A WOMAN was left screaming in pain from bed bug bites following a holiday from hell in Turkey.
Tracy Stewart and her pals Steve and Jill Combes, from Kirkcaldy, , were “itching to go home” amid the trip, which also saw them contract urine and ear infections from the filthy hotel, they claim.
Tracy Stewart and her friend Jill both contracted UTIs during the tripCredit: Supplied
Tracy spotted bugs crawling all over her mattress which left her with infected bitesCredit: Supplied
The group were ravaged by bed bugsCredit: Supplied
The 54-year-old and her two friends booked a supposedly 4-star seven night stay at Ares Dream Hotel in Antalya, costing around £400, but say they were given less than 1-star treatment.
The group described seeing staff fishing cat poo out of the pool – before allowing guests to continue without properly disinfecting it, and were fed “slush” in the restaurant, which was swarming with flies.
After spotting “crawling all over her mattress” the morning after their first uncomfortable night’s , Tracy complained to staff and requested a room change, but claims she was refused.
As a result, the holidaymaker spent three nights sleeping on two plastic chairs on the balcony overlooking a noisy main road.
But the damage had already been done – the critters had bitten her all over – and led to her waking up at 3am “screaming in pain”.
Tracy told The Sun: “The smell in the bathroom was horrendous.
“We assumed it was coming from the toilet brush which was caked with faeces.”
She described how hundreds of stray cats roamed the complex “so every corridor and stairway stank of cat urine”.
Tracy added: “We even spotted a staff member removing cat faeces from the swimming pool, but they didn’t do anything else to clean it after, or ask anyone to get out.”
She said the food was “inedible”, and the restaurant was full of “flies, cats, their kittens, and their mess”.
Tracy continued: “We couldn’t eat in the hotel. In the restaurant, there were four metal trays with hot food in them, but it looked like slush.
“Honestly, you would not feed it to a dog.”
Tracy’s friend Steve, 53, ate nearly nothing all week and lost 10 pounds.
Usually, the most appealing thing about an all inclusive holiday is the fact that everything is included – but this wasn’t the case for the group of pals.
They said the bar only offered one draft and “very cheap tasting, possibly homemade wine”, despite having empty bottles of spirits on display, said Tracy.
As they are not or beer drinkers, Tracy and her friends spent most evenings in an Irish bar near the harbour.
The group ended up spending around £500 each more than they had planned to because they were forced to eat and drink outside the hotel for the duration of their stay.
Whilst there, Tracy reported the issues to staff but was only met with rude responses and refusal to offer her any alternative such as or freshly made food, she claims.
The hotel claimed that the poor quality and lack of was “seasonal” and the offerings are much better in the high season, which in is June to August.
When Tracy pointed out that they arrived on the August 30 she was once again ignored by hotel staff and Love Holiday representatives online.
‘My left arm had swollen up to nearly double the size’ said TracyCredit: Supplied
A doctor prescribed antibiotics, strong painkillers and gave Tracy a wrist brace to wearCredit: Supplied
The toilet brush which was caked with faecesCredit: Supplied
On her eventual return home to the UK, Tracy said: “I stripped naked on my doorstep and ran to the shower to scrub myself down when I got home for fear of bringing anything into my own house.”
Things quickly went from bad to worse as the bed bug bites she had received from the “crawling” hotel bed became infected.
Tracy said: “By the time I got home my bites had become so infected that I couldn’t lift my arm or move my fingertips – I woke up at 3am screaming in pain.
“My left arm had swollen up to nearly double the size, I was in agony.”
During an emergency appointment the next morning, a doctor prescribed antibiotics, strong painkillers and gave her a sling to wear.
But the bites were not the only discomfort she complained about.
Tracy, along with her friend Jill, were experiencing pain and trouble passing urine.
They had both contracted a Urinary Tract Infection, which they fear was from the cat faeces that the group had witnessed floating in the swimming pool.
Steve required treatment for an ear infection, which they also believe to be from the contaminated water in the pool.
All of Tracy’s allegations have been denied by Love Holidays, who sell package deal getaways at fairly affordable prices.
Upon her return to the UK, she has continued to fight for some kind of acknowledgement or compensation for the treatment she received and the terrible condition of the hotel but she says she has only been met with “useless responses”.
She said: “Love Holidays claimed the pictures and videos I took of the bugs crawling all over the mattress were taken in a storage room, which would mean everyone else’s bedding was covered in bugs too.”
She added the company stated that all of her multiple complaints about having to sleep on the balcony, not being able to eat the food, and general unsanitary conditions “are entirely false and defamatory”.
Despite the fact that she has photographic and video evidence and multiple other witnesses from other parties the company have denied all allegations and have offered her only a small compensation.
Initially, Love Holidays told Tracy: “As we do not wish to delay a response any longer, we would like to offer you a 3 night accommodation cost refund which equates to £149.35 as a goodwill gesture without admission of liability.”
However, after The Sun contacted the company they got back in touch offering her “our apologies and a full refund of her holiday”.
Love Holidays also said: “We offer customers 24/7 assistance through our dedicated On Holiday Support team, who can be contacted by phone and/or live chat.
“This is signposted throughout the booking documentation and pre-departure communication that Tracy received.”
Have you been on a holiday from hell? Email alexandra.brooks@thesun.co.uk
The whole hotel was unhygienicCredit: Supplied
Everyone else’s bedding was covered in bugs tooCredit: Supplied
Things quickly went from bad to worseCredit: Supplied 
