Guests at Irish tourist hotspot ambushed by 'plague of bed bugs' - and hotel bosses have wild explanation
Sun-seekers have slammed the "disgusting" conditions at the four-star Blue Sea Puerto Resort Hotel, in Tenerife - Martin and his wife Donna splashed out over €2,000 for a 14-night stay
Hotel bosses have blamed guests for bringing in a "plague" after dozens of tourists were bitten by bed bugs.
Sun-seekers have slammed the "disgusting" conditions at the four-star Blue Sea Puerto Resort Hotel in Tenerife. Some demanded to move rooms five times, others switched to a different hotel, and at least 25 guests have launched legal action for compensation. Many have posted photos on social media of insects in bed linen and towels. Hotel bosses admit there is an infestation but insist the rooms are not filthy – instead blaming guests for bringing the bugs into the resort.
The issue was first raised in January but bookings are still being taken and holidaymakers say they are still finding the bugs in the rooms. Aaron Coote and his partner Tanya Hadfield, 37, suffered bites to their back, shoulders, legs, hands, and neck when they booked a week's break in Puerto de la Cruz in February.
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Aaron, 42, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK said: "We were bitten on the very first night. We must have been bitten more than 100 times. We woke up covered in red, swollen bites. It was agonising. They were coming out of the wallpaper and bed linen. The staff didn't seem to care. They offered to freeze our luggage for three days and moved us to a different room. It wasn't just us who had problems. Other guests suffered bites and were also moved to different rooms. It ruined our holiday because we spent the rest of break in constant fear of waking up and finding more bed bugs."
Aaron, who spent £2,100 (approximately €2,500) on the all-inclusive package, added: "It was awful and is obviously a massive problem throughout the hotel. The hotel should be closed down and fumigated. The whole ordeal was an absolute nightmare. I was still finding new bite marks on my return home, and it really has had a negative impact on my physical and mental health."
The Mabon family returned home from the resort in July following a two-week holiday – costing over £2,300 (approximately €2,750). They complained to reception staff after being bitten during the first night of their stay. Jean-Marie Mabon described their room as "disgusting". The 57-year-old retail supervisor said: "It's outrageous they expect people to pay for this filth. We were itching, and uncomfortable, and the staff just shrugged us off. We'll never step foot in that place again.
Hubby Scott, 63, added: "The cleaners were in the room most days. How did they not notice the room was full of bed bugs? The hotel needs to be shut down but travel agents are still sending guests to the hotel. It was strange because the reception was immaculate but the corridors and rooms were awful."
Scott, from Largs, added: "It totally ruined the holiday and we were counting down the days to when we could go home. We disposed of the suitcases as soon as we got back because we didn't want to infest our home." Martin Ives returned from the resort last month. He and his wife Donna Schneider, 49, paid £2,000 for a 14-night stay.
Martin, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: "We have moved rooms three times before demanding that we were moved to a different hotel. I was bitten a couple of times while staying in the first room but the bed bugs in the second room were really bad. I woke up after the first night in there and I was covered in them. It was disgusting and the holiday was nothing short of a disaster.
"The place should have been shut down while it was fumigated. As we left one room, they were putting new guests straight back into the one we'd just left. It was awful. Eventually, they moved us to a different hotel but by this time I was covered in bites. I ended up staying in my room for the rest of the holiday because when I went out, everyone just stared at me." Martin, 48, added: "I have still got the bite now and some have scarred. We shouldn't have stayed and should have booked a flight home. It was that bad."
Michael Walker, a partner at the Holiday Claims Bureau, said: "It is deeply concerning that holidaymakers continue to be sent to this hotel by tour operators when they are aware of the infestation of bed bugs. Many of our clients have reported similar experiences, suffering a significant number of bites which can often lead to long-term scarring. The hotel unfortunately does not seem to be taking this seriously and are failing to eradicate the problem. This is more than just a nuisance. Guests are enduring what can only be described as holiday torture, and they deserve compensation. It's time for the authorities to step in."
A spokesman for the Blue Sea Puerto Resort Hotel said: "Bedbug issues are taken very seriously. And, although there have been cases of bedbugs in our hotel, it is not due to a lack of cleanliness, but this problem has come to us through the luggage of several travellers from France and Central Europe.
"The plague came to the Canary Islands from Europe and we are trying very hard to take care of it and strictly adhere to the hygiene standards and protocol in order to offer our guests a smooth holiday. When they are detected in the rooms, a strict extermination protocol is activated."
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