Last updated 14:39, Tuesday, 19 August 2008

IF you booked a holiday in Crete, you might consider packing a Greek phrase book in your suitcase.

GREEK TRAGEDY: Helen Hyde of Barrow with her daughter Jasmyn, eight, 8, after their holiday disaster JON GRANGER REF: 0446030

Mother-of-two Helen, and her partner Simon, booked the holiday earlier in the year and paid a total of £1,710 for the one-week break.

With Helen’s two children, eight-year-old Jasmyn and 14-year-old Jules, the family jetted off from Manchester Airport on June 10, looking forward to the sun, sea and sand on the Greekisland.

But Helen told the Action Desk the accommodation was not quite what they had expected.

She said: “On the first night, we got there quite late, so we had a drink and went to bed, thinking everything seemed okay.

“But the next day, we quickly realised that everyone else stopping in the hotel was German – we were the only English people there.”

When the family discovered even the entertainment was German-oriented, including a German football quiz, Helen decided to contact the Thomas Cook rep for the resort.

She said: “We were told he couldn’t come out to see us for three more days, so we just had to put up with it. It totally ruined our holiday, we couldn’t take part in anything, the kids couldn’t join in with the children’s events – it was a disaster.”

After Action Desk contacted Thomas Cook, Helen received a letter of apology and an offer of £200 compensation.

A Thomas Cook spokeswoman said: “We were very concerned to learn that Ms Hyde and her family were disappointed with some elements of their holiday.

“The Meltemi Village Hotel is used by many international tour operators, including Thomas Cook, and the facilities, entertainment and food therefore need to appeal to a variety of tastes and cultures. The family’s concerns have been fully investigated and discussed with the hotelier, who has since made a number of changes to ensure a greater level of international customer satisfaction. We have written to Ms Hyde with our apologies, responding to all the points she raised with us and enclosing an offer of compensation.”

But Helen feels the compensation offered by Thomas Cook was inadequate.

She said: “It cost us eight times that. The holiday was a complete waste of money and it’s definitely put me off going with Thomas Cook again.”

Helen added that the one piece of advice she would offer to readers when considering booking a trip away, is to always research the destination and resort on the internet before signing up.

She said: “It’s definitely a good idea to look at other people’s reviews and experiences when they visited the same place – I’ll certainly be doing that from now on.”