Staff Reporter
By Alexander Marciniak
AFTER two years of waiting for their longed-for holiday to Mallorca, a Scottish couple finally made it to the island only to be left stranded outside a hotel that had yet to open for the season.
William and Marina Ferguson, both 71-year-old pensioners from Orkney, had booked a holiday package before the pandemic for £1,400 to the beautiful Cala d’Or, a popular resort on the east coast of Mallorca.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and travel restriction and repeated flight cancellations they finally paid out a further £400 for new flights.
The extra charge for the flights would be an ominous foreshadowing for their later woes, as when they arrived, the pair were dropped off outside their holiday accommodation only to discover the Gavimar La Mirada Club Resort was closed and not scheduled to reopen until the end of July.
After a number of failed attempts to get in contact with Teletext Holidays and as the fear that they may be left out on the street for the night began to set in, some locals saved the unlucky couple by helping them find accommodation in the sister hotel Gavimar Ariel Chico.
In an interview with the Daily Record William describes how the journey from their home in Orkney to Mallorca lasted 48 hours in total, and to be dumped so unceremoniously on the doorstep of a closed hotel after all the travelling was truly heartbreaking.
“I just think it’s disgusting what they’ve done,” William told the Scottish Newspaper. “They basically dumped us outside a hotel that had been closed for a month.”
The couple who arrived on Monday for the short break were also forced to extend their stay by a couple of days as a result of flight issues.
Gavimar la Mirada Club have stated that the situation was likely a result of a misunderstanding between the couple and Teletext Holidays.
However, William told The Daily Record that the bus driver acted with such hastiness to drive away and leave them there that he suspects he may have been aware of the problem.
Teletext Holidays have been in hot water recently and faced legal action over £7 million worth of unpaid refunds for cancelled holidays.
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