A DREAM holiday turned to disaster for two Kendal couples who were holed-up in a Mexican hotel room for three days as Hurricane Wilma did her worst, reports Lisa Frascarelli.

The next-door neighbours should have been sunning themselves on the golden beaches of the Gulf Coast, but instead they ended up trapped in a blacked-out and boarded-up bedroom fearing for their lives.

"I honestly thought we were going to die," said Mr Troughton. "Right near the end, when it got really bad, I thought this is it. I never want to go through that again."

When they arrived at the popular resort last Wednesday the friends had no idea that a hurricane was heading their way, but by Thursday they were bundled into top floor bedrooms, given two candles and told to barricade the windows.

"It was horrendous," said an emotional Mrs Ireland, who is disabled. "Our candles ran out on the first day, but they wouldn't give us any more, so we were in total darkness for two days.

"We had to sleep on the bare floor because the beds had to be put up against the windows. The rain was pouring in and we had to keep bailing the water out. All we did was cry, and I haven't stopped since."

When the whistle sounded on Sunday the shaken couples hoped they could get on with the rest of their holiday, only to be told they were being flown back to Britain.

Now, back home in Hallgarth, the couples are planning to take legal action after Thomson offered them a 40 per cent refund on their £4,740 holiday.

A spokeswoman for Thomson told the Gazette that the company was following ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) guidelines and offering the couples refunds for accommodation costs. She added that only holidaymakers who flew to Mexico on Wednesday or Thursday would receive a full refund.

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