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My dream £6000 family holiday got RUINED when LoveHolidays left us stranded with no hotel, food or water after a booking blunder

My dream £6000 family holiday got RUINED when LoveHolidays left us stranded with no hotel, food or water after a booking blunder

Daily Mail​7 days ago
A family's dream holiday was ruined after they were left stranded due to a booking blunder.
Darren Tanser shared his nightmare experience on TikTok, @darrentanser, after he paid £6,000 for trip to Turkey.
He raged: 'LoveHolidays are an absolute joke, I recommend none of you ever book with them at all.
'I spent 425 minutes throughout yesterday, which is seven hours, on the phone to LoveHolidays on and off, they never called me back once for any issue, I had to continuously call them.'
The family had arrived at the hotel at 5am, only to be told their booking 'hadn't been secured'.
Darren claimed they didn't receive a new hotel until midnight, before going on to explain his experience further.
'So I spent hours on the phone discussing new hotels with them, I gave them ten different hotel options that we'd be happy to transfer to,' he fumed.
At 2pm that afternoon, Darren managed to agree on a hotel with LoveHolidays but the trouble didn't stop.
He went on to reveal he received an email saying payment was 'taking a bit longer than expected' for his new accommodation.
Hours after the call, Darren was then told the booking was 'still being processed'.
'Baring in mind at this point, we're sat in a hotel that we don't have a booking for, the hotel don't want us there. We have no use of amenities, we can't shower, we can't brush our teeth, we can't do nothing and we've been here since 5am at this point and we're just stuck at the hotel,' he said.
The holidaymaker also shared that his son had undergone 'two major brain surgeries' which complicated the situation as he had to make sure he wasn't 'over fatigued' or 'dehydrated'.
'We keep relaying this to them and they don't care,' the tourist added.
At 8pm that evening, Darren was told by LoveHolidays the booking wouldn't process at that particular hotel because the 'payment wouldn't go through'.
The family were offered another hotel which they refused because they had stayed previously and got food poisoning.
'We spent weeks and months researching the hotel we went to, to make sure it was perfect for the money we were spending,' he raged.
'We spent weeks and months researching the hotel we went to, to make sure it was perfect for the money we were spending,' he raged (stock image)
The tourist explained the company kept rejecting his alternative hotel suggestions 'because of money'.
He added: 'The problem was, trying to book a hotel for the night we want to stay is going to be more expensive, it's just how it is.'
Eventually, at 10pm that evening, Darren was sent to one of his hotels of choice.
However, the nightmare didn't end there. The Uber that LoveHolidays booked to transport the family to the new accommodation was cancelled and they had to arrange a taxi themselves.
Though they eventually arrived at the hotel, Darren felt it wasn't quite up to scratch compared to their original booking.
'I think we checked in at midnight last night into a room that is nowhere near as luxurious as the room we had,' he explained.
'We booked a family suite with a swim-up room at the hotel we were staying at and now we're just in a bog standard room with two single beds and a double bed all in the same room.
'And rather than the beautiful views of looking over the beach and the pool I am overlooking what looks like a garage roof from the balcony.'
He noted that his new hotel was 'highly rated' but felt it wasn't as 'calm' as the original.
'We told them, the kids and us had been awake by this point for like 43 hours with shower, no amenities, we couldn't easily get food, drink or anything, we were stuck at a hotel in the middle of nowhere and they just did not care at all,' Darren claimed.
Despite the bad experience, Darren said his family were going to 'make the most' of the remaining days of their holiday.
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Molly Mae Hague flaunts her £2K-per-night Turkey holiday with Tommy Fury and daughter Bambi after claiming she 'hasn't done one fun thing' all summer
Molly Mae Hague flaunts her £2K-per-night Turkey holiday with Tommy Fury and daughter Bambi after claiming she 'hasn't done one fun thing' all summer

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Molly Mae Hague flaunts her £2K-per-night Turkey holiday with Tommy Fury and daughter Bambi after claiming she 'hasn't done one fun thing' all summer

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How the Royal Family's summer excursions to the Mediterranean have noticeably changed: From Prince Charles' iconic windsurfing trip to Gary Goldsmith's Ibiza cocaine scandal as William and Kate are spotted on a £40million yacht in Greece
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Thomasina Miers' recipes for lamb koftas with buttery tomato sauce and cacik
Thomasina Miers' recipes for lamb koftas with buttery tomato sauce and cacik

The Guardian

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Thomasina Miers' recipes for lamb koftas with buttery tomato sauce and cacik

Several years ago, I was stranded in Istanbul because of the Icelandic eruptions. I wandered through the ancient city and was astounded by the beauty of the place – and just as much by its food. I tasted grilled meats cooked over open fires on the streets, and had a kofta dish served with cacik, a classic cucumber and mint sauce, that was so intensely delicious that the moment has been distilled in my memory. Mince, with good provenance and the right amount of fat to carry flavour and lend moisture, is a kitchen hero. Here, it delivers an astoundingly good dinner inspired by that meal, and which shouldn't break the bank. A deliciously savoury feast of grilled lamb, spices and dill with a richly aromatic sauce Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr Serves 4 with leftovers For the spice mix2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp coriander seeds 3-4 fat garlic cloves, peeled 1 tsp ground cinnamon Salt and black pepper 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground ginger For the koftas2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil 2 medium red onions, peeled and diced 900g lamb mince1 large handful fresh dill, finely chopped For the tomato sauce50g butter 1 large onion, peeled and finely diced2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes 2 bay leaves Warm a heavy-based casserole on a medium heat, then gently toast the cumin and coriander seeds for a few minutes. Tip them into a mortar or spice grinde, add the garlic, cinnamon and half a teaspoon of salt, and grind to a paste. Set aside half of the paste for the tomato sauce, then mix the turmeric and ginger into the remaining paste in the mortar. Meanwhile, heat the oil for the koftas in the same pan, add the two diced onions, and sweat with a teaspoon of salt for eight to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlicky paste from the mortar and, once the onions are translucent and smelling tantalisingly good, add the lamb and scrape the mix into a bowl. To make the sauce, put the same pan back on a medium heat, add the butter and onion, and season generously. After eight to 10 minutes, stir in the reserved spice paste and stir-fry for a few minutes. Cut up the tinned tomatoes with scissors or squash them to a pulp, then stir them into the pan with the bay leaves. Stir, then simmer gently over a medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Meanwhile, mix the dill in to the bowl of onions and mince, and season with a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Mix thoroughly, then, using your hands, shape into equal-sized, flattish torpedo shapes. You should end up with 12-14 in all. When you are ready to eat, heat a griddle, barbecue or frying pan on a high heat until smoking. Griddle or fry the koftas for two to three minutes on each side, until just cooked in the middle. Serve astride the tomato sauce with short-grain rice or bulgur wheat, some wilted spinach or chard, and the cacik below. A dip that is delicious for breakfast with bread, olives and feta, and perfect for layering in a sandwich and insanely good with grilled aubergine. Prep 5 min Cook 15 min Serves 4 with leftovers 400g greek yoghurt 2 small cucumbers, or ½ large cucumber1-2 small garlic cloves, peeledSalt 1 small handful fresh mint leaves, finely chopped½ tsp dried mint (optional)Extra-virgin olive oil Put the yoghurt in a mixing bowl and beat it with a fork until very smooth. Top and tail the cucumbers and coarsely grate them into the same bowl. Finely grate the garlic and add it to the yoghurt mixture with half a teaspoon of salt, all but a scattering of the fresh mint and the dried mint, if using. Pour over some olive oil in a swirl, top with the last of the fresh mint and serve with the koftas above.

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