Following our recent holiday that my partner, our son and me arrived back from on Monday, I would like to voice my upset and anger at the atrocious holiday we endured.
Firstly I would like to explain we originally had a holiday booked to Dominican Republic to a 4* resort that we chose carefully as a family and paid a deposit. We were advised how amazing it was and assured that we would be looked after by Thomas Cook, from beginning to end.

Due to Thomas Cook not flying to Dominican Republic, which we were explained this was a decision made towards the end of the year 2011. We had a telephone call telling us to hurry to Thomas Cook Peterborough offices to choose another destination. This alone was a set back as we were rushed to chose somewhere to go the same day as the phone call. When in the shop we explained we would go away and have a look through the brochure, but the agent in the holiday shop hurried us to make a decision there and then. Having had a look through the brochure extremely quickly, we were told that anywhere we booked was going to be a little more expensive, however I said that was not acceptable and told her I will not be paying any more, as the fault does not lie with us as a family.

The agent in the shop told us of the Sea Adventure Resort and Water Park in Cancun, Mexico. I told the agent I want a 4* the same as we had booked and she said there isn’t any available for the same price as the holiday originally booked but this one (Sea Adventure Resort and Spa) is just as good as a 4*. Bragging to me about the water park is better for us as we have a child and that the Dominican Republic would be boring for him compared to the Mexico hotel.
The agent then explained to me there would be so many others rebooking holidays as others had cancelled flights too, therefore do not leave it unchanged. Also saying there was not many rooms left in the Sea Adventure. Feeling under pressure and upset, we decided we clearly had no choice but to book this hotel. After being told how amazing the place is and that we would simply ‘love it’ over and over again. We had to put our trust in Thomas Cook.

Below I list a few of the points I wish to inform Thomas Cook of the horrendous holiday we were promised to ‘love’ Please read every one as if you were in our shoes not just as a list.

• Arriving at the airport in Cancun my partner Robert Hardingham was shouted at by the Mexican immigration officer for having not got Lewis (aged 6) to sign his own forms – and also picking up a pen to sign it for him the officer then proceeded to snatch the form from Robs hand shouting at him again that it was his pen. This was unacceptable and rude and made us feel very vulnerable.

• When we arrived in our room we had a look around and firstly noticed how dangerous it was as we had stairs leading to the top of the room there were gaps through metal railings that were so big and obviously dangerous we had to put the bottom of the sofa bed along the top to make sure our son didn’t fall through, particularly during the night etc as it was very unsafe.

• In the bathroom the plug did not fit in the plug hole in the bath which was filled with brown ‘gunk’ and absolutely stank, running the water to try and wash it away made no difference, it just made the water come up through a drain in the bathroom floor, causing an even bigger stench. To give my son a bath I had to put the plug into a carrier bag and fill the bath with water, to empty it I had to sit there in the smelly bathroom letting water out bit by bit to not flood the bathroom.

• The bedroom light did not work, again dangerous for our son in the night for when he needed the toilet.

• The air conditioning unit went through the bedroom wardrobe, which within 24 hours had made all of my clothes very smelly. Luckily Robert and Lewis had used another wardrobe.

• The cleaner had to be called to de-bug our room and balcony as we had a mass of bugs covering the walls and ceilings.

• Every single night we were all bitten as we slept in the bed – Our son had to share our bed with us as the alternative was a sofa bed downstairs by himself by the patio doors by himself, as like any parent this was not acceptable for any parent.

• The room had loose windows that banged so loud every night and whistled to the point we were kept awake on many occasions. (Please note we did ask to be moved but were told we would have to pay approx £280 to move rooms-money we did not have)

• Moving on to the beach, it was not a beach at all, it was a glorified Harbor. Seaweed filled the sand within minute’s everyday, the sea was like that in Hunstanton, very dirty, mucky and you could not see through the water at all. A very big let down for a so-called Caribbean Paradise we were promised.

• On the one occasion my partner Robert went into the sea, he managed to persuade our son to try to step over the seaweed and go with him, my son stood on a huge plastic pipe running through the sand underwater and ripped off part of his toenail, which then proceeded to bleed. He continued to hobble on this foot for another week.

• The actual area in Cancun where our hotel was, we were devastated to be in, arriving on the bus I was close to tears. It appeared absolutely horrific. There were gangs of people staring and houses that looked like squatters only lived in. Piles of bricks lay across the road everywhere. Wild dogs ran around, graffiti was a mess, on every single building. It was clear we were no where near everyone else or any other hotel, as explained by the agent we were supposed to be 2 minutes away from the hotel area. It took over 20 minutes to get to main Cancun, where we had to travel on many occasions to ensure our son ate. Costing money there and back, which we were always charged over double to get back as they obviously knew we had no alternative.

• Twice we were told by taxi drivers that under no circumstances do we walk anywhere outside of our hotel as he explained it was a gang run area and on a daily basis people were kidnapped raped and even murders were not uncommon. The hotel porter then confirmed this. This made me very angry that a travel agent as huge and trust worthy as Thomas Cook could send a young family to an area as dangerous as this. If I had the money I would have flew us all home there and then. I felt very unsafe and uneasy for my child and my unborn baby too. Not a holiday get away we had paid so much for.

• The water park had wasps all over the bar, and asking for a smoothie for my son, I watched as a wasp flew into the blender and was mixed up with his drink, obviously I was horrified and asked for another. There was no attempt to clear the bar of the pests.

• On another day we went to the water park we were told by two workers there were two snakes they were trying to catch and they were dangerous, particularly to children. And after 20 minutes they gave up trying to find them. This was so shocking we never went back to the water park at all. We only visited it twice in the whole two weeks. A bit disappointing considering it was pushed by the agent so much.


• On to the food, never have I ever been to a place that has given my entire family and many others sickness and diarrhea so much within a two week period. We again had to spend so much money put by for excursions and holiday adventures, on medicine such as, Imodium, pepto bismal, and many more.

• The food was NEVER hot, asking for an omlette to be cooked more than usual as I explained I was pregnant, I was given an omlette that was completely raw inside. Clear uncooked egg. It was not even cooked properly let alone cooked well done as asked. As you must be aware very dangerous to anyone let alone a pregnant women.

• The rice was never cooked properly, always luke-warm and hard. Again very dangerous. My partner also asked the snack bar for some fresh chips as the ones kept in a dish were cold. She refused and put her entire hand on the chips before accepting they were very cold. She cooked some more with a very annoyed look on her face. Also the same person handled raw meat and then without washing her hands gave a small child a bread bun. Very poor hygiene. There were also flies in the salad. The only food I was able to give my son was cereal and cold pasta. Not a great experience considering you are supposed to enjoy the food when you have paid so much for a holiday.

• After a week of my partner enjoying Smirnoff vodka with some friends he made he was then told that there was no more. He was to have the cheap alternative. He asked why, and they said they ran out and the next lot will be given to premium guests only. He obviously wasn’t very happy with this and asked to speak to the manager. The manager also agreed they were to be served local vodka, until my partner explained he had already been served it for 7 days and it was ridiculous. The manager then bitterly agreed he could have it. And then a whole box was bought out from under the bar.

Those are just a few points I would like someone to read and imagine it was them. Our ‘holiday’ was a nightmare, an absolute let down. We were so glad to be going home, as we were hungry and very tired. It is the first time we have booked with Thomas Cook, even thought we holiday often and cannot understand why a company as big as Thomas Cook can simply take over £2500 from a young family and let us go and stay in such appalling circumstances.

We also know of other families who feel the same. I was very upset to watch my son crying in pain, enduring stomach cramps and sickness for a couple of days and know there was simply nothing I could do but spend so much money on taking him elsewhere for food. As for me, being pregnant and fed raw egg is simply unacceptable. The food area was horrid and I cannot stress enough how bad the food was. I have a Doctors appointment on Wednesday as I have symptoms of a stomach infection. Again a disgrace while being pregnant.

I look forward to hearing a response as soon as possible from yourselves on how you will make this right for our disappointed and frankly upset family.

Yours sincerely

Michelle White.

As previously mentioned the Hotel was great fun and the staff exeptional.
However a few things to look out for.
1.We had a bad small pokey dark room initially and paid for an upgrade to a larger room , after talking to several other disgruntled passengers who also complained ,it became apparent that an upgrade(different more superior room) would be free if available and not $230 as we paid!
2.Take the car ferry do the Island, rather than paying £40 on a TC trip you pay£1!!!!
staff made the holiday and the food and entertainment is very good.

First off we had an amazing time at the resort! The staff were incredibly friendly, the food was decent, the hotel was cleaner than some 5 stars I have been in, there is security on site that made me feel very safe and the shows were well done and appealed to a wide variety of age groups. My kid loved Peter Pan!

My only concern with the hotel was the quality of the beach, there were small pieces of glass up and down the beach which made it hard to feel comfortable with the kids digging in the sand. Having said that the ocean was gentle and beautiful, they had lots of water craft for use and great snorkeling.

The hotel was so fantastic we were planning on extending our trip but Sunquest wanted $1500 to move our flight plus hotel costs. More reasons to never travel with Sunquest, when we went to Cuba with West Jet they extended for under 200.

This hotel does not have a Sunquest rep in it, just a binder with a phone number. A phone number that costs money to call and then turns out to be out of service. The binder showed the wrong flight time and the wrong pick up time, and when I finally got in touch with Sunquest they gave me a different time, also wrong.

I had to call Thomas Cook directly, also at my expense, to get the right info. Then they sent the wrong shuttle so half of us had to wait an hour for a second bus.

Because we were traveling with small children we booked bulkhead seats in advance, again at our cost. Sunquest failed to provide these seats, actually yelling at me in the Cancun airport, and telling me it was against the law to have these seats. Ironically no one was assigned bulkhead seating on the plane. Having coughed up 200$ for advance booking this was really frustrating.

Then on top of everything else the zipper was ripped out of the top pocket of my suitcase and our battery charger and rechargeables were stolen! Sorry for the rant but I would like to save other people from the terror of dealing with Sunquest!

We traveled in early December with 4 younger kids and were wondering if we were crazy taking a holiday to Mexico with the family. The answer was quick to come by with a resounding No it's not crazy and Yes we are going to have a great time. From the initial greeting at the door being told "Welcome back" to the kids being showed instantly this is where you get free drinks, the whole holiday was great. The beach is not the same as the hotel zone however from our expierence it might be better here. At the hotel zone we were there for a week and could only swim one day because of the waves and warning flags. At this hotel you are sheltered by 3 sides which makes even windy days swimable in the ocean. There are no big crashing waves because the beach is found leaward side behind Isle Mujeres, not the best for body surfing but again great for families with young kids. We arrived expecting to be put in 2 adjoining hotel rooms with our kids but were offered an upgrade at check in. We ended up in basically a time share appartment on the premise about 1000 sq ft, fully funsished that came complete with a private pool. WOW!! The food was great and the buffet always had a kid's section to it. We didn't think we were going to use the kids club because of saftey and it being Mexico however we tried it once and our kid's asked to go back almost every day. The staff are all amazing and friendly and you see them on the resort all day every day and you get to know them and they get to know you which we found to be very neat. There is a free one way shuttle every morning to the market and downtown shopping which the hotel zone doesn't offer and we took a cab back for about $8. The shows are all good done by the hotel staff and are for the most part kid friendly. Very good holiday and would recommend the hotel to any family or anyone who does not enjoy the busy side that the hotel zone offers.