To want to cancel holiday

[StitchInLime]

We booked a holiday to Mexico last year for this April. When we booked it, the reviews were great. But the latest reviews are pretty terrible. Bad food. Awful service. Place stinks of sewerage. Dirty rooms. Excuses being that covid absences and staff issues. This is a 4.5 star resort! We booked it with Tui. I’m going to contact them tomorrow. But I don’t think we have a leg to stand on as we’ve paid deposit? Has anyone been through similar and AIBU wanting to cancel if we can get a refund and try for somewhere else? But my daughter is so excited though (as are hubby and I but not these reviews are flooding in…!!). WWYD?!

Having just read the most recent review, I ca. definitely see why you are concerned. Has it changed ownership since you booked perhaps?

I would definitely contact the travel agency and ask about switching hotels - and ask if they'll waive admin costs or if they'd prefer to be paying you compensation afterwards if any of the things in those reviews happen to you (especially about the food). I'd pay the admin fee though if they won't - because it sounds awful.

The recent reviews look terrible. You are not being unreasonable to be worried!

I would 100% ask to change reading those reviews, I'd pay the admin fees to do it. That doesn't sound like a holiday you'd want to spend your hard earned money on at all

Wouldn't stay there based on those reviews, I'd ask to swap hotels, you don't need your holiday to be impacted by stress of worrying even if it turned out to be ok

We booked Egypt 5* for our honeymoon, same story as you great reviews then absolutely dire! We tried to change hotels/cancel without success. When we got there we had an amazing time, absolutely loved it- still perplexed at all the terrible (and I mean truly awful!) reviews.

Booked 5* Turkey. Exceptional reviews, been to Turkey multiple times so know what to expect. Couldn’t wait to go with all the glowing reports… absolute shit hole in our opinion!

Never taken much notice since.

One more thing though - there are some really good recent reviews too. The people complaining about the food - are they the types that complain the food is ‘too foreign’? Or not enough nuggets and chips etc? I would always be cautious when ten reviews range from excellent to terrible. Those giving terrible reviews are more likely to be nightmare guests, than the people giving rave reviews are deluded. I used to work as a holiday rep and there are people who go on holiday just to complain about anything they can

The negative reviews are very detailed in their criticism which sounds genuine. Is it more the penthouse people who are being let down? Not sure I'd be happy with a check-in taking one and a half hours!

Can you discuss with your travel agent/direct with Tui?

The reviews look pretty good to very good to me.