Antigua Incident

Taxuser1

A little background to my incident. I recently suffered an injury whilst on honeymoon in Antigua. I ruptured my hamstring quite badly a week previous in Barbados (where I needed to postpone my wedding because of a hospital stay) and was restricted to a wheelchair and later crutches. The injury and swelling was quite bad as was the massive effort to put on a pair of trousers in the evening. The heat affected the leg quite badly but nowhere did I have an issue with the clothes I wore except in a certain resort in Antigua where I was refused entry on the very last day of my honeymoon. On that day my leg had swelled up really badly and I made my best effort to put on a pair of trousers for dinner but was restricted. I had a loose three quarter length pair of shorts which were about half a foot from being full length but this was deemed unacceptable. I explained my situation but was still refused - this was all in the resort that we had pre-paid for might I add - and was left embarrassed in front of other guests. A girl walked by me in hot pants which was in direct contradiction to their dress code for females but this was left go and I was asked to go back to my room and order room service.

I felt discriminated against despite my best efforts and it left a horrible taste in my mouth on our final day. Having spent much of my wedding and honeymoon indoors and at doctors this was just another blow to my new wife and I. It capped off a dreadful couple of weeks.

Does anyone have an opinion as to how I should proceed? I feel I should take this matter further but would not know what avenue to take. I've aired my grievance by email to our tour operator and they were most unhelpful. Unfortunately I later discovered that despite thinking we had travel insurance through our operator, this was not included and so the whole saga has cost a fortune for no enjoyment. Perhaps my own stupidity there but I really thought it was included.

Thanks in advance.

mikedragon32

I don't know if there is any other course of action available. I would press the tour operator but the general process is that you raise the issue first with hotel management, then your rep (if there was one) and finally the operator. You need to be clear as to what you actually want from the TO at this stage. I can see how the situation you were put in seems unfair and certainly embarrassing, but if it's hotel policy, they're not going to act purely on the basis that someone else got in who was also flouting the dress code.

(All of this is presuming the place in question was in the complex you were staying in, if it was elsewhere, all bets are off! Your TO has no control over an element of your holiday not arranged through them.)

Clearly they seem to not give a toss as they already have your money and you've had your holiday.

With regard to the insurance issue, the onus is on you to ensure you have adequate cover. If nothing else your post serves as warning to those who travel without it (there was a thread recently about telling a tour operator who insists on insurance that you already have some).

Sorry it turned out so bad, I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Taxuser1

thanks Mike.

Yes, I went to management, then the rep, and the tour operator. I will wait and see what comes back. No resort wants negative feedback which I indicated would be a course of action on Trip Advisor so I'm hoping for some form of apology.

And yes, always go with travel insurance. Stupid me.

zagmund

Post your review on tripadvisor - in my view the review should reflect your experience, not the subsequently adjusted view based on whether they sorted out problems for you in the end.

In general terms, you probably won't get anywhere in terms of breach of dress code. I know a few places that insist men wear jacket & tie in the full heat of summer when the women at the table are wearing not a lot at all. It's just because the rules were written decades ago, and nobody seemed to have considered that women might wear something 'unsuitable' so they didn't write it into the rules.

Ultimately it's their loss as the men (including me) don't go there any more.

At the end of the day though, when you were there they had a certain dress code which it appears you didn't meet. I know it's a pain in the behind and wrecked the end of what was left of your honeymoon, but if they say you must wear full length trousers and you weren't (regardless of the reason) then they are covered.

Tough, but I think you'll find it hard to make progress. Just remember to write that review.

z