HolidayLawyers has been instructed by a British family following a holiday at Hotel Samira Club Spa and Aquapark in Hammamet, Tunisia , during which members of the family became unwell and they say they experienced serious concerns regarding the condition, cleanliness and safety of the resort. The family booked their package holiday through TUI , paying more than £6,500 . They say that by the end of the trip their overall expenditure had risen to approximately £11,000 , after they incurred significant additional costs including alternative accommodation, meals outside the hotel, taxis and medication. The family eventually moved out of the resort and into a privately rented villa for the final four to five days of their holiday, at a further cost of approximately £800. Family reports illness during Tunisia holiday The family has told HolidayLawyers that several members became ill during their stay. Their young son developed a high temperature and tonsillitis and required medical treatment and antibiotics. The family says that when he became particularly unwell overnight, the hotel doctor was not available until the following morning. Their 18 year old daughter is also reported to have developed significant gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea severe enough that she was unable to leave the toilet and missed a planned excursion. Other family members developed chesty coughs during the holiday. The family says that once illness developed they no longer felt comfortable eating at the hotel and instead relied partly upon crisps and biscuits and ate meals at restaurants away from the resort. HolidayLawyers is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the illnesses, including the family’s concerns about food hygiene and the general conditions they say they encountered at the hotel. Concerns over food and hygiene The family has reported a number of alleged hygiene issues at Hotel Samira Club Spa and Aquapark. They say flies were regularly present around food service areas and that they became sufficiently concerned about the food that they stopped eating at the resort. The mother, who is vegetarian, also says there was inadequate information identifying the contents of dishes, leaving her to check food herself to establish whether it contained meat. She has further reported concerns regarding cleaning practices within the accommodation, including an allegation that the same microfibre cloth appeared to be used to clean different areas. The family says their room was in such poor condition on arrival that the mother felt compelled to clean it herself before the family could sleep there. They have also reported mould above a wardrobe, concerns regarding the cleanliness of mattresses and bedding, old and poorly maintained air conditioning and gaps underneath external bungalow doors which allowed insects and ants to enter. Accommodation allegedly very different from advertised photographs The family describes the accommodation as old, dirty and in poor condition and says it was significantly different from the impression given by photographs seen before travelling. Further problems allegedly included poor water pressure, electrical sockets which did not operate properly, Wi-Fi problems and power cuts. One power cut was particularly concerning for the family because it occurred while their young son was suffering from a high temperature and they were unable to use the air conditioning to help keep the room cool. Safety and welfare concerns The family has also raised concerns regarding safety around the resort. They report that a swimming pool area was at one stage taped off using red and white tape which they considered inadequate, while a water slide was allegedly blocked with tables when not in operation. They have also raised concerns regarding lifeguard supervision. In addition, the family says they felt uncomfortable about the conduct of some male members of staff towards female members of the family, including their daughter. The mother says she complained to TUI while still at the resort and was concerned when the substance of her complaint was then raised directly with the hotel. She says this left her feeling particularly uncomfortable because her complaints included concerns about the behaviour of hotel staff and the family still had to remain at the resort. These matters form part of the allegations the family has asked HolidayLawyers to investigate. Family incurred thousands of pounds in additional expenditure Although the original holiday cost a little over £6,500, the family estimates that their overall expenditure connected with the trip reached approximately £11,000. The additional expenditure is said to include approximately £800 for a private villa, restaurant meals after the family stopped eating at the hotel, medication and additional taxi costs. They also say they were required to pay hotel tax separately. HolidayLawyers will consider these financial losses alongside any potential claim arising from illness, loss of enjoyment and the alleged failure to provide the holiday which the family says it had been promised. “A family holiday should not end with people becoming ill and having to pay to move elsewhere” Aman Dhillon, Founder and Solicitor Advocate at HolidayLawyers, said: “We have now been instructed by this family and will be investigating carefully what happened during their stay at Hotel Samira Club Spa and Aquapark in Hammamet. “What is particularly concerning is the combination of issues being reported. This is not simply an allegation that the family did not like their hotel room. We have reports of illness affecting several members of the family, concerns regarding food and cleaning standards, mould and insects within the accommodation, problems with basic facilities and ultimately a decision to leave the resort and pay for alternative accommodation. “A family spending more than £6,500 on a package holiday is entitled to expect proper standards of accommodation, hygiene and safety. A holiday should not end with family members becoming ill and having to spend hundreds or potentially thousands of pounds simply to move somewhere they feel comfortable staying. “We will now obtain and review the available medical evidence, photographs, videos, booking documentation, complaints and evidence of the family’s additional expenditure before advising them upon the claim.” Illness and hotel claims in Tunisia HolidayLawyers acts for holidaymakers who suffer serious illness, injury or other significant problems during package holidays abroad. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing thousands of holidaymakers and recovering millions of pounds in compensation , including claims arising from outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness, salmonella and other infectious diseases at hotels and resorts overseas. Particular care needs to be taken where an illness continues after a holiday. Gastrointestinal infections can in some cases lead to longer term symptoms including post infectious IBS, altered bowel habits and fatigue. It is therefore important that holidaymakers experiencing continuing symptoms seek appropriate medical attention and preserve evidence relating to both the illness and the circumstances at the hotel. Useful evidence can include: photographs and videos of the hotel, accommodation and food areas; medical records and details of medication; receipts for additional accommodation, meals, transport and treatment; correspondence with the tour operator or hotel; details of other guests who became ill; and copies of the original booking information and advertisements. Were you ill at Hotel Samira Club Spa and Aquapark in Hammamet? HolidayLawyers would like to hear from any other guests who stayed at Hotel Samira Club Spa and Aquapark, Hammamet, Tunisia , and experienced significant gastrointestinal illness or similar concerns. Evidence from other holidaymakers staying at the same resort at or around the same time can be important when investigating how an illness occurred. If you or a member of your family became seriously ill during a package holiday in Tunisia, Turkey, Cape Verde, the Caribbean or elsewhere overseas, our specialist holiday illness lawyers can advise you on whether you may have a claim. HolidayLawyers can act in appropriate cases on a No Win, No Fee basis , with our deduction from compensation capped at a maximum of 25% . Contact HolidayLawyers to speak to a specialist member of our team.