FOR a Bere Alston family the holiday in the Dominican Republic they looked forward to all year is one they will never forget in hurry ? and all for the wrong reasons. Dawn and Richard Rolls, both 39, daughters Charlotte, 14 and Georgia, 10, all went down with severe stomach problems just a few days into their two-week holiday with friends at the Holiday Village Golden Beach resort, Playa Dorada, in the Dominican Republic. The holiday, booked through First Choice, said Dawn, turned into ?a holiday nightmare?. Their friend?s baby, 18-month-old Tyler Tomes, was so ill he had to be taken to hospital and put on a drip after suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. She said: ?Fourteen of us went on holiday and eight of us went down with a gastric bug. It started after three days. Richard was ill, then Georgia, then Charlotte, then baby Tyler, then Tyler?s mum Helen ? we were dropping like flies. ?We spent more than £3,000 for our holiday and all we had for it was diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps.? Mrs Rolls, a hairdresser, and her husband, a civil engineer, said they had saved up £300 a month for the holiday and it turned into a nightmare ? from the fourth day she cried everyday. She told the Times: ?When we told the site rep we were told that if it carried on longer than 48 hours we should go to the local medical centre and it would be £90 each to see a doctor. Tyler was so bad he spent two and a half days on a drip.? Mrs Rolls claimed that when she asked the rooms to be sterilised the management said it would take three days. ?We asked to be flown home on day five but were told it would cost us £2,000 and we would land at a different airport from where we took off, Gatwick instead of Bristol,? she said. They now want compensation from the holiday operators. Ian Benjafield, a spokesman for First Choice, said: ?The health and safety of all our guests if of paramount importance to First Choice. ?We are sorry to hear that members of the Rolls group were unwell during their trip to the Dominican Republic. ?Our customer services and legal team have acknowledged receipt of their complaint, and will be in touch, pending a thorough investigation into the case. ?First Choice closely audits all the hotels to which it operates to ensure that the health, safety, hygiene and comfort levels our customers expect are maintained. ?As with any First Choice property, our quality co-ordinator responsible for the Holiday Village Golden Beach works extremely closely with the hotel proprietor and staff to ensure that all and any problems are addressed immediately. ?In addition, independent health and safety audits are regularly performed at our properties by external agencies and bodies. ?The Holiday Village Golden Beach is and continues to be a very popular hotel. We are confident that guests due to travel to the hotel in the future will experience the high levels of quality and standards they expect from a First Choice property.?
