Becca Farley was on holiday with her partner and two young children in Benidorm, Spain, when she caught two teenagers in her room on the last night of their break
A mum-of-two has sounded the alarm for holidaymakers after a distressing incident at a Spanish hotel where her room was unexpectedly invaded.
Becca Farley, 27, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, was enjoying a getaway in Benidorm with her family when she encountered intruders in their accommodation. The family had shelled out £2,500 for their week-long retreat.
On their final evening, amidst hotel notices about an impending power outage, Becca headed to their room to charge mobile phones ahead of their journey back. She recounted the unsettling moment: “As I got in the lift these two teenagers got in the lift with me and just pressed my floor level. I honestly didn’t think anything of it because there’s five rooms per floor, so I just assumed they were going to one of them.”
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However, the situation took a turn when the youths exited the lift before her and made a beeline for her room, which was propped open with a shoe. Initially confused, Becca thought she had got off on the wrong floor, but she quickly realised that wasn’t the case.
“It happened all quite quickly and they just strolled straight into my room,” she said. Becca decided to follow them inside and confront them.
“But I just didn’t really think and went straight into the room and shouted ‘What are you doing in my room? Get the f*ck out, get the f*ck out, get the f*ck out’.” Thankfully, the teenagers did.
Yet, the ordeal hadn’t ended—the youth hammered on the door shortly after while Becca remained barricaded inside. “I was absolutely petrified,” she confessed.
“I know it sounds silly and people have said you should have done this, you should have locked them in the room, you should have decked them but at that moment I think it was just that invasion of privacy. This is supposed to be your safe place when you are away, you’re away from home, we don’t travel all that often so we were really shaken.”
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That night was sleepless for Becca; every sound made her jolt with anxiety. “If it had happened earlier on in the week we would have flown home.”
Despite being accused of scaremongering by some, she insists it’s not about deterring travel or singling out a particularly destination as being dangerous.
“A lot of people have said we were scaremongering people not to go away, not at all. We will certainly go on holiday again, it’s not a case of us never going abroad again but I think it’s just having that awareness that if you are a lone woman, please be careful,” she added.
“I’m very lucky that I’m OK but I think it’s just a case of having your wits about you a bit more. When you go on holiday you tend to relax and become a little bit naive to these situations.
“Obviously keep your valuables safe. I know some people say don’t use the safes, we personally lock all of ours and padlock them in our suitcases. I think it’s just a case of having your wits about you and knowing not to get comfortable in somewhere you’ve never been before.”
Despite her intention to continue her travels, Becca admitted she will adopt more stringent security measures.
“I’m considering getting a webcam that you can put in your room next time we go away. I will carry on locking my stuff away. I would never take the kids away on my own. I certainly wouldn’t have cleaners in my room ever again, not to say it definitely was them but they have access to your room. I don’t know if I would feel comfortable going up to a room on my own again.”