When thieves broke into a Spanish hotel room, a mum-of-two caught them in the act and sent them packing. Becca Farley, 27, was staying at Magical Tropical Splash in Benidorm with her partner, 11-year-old daughter, and six-year-old son when she caught strangers in her room.
The family, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, had paid £2,500 for their week-long stay. On the last night, with signs around the hotel warning of a power cut, Becca went to the room to charge their phones before the flight home. “As I got in the lift these two teenagers got in the lift with me and just pressed my floor level,” she said. “I honestly didn’t think anything of it because there’s five rooms per floor so I just assumed they were going to one of them.” The teens walked out in front of her and straight into her room, which had the door wedged open by a shoe: “I thought oh s*** I have obviously got off on the wrong floor, what a palaver I’m going to have to wait for the lift again. But it was the right floor.
“It happened all quite quickly and they just strolled straight into my room. I then followed in after them, which in hindsight, I shouldn’t have because you hear horror stories and I think it could have gone sour. But I just didn’t really think and went straight into the room and shouted ‘what are you doing in my room?’”
One of the intruders started shouting at her in Spanish, and Becca screamed: “Get the f*** out, get the f*** out, get the f*** out,” until they ran off. They returned minutes later and banged on the door while she stayed locked inside. “I was absolutely petrified,” she said.
“I know it sounds silly and people have said you should have done this, you should have locked them in the room, you should have decked them but at that moment I think it was just that invasion of privacy.
“This is supposed to be your safe place when you are away, you’re away from home, we don’t travel all that often so we were really shaken. Then that night I did not sleep because I was flinching at every noise. If it had happened earlier on in the week we would have flown home.”
Becca reported the incident to hotel security, when she discovered another family had experienced a similar break-in and had passports, watches and other valuables stolen. Now she’s warning other tourists planning on visiting Spain: “I would advise just to be alert. A lot of people have said we were scaremongering people not to go away, not at all.
“We will certainly go on holiday again, it’s not a case of us never going abroad again but I think it’s just having that awareness that if you are a lone woman, please be careful.
“I’m very lucky that I’m OK but I think it’s just a case of having your wits about you a bit more. When you go on holiday you tend to relax and become a little bit naive to these situations.”
She also recommends locking valuables in suitcases with padlocks. “Obviously keep your valuables safe,” she said. “I know some people say don’t use the safes, we personally lock all of ours and padlock them in our suitcases.
“I think it’s just a case of having your wits about you and knowing not to get comfortable in somewhere you’ve never been before.”
Although she plans to continue travelling, Becca said she’ll now take extra precautions: “I’m considering getting a webcam that you can put in your room next time we go away. I will carry on locking my stuff away. I would never take the kids away on my own.
“I certainly wouldn’t have cleaners in my room ever again, not to say it definitely was them but they have access to your room. I don’t know if I would feel comfortable going up to a room on my own again.”
Magical Tropical Splash Hotel has been contacted for comment.