Add CategoryA family’s dream $18,000 holiday to a four-star Cuba resort was ruined by a bright green swimming pool, poo-stained toilets and sickness bug.
Mother Gayle Evans said she broke down in tears as she witnessed the family’s first trip away together ruined.
The troop were there to celebrate Gayle’s 50th birthday, and with children growing fast, she said it might be one of the last chances to get them all together, The Sun reported.
But what they found at the Brisas del Caribe hotel was a world away from the hotel’s glossy brochure images.
“We spent weeks dreaming about it, of lying on the gorgeous beach and paddling in the sea, splashing in the pools, sipping cocktails in the piano bar — we thought it was going to be wonderful,” Ms Evans told the Birmingham Mail.
“I just burst into tears. It was awful. I could not believe how bad it was.”
The trip included Ms Evans, husband Steve, daughters Ayla, 19, and Gabby, 12, and son Jaz, 23, and his girlfriend Laura, 23.
Ms Evans described the hotel as being “in a state of decay” complete with exposed electronics and obviously used towels in the rooms.
“There was litter everywhere, the pools had green scum on the surface and there was broken furniture and beach beds,” she said.
To add insult to injury, nearly the whole family were laid out with a stomach bug during the trip.
The family submitted a catalogue of complaints to their tour rep on the first day of their stay and asked for a move to another hotel — but were advised there was nowhere that was “better quality” than the one they were in.
The holiday company the family had booked through, The Holiday Place, responded to the complaints to offer a voucher worth about $180 each off any future break with the company.
The Holiday Place told the Birmingham Mail: “Due to GDPR (data protection) we cannot discuss this case with you, however we have been in contact with the client to handle the matter directly.”
The hotel has an average rating of 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor.
The Sun Online have contacted the hotel for comment.
Despite the poor accommodation, Ms Evans said the family enjoyed the surrounding stunning beaches of Varader.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission