The Proposed Text Of Our Initial Joint letter

Dear Sir

Re: Huduranfushi Island Resort

We are writing to express our great disappointment in relation to our experience of the above resort during our stay on the island over the Christmas period. This letter represents the views of all the Thomson holidaymakers whose names are given below and not simply the views of one person or family. Each of these individual travellers will have their own personal experiences to relate but, as a group, we all believe that this resort was misrepresented by Thomson Holidays,and that it failed by some distance to meet the standards we had a right to expect of it.

Our complaints relate to the following in particular:

The misuse of the term “all-inclusive”;

In no sense could this term be accurately used to describe the policy of this resort. Indeed, the resort itself described its approach as: ‘Semi-All Inclusive.’ The range of drinks, both alcoholic and non alcoholic, that were included and available under this policy, was minimal. In addition, the policy seemed to vary from day to day and by location! We feel that Thomsons seriously misrepresented the range and quality of the food and drink available as part of this package.

The unfinished condition of the resort;

It was clear to all of us from the moment of our arrival that we were not coming to the paradise we had all hoped and paid for, but to a resort that was unfinished and on which building work was still on-going. Numerous examples could be given but here are just a few:

· Our meals were regularly interrupted by the sight and sound of a JCB digger moving from site to site around the island.

· The spa was under construction during our stay. In addition a number of ‘garden’ rooms were built/refurbished whilst we were on the island. The building works often went on throughout the night, and on one occasion there was drilling in the main bar area which started at midnight.

· Broken tiles, glass, and rubble were to be found on many of the paths criss-crossing the island as well as on the beach which offered the best of what were limited snorkelling opportunities.

· Piles of building materials were stored offshore on an island opposite the main bar and pool, alongside another island covered in shacks which were used to house construction workers.

· A very long line of rusting metal supports, intended to be the basis of water bungalows, stretched out into the lagoon.

The absence of both facilities and entertainments specifically described in the brochure, such as:

· The italian restaurant

· Internet access

· Shops (None were open when we arrived and only two were operational by the time we left).

· Evening activities like crab racing, fire dancing and beach parties.

The poor quality of both marine and beach conditions.

The brochure said that the “beauty of this island extends far below the water where you will find a colourful array of marine life”, sadly the reality fell far short of this description:

· The lagoon on one side of the island had plainly been destroyed by the tsunami and only tiny patches of living coral remained, amidst what can only be described as a graveyard of rubble. So bad were conditions on this side of the island that the resort management felt able to scoop out three five metre deep holes to allow guests to swim.

· One corner of the island had no beach at all and was walled off to prevent guest access.

· On the side of the island where the main restaurant and bar were located, swimming conditions were better and there was some limited reef life, but this area stretched from the projecting line of metal poles at one end, to the jetty at the other and faced directly onto the two islands being used by the construction crews for storage and living quarters.

· Finally, the small area of beach which provided access to the best snorkelling was littered with broken tiles, bottles and rubble and provided conditions which can only be described as both unpleasant and dangerous.

· The beaches themselves were actually under construction whilst we were on the island and throughout the holiday a small dredger was operating in the harbour area dreging sand from the sea floor and spreading it on the beaches and paths around the island.

Some of us received a phone call from Thomsons before our departure informing us that the water bungalows were still under construction, but we were assured that this would not affect our enjoyment of the island and our holiday. Nevertheless, we note that one of the photos on the Thomson website which purported to show the entire island and to have been taken on the 11^th December 2006, did not show the islands where the workmen lived and where building materials were stored. The manager of the hotel himself was clear in his view that his hotel had been misrepresented by Thomsons and was most apologetic.

All of us paid a significant amount of money for this holiday. For some of us it represented a large part of our annual income and the fulfilment of a dream. Sadly we were all disappointed as a result of Thomsons misrepresentation of the resort. We now ask that Thomsons offer us a reimbursement of a significant proportion of the costs of our holidays, as what we received was clearly not what we paid for.

With this letter you will receive the individual comments of each of our group setting out their own particular experiences and complaints. We feel sure that you will recognise that it is your responsibility to respond to this letter, seriously and in an appropriate and speedy fashion. We wish to assure you that we will not let this matter drop until we receive adequate recompense and we will remain in close communication with each other about this matter.

Yours in expectation