Salmonella reported by British holidaymaker at the Sunscape Bavaro Beach Punta Cana
We’ve been instructed by a holidaymaker who says that they contracted Salmonella while on an all-inclusive package holiday at the Sunscape Bavaro Beach Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. We’ve also uncovered several reviews in which reviewers say that they suffered similar symptoms.
The Sunscape Bavaro Beach in the Dominican Republic
Situated on the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic, the Sunscape Bavaro Beach Punta Cana is advertised by British Airways on an all-inclusive basis as featuring a range of amenities.
British tourist says that they contracted Salmonella on holiday
The holidaymaker who contacted us says that they began to experience stomach illness symptoms that included diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, lethargy, a fever and chills, a few days after they arrived at the Sunscape Bavaro Beach.
When we asked them about what they believe caused their illness, they informed us that salads were left uncovered and the buffet food was lukewarm, noting that there were flies and birds in the restaurants, and the hotel chefs weren’t seen washing their hands before cooking.
They say that they saw a medical practitioner once they got back to the UK, and after a stool sample test was carried out, they were told that they had contracted the Salmonella bacteria.
Reviewers comment on Salmonella and E. coli
The Sunscape Bavaro Beach Punta Cana is reviewed positively on TripAdvisor, however, reviewers who stayed there in December have highlighted possible problems with hygiene and illness, and some reviewers have also stated that they contracted Salmonella.
In their review which was descriptively titled “SALMONELLA poisoning – DO NOT stay here“, ‘Alicja R’ says that she’s “currently sitting [in] the hospital with [her] 3-year-[old] daughter, who has been admitted because her stool results came back positive with salmonella“.
‘simbisla’ wrote a review titled “They need to be more careful with food preparation” in which they say that “on day three [they] got sick and [are] still not well“. They continue to say that they “went to the hospital here to see what was going on” and they “just found out today it was salmonella poisoning“.
‘kwresnick’ wrote that was simply titled “Avoid“, in which they say that on their “last day [they] developed GI issues” and since seeing a doctor they have found out that they “have Salmonella and E. coli“, requiring the administration of “strong antibiotics“. They go on to say that they are “bringing [their] 12 [year] old son in today who is also experiencing the same symptoms“.
In “BEWARE-Dining and food quality poor“, ‘Carrielynn2017’ says that the “food handling and [the] food was extremely poor“, and she “became very ill with an intestinal infection requiring [her] to take powerful [antibiotics] and [she is] still trying to recover“.
In her review titled “It was okay, our experience was not great“, ‘lisa w’ says that her “husband […] experienced gastrointestinal illness [during their] stay“. She says that the “bartenders use tap water for rinsing blenders and “cleaning” glasses“, and the “kitchen staff were seen not wearing gloves or changing them appropriately“.
In a review titled “EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING RESORT“, ‘7joseanneg’ says that they encountered “large cockroaches in the room” and “have been violently ill with [diarrhoea] since [their] return“, suffering from “fevers, chills and severe cramps, requiring a medical visit and antibiotics“.
He says that he is “waiting on stool cultures to see what pathogens [he has] been exposed to” and that “a few other guests reported to [him] that they also had to visit the resort doctor as they had been ill as well“.
What to do if you think you have Salmonella on holiday
Salmonella can be contracted through a variety of ways, but in our experience, the faecal-oral route of infection is quite common, with infection occurring by inadvertently ingesting particles of faecal matter through contaminated water or food. This is often referred to as food poisoning.
If you suffer symptoms such as stomach cramps, diarrhoea, a chill or a fever (or both), nausea, headaches, vomiting or blood in your stool, it’s possible that you’ve contracted this harmful strain of bacteria. If you suspect that this is the case, it’s advisable to inform your tour operator and seek advice from a medical practitioner.
When you see a medical practitioner, we recommend asking them to diagnose you by carrying out a stool sample test. Receiving a diagnosis should aid your recovery, as well as help you to claim compensation if you choose to do so.
Find out if you can make a ‘no win no fee’ compensation claim
A member of our travel law team can provide you with a free no-obligation consultation, during which we can advise you of whether we recommend making a ‘no win no fee‘ claim under The Package Travel Regulations 1992, or if we feel that there are more beneficial methods to pursue your complaint.
Contact us for free no-obligation holiday illness claims advice
To find out more about claiming compensation; contact Paul Stevens by filling in our enquiry form and we will call you back, or call us directly on 08081293329.
