Teacher abandons holiday home after horrifying discovery in the toaster lands her in hospital

A teacher, who was looking forward to a relaxing holiday after battling kidney disease, ended up being re-hospitalised following the stressful Canary Islands trip.

Melissa Hamilton’s £740 apartment was so infested with cockroaches that they were even found in the toaster. The 38-year-old was rushed to hospital in June 2023 when her kidney disease caused her potassium levels to plummet, leaving her feeling drained and struggling to walk.

After her recovery, she and her sister, Joanna Hamilton, a 31-year-old HR adviser, decided to book a three-week holiday to Arguineguin, Gran Canaria, for further recuperation.

The sisters booked their accommodation for £742.67 via Booking.com and were scheduled to stay in the apartment from July 1 to July 22, 2023. However, they left after just one night when they discovered a horde of cockroaches on the floor, flying around the apartment, and even in the toaster.

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This discovery made Melissa “feel sick” and “so upset”. Despite contacting Booking.com and the apartment owners, she claimed she was denied a refund and was told by the owner that they shouldn’t have come to a hot country where cockroaches “are everywhere”.

Just three days into her holiday, she started feeling drowsy, light-headed, and experienced heart palpitations. She was hospitalised and it was discovered that her potassium levels were “extremely low”, which she believes was due to stress.

Melissa’s husband, Vladimir Lungan, 37, decided to fly out to support her, contributing an additional £1,600 for a hotel. The sisters were eventually given a “goodwill” partial refund of about £200 after their holiday nightmare, but Melissa has vowed to never book with Booking.com again, saying the experience “ruined” their getaway.

“I felt really angry you pay for your holiday and you don’t get the service you deserve. It was beyond cleaning, it was an infestation problem that needed to be dealt with, it wasn’t in our hands,” Melissa said.

“I said to Joanna, we just need to go, it needs to be fumigated … you know, cockroach on toast anyone?”

The holiday horror left her feeling “It felt really unsafe, after seeing that, I wouldn’t even want to use the oven, it made me feel really sick and ruined what was meant to be a relaxing break.”

By June 2023, Melissa began suffering from exhaustion, leg buckling, and severe constipation due to her kidney disease causing her potassium levels to plummet. She ended up in hospital for three days receiving potassium via an IV tube.

The National Kidney Foundation notes that potassium is crucial for many bodily functions, including the conduction of electricity which is essential for regular heartbeats and muscle function. Those with kidney disease are particularly susceptible to low potassium levels, especially in the early stages of the condition.

After her stint in the hospital, Melissa and Joanna decided they were in desperate need of a proper holiday.

The duo searched Booking.com for a place to stay and, after separately booking their flights, discovered a “basic but clean” flat in Gran Canaria with positive feedback. They believed it would be an ideal location, near to facilities and the beach, and suitable for Joanna to work remotely as a HR adviser so they reserved it for three weeks at a cost of £742.67.

At present, a three-week stay in July for a flat in Gran Canaria via Booking.com averages around £1,600 for three weeks and approximately £70-£80 per night. However, upon their arrival at the flat on July 1, they were greatly let down.

“On the surface, it looked fine apart from the television lead being broken and the bathroom window being jammed shut. I was really, really tired and I felt something fly around my head and I thought ‘What’s that? Maybe it’s just a wasp’,” Melissa said.

“But it was actually a flying cockroach I thought maybe it’s just the one but it didn’t really click for me (that there might be more).”

“My sister slept in the living room and she said something wasn’t right and she kept seeing these flying things.”

The following morning, Melissa opened a door to a small room with a fridge in it, and there were “cockroaches everywhere” they even found cockroaches in the toaster.

Melissa and Joanna immediately got in touch with Booking.com, who apologised for the inconvenience and advised them to message the owners for potential compensation or a refund.

In messages shared with PA Real Life via the Booking.com app, Melissa contacted the owners regarding the infestation but was dismissively told: “But seriously if you do not like cockroaches you do not have to come to hot countries (they) are everywhere in the street. Nobody ever complained about anything.”

Booking.com argued that the owner suggested a solution to the cockroach issue, a claim bitterly disputed by Melissa who said: “The owner provided no solutions at all she had an assistant … but all she did was look at the ‘roaches and jump over them.”

“The owner mentioned using chemicals and said that they use pest control every three months.”

To add insult to injury, the owners steadfastly refused any form of refund or compensation.

Melissa expressed her disappointment saying: “I was really upset and it just wasn’t what we expected we just wanted somewhere to relax and do our own thing and instead we were having to call Booking.com.”

In a scathing review, she criticised Booking.com’s approach stating: “Booking.com’s customer service was terrible. They basically said: ‘What do you expect with cheap accommodation? ‘”.

“I was like, I don’t see nearly 800 euros as cheap for three weeks regardless, I don’t know why money would be bearing on it. I just don’t think any of the people could put themselves in our shoes.”

Out of options, the sisters were forced to book different accommodation for two nights at a cost of about £62 each, Joanna even ended up staying in a shared Airbnb due to last-minute booking problems.

She explained: “It was so stressful because we weren’t getting any money back and my insurance only covered the health side of things, not accommodation, and we didn’t pay on a credit card.. We were essentially going to be homeless in a foreign country … it was meant to be a relaxing holiday.”

Melissa and her sister wouldn’t let it lie and repeatedly contacted Booking.com, both by phone and email, pushing for a refund. Melissa believes the ordeal caused her potassium levels to plummet to an “extremely low” level, resulting in her being hospitalised just three days into the trip. .

Melissa’s husband rushed to join her in Turkey, contributing an additional £1,600 to cover hotel costs for the remainder of their stay. Upon their return, they received a £200 refund from Booking.com not even half of what they initially paid. .

Reflecting on the nightmare experience, Melissa feels that there wasn’t anything she could’ve done differently to avoid the disaster, but she pledges to steer clear of Booking.com in the future. “I think Booking.com needs to check their apartments more before listing them on their website,” she said.

“Next time, I might pay on a credit card so it might be easier to get some money back, but it was just an insult that we didn’t even get a full refund.”

A representative from Booking.com said: “We always strive to support our customers in the best way possible and were in touch with the customer about this reservation in July 2023, after concerns were initially raised about the street noise levels.

“We offered further support by liaising directly with the property owner who provided a number of solutions, all of which were unfortunately declined by the customer. While the property, which is responsible for the experience guests have staying at their property, did not opt to provide a refund, we can confirm that we offered a gesture of goodwill.”