Tony and Francesca Moran-Ambrose, who rarely get to go abroad due to their busy restaurant business, said their £2,500 trip to the Canary Islands was ruined by ongoing flooding
A British family who “never” go on holiday had their dream trip ruined by the floods in Lanzarote. Tony Moran-Ambrose and his wife Francesca took their two children away for a rare week in the sun. The family of four, who run their own restaurant, say they hardly ever get to go abroad due to the busy nature of their business.
Tony booked the £2,500 trip to surprise their friends who were heading out to the Spanish island, as reported by Luxury Travel Daily. The husband and wife, accompanied by their 8-year-old daughter and three-year-old son, flew from Bristol airport on 6 April.
The 37-year-old surprised his pal Phil and his two kids on the flight. And the group soon arrived at the TUI SuneoClub El Trebol in Lanzarote, where they were booked to stay for a week.
But their dream holiday soon became a nightmare after the heavens opened and the island was hit by horrific floods. They were just four days into their trip when the sunny skies turned black and rain began hammering down.
In just 24 hours, the hotel grounds were flooded with dirty water. The family’s room on the third floor also began to flood, leaving the group stuck on the sofa for hours before being able to leave. The family, who run Moran’s Thai Restaurant in Westward Ho, Devon, were left devastated.
“We hardly ever get to go away because of our restaurant, it was really unfortunate what happened,” said Tony. “The flooding water caused all the electricity to go off. We couldn’t get any food, the toilets didn’t work and we were unable to wash.
“Luckily for us we managed to complete our full seven day trip with the last three being impacted by the floods. People who arrived the day we left were having flights home arranged, the hotel was forced to shut down and there was nowhere else to go.
“The receptionist who had lived there his whole life even said he’d never seen rain like it. The water was rushing in from everywhere, we were at the bottom of a mountain so the water was mixing with volcanic ash.
“Having a three-year-old I needed to try and find milk before he went to bed but everything around the hotel was forced to close. The only thing I could get my hands on was beer or wine, which wasn’t the worst thing.
“My heart really goes out to the locals and their livelihoods, it was awful to see the damage it caused to them. TUI sent a blanket email to guests informing them of the hotel’s closure and said they’d be in contact with us this week.”
A TUI spokesperson told Jam Press: “Due to unprecedented weather in Lanzarote over the weekend, a small number of hotels were significantly impacted by floods.
”As always, the wellbeing and safety of our customers and colleagues is our main priority, and our TUI resort teams were working hard with the local authorities and hoteliers to find customers in impacted hotels alternative accommodation during the busy easter period, or return flights back to the UK.
”We would like to thank customers for their patience and cooperation during the difficult circumstances.”