AN ANGRY couple have demanded full compensation for “the holiday from hell” after a Greek island paradise became a living nightmare.

Problems began for 24-year-old Richard Daniel and his fiancée, of Diglis, Worcester, as soon as they arrived on the island of Kos on June 2 to find their hotel room had been double-booked.

Mr Daniel, aged 24, who booked his holiday through Thomas Cook in Worcester High Street, was told when he arrived at Kipriotis Hippocrates Hotel that there were no rooms available.

The couple were taken around the hotel with a porter for three hours as he tried to find them an empty room.

He said: “He was trying every door – it was like the porter didn’t even know who was staying at the hotel. We were dragging our luggage around with us. The people in the rooms were screaming when the porter opened the doors.”

At 3am they were taken to a larger hotel complex, Sol Kipriotis Village, with 650 rooms and four swimming pools.

Mr Daniel said: “It was everything we didn’t want and they told us they didn’t have any rooms for us there either. It was now 4am and we were tired and thirsty and we hadn’t had a proper meal since 4pm. We just wanted to sleep.”

Eventually they were found a ground floor room about 10 yards from the children’s swimming pool.

Mr Daniel and his partner had stipulated they wanted to stay in a small hotel with English nationals and without children.

Mr Daniel said: “They catered for Germans and Russians. The food was appalling. My fiancée was crying. We couldn’t even sit on the balcony as everyone could see into our room.”

Mr Daniel said he spent the first three days of his holiday complaining to staff or holiday reps.

“When do you have carrots and roast potatoes for breakfast?” he said.

“It was just cock-up after cock-up. It was the holiday from hell.

“We just needed a break but we need another holiday to get over this one.”

Since returning home on June 10, Mr Daniel has written several letters of complaint and is demanding full compensation for the holiday which cost £740 between them.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook UK and Ireland said: “Thankfully, it’s very rare that we’re unable to provide the exact holiday booked, but when we can’t we work very hard to provide a suitable alternative, which we believe we did in this case.

“As Mr Daniel has only just returned from his holiday and we have only just received his letter, we’re getting in touch with him to discuss it further.”

She said he may get some compensation but not the entire cost and she stressed that the company had not known about the over-booking before the couple departed.

“The Sol Kipriotis Village was the same star rating and of the same standard as the one Mr Daniel booked,” she said.

“The Hotel Kipriotis Hippocrates and Sol Kipriotis Village both have a children’s pool and other facilities for them.

“Mr Daniel’s letter to us does not mention any problems with the food.

“Our representatives in the resort ensured that Mr Daniel was moved to a room that he was happy with by the third day of the holiday.”