A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized with a severe E.Coli infection after guests at a popular TUI hotel in Turkey reported seeing fecal matter floating in the pool, according to the boy’s mother.
Lucy Price, 46, and her son Oliver, 12, had eagerly anticipated their week-long stay at the all-inclusive 4-star Julian Club Hotel in Marmaris earlier this month. Lucy, an office manager from Torquay, Cornwall, spent her “entire bonus” on the TUI package deal, only to be left horrified by the resort’s conditions, told the Mirror.
Upon arrival, Lucy described the hotel as resembling “a hot Pontins,” with overcrowding and guests behaving poorly. “There were drunken people, smoking, draped all over the place. The hotel had crammed as many people in as possible, and they were asking people to move to their sister hotel because it was so overcrowded,” she said.
Shortly after their arrival, Lucy met with friends also staying at the hotel, who informed her they had seen “a turd floating in one of the pools.” Soon after, Oliver fell violently ill. Initially suspecting sunstroke, Lucy became increasingly concerned as his symptoms worsened. By 3 a.m. on Saturday, she sought help from the hotel medic, who promptly ordered Oliver to be taken to a local hospital.
Doctors at the hospital confirmed that Oliver had contracted E.Coli, which had caused a swollen liver. Lucy recalled the frightening experience: “E.Coli can kill, thankfully it wasn’t that bad, but it was serious enough for them to do blood tests, ultrasounds, and give him IV antibiotics. I have never been so happy to get home after a holiday. I was crying, my son was crying—it really was horrific.”
After two nights in the hospital, Lucy and Oliver reluctantly returned to the hotel, where Lucy expressed her concerns to TUI staff. According to Lucy, the hotel’s Guest Relations Manager was defensive and insisted that water and food checks were routinely conducted, dismissing the possibility that Oliver’s illness was related to the hotel. However, when Lucy persisted, the manager’s tone changed, and she was offered a late check-out as a form of compensation.
Lucy was further dismayed when the TUI representative on-site offered her a mere £50 reimbursement. Having spent nearly £1,500 on the holiday, Lucy refused the offer and decided to wait until she returned home to lodge a formal complaint.
To make matters worse, Oliver developed a large blood blister on his eyeball, which Turkish doctors attributed to an “adverse reaction to the antibiotics and anti-sickness medication.” Communication with the hospital staff was challenging, as they relied on Google Translate, and all medication instructions were in Turkish.
Since returning to the UK, Lucy has lodged an official complaint with TUI but has received little communication. “Since dealing with TUI aftercare, I have had no apology, no checking how my son is doing, and little to no communication,” she said, noting that she may have to wait up to 28 days for a response.