A group of friends are sharing their “horrific” holiday abroad after allegedly being refused from their accommodation – and say they are now £600 out of pocket.
Aaron Hatton and Danielle Halsall claim they have been left “traumatised” after allegedly being told to “go away” from their holiday resort within hours of arriving on their long-awaited trip.
The friends, both aged 20, were looking forward to their first trip abroad together to Antalya, Turkey, which they say they booked through LoveHolidays for £500 each in August 2023.
But when they arrived at their hotel, Arsi Paradise Beach, at 1am, they allege the gates were locked and the security guard kept telling them they hadn’t booked that resort.
“I felt so confused and disheartened, and I really thought we were going to have to stay on the streets,” Danielle, a health care assistant from St Helens, told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk .
“No one was willing to help us, even at the other hotels – it was like we were isolated from everybody else who was having fun on holiday.
“We were so confused, as there were loads of people on the balcony, so I didn’t understand why the gates were locked.
“I tried explaining to security that this was our hotel and showed them our booking, but they kept telling us we hadn’t booked there.
“She also shoo’ed at us to go away, as well as saying it wasn’t open to the public.”
Aaron, Danielle and their friend [who wishes not to be named] claims their package included flights, luggage, airport transfers and an all-inclusive stay with alcohol.
After hours of looking for help, they visited the resort’s sister hotel, who gave them a room to stay for the duration of their week-long trip at no extra charge.
But the next day, when trying to make the most of their all-inclusive package, they claim to have been told alcohol wasn’t included and that they’d need to pay extra.
Aaron, a healthcare assistant, said: “We tried to order some cocktails, but the bartender kept saying we needed a wristband.
“I told him we weren’t given any, so he suggested us paying extra to get the drinks included in our stay.
“Instead, we stayed in our cramped room for the night, before deciding enough was enough.”
The trio suffered another blow when looking up the price per night for their old hotel, which was £84 for a sea view room, and comparing it to the new hotel, which they claim was £18 per night.
While they tried to contact LoveHolidays for an explanation, they claimed to have been ignored, until 8 October 2023, when they decided to cut their holiday short and fly home.
Danielle said: “They asked for a full report to be sent while we were at the airport, which we did, but then they said we had to wait until the full trip was over to dispute anything.
“It’s been so stressful and disheartening, as it’s such a waste of time and money.
“We were left in a country that we didn’t know, with nowhere to go, and no one to speak to – it was a living nightmare.”
On 23 October, Aaron claims LoveHolidays offered the group a £100 voucher each, as well as a £489 refund for their hotel.
However, as they had to fork out an extra £200 each for new return flights, they say it’s a “joke” and that they urge anyone against using the travel agent.
He added: “It’s not good enough and I’m absolutely fuming.
“They really don’t care, aren’t bothered about their customers and we won’t be using them again.”
Jam Press has contacted Love Holidays and Arsi Paradise Beach resort for comment.
A spokesperson for LoveHolidays said: “We’re very sorry Mr Hatton’s holiday did not live up to our usual high standards.
“We’re investigating the relocation error with our accommodation supplier to ensure it does not happen again and are doing all we can to support Mr Hatton’s claim.
“While we’re still within the usual timeframe to investigate this complaint, we’ve already been in touch with Mr Hatton to apologise and reimburse his accommodation costs, alongside offering a £100 voucher from loveholidays.”
