Suspected Salmonella Illness Hits Hammamet’s Iberostar Averroes Hotel
Simpson Millar has been made aware of a suspected outbreak of salmonella food poisoning at the Iberostar Averroes hotel in Hammamet, Tunisia.
The luxury, all-inclusive resort is used by the tour operator Thomas Cook and many reviews posted on TripAdvisor praise the complex for its entertainment and the quality of food.
However, among the glowing reports from holidaymakers, some guests who stayed at the Iberostar Averroes in September and October posted reviews about tummy bugs contracted at the hotel.
A guest who stayed at the Iberostar Averroes with her family and reviewed the hotel on TripAdvisor on 18 October mentioned food uncovered on the buffet, with flies crawling over it.
Dishes like spaghetti bolognese were also chilled on the buffet and reheated for serving. The same pan was used for cooking different dishes at the buffet and possibly was not cleaned between servings. Cups used at the poolside bar were also not cleaned properly, according to the review.
Problems with food preparation and hygiene at the Iberostar Averroes are also backed up by another TripAdvisor review posted on 15 October, which also mentions flies crawling over food on the buffet.
The party in question fell ill with severe symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea and required medical treatment in resort for food poisoning allegedly contracted at the Iberostar Averroes – one of the party was diagnosed with salmonella after they returned home to the UK.
Other guests posting on TripAdvisor say they were served “the worst food ever” at the Iberostar Averroes, while others were ill for a week and returned home to the UK still suffering symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea.
Holidaymakers who become ill through no fault of their own on a package holiday are protected under the 1992 Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations – and have three years in which to make a claim for holiday illness compensation.
At the time of writing, the management of the Iberostar Averroes had not responded to comments made on TripAdvisor.