A dream honeymoon in the West Indies turned into a disaster for a couple from Northern Ireland, a court heard yesterday.
Thomas and Rosemary Cameron, from Glenview Close, Whiteabbey, near Belfast, arrived in Jamaica in April l998, but their dreams turned to dust when their hotel turned out to be a building site.
At Belfast County Court yesterday the couple sued Maple Leaf Tours (NI) Ltd., trading as Chieftan Tours, of Northumberland Street, Belfast. They were booked into the Sunset Beach and Spa Resort hotel, in Montego Bay, but had to be transferred to the Sunset Inn.
It lacked the facilities advertised in the brochure, that showed a picture of the hotel which did not exist.
Mrs Cameron (32) told the court: "We did overtime and saved up to pay for our honeymoon in the sun but we did not enjoy ourselves." Mr Cameron (34), a lift engineer, said: "We were not happy."
Their counsel, Mr Alan Kane, said: "It was a horror honeymoon. Instead of two weeks of enjoyment it was two weeks of endurance."
Judge Andrew Wells said it was "fantastic and shabby" that the couple had not been told before leaving Belfast that their hotel accommodation was not available. He said the behaviour of the travel firm was scandalous.
The judge gave a decree for £3,320. He said on top of the £1,864 cost of the holiday he was awarding the Camerons £1,000 for the inconvenience the they had to put up with, plus interest.