A Scots family’s dream holiday to a luxury resort in Florida was left “ruined” after their trip was plagued by bed bugs, mould and blood-soiled mattresses.
Mary Anderson, 67, and husband Hugh, 66, forked out £29,000 for a trip of a lifetime to The Grove Resort Waterpark in Orlando. The couple, alongside their two children, daughter-in-law and six grandchildren, aged 19 to five-years-old, booked the getaway in October last year to celebrate Hugh’s retirement as an engineer.
But on their arrival to the four-star resort, they were met with filthy conditions including manky pillows and sheets, mould-ridden bathrooms, hairs in sinks and toilets and mattresses that were covered in blood.
Mary, from Kilwinning in North Ayrshire, told the Record: “It was disgusting. When we arrived we found dirty beds, human hair everywhere, mould in all the bathrooms and filthy showers.
“When we found blood on the mattresses, we demanded to move rooms but they said they couldn’t move us. The cooker hadn’t even been cleaned, you could see the previous guest’s food sprayed across the oven door.
“The conditions were awful- not what you would expect to see in a four-star resort.”
Images shared with the Record show a mattress splattered in blood alongside filthy, ripped bedsheets and stained pillow cases. Pictures from bathrooms at the resort also show discarded human hair and heaps of mould in shower sets and baths.
The gran said that after spending one night at the resort, they asked to move hotels. But at their request, she claims TUI wanted an additional £1,600 for their transfer.
The family were forced to spend the remainder of their two-week holiday at The Grove Resort Waterpark, where two of her grandchildren were mauled by bed bugs.
Mary said: “We had already paid £29,000 so we were reluctant to pay that kind of money. Given the conditions, the transfer should have been free.
“We spent the entire trip feeling dirty, filthy and uncomfortable. Two of my grandsons were bitten by bedbugs and had to go to a pharmacy for special cream. We just felt filthy, there were tears from a few of us.
“My husband doesn’t show very much emotion but because it was supposed to be such a special holiday, you could see he was clearly upset and disappointed. It ruined what was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime for us all, it just wasn’t what we paid for.”
Mary booked the Grove Resort Waterpark after seeing it advertised as the “go-to” vacation spot for “escaping the ordinary and diving into non-stop fun and endless amenities”. The facility claims to be “perfect” for families and groups alike.
After complaining to TUI, the Reocrd understands that the travel firm has since apologised and offered Mary and her family £1,900 in travel vouchers.
Mary said: “That is a fraction of the price we paid. It will also never replace the memories that my husband, children, daughter-and-law and grandchildren should have made on this trip.
“To me, their apology and offer is just a complete slap in the face.”
The Record has approached TUI and The Grove Resort Waterpark for comment.
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