Trouble in Paradise?
 

These people took a trip with Sunwing and were traumatized. It was their first trip ever.

Were they just not prepared, was the experience really that bad or are they just trying to cause trouble and get compensation? Why would they go to the media about this?

Everyone must wipe themselves off well before going in the room after the beach. Mosquitoes and other insects are common in tropical places.


What do you think?

Sunwing Vacation Gone Wrong

Stories like this have been around forever and not just in regards to Cuba. People need to have realistic expectations when travelling to a Cuban resort. Especially at lower rated ones and especially today. I was at the Barcelo Solymar in Varadero for 2 weeks in August. I expected that my sheets and towels would not be changed very often, if at all. I brought toilet paper from home along with some food and drink items that I can't live without. Yes the buffet lines were always long, so I rarely went there. I feel bad for the people in the article, but some research would have prepared them.

KARENS!! They spent half their time in the lobby at the front desk. Well isn't that their fault? And probably with raised voices and lots of hand gestures too when carrying on endlessly. It's no wonder they felt traumatized... perhaps the front desk staff too. The old adage - You attract more flies with honey than you do with vinegar seems to escape some people, especially when in Cuba. Good luck to them trying to get compensation from Sunwing. I sense more raised voices and mucho hand gestures on the horizon. Terry

Why is this story even in the news??? This could and does happen anywhere. Yeah, first time travellers. I feel bad for the kids but not the adults.

Expecting a "dream vacation" from a packaged tour is not reasonable in the first place.

If the things they mentioned were "tramatizing" I don't think their future in travel looks promising :-)

Of course no one wants bed bugs, but when people have so many complaints... well you just start to wonder.

Why did they choose Cuba? Why did they use Sunwing? Did they do any research at all?

A video of the 2 women involved talking about their experience, along with photos of their supposed "bed bug" bites, even though on subsequent inspection, no bed bugs could be confirmed in their beds. It seems that hysterics and their imaginations got the better of them... especially for the first time traveler involved who said she was traumatized. Sub-tropical environments = bugs, and bug bites. Especially during the rainy season. I guess the mosquitoes and sand fleas there were left out of the travel brochure. Rooms without a working shower are unusual though... but a quick move to another room typically fixes that - unless of course one is traumatized by imaginary bed bugs that continue to follow you to the next room. They refused to have their bites medically examined. Considering their accusations of bed bugs, and plans to go after Sunwing for compensation, that decision not to have their bites diagnosed and positively identified seems rather suspect. Terry

https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/vide...den-nightmare/

I wonder if the rooms that these people had been given were just reopened after being closed all summer.

We have had issues with rooms before in Cuba but the problems were usually promptly fixed.

Bed bugs and bugs in or on the bed are two completely different things.

I agree, nobody was seriously injured, nothing really tragic happened, so why is this story even news?

Wessislander, I've gone one further. I've written an email to the author of that article to respectfully provide her with my thoughts on her journalistic skills and integrity, going forward.

Hello Angela,

I don't normally do this, but I felt compelled to write to you. I'm having a hard time understanding why this situation is even newsworthy. You have a couple of hysterical "Karens" who suffered some bug bites (not unusual) in Cuba, and the way that you've reported it, it's as if their word for what happened to them is fact, when in truth, it's extremely suspect. Their rooms and beds were inspected for "bed bugs", and none were found. They refused to have their bites medically inspected to positively identify what had bitten them, with a report generated as evidence. Mosquitoes and sand fleas are everywhere there at the beaches in Cuba, especially during the rainy season - the much more likely culprits for their bites.

Angela, it would have been a much more interesting article if you had seriously challenged the two women to provide PROOF of their claims of "bed bug" bites... calling them out for not having any documented evidence. Cuba as a tourist destination doesn't need anymore negative press that's built around pure speculation and hysterics. The non working showers in their rooms were rather a rare occurrence and indeed unfortunate, I must admit, but it does happen. That was easily remedied by moving them to different rooms, which was done. But they continued to claim that the "bed bugs" had followed them to their new rooms too... again, with no proof - only their wild imaginations.

It's one thing to report what others are claiming - that's fine. But it's another thing to provide a balance when writing articles regarding Cuba, or anything else for that matter. Your article should have also been equally weighted in rebuttal when there's no concrete evidence to support their negative claims. Otherwise, news articles will seem lopsided with the testimony of individuals making outrageous claims about anything, and believed as fact because of the shear weight of their testimony. There needed to be an equal amount of factual rebuttal. There needed to be a balance. That's what stellar journalism is all about.

These stories of "bed bugs" in Cuba are not new - but I've yet to see anything reported as factual in each of those prior instances. The negative impact of those false reports does have a negative impact on tourism to Cuba however. That's not right. As a serious and dedicated journalist, Angela (I have no doubts that you are), please dig deeper in the future with your reporting to provide a balanced and complete assessment. Food for thought - that's all. Thanks for listening. I love Cuba. I actually know more about Cuba than I do about Canada. Cuba needs all the help that it can get at this time. I hope you agree.

Best regards,
Terry
(a very experienced traveler to Cuba up to 6 times per year for 20 years)

We have had many different problems with rooms in Cuba probably because we always stay in cheap places Lol!!!
Problems with safes, leaks, broken TV, no hot water, the sliding balcony door but always they come and fix the problem.
Some people need to get out of the house more often. I have one relative who would not travel to Cuba when they found out there was no Tim Hortons.!!

We don’t miss the regular brands when going to countries such as Cuba. In fact it is refreshing to try something new . Makes you wonder how much the people making the complaints just didn’t adjust to some things out of their norm. Well, they obviously didn’t. Nothing wrong with that but why make such a fuss?

TRAUMATIZED??? I guess they were also traumatized that every last person did not speak English.
I agree with Suze--they took a cheap charter vacation. To Cuba. Did they do any reading before their trip? I bet they took the trip solely based on the low price.
I'd be annoyed if my shower was broken but they were moved to another room. Twice.

The rep from the agency should have been contacted for the story. I'd like to hear her tale.

Good message sent to Angela, the reporter, but I wonder if she will respond.


Most of the TA reviews are written by posters with only that one review to their name. ????? I'm surprised those two did not bash the hotel there.