'I cried on my €1,300 Benidorm holiday after rude Spanish guests ruined my stay'

Irish Daily Mirror

08-06-2025

With summer holiday season just around the corner, many people across Ireland are eagerly planning their trips abroad, hoping for sunshine and well-deserved break - but not all getaways go according to plan.
One tourist's holiday to Benidorm turned into an emotional ordeal, ending in tears and disappointment after what she describes as a "disaster from start to finish".
Freda Jackson, a pensioner from Lancashire in North West England, had booked a two-week stay at the Poseidon Playa hotel on the outskirts of the popular Spanish resort in April 2017. However, what was meant to be a relaxing getaway with a friend quickly soured.
The retired care assistant later revealed the root of her misery: "Why can't the Spaniards go somewhere else for their holidays?" Freda claimed the hotel was full of "rude" Spanish guest who made her stay unpleasant, including one who "nearly knocked me flying" and left without apologising.
The grandmother, who lives with mobility issues, explained: "The hotel was full of Spanish holidaymakers and they really got on our nerves because they were just so rude. One evening a Spanish guy nearly knocked me flying and he just walked off without even apologising."
Entertainment options at the hotel also left Freda unimpressed. She recalled: "The entertainment in the hotel was all focused and catered for the Spanish - why can't the Spanish go somewhere else for their holidays?"
Freda claimed the trip was recommended by travel operator Thomas Cook. She had requested flat ground access but was disappointed to find her room located on a slope. She and her friend, who paid a combined total of £1,133 (€1,344), demanded either a refund or a free trip as compensation.
Freda continued: "I have never complained about a holiday before - but this one was a disaster from start to finish. My friend and I paid for it from our pensions and it was a struggle trying to fund it over 12 months and the holiday was totally ruined - I cried after.
"We wanted to go somewhere on flat ground and not in the hills because we have mobility issues. To top it off, once we got to reception they told us we had been put on the 14th floor - thankfully we were moved to the second floor - and that it was 42 steps down to the hotel's swimming pool."
Freda, who has enjoyed holidays in Greece, Turkey, Portugal and Tenerife in the past, alleged Thomas Cook "mis-sold" and "ruined" what should have been a dream trip. The pair flew from Manchester Airport to Alicante on May 10 that year, having allegedly not been notified that their flight dates had changed.
She claimed that there were no holiday reps present so she had to send a formal complaint directly to Thomas Cook. Initially, the travel company offered a £75 (€89) voucher as compensation for the "disappointing" experience.
A Thomas Cook spokesperson issued the following statement at the time: "Due to a system error Ms Jackson was not informed of a change to her flights until six days before departure. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this caused and are investigating to make sure it doesn't happen again. We have offered Ms Jackson and her travel companion a gesture of goodwill to try and put things right, which we hope she will accept."
Freda later denied to the Mirror UK that she had made any derogatory comments about Spanish people.