A couple who were supposed to be staying at a beautiful resort in the Dominican Republic got an unpleasant surprise when they arrived at a disaster-stricken tourist resort without any information.
“We didn’t know anything. We came here and everything was burnt,” said Véronik Bélanger and Pascal Larouche. Newspaper In their room at the Be Live Collection Canoa Hotel in La Romana.
Photo by Pascal Larouche
When Pascal Larouche and Véronik Bélanger arrived they found their trip doomed.
“There is no one on site. Most customers have changed destination. No animation, no ceremonies, nothing. This is not what we expected,” and they are completely fed up.
Years after the pandemic, residents of Sainte-Julie in Monterrey decided to pay the hefty price of $1,600 per person for a week-long vacation. But since their arrival on Friday, the dream has turned into a nightmare.
Once outside the airport, passengers began to suspect that things were not quite right.
“On the way to the hotel, the minibus was empty. There were only two of us in the bus. It is usually full of people. »
Photo by Pascal Larouche
The roof of this building became a smoke zone.
“All Burned”
Once at the resort, on the way to their four-star listed room, the couple actually saw the extent of the damage. They walked through the burning buildings.
“We left the hotel lobby, life was still good, and there we go on the corridor, it’s on fire. I look at the guy and say to him: what happened? “, Mr. Larouche explains that at this point he learns that a fire has destroyed part of the site.
The main building housing the buffet, programs and medical complex was gutted. Like building a relaxation spa.
Since it is an all-inclusive formula, a small space is temporarily set up for vacationers to eat.
“The pictures of our hotel room, I have the impression that I am in Kiev”, Ms. Bélanger notes that he does not compare his situation to the citizens of Ukraine who live in terror.
Photo by Pascal Larouche
Procedures and Reimbursement
Since then, Quebecers have taken several steps to understand the situation in which they find themselves. They spoke to the airline, Sunwing, who explained to them that all information regarding the fire had been sent to the travel agency.
Sunwing offered to relocate the couple to a hotel in Punta Cana, but the high cost of transportation and the loss of a day trip put the couple in their 40s on hold.
“There really isn’t a Sunwing problem,” says Pascal LaRouche.
According to him, the fault rests with the company that took out the refund or loan for his stay in the South.
“Voyage Bergeron had an obligation to inform us of the situation and they did not. They should have offered to change the venue or change the price. […] [Notre] This approach also aims to inform people not to come here,” conclude the Bélanger-LaRouche couple.
Newspaper Voyages has attempted to contact Bergeron, but has so far been unsuccessful.
As for Sunwing, the company was waiting for details before commenting on this particular case.
“Pop culture practitioner. Award-winning tv junkie. Creator. Devoted food geek. Twitter lover. Beer enthusiast.”
