The couple abandon their vacation five days early because of the smell of sewage and techno music

A couple cut short their three-week five-star holiday at a £2,700 beach resort because they couldn’t stand the stench of sewage in their room and had to walk nearly an hour in the scorching heat to escape the loud techno music of the pool bar. .

Clive Murray, 65, and his wife Rosie, 52, from Macclesfield, Cheshire, booked the all-inclusive Riu Touareg on Boa Vista Island in Cape Verde in April through Tui.

It was supposed to be a “relaxing holiday” while the couple were in the process of changing their house, but instead they said it felt more like Benidorm or Kavos and were shocked by the state of their double room – which they said it smelled like sewage. .

Clive, who served in the British Army as an air engineer for 26 years, said he had to fix the bathroom shower head with a rubber band and went on to fix the toilet pipe – after it fell off the wall when he pressed it. After two weeks of walking nearly an hour to escape the “noise” of techno music from the hotel’s pool bar, the couple threw in the towel and booked an Airbnb in Sal Rei, despite paying for five more nights.

In total, Clive and Rosie said they spent more than £3,000 on holiday and, despite complaining to Tui representatives at the hotel, have not been contacted by the company for a refund or compensation.

Clive, who is now busy renovating their new home in Cumbria, said he will never book with the company again.

“We wanted a three-week break because, with the house move and everything, the whole year has been really stressful,” he told PA. “We just wanted to relax… if only. Almost every day, we walked 50 minutes to the beach so we could get away.

“So we would make breakfast sandwiches in the morning – remember this is all inclusive – and sit on the beach as far away from the hotel as possible so we didn’t have to listen to this constant noise. And you can still hear it.

“I know some people will call me an old man, but there were a lot of old people there and yet the hotel had adopted a Benidorm or Kavos model with very loud techno music.”

It wasn’t all bad, according to the couple, who said the food was excellent and the hotel staff were always very polite and friendly.

The retired couple booked a break at the start of April after selling their home in Cheshire and moving into an Airbnb while they waited to move into their new property.

“It doesn’t make sense for us to just sit in a £400-a-week Airbnb in the Lake District,” said Clive. “So I said to Rosie, let’s go on holiday.”

Having previously been to Cape Verde in 2019, Clive and Rosie wanted to book the same hotel but could not remember the exact name of it. Instead of the Hotel Riu Karamboa, Clive “blundered” and booked the Hotel Riu Touareg, which is about 15 miles away on the south coast of Boa Vista, which cost £2,700.

At first glance, this appeared to be a blessing in disguise.

The five-star all-inclusive hotel, which advertises a range of facilities including three saltwater pools, a Jacuzzi and Turkish bath, claims on its website to offer an “unforgettable experience” and promises to make guests’ stay “as relaxing. as much as possible”.

“It looks five-star on the surface,” Clive said.

But from the moment they arrived at the hotel, which has more than 1,100 rooms, alarm bells began to ring.

Upon opening the door to their luxury suite, a five-minute walk from the lobby, the couple said they were met with a stench of sewage.

“I immediately thought, there’s a bit of a sewage smell in the room, maybe it hasn’t been used for a long time because it’s so far away,” said Clive.

“So we opened the door and went out on the balcony and literally, white plastic furniture, I’ve seen it better in sketches.”

After their “crazy” six-hour flight, they were looking forward to a warm shower, but Clive said the shower head was broken, so he used an elastic band to hold it in place.

Then, when he flushed the toilet, the button fell off the wall and he realized where the bad smell was coming from, he added.

“We were on the top floor and of course the winds pick up,” he said.

“The wind was coming out of the hole … and clearly each bathroom is on top of the other.

“At the end of the day, it was just poorly designed. This should not be advertised as a five star.”

Again, Clive, a DIY enthusiast, came up with a temporary fix by “messing” with the in-wall system.

They complained to Tui representatives and were told their complaints would be reported, but said nothing had been done to remedy the situation and when Clive brought it back a few days later it was the first they had heard of it. .

But the room wasn’t Clive and Rosie’s biggest concern, as they were planning to spend most of their time outside.

Soon after they got to their assigned beds, the hotel bar started playing loud techno music and calling out the bingo numbers.

“It started around 12 o’clock,” he said. “It was almost like they were trying to replicate Ibiza.

“Some people like that kind of party and that’s great for them, I’m not judging.

“But I went there for a quiet, peaceful, five-star holiday, I didn’t go to replicate Benidorm or Ibiza.”

In an effort to escape the blossoming blows, the couple took daily walks along the beach and in the surrounding “desert”.

They had been at the hotel a few days when Rosie opened one of the drawers to find a pile of neatly folded clothes, which Clive said belonged to another guest who had moved the room before they arrived because of the wind.

After two weeks, Clive and Rosie couldn’t take it anymore and decided to book an Airbnb in Sal Rei, the island’s main town, for the remaining five nights, which cost an extra £200.

“I said, that’s the way it is, we’re not going to stay any longer, I’ve had enough,” Clive said. “I went down to the reception with all our bags and said I want to check.

“Your representative came over and said, ‘Why are you checking?’ And I passed them all.

“I said, I just can’t take it anymore, I’d rather pay for an Airbnb and stay at Sal Rei. I can’t stand the smell anymore, every time I flush the toilet, the thing falls on me.

“She said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ but saying sorry doesn’t help. They just weren’t interested.”

The couple said they had a “lovely time” for the rest of their holiday at Sal Rei.

Since returning to the UK, the couple have completed their new home in Maryport, Cumbria, which they are currently renovating.

Clive won’t be booking another holiday with Tui anytime soon.

“It’s not happening,” he said. “Never again.”

Tui UK and RIU Hotels & Resorts have been contacted for comment.