Quebec man says his wedding was ruined after his guests got sick at Mexican resort

Dozens of Quebecers fell ill while on vacation in Mexico at the same resort in Playa del Carmen.

Steven Pontarelli’s destination wedding in Playa del Carmen, Mexico was a magical moment. About 90 family and friends joined him for the special occasion at the Sandos Playacar Resort in Playa del Carmen.

But suddenly, things took a turn for the worse.

“During our wedding, they started dropping like flies. They started just really like running out of the wedding,” Pontarelli recalled in an interview Wednesday.

His guests became violently ill.

“From 1 or 2 to 3 to 4, then it started becoming like 80 of us all started going down,” he said.

Dozens of other guests from other provinces told CTV News they became sick at the same resort.

To make matters worse, he said the water was cut and staff at the resort were no help.

“They didn’t even offer us bottled water. You had to buy it onsite. It was $12 a bottle U.S. They wouldn’t give us anything,” he said.

“Nobody cares. You ask for help and the guy will turn around and walk away straight up.”

In a statement, Sandos Playacar Resort said it takes all concerns regarding its guests' wellness seriously.

“Last week we received reports of illness affecting several resorts in the region, including ours. Given the rapid spread of such viruses, unfortunately, many of our guests were affected,” the resort said.

“From the moment we were notified we’ve been in full collaboration with doctors and local health authorities and took immediate action to contain the situation, including reinforcing our already strict sanitary protocols and shutting down non-essential access to the property to minimize further exposure and prevent the spread within our destination.”

The resort also said it ensured “close and personalized” follow-ups with each affected family and provided them with the necessary support to ensure their well-being and recovery.

“No additional guests have shown symptoms since the initial wave of reports, and we are conducting a thorough review, but to date, [we] have found no evidence of contamination

Pontarelli’s best man at the wedding, Alberto Benchimol, said he wants a refund.

“We’re seeing people checking in and we find out that this problem has been going on for, like, even a week or two before us and people are still going there,” Benchimol told CTV News, adding that he is considering taking legal action.

Christine Latremoille, a travel agent with Uniglobe, happened to have a client attend the wedding and said that people can contact their travel agent or the company they booked with for compensation.

“You’re not exactly getting what you paid for. So, absolutely, there will be compensation … if you push hard enough,” she said.

For Pontarelli, the trip took a year of planning, and in a matter of days, his dream wedding was ruined, leaving the couple with some memories they’d rather forget.