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Tourist demands refund after her Benidorm holiday was ruined by 'too many Spaniards in it'

Monday, 30/10/2023, 17:40 (GMT+7)

A British tourist claims that her Benidorm holiday was ruined by 'too many Spaniards in it' and 'rude' Spaniards, leaving her in tears.

A British grandmother, 81-year-old Freda Jackson from Blackburn, Lancashire, claimed that her holiday to Benidorm was ruined due to her Spanish hotel having 'too many Spaniards in it'.

She booked the two-week trip through travel operator Thomas Cook, with a friend in April 2017. However, Freda Jackson said she cried at the end of her two-week trip. 

Tourist demands refund after her Benidorm holiday was ruined by 'too many Spaniards in it' 1
Image: Lancashire Telegraph / SWNS.com

She recounted an incident where a Spanish guest nearly knocked her over without apologizing. She also mentioned that the hotel's entertainment was primarily geared toward Spanish guests, which added to her frustration.

The pensioner, who suffers from mobility issues, claims that 'rude' native Spaniards nearly knocked her over on one occasion without apologizing.

Tourist demands refund after her Benidorm holiday was ruined by 'too many Spaniards in it' 2
Image: Lancashire Telegraph / SWNS.com

She recounted: 'One evening a Spanish guy nearly knocked me flying and he just walked off without even apologizing. 

'The entertainment in the hotel was all focused and catered for the Spanish - why can't the Spanish go somewhere else for their holidays?'  

Both Ms. Jackson and her 61-year-old friend paid a total of £1,133 for the holiday and have requested a full refund or a free trip to compensate for their experience.

Ms. Jackson criticized the hotel's location, and her request for flat ground access, due to mobility issues, the hotel was located on a slope instead.

Tourist demands refund after her Benidorm holiday was ruined by 'too many Spaniards in it' 3
Image Credits: Getty

She said:  '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.'

In May, the pair traveled on a 1,500-mile journey from Manchester Airport to Alicante, unaware that Thomas Cook had changed the flight dates without notifying them.

During their vacation, Ms. Jackson noted that there were no representatives available for they complained about the trip. As a result, she submitted a letter of complaint to Thomas Cook.

Initially, Thomas Cook offered Freda and her friend a £ 75 holiday voucher as compensation for their "disappointing" trip. 

Tourist demands refund after her Benidorm holiday was ruined by 'too many Spaniards in it' 4
Image Credits: Getty

After declining the initial offer, they were presented with an improved offer of £566 to be split between them. However, Ms. Jackson has not yet responded to the renewed offer from the travel company.

A Thomas Cook spokesman said: '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.' 

The compensation offered was due to the last-minute flight change and was unrelated to the influx of Spanish holidaymakers.

The spokesperson added: '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.'