"It's an absolute disgrace" - Hadleigh woman left with life-long illness after "holiday from hell" to Cape Verde
Nicky Alan is involved in the group lawsuit against travel company TUI
Last updated 4th Feb 2026
A woman that lived in Hadleigh has been left with a life-long illness, after experiencing a "holiday from hell" to Cape Verde.
She says her holiday was an "absolute disgrace", and thought she was going to die after being left in filthy conditions for five days in a hotel room.
It's as four Brits are now known to have died within four months of travelling to the holiday destination.
The pair say they didn't have any help from the hotel, or their travel company TUI.
Nicky is now part of a group lawsuit against the firm, and is a part of a Facebook group with a large number of members.
She says her illness is life-altering, as she has post-infective bowel disease, and struggles every day of her life.
"We went away in May 2022. We actually spent £3,000 for 10 days to go there.
"They have a food bar and grill next to the swimming pool. We had salads and like these skewered meat cubes.
"You know when you just have that little voice that says you should have thought of that before you did it, but it was quite cold, so it obviously had been reheated.
"The third one I bit into it, and it was just so weird a consistency. I looked at it, and it was raw inside.
"Within about an hour and a half my stomach started to churn and then the pain was beyond excruciating. I've travelled the world, I've been in Venezualan jungles and I've had the odd sickness and diarrhoea bouts, but this was something else.
"I ran back to the room and I was violently sick."
Nicky experienced sickness and diarrhoea for the entire evening, and into the next day, before her partner Darren went on a diving lesson. He had to be rushed back from this however as he fell ill.
"My stomach was like a pregnant belly. It was so inflamed and literally I just couldn't hold it in both ends, so the bathroom started to get rather unsanitary."
She says that she spoke with a cleaner at the hotel, who said via a translator app that the food delivered to the island is all expired. Nicky also says that the food was made in unhygienic conditions, with flies being around food that was left uncovered.
Nicky says she was unable to contact TUI during the whole process, and was met with automatic responses and unhelpful advice.
"Long story short, we were left in our room for five days. How we didn't die I really don't know.
"I can't even explain to you how horrific it was, the pain, the blood coming up.
"I've never experienced anything like it in my life, and I've been through a few things and I've never felt so ill. I thought honestly we were going to die."
The pair then made their own way to a local clinic, where Nicky remarked that it was like a "conveyor belt of people".
She believes that she was lied to by the hotel and by TUI, as they told her she had brought a bug from England, which she now thinks is something that they told to others who have experienced illness in Cape Verde.
Nicky and Darren then had their rooms changed, and Nicky says that a cleaner had to clean their room "in a hazmat suit" because it was "just full of faeces and blood and vomit."
"When we got back, TUI completely ignored us. I was still bedbound for about 3 months after, and still everything I ate came up.
"Darren's belly till the day he died was like a pregnant belly like mine.
"It's absolutely disgraceful. I think it's one of the biggest holiday cover ups beyond this decade. It's been going on for years there."
Nicky was unaware of any other people that had been through this problem until she made a TikTok about what happened to her. The video has over three million views, and after this she learned of a Facebook group for those who had experienced the illness on Cape Verde.
"I've now got post-infective bowel disease, which means I will never, ever have a normal digestive system again.
"Every single day I am affected.
"Darren was in discomfort till the day he died."
A spokesperson for Tui says it is fully investigating the claims being made and ensures any customers who fall ill while on holiday have access to appropriate care and assistance.
The holiday provider says sometimes individuals who fall ill do not report illness or seek support from them during their stay, which limits what they care they can offer.