Phil and Hannah Perkins tied the knot on May 9 and eagerly jetted off to Rhodes, Greece, for what should have been the honeymoon of a lifetime – but arrived to a ‘construction site’
Newlyweds who set out on their dream honeymoon at a “five-star” EasyJet hotel said the trip quickly turned into a nightmare as they arrived to find a “construction site” with relentless noise roaring between the sunbeds.
Phil and Hannah Perkins tied the knot on May 9, eagerly jetting off to Rhodes, Greece, for what should have been the honeymoon of a lifetime. But from day one, their £1,080 getaway was anything but romantic. The couple settled by the “relaxed” pool only to be blasted by deafening drilling and banging – construction noise so loud it drowned out the bar music and shattered their peace. Trucks and machinery rumbled right between the sunbeds as workers installed glass panels on balconies above, forcing guests to constantly move their chairs to make way for the chaos.
Phil, 56, says the hotel looked more like a construction site than a luxury retreat, covered in dust and concrete, and claims he and his wife were unable to take any romantic photos due to the hotel being “in shambles”. The dad says he tried to get in touch with the holiday rep, but reportedly never received a call back.
Phil, from Newport, Wales, said: “We didn’t really expect any problems with it being a five-star resort. When we got there, everything looked nice, on the coast, it was a big place.
“After breakfast, I could hear this constant noise, we had a wander about and there was some building work going on but it was right by the pool, which was called a ‘relax’ pool. You had trucks coming through with cement and you had to move your beds to make way.
“I had it for a day and went to see the rep but was told they didn’t when she would be back. I gave them my number but she never came back to me. It was constant, I watched them put some glass railings above the relax pool and there were people in the pool while they were putting the glass panels in.
“I thought this is not right. There was concrete everywhere. It was just in shambles. It was constant drilling, banging. I told my wife, ‘let’s go to the bar and leave this relaxed nonsense’, there was a bit of music and we wanted to chill, we thought the music would drown that out, but we could hear no music.
“It was all day every day, it was unbelievable, I’ve never experienced anything like that. It was a proper building site. I wouldn’t expect all the building work, they could’ve told us before we went, and they’re still not advertising it. It ruined our honeymoon.
“We didn’t even take one honeymoon photograph, looking around it was so dirty. It was ridiculous, crazy.”
But Phil claims the problems began when the couple first entered their swim-out room, only to be greeted by “brown” sunbeds, leaving them unable to use the pool. After arriving home, the couple complained to EasyJet who reportedly offered them a £281 refund, which the couple initially refused, until it was increased to £381.
Phil said: “We booked a swim-out room, for a little bit of extra. When we got to the room, I opened the curtain to see the swim-out area, and the beds were really grimy and dirty. I understand people use tan lotions but it was just brown, they were full of marks we didn’t really want to see. It needed a good clean up, hence why we didn’t go in there.
“I did go back and asked if there’s any chance I could have another room, I wasn’t really happy with what I could see. He pretty much said no. I get things can go wrong and you can’t please everybody but I’m easily pleased.
“We went down to see if there was any evening entertainment, there might have been karaoke but there was nothing happening to be honest. I complained to EasyJet and a couple of weeks later they apologised £280, the holiday cost us £1,080.
“EasyJet then came back and said they’d offer £380. I just want to forget about it. My wife is really down about it; it’s like we haven’t had a honeymoon. We didn’t even take a [honeymoon] photograph. It wasn’t right at all.”
One commenter on Phil’s post said: “They owe you a free holiday at the very least.” Another said: “Bloody nightmare!!!!!” Another said: “That’s f*cking terrible. Like hell could I stay there another day. I’ve gone fishing and had better holiday than that buddy and didn’t catch a thing.”
An easyJet holidays spokesman said: “We’re really sorry to hear that Mr Perkins was unhappy with his experience, especially on such a special holiday. Once Mr Perkins returned home and got in touch with us, we immediately offered a partial refund. Our team has since been back in touch with Mr Perkins to apologise for his experience and offer a further refund, which was accepted.”