Disaster holiday at resort

OP please please google everything needed to avoid bringing them home. I’d be so paranoid I’d genuinely leave all my luggage behind. I feel so so sorry for you all!

Not sure if this has been mentioned but did you pay for part of the holiday on credit card, if so Section 75 may apply
https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/section-75-of-the-consumer-credit-act-aZCUb9i8Kwfa

Makes sense, thanks :)

I do sympathise op. Sounds totally horrendous.
But on a different note you want to make sure you don't bring the little bed bug bastards back to your house and infest that too.
They travel unseen in your luggage. I would personally buy new luggage and keep it as someone said in the bathtub not on the floor. Sounds like whole hotel could be infested.
You can claim for the new luggage on your insurance.
When you get home put the cases in bathtub too.
And wash everything on high or put in freezer for 48 hours when home.
Bedbugs are a nightmare to get rid of. A real nightmare.
I'm sorry you are experiencing this nightmare.

Thanks to loads of DDT in the 50s and evolution, these beasts are now resistant to most poisons. But the council had a program of using different types. Don’t diy with sprays. Don’t do sniffer dogs either- we considered it! The cost of rentokil is extraordinary and they know you are desperate. Local councils have responsibility for pest control and were brilliant. A combo of steam cleaning, poisoning (council), sealing cracks in skirting boards, washing every item of clothing in the house at 60, and using a special earth that suffocates them all helped too. But it’s best to find their harbourage.

Their first harbourage was our wooden bedframe. Out it went with BEDBUGS written all over it ( embarrassing!) for the council to collect. But before they had the chance to come someone had nicked it! Omg!

Because they are less likely to be in the bathroom, though still possible. But although they don't necessarily set up harborages on the bed itself they do tend to stay within a couple of meters radius of the bed (the larger the infestation the more widespread they will be though).

And then yes, it is harder for them to go up a slippery surface (especially plastic).

It would still be possible but really they want to be near people so they won't seek out a suitcase in a bathroom specifically (although they can be attracted to dirty clothes, more than clean clothes).

I don't know if anyone mentioned but be careful when coming home as you are more than likely to bring some bedbugs home with you ! For me suitcases and anything that couldn't be washed high temp of professionally fumigated would be going immediately into the bin. Many years ago had a friend bring it back from holiday into a shared house! It was hell.

You should be able to get a suitable room even a change in hotel if needed and a refund/compensation. Speak with the hotel, insurance and get all the photos, documents.
We are all allergic to bugs bites and unfortunately can happen anywhere. Can you buy the equivalent of piriton baby for the baby? Calamine lotion or in powder mixed with talk powder will help the baby. Ask the doctor they will tell you the right names of the products in that country.

Jesus christ what on earth is your problem?

OP I am so sorry. I agree, I would leave everything there and just take the clothes I was wearing (and destroy them). What a fucking nightmare for all of you.

I was thinking of booking this hotel so thank you Op. so sorry they have ruined your holiday.

Can I ask, why the bath? Is it harder for them to reach that height?

Yes, agree with PP- we no longer use hotel cupboards but keep everything in our suitcase on a stand. First thing check the underside of the mattress. Any hygiene issue demand another room. But bedbugs? I’d move out completely to another building!

Always check the mattress seams for signs, little black marks are their faeces. Human blood stains on the matress as well. Not a failsafe but you would notice a heavy infestation hopefully. I am so paranoid about it.

I've read a lot about this (thanks contamination OCD) amd unfortunately no, it's not that easy. They could be behind pictures, sockets, skirting boards, the smallest gaps.

When on holiday I do a quick scan of the room as large infestations would be obvious. But not spotting anything really doesnt mean they are not there, so I keep my luggage in a large plastic bag in the bath to avoid hitchhikers, double bag pyjamas and they go in the freezer and/or hot tumble dry when I get home.

I do tend to freeze all my clothes as well to be honest, and keep luggage stored in the garage. It seems intense but its just my routine now and doesn't take much time.

It's worth it for me as I know my mental health would be a disaster if we had them in the house for months.

From someone who has suffered bedbugs and had a nervous breakdown. I would leave everything there and I would be stripping in the garden before going in the house.

@DidILeaveTheGasOn haha I did a lot of reading on their behaviour!

The standards of cleaning, steaming, washing etc we undertook was just incredible but what nailed it was careful observation. After destroying two harbourages we thought we had cracked it. We went away for a break. But I had a sneaking suspicion.. and I knew they would be hungry when we came back. So I stayed up the night we got back, with pieces of sticky tape to trap them. I caught seven then got my lucky break- one was crawling up the wall. Where was he going??

it was the picture frame. How satisfying it was to dismantle and steam it at three in the morning! I was probably shouting gotcha!

Oh gosh this sounds awful, I’m so sorry!

@Fleetbug this thread as well your experience freaked me out

is there anything you can do to prevent this on the next holiday? Anything you can put on hotel beds at all as soon as you go in ?

I have no advice but just wanted to send lots of sympathy. I would find this so stressful. I once found a bug on my bed....it wasn't a bed bug but I lost the plot and couldn't sleep, even on the sofa for two nights until the rentokill man could come out and confirm that I was wrong.

@Fleetbug I'm horrified and fascinated by your experience. How did you find their nests?

Do not bring bed bugs back with you to yr home! The week of misery you are experiencing now is nothing to the seven months we endured battling with these fiendish insects.
If there is stuff you don’t want to bring home from holiday with you, bin it. Everything else….
Bag everything in double bin bags. When you unpack at home DONT bring stuff inside. Put everything outside- all yr luggage. Take off shoes and socks - leave everything outside except the clothes you are wearing. Then go straight to washing machine, strip off completely, put all the clothes you are wearing on a 60 degree 2 hr wash. If you can’t get everything in one wash, bag it till it can be washed. Then nice long showers and hair wash - though this is psychological more than anything as they don’t normally travel on human bodies.
Take your time bringing your holiday stuff back in the house- ensure it can go straight in the wash. Bin all the bags outside- not in your normal house bin. Suitcases can be steam cleaned. Buy one on amazon. Any stuff that can’t be washed in 60 degrees- keep bagged until you have enough space in yr freezer- 4 days minimum in freezer. Or send to be dry cleaned.

My children and my friends didn’t visit me for 7 months. My mum wouldn’t let me visit. The nightly bites were awful- it was a heatwave and I went to bed in socks, long trousers and a long sleeved top. Just the memory of it is traumatic. I was taking painkillers and antihistamines. We were on first name terms with the council pest control!!

In the end I became a skilled hunter and found and destroyed their nests- it was great to become predator rather than prey. But I wouldn’t wish bed bugs on anybody…

It’s all well and good everyone saying full refund etc, the Op would have to now pursue this through the hotel directly, their insurers or even the Spanish courts. That won’t be easy.

Firstly, what a horrible thing to happen. It's a shame you or the doctor didn't realise they were bed bug bites to begin with!

You can't expect a full refund but I'd expect a 33% refund to cover the cost of one adult.

YABU though to have someone babysitting your MIL. That's a bit silly. You, your DH and your son can still go and enjoy the holiday. Your MIL won't expect anyone to stay inside. You can spend the evening letting her know what you got up to.

Sorry to hear this OP I could not cope at all if in this situation it would literally be my worst nightmare. I am booked to stay in the Bahia fantasia in Tenerife is this the same hotel?