ended up flying home early. We’re still not well and so angry and upset at what we’ve been through. I also had to have time off work as I was so unwell, and I still have not fully recovered."
Terry and Sarah, from Huyton, Merseyside, are not the only people to have reportedly become unwell while staying at the Rixos Sungate resort. Along with many holidaymakers, they have now instructed specialist international serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how they fell ill and take legal action on their behalf.
It comes after Liam Garnett from Manchester spoke out on suffering similar symptoms in April this year. He had travelled to the Rixos Sungate resort with his partner Gabrielle and two children, who also fell ill.
Liam ended up needing medical treatment, including an IV drip. On his return home Liam had a sample taken, which reportedly tested positive for the bacterial infection salmonella. It is reported more than 130 holidaymakers, including more than 50 children, who allegedly fell ill at the five-star hotel and have instructed specialist lawyers Irwin Mitchell to investigate.
Terry also claimed there were issues with the food at the resort, he added: “It’s scary to hear how many other people have been unwell. There were times when the food was visibly undercooked, which really isn’t something you would expect from a resort like this.
“All we want now are some answers. Our honeymoon was completed ruined and it’s the least we deserve.”
Following their return to the UK, Terry and Sarah are still unwell.
Jatinder Paul, a specialist international serious injury solicitor at Irwin Mitchell representing the growing group of holidaymakers, said: “We’ve now been contacted by more than 130 people who have suffered serious gastric illness while holidaying at the Rixos Sungate in Turkey, which is very worrying.
"What’s deeply concerning is that many of those affected are children and there are several cases of salmonella, which is particularly dangerous for the most vulnerable such as children and the elderly. Terry and Sarah are among those who have instructed us and it’s horrible to hear the first-hand account of the ordeal they went through, particularly as they had booked the holiday to celebrate their honeymoon.
“Instead, the whole break turned into a nightmare and the pair understandably want answers as to how they became so unwell at a five-star resort. We’re now looking into it, and if during the course of our investigations any issues are identified, it’s vital that lessons are learned to prevent others from falling ill in the future.”
TUI said it is one of many booking providers for the Rixos Sungate in Antalya, which accommodates 1,800 guests from all over the world. It said guests whose holiday has been impacted by illness at the Rixos hotel are being contacted directly by the TUI UK team, but it is unable to give details of specific customer cases due to confidentiality.
A TUI spokesperson told the ECHO: "We were very concerned to hear of a small number of cases at Rixos Sungate in Turkey, as the health and safety of our customers is our highest priority. As this is now a legal matter, we are unable to comment on specific cases."
Rixos, which runs the hotel, has been contacted for comment by the ECHO.
