A family's luxury getaway turned into a nightmare when they discovered their five-star hotel accommodation was so filthy that even TUI staff admitted it "wasn't fit for a dog".
Sarah Koops, 37, from Tamworth, had booked the £4,300 all-inclusive trip to Cape Verde as a special gift to celebrate her husband Johan's 40th birthday in February.
Koops organised the holiday expecting luxury standards from the five-star resort.
Instead, upon arrival on February 13, the family was confronted with what Sarah described as "rancid" conditions.
Sarah Koops had booked the £4,300 all-inclusive trip as a special gift to celebrate her husband Johan's 40th birthday in February
PATheir initial room was reportedly "thick with dirt and dust", featuring a "stained" mattress and "black" curtain, prompting immediate demands for alternative accommodation.
The family's ordeal continued as they were shown three additional rooms, each allegedly suffering from similar hygiene problems.
Describing the conditions as "unacceptable" and "unhygienic", Koops said that she had stripped the bed to reveal extensive staining that "looked like mould stains" and discovered a sofa bed "thick with grime all around it".
The curtains in their first room were "all black on the bottom", according to Sarah.
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TUI initially offered a £150 voucher, later increased to £300
PAA TUI representative who visited their initial accommodation reportedly expressed shock at the state of the room, with Sarah adding that the rep had commented: "Oh my God, you wouldn't even let a dog sleep in there."
When the holidaying couple requested a transfer to another TUI resort on the island, she claims the company attempted to charge her an additional £500.
The family eventually settled into a fourth room, though Koops claims it remained dusty enough to affect her asthmatic husband's health.
She explained: "My husband's chest got really bad. When we got back, my husband had to go to the doctors and get antibiotics for a chest infection, which we think is partly because of how dusty and grimy the room was."
Cape Verde is a popular destination with tourists GETTYKoops described feeling "devastated" by the experience and said: "If we could've gone home on that first day, we would've."
Following their return, TUI initially offered a £150 voucher, later increased to £300, which the family rejected.
Koops said: "It's insulting that they think I would book with them again."
A TUI spokesman apologised for falling short of standards and confirmed they had moved the customers to a new room during the trip.