Legal for villas (Image: Getty)
More than 800 UK leave managers have launched high court legal action against TUI after being hit by a severe illness at a luxury hotel in Cape Verde. After a dream trip to Sunshine Island turned into a “holiday from hell,” hundreds of tourists were left hospitalized as a result of stomach illness.
Adults and children – young six months old – became seriously ill while staying in eight different four or five-star resorts in African countries. They suffered from serious conditions such as E. coli, salmonella and hyanopathy between 2022 and 2025, and some have been suffering from “debilitating symptoms” to this day.
The attorneys representing a total of 836 people are serving in the case against TUI, claiming that tour operators were unable to protect them from multiple hygiene disorders. A suspected violation of the TUI's obligation includes inadequate cooking of food, serving it at the wrong temperature, and allowing it to be reused at later meals.
The villa also reported that it was served raw meat, seeing food preparations and birds, ants and flies around the buffet area. One woman spoke about how she lost four stones while staying at the five-star Riu Palace Santa Maria resort on May 10-25, 2022.
Nicky Morley, a 54-year-old author from Paynington, Devon, paid more than £2,000 on holidays with her partner. Nikki believes she was served raw pork at the hotel's poolside barbecue restaurant until the day's holiday.
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Nicky Morley, from Paynington, Devon, took a vacation at the five-star Riu Palace Santa Maria Resort (Image: SWNS)
Later that day, she began to suffer from diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and went to the hospital at Cape Verde, where she was given intravenous fluid and medication. After her discharge, Nikki returned to the resort. She was encouraged to eat regular food and ordered grilled chicken, but again looked biological.
Nikki said he was “very uncomfortable” to get home and when he returned to the UK he contacted the GP who had prescribed antibiotics. However, since returning from his holiday, Nikki continues to suffer from diarrhea, emergency, pain and nausea.
She has lost more than four stones and continues to eat a very limited diet almost three years later. Nikki said: It's not what you expect to be picked up at a 5 star hotel, but the fact that I was offered raw food on multiple occasions makes me suspect that many others were sick too.
“The hygiene at the resort was also pretty questionable, with flies and birds seen around the food area. The chefs I saw didn't even wear gloves or hair nets. They'd thought it was basic health and safe. Since the holidays, I've been struggling to socialize with friends and eat out as I've been worried about gut problems. My life has been affected.”
Kelly Barrett also asked his lawyer to investigate after the young children fell ill while staying at Hotel Liu Fanna, Monkey. The family, originally from Whitland, Carmarthenshire, Wales, paid more than £5,000 on their 14-night holiday between November 22nd and December 6th, 2022.
Nikki Morley's raw food (Image: SWNS)
A few days after his holiday siblings Rowan and Denny, he is now 4 and 3 years old and is sick with stomach symptoms such as stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Kelly, 37, sought medical advice at the resort. However, Rowan was admitted to the hospital overnight before being discharged from the hospital, followed by Denny.
However, the pair's symptoms continued to worsen, and the family was airlifted to a hospital in Tenerife, allowing the children to receive specialized treatment. Over two years as his brother, he has been affected by illnesses, including changes in intestinal habits, but Rowan has also developed a fear of doctors.
Family concerns included Ali at the buffet restaurant and staff who did not monitor or clean the swimming pool. Housewife Kelly said:
“We chose the resort because it looked like everything we wanted. We made sacrifices and salvation for months to save ourselves vigorously to enjoy what we thought was a special family holiday. But the enthusiasm and excitement about our holiday quickly faded.
“It was absolutely awful to see our kids so poorly. As parents, all we wanted to do was help and care from Rowan and Denny, but nothing changed after we got to the hospital.
Kelly Barrett also asked her attorney to investigate after her young child got sick (Image: SWNS)
“For over two years, our kids are still not right and suffering from symptoms. What's scary is that we don't know how long it will be affected. The holidays were hoping to become a dream trip to disaster from what we wanted. What's even more concerning is that we don't seem alone.
“I wish I had never booked a holiday, but I know I can't turn the clock back. But we deserve the answer and because of the TUI attitude, we have no choice but to get them in court.”
In total, Irwin Mitchell said it was directed by more than 1,400 people struck by the illness that led to Cape Verde between 2022 and 2025. “The number of people suffering from serious illnesses over the past three years,” said Jatinder Paul, specialist international serious injury lawyer for Irwin Mitchell, who represents 836 tourists.
“After the investigation, we are currently issuing proceedings in hundreds of cases in the High Court and if TUI refuses to engage with us, this number will continue to increase in the coming months. The effects of stomach illnesses are very serious and should never be underestimated.
“As many of our cases demonstrate, they can have life-changing complications, and in some cases even death. Almost three years later, many of our clients have issued legal procedures that come with us suffering from debilitating symptoms associated with their illness.
“It's too late for those we represent in that holidays are ruined by such illnesses, but we may be determined to provide them with the answers they deserve and may need access to appropriate and continuous support and treatment. It is a shame that despite the severity of these cases, TUI has not been able to resolve these claims in a friendly way.
“We are calling on TUI to work with us to resolve these cases as quickly as possible, ensuring that clients try to start by putting their past behind them,” the law firm said TUI either explicitly refused liability for all 836 cases or failed to respond.
The number of people represented by the hotel and the High Court is as follows:
Riu Palace Boavista -57 HolidayMakersriu Palace Santa Maria -300 HolidayMakersriu Funana -183 HolidayMakersriu Cabo Verde:105 HolidayMakersriu Touareg:25 HolidayMakersmelia Dunas -70 HolidayMakerssol dunas, currently Tuis suneo dunas -64 holidaysmakiers
TUI was unable to respond to a request for comment.
