Family share grim details on 'disaster' holiday resort after being struck by severe illness

Another British family has spoken out after becoming ill while staying at a popular holiday resort.

It was in 2024 when 70-year-old Leslie Green sadly passed away following a stay at the Occidental Jandia Playa Resort In Fuerteventura, the second biggest of the Canary Islands.

The Bolton native contracted salmonella while on holiday with his wife, and became seriously ill before passing away three weeks later, with an inquest later ruling that he passed away after eating partially-cooked chicken.

Sadly, that seems to have done little to change things at the four star hotel, as another family from West Yorkshire have now spoken out on their 'disaster' visit last summer.

Joyce Arandall was celebrating her 60th birthday alongside 10 of her family members at the resort when she became unwell, with all but one of the travelling party suffering from nausea, sickness and diarrhoea throughout their stay.

Before Joyce could even arrive for the festivities, her relatives Rachel Constable, 42, and Andrew Constable, 53 had fallen ill, with Andrew suggesting that he thought his stomach was 'going to explode' after suffering symptoms 'like nothing he'd ever experienced' before.

Rachel also experienced symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea shortly after getting into bed and suggested that the most severe issues lasted for around three days, but that the illness lingered for the entirety of their two-week stay.

The chicken the family were served (Irwin Mitchell/Supplied)

Rachel said: "After a few agonising days, my symptoms finally began to ease, but I still felt nauseous and drained for the rest of the holiday. I was sluggish, lethargic and overwhelmingly tired. For several days, I could eat hardly anything.

“Before I became ill, there were glaring signs the hotel restaurant wasn’t following basic hygiene guidelines. The restaurant staff didn’t wear hairnets or gloves until after we complained, and even then, only for one day. One day, the lasagne was cold and congealed; another, the spring rolls were frozen inside. One night, we were even served raw chicken.

“We’d looked forward to this family get-together for months, but it was a huge disappointment. I’m upset we didn’t get to celebrate Joyce’s 60th properly. This holiday left a lasting impact on all of us.”

Two days later, it was the turn of Joyce and her 81-year-old mother Lavine to arrive with the other members of their family but it took just three days for Joyce to develop similar symptoms of stomach cramps, sickness and diarrhoea.

Even after returning to the UK, Joyce's illness was still causing her problems but the cause of her illness is still officially unknown, even if it seems to have been almost certainly caused by the food in the hotel.

Joyce was supposed to be celebrating her 60th when the disaster occurred (Irwin Mitchell/Supplied)

Joyce added: "The holiday was a disaster from the moment we stepped foot in the hotel.

“Our room wasn’t ready at check in, and when we finally got in, we were given the wrong ones. This was frustrating because we had booked a disability-friendly room for my elderly mother.

“The hotel was dirty. The bedding was unclean, towels were stained and there were cockroaches in our rooms. Even the pool had debris floating on top.

“The restaurant was chaotic, with cats and birds roaming freely. A waiter asked me to move out of the way while he played football with food. When we showed a waitress raw chicken we had been served, she rolled her eyes and shrugged as if it was normal.

“Staff were unhelpful when we complained. The assistant manager made inappropriate comments and admitted the hotel couldn’t cope with demand.

“Even to this day, I’m still not right. I’ve seen my GP and still need to stay close to a toilet due to ongoing symptoms.

“We were shocked to learn someone died after staying at this hotel in 2024. To see similar issues still happening is appalling."

Joyce's mother Lavine also fell ill (Irwin Mitchell/Supplied)

Jennifer Hodgson, the expert international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said: “We’ve heard deeply concerning first-hand accounts from the family about their holiday at this hotel in Fuerteventura, including reports of poor hygiene and food served still frozen or raw.

“These descriptions are similar to complaints we received previously about the same hotel, which is particularly alarming given a former guest there in 2024 died after contracting Salmonella.

“Gastric illnesses such as Salmonella appear anywhere from between eight to 72 hours after exposure. While symptoms usually last 4 to 7 days, they can cause long-term complications and, in severe cases as we have seen, even be fatal.

“Understandably, our clients have serious questions about their illnesses, which appear to form part of a wider pattern, and we’re committed to getting them the answers they deserve.

“If our investigation uncovers any issues, action must be taken to protect future holidaymakers from enduring the same experience.

“To strengthen our investigation, we’d be interested to hear from anyone else who became ill after staying at this hotel.”

LADbible has contacted the Occidental Jandia Playa Resort for comment.