Two British holidaymakers have spoken of their 'humiliation' and being banned from the swimming pool at an Albufeira hotel or apartment complex as they were wearing burkinis which they were told were "not acceptable."
Maryya Dean from Chessington, and her sister-in-law Hina, told the UK’s Mirror newspaper that they were forced to walk from the pool area, back to their apartment and were told that if they wanted to swim, they "must wear a bikini to abide by Portuguese culture."
The July 21st incident left the sisters "horrified", with Marrya, who suffers with bipolar disorder, saying the week holiday was supposed to be a relaxing getaway - but instead, they all were affected by what happened.
The apartment had a shared pool with other units, ideal for Marrya and her four children, plus her sister-in-law and other relatives.
"Given my cultural background I was wearing a burkini. I was approached by the building security manager as someone apparently had made a complaint that I was not wearing a bikini and therefore it was not appropriate for me to be in the pool.
"I was not allowed to wear the swimming gear in which I am comfortable and that was actually made for women like me to wear."
Marrya asked the manager to show her a sign which said ‘only bikinis could be worn,’ but of course, there wasn’t one.
"We were embarrassed as we came out of the pool with four children and people were watching us like we'd committed a crime."
Marrya's sister-in-law, Hina, also was in the pool wearing a 'covered swim suit.' She said they wore more modest swimsuits for a reasons of religion, culture, confidence and comfort.
The two women said they were the only family using the pool but that people watched the incident from their balconies which made them feel embarrassed.
Maryya said they didn't feel able to use the pool for the rest of their holiday, despite soaring temperatures.
According to statements made by the president of the Algarve Hoteliers Association, Elidérico Viegas, to Jornal de Notícias, Marrya Dean's charges "have no basis" and the president states that he is not aware of "any complaint filed at a hotel in the region."
Viegas, displaying his mastery of public relations, then accused the visitors of fraud: “in England, complaints are generated by private entities who earn commission and those organisations gather clients and feed complaints that don’t exist to get compensation - as in recent cases of alleged food poisoning that have led to court proceedings."
The Association of Hoteliers of the Algarve’s official statement is that the British are trying it on by presenting complaints for compensation, despite no compensation claim being mentioned.
The Algarve is "tolerant and open to all cultures," added Viegas, unless you are a British birkini wearer, it seems.
Marrya and family, 'a ruined holiday'
