**Family Left Disappointed by Five-Star Cape Verde Hotel: ‘Not Fit for a Dog’ Says Holidaymaker**
A family’s dream getaway to a luxury resort in Cape Verde quickly descended into dismay, after multiple complaints about the cleanliness standards at their five-star accommodation led to claims that the conditions were so poor, even staff admitted they “wouldn’t let a dog stay there”.
The trip had been planned as a special occasion by Sarah Koops to mark her husband Johan’s 40th birthday. The Koops family, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, had spared no expense, booking an all-inclusive week-long stay through holiday giant TUI. With their two children, they jetted off in February, hopeful for a celebration full of sun and relaxation.
However, the family’s excitement turned to shock as soon as they entered their first assigned room. According to Sarah, the room was laden with dust and grime, with a stained mattress and visibly filthy curtains. She recalls discovering the extent of the dirt only after stripping back the bedding, saying it was “thick with dust” and “rancid”. Her children, expected to sleep on a pull-out sofa, were met with furniture encrusted with grime.
Alarmed, Sarah immediately requested an alternative room. Yet, the three additional rooms offered by the hotel reportedly presented similar hygiene problems, prompting mounting frustration. A TUI representative who inspected the original room is said to have remarked that the space would not be suitable “even for a dog”—a comment that underscored the level of dissatisfaction felt by the family.
Attempting to escape the situation, Sarah asked to switch resorts, only to be told this would cost £500, a fee she felt was exorbitant given their circumstances. Feeling trapped, the family ultimately accepted a fourth room that, while an improvement, was still far from adequate, according to Sarah. The high dust content, she said, was so persistent that it aggravated Johan’s asthma, eventually resulting in a chest infection that required antibiotics upon their return to the UK.
Their holiday, intended as a joyous milestone, became a week of discomfort and disillusionment. “If we could have flown home on the first day, we would have,” Sarah explained. “Instead, we just turned a blind eye and endured it. It was nothing like the five-star experience we had hoped for.” She described feeling “devastated” by the situation, suggesting that, in her view, the hotel deserved a much lower rating.
After returning home, the Koops family lodged a formal complaint with TUI. The travel operator initially offered a £150 voucher as compensation, later increasing this to £300 and including a free excursion. However, Sarah declined these gestures, saying she felt insulted by the implication that she might book with TUI again.
TUI has since responded to the incident, issuing an apology and acknowledging that the standard of accommodation “fell short on this occasion”. The company emphasised that it had acted by offering room changes and compensation, and expressed regret that the experience did not meet the family’s expectations.
The hotel involved deferred comment to TUI’s official statement, maintaining no further response.
This incident serves as a stark reminder that even luxury ratings do not always guarantee satisfaction, and highlights the importance of clear recourse for holidaymakers whose expectations are not met. For Sarah and her family, however, the high hopes pinned to a milestone celebration were dampened by an experience she says she will not soon forget—nor repeat.