Two Families Sue Greek Hotel after Falling Severely Ill

Two separate families are suing the same Greek hotel after members of both families fell seriously ill whilst on holiday.

The Nicholson Family

Emma and Stephen Nicholson, along with their daughter, Amber, stayed at the Iberostar Creta Panorama and Mare hotel in August 2015 after booking the trip through TUI UK Limited trading as First Choice Holidays.

All three suffered severe gastric symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pains during their stay at the hotel. Emma’s symptoms were so severe that she was visited by the hotel doctor and was prescribed medication for her symptoms, which caused her to lose weight. Emma was later diagnosed with gastroenteritis.

Emma said:

“We were very much looking forward to our family holiday last year and couldn’t wait to visit Crete. It’s such a shame that our time away was completely ruined by illness.

“We all suffered with sickness and diarrhoea, and the symptoms were absolutely horrendous.

“The doctor ended up visiting me in my hotel room and I was diagnosed with gastroenteritis, which was not at all what you expect from a holiday.”

The Lewis Family

Colin Lewis, who booked his holiday through Jet2, also fell ill during his stay at the Iberostar Creta Panorama and Mare hotel last August. It has been five months since his return from Crete and Colin claims he still hasn’t made a full recovery, he went on to say:

“When I initially got ill I was really worried because I didn’t want to ruin my friend’s holiday too.

“I was barely eating and I just wasn’t getting any better – I knew I had to visit a doctor. I still didn’t feel 100% myself when I got home and thought it best to visit my doctor.

“I was really glad when my GP finally advised me what was wrong with me,

“I had to have time off work to get better; even now I am still not fully recovered as I’m still suffering with some of the symptoms.

“All I wanted was to get back to normal but the symptoms were absolutely horrendous.

“You really don’t ever expect something like this to happen to you on your holiday and it was devastating to see my holiday ruined like this.

“I want answers to the questions we have about what caused the illness.”

Poor Food Hygiene

Both families have claimed that the food hygiene at the hotel was poor. They claim that fresh food was often added to food that had been sitting out, uncovered, for a number of hours and food was also often undercooked.

The owners of the Iberostar Creta Panorama and Mare hotel, Jet2 and TUI have been approached for comment.

Holiday Illness Claims – Expert Advice

Shiamli Mehta-Cronie, expert Travel Law solicitor at Hampson Hughes, has said:

“Tour operators need to be held accountable for the failures of their hotels and resorts. Deficiencies in hygiene standards breed infection and cause outbreaks of illness causing symptoms of sickness, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and dehydration.

“I would encourage anyone who has fallen ill whilst on a package holiday at this hotel to contact our dedicated holiday illness claims team for expert and friendly advice on whether they may be able to make a successful no win-no fee claim for compensation.”

For more information as to whether or not you are able to claim compensation following illness whilst on an all-inclusive package holiday, contact Hampson Hughes today for free and friendly, no obligation advice on 0800 888 6 888 or email

Source: The Mirror