A holidaymaker still has sickness issues, nine months after he first contracted food poisoning on holiday in Egypt. James Houlder and his girlfriend, Vicki Hood, had saved up for months for the sunshine break at the Sonesta Beach Resort in Sharm El Sheikh. But within just hours of arriving at the First Choice resort, which is described as five-star on its website, the couple say they became violently ill with sickness and diarrhoea and were barely able to leave their room. James Houlder fell ill while on holiday with his partner Vicki Hood last summer at the Sonesta Beach Resort in Sharm El Sheikh, and is still suffering nine months on . James, 30, who works for a publishing company, has since developed Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a digestive complaint which he admits can leave him in crippling pain with him sometimes needing the toilet several times an hour. Vicki, 22, claims she too has been plagued by sickness including a kidney infection. The couple, who live just outside Norwich, had booked the break last summer and envisaged 10 days sunning themselves on the beach and scuba diving in the famous Red Sea. But instead James said: 'On the first night we got there in time for the end of dinner and that's where it all started to go wrong. The next morning, after breakfast, we started to become violently ill. We had to take it in turns to use the bathroom. 'When we finally felt better a few days later we decided to eat at one of the resort's a la carte restaurants. We thought it would be safer than the buffet but it just made us ill all over again. Mr Houlder took a photo of a piece of mouldy bread while he was on holiday in Sharm El Sheikh . 'We were both so ill we were crying. It was dreadful, the worst holiday ever. 'The rooms were dated and dirty and the staff were rude. 'It was like a holiday coming home.' James claims they asked to get earlier return flights but were told it would cost them hundreds of pounds. After investing around £1,500 already in the all-inclusive deal, he says they were forced to sit it out in the blistering heat. And once at home James told how the health problems continued with IBS still causing him to take time off or away from work nine months on. He said: 'It's sporadic, it's not something that happens all the time, but equally it can come on without warning. One minute I'm fine and the next I can be in agony. 'The other day I had to stop twice on the way to work to go to the toilet and it's only a 20-minute drive. 'I've been in situations where I've been going many times an hour and trying to hide it. It's awful and embarrassing.' James says he was offered a £50 'goodwill voucher' but no apology from First Choice and has now instructed law firm Slater and Gordon to launch a civil case against the travel company, part of the TUI Group. A spokesperson for First Choice told MailOnline Travel: 'First Choice is sorry to hear of the couple’s experience during their holiday in Egypt. 'Our ultimate priority is the health, safety and comfort of all our customers and we operate stringent health and hygiene procedures in line with industry standards. 'As this case is now subject to legal proceedings it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.' The Sonesta Beach Resort in Sharm El Sheikh will provide bad memories for James Houlder . Richard Duxbury, a specialist travel lawyer from Slater and Gordon, representing Mr Houlder, said: 'Mr Houlder and his partner paid a substantial amount of money to go on what they thought would be a relaxing getaway. 'Instead the holiday was ruined by entirely unacceptable hygiene standards which have left both of them still suffering the effects several months after returning home.' MailOnline Travel has also contacted Sonesta Beach Resort, and is awaiting a response. James Houlder says numerous meals at the Sonesta Beach Resort made him and his partner sick . Alex Comley fell ill during a family holiday to the Sonesta Beach Resort in Egypt . EasyJet pilot Alex Comley, 33, from Bracknell, Berks, booked a 10-day break to Sonesta Beach Resort in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt last July with tour operator Thomson Holidays with his wife Louise, 36, and two-year-old son Sebastian. However, the all-inclusive trip, which cost nearly £2,000, was ruined only four days after they arrived when Alex was struck down by Salmonella at their four-star resort. He claims his illness became so serious that after returning home he needed medical treatment and was unable to return to work for EasyJet for more than a month. He said: 'We were all very excited about the trip abroad as it was the first family holiday since my son Sebastian was born. 'We had planned on doing so many 'firsts' and really wanted Sebastian to have a wonderful time on his holiday and enjoy spending some real quality time together as a family. However the holiday turned into a nightmare.' On the fourth day he woke up with crippling stomach pains and was in agony for the rest of the holiday, suffering with vomiting and diarrhoea. 'I have never been so unwell. I couldn't be away from the toilet for any extended periods as I was so ill so I was basically trapped in a hotel room for nearly the entire time. 'I had only eaten in the hotel as it was an all-inclusive holiday, so I must have eaten something there to cause the problems.' An appointment with the doctor on his return home apparently confirmed that he had contracted a serious strain of salmonella food poisoning and couldn't return to his job for more than four weeks. Alex, who says he hasn't received an apology from the firm, has instructed law firm Slater & Gordon to launch a legal case against Thomson Holidays. The case is ongoing. In a statement, Thomson Holidays said: 'We are sorry to hear of Mr Comley's experience during his trip to Egypt. As this case is now subject to legal proceedings it would be inappropriate for us to comment further. 'The ultimate priority for Thomson is the health, safety and comfort of all our customers. We operate stringent health and hygiene procedures in line with industry standards.'
James Houlder and girlfriend Vicki Hood stayed at Sonesta Beach Resort in Sharm El Sheikh . But within hours, both fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea at five-star venue . Nine months on, James diagnosed with IBS that has blighted his life . After raising issue with First Choice, he was offered '£50 goodwill voucher'