What was intended as a relaxing weekend getaway to the Gold Coast quickly turned into a “vulgar” experience for Victorian travelers Justine Martin and Anna McLean.
The two friends arrived at a hotel resort late in April 2021 and looked forward to closing their eyes but were instead traumatized after feeling something crawl all over their bodies.
Ms. Martin, 50, told FEMAIL that she first dismissed the feeling before getting anything caught behind her neck and realizing that the mattress was infested with bed bugs.
“I turned on the lights, pulled out the bed and there were bugs everywhere,” said the resilience advisor, later describing the experience as “vulgar”.
Victorian travelers Justine Martin (left) and Anna McLean (right) were looking forward to their weekend on the Gold Coast when everything went terribly wrong
But when she got to her hotel, Ms. Martin felt a crawl over her body and later pulled out the bed to find that the mattress was infested with bed bugs
“They were all over both beds, some dead and some alive, it was really disgusting,” she said.
Ms. Martin remembered that the bed felt “grainy” when lying down, as if the mattress was covered with a layer of sand.
The feeling was likely due to the droppings left behind by the insects.
Ms. Martin remembered that the bed felt “grainy” when lying down, as if the mattress was covered with a layer of sand
“We called the night manager at 3:30 am who wasn’t worried about the pests and gave us another room to sleep in,” she said.
But during the transfer, Ms. Martin took no chances and checked both beds in the second room.
To her disbelief, both mattresses were infected with bed bugs.
“At this point we were exhausted, it was 5:30 in the morning and luckily we didn’t unpack our luggage, otherwise our clothes would have been infected,” she said.
The couple were left in the infested beds with dozens of bites from sleeping that looked like “bad mosquito bites”.
They found another hotel to sleep at “triple the price” early in the morning and were later refunded due to the horrific experience.
“We were looking forward to shopping, sun and relaxation because the borders were just opened, but we didn’t notice anything,” she said.
‘It’s been a weekend from hell.’
Ms. Martin said the couple arrived on a Thursday evening and slept all day on Friday only to have rained “all weekend”.
“We couldn’t wait to get home until Sunday – what a disaster!” She said.
Experts say bed bug populations are exploding across the country, with a 5,000 percent increase in unwanted creatures in recent years.
Solace Sleep bedding expert Darren Nelson says bed bug infestations are most common from December through February due to the warm weather and increased travel, which helps keep them from spreading back to the bedroom from vacation homes and campsites.
The best way to spot bed bugs is to strip the bed down and look for dark blood stains, dead bugs, or old clams, as the bugs often shed skin.
“The best way to control bed bugs is to keep bedclothes and bedding clean, as bed bugs are twice as likely to be found in dirty bed sheets and clothes than in clean clothes,” said Nelson.
“Most people wash their sheets every week or two – but forget their pillow and doona, and months, if not years, pass between washes.”
But he warned that the bugs can not only be found in beds and furniture, but can also live in brick walls.
Unwashed sheets, pillows, and doonas are also breeding grounds for dust mites, which feed on the dead skin cells you shed while you sleep.
“Symptoms of a dust mite allergy are sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose, and nasal congestion. In asthma sufferers, they can make wheezing worse, especially at night when you’re in a dust mite bed, ”he said.
.