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Mystery illness ruins honeymoon

12/ 5/2008

A HONEYMOON couple have told of their ordeal after being struck down by a mystery illness at a luxury hotel in Egypt.

Nearly 200 holidaymakers are planning legal action after they became sick at the five-star beach complex.

Many were confined to their rooms for days with upset stomachs at the Movenpick Resort Hotel in Taba on the Red Sea.

Newly-weds Zubair and Taslim Zaeem, from Bolton, suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea.

Taslim was first to be struck by sickness - during a day out in Cairo - followed by her husband a short time later.

Zubair said it was agony to watch her in such pain on what should have been a holiday of a lifetime.

Zubair, 36, said that for days they couldn't eat and hardly left their room. He lost a stone to around 8st and Taslim dropped a stone to six-and-a-half stone.

Zubair said: "This was our honeymoon, meant to be so special. It was absolutely diabolical."

Holidaymaker Beth Bertenshaw from Northenden, Manchester, said her trip with husband Steven turned into a `nightmare' within 36 hours of arriving at the hotel.

Beth, 47, said: "We wondered why there was no-one by the pool but it was because everyone was sick."

She and her husband were moved to the Movenpick after finding their preferred hotel was full. Beth paid more than £1,000 for a week's break with her husband.

Around 190 holidaymakers affected by the outbreak are planning legal action against travel operators through Manchester law firm Pannone LLP.

They have raised concerns about hygiene, claiming to have seen birds eating food on the terrace, tables not cleaned and dirty glasses.

But hotel general manager Ian Mclachlan said investigations by environmental officers from three organisations have cleared the hotel of any `major failings'.

Andrew Morton, of Panone LLP, is exploring the possibility of taking action against tour operators on behalf of people who stayed at the hotel.