Tejal Somvanshi
A peaceful beach vacation turned into a health nightmare for hundreds of Canadian tourists at Mexico’s Sandos Playacar resort in Playa del Carmen. Around 200 guests, including young children and pregnant women, fell seriously ill with severe stomach problems and dehydration.
Joel Boily, who was there to photograph a wedding, watched as his two-year-old child became dangerously sick. “We were really freaking out at the worst of it,” Boily said. “We didn’t know where to turn for medical help.” A doctor who came to check on one sick guest told the families he had been called to the resort several times and believed bad water was making people sick.
The illness hit wedding parties especially hard. At one ceremony, a groomsman passed out and needed oxygen before being taken back to his room. Kyler Searle, who came from Saskatoon for a wedding, said 52 of his 55-person group got sick. “Everybody started just dropping like flies,” he said. “Everyone sitting there was deathly ill.”
For Martha Scott from London, Ontario, the situation became frightening when her 10-year-old son Joseph had to spend the night in a private hospital. Scott noticed worrying signs at the resort even before people got sick. “The tap water and toilet water smelled like sewage,” she said. Her 74-year-old parents were also staying there – her father got sick while her mother didn’t. “For seniors, this is very dangerous,” Scott warned.
The resort’s response left many guests angry. When families asked for help, Sandos Hotel & Resorts claimed the illnesses might be from a general stomach bug going around Canada and the U.S. They said other places in the area had sick guests too, not just their resort.
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Dr. Tim Sly, who studies disease outbreaks at Toronto Metropolitan University, explained why these problems often happen at resorts. “When large numbers of people eat together, that’s when mistakes happen,” he said. However, without testing the food and water, it’s hard to know exactly what made people sick.
The impact went beyond just feeling ill. “It destroyed the whole trip,” said Victor Azevedo, whose pregnant niece had to postpone her wedding. “I feel very sad for Canadians who spend all this time saving money for one week of vacation, and they’re going to go there and it’s going to be a nightmare,” Scott said.
Guests have now filed official complaints asking Mexican health officials to inspect the resort thoroughly. They want to prevent other families from going through the same ordeal. Meanwhile, the resort faces questions about their handling of sick guests and their plans to address the problems.
For travelers, this incident raises important questions about resort safety and emergency medical care. When choosing a vacation spot, it’s important to research the resort’s cleanliness standards and medical assistance policies. This becomes even more crucial when traveling with young children or elderly family members.
The case also shows why resorts need proper health and safety systems in place. With guests of all ages – from babies to grandparents – staying at these facilities, having clear safety measures and medical response plans isn’t just about good service – it can affect people’s health and safety.
