A British mother has shared her terrifying experience after a man sneaked into her unlocked hotel suite in the middle of the night while she was on holiday with her family.
Rachel Brown, 42, said she was falling asleep on the last night of a week-long holiday in Vilamoura, Portugal, with her seven-year-old son Jaxon, when she saw the curtain move.
A man sneaked into her second-floor room at the five-star Epic Sana hotel, forcing her to fight his way out and onto the balcony, she says.
Rachel, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, said he climbed onto two neighbours’ balconies and then jumped about 13ft to the ground and ran away, after stealing her Apple watch in the fight.
The man has not been caught and was not seen on CCTV and Rachel wants to warn tourists to always close their balcony doors.
Rachel Brown shared her terrifying experience and urges tourists to take precautions
She and her son, Jaxon, were on holiday in Portugal when a man sneaked in through their balcony.
Rachel had to fight the man out of the room (pictured) at the five-star hotel in Vilamoura
Rachel, one of the directors, said: ‘When I first saw the curtains moving, I thought a bird had come in; then a man appeared between the curtains.
“It was terrifying. There was a small child in the room, so my instinct was to get that person out of the room.
‘I started pushing him and hitting him until he ran out of the room onto the balcony; then I started screaming for help.
‘After he ran away, I was so scared the rest of the night that I blocked my door with a lawn chair.’
Rachel said she closed the balcony door but did not lock it before the man sneaked in at around 10:20 p.m. on July 22.
She mistakenly assumed she would be safe because she was high up and had a private balcony.
The single mother said: ‘He was in his mid-twenties and about 5ft 7in tall, tanned and had dark curly hair.
‘I immediately yelled at him to fuck off and started hitting him and pushing him out of the room.
‘Before he got off my balcony, he grabbed my arm and took off my Apple Watch.’
Rachel said security was sent to her room, but there were no security cameras and hotel staff did not call the police.
His Apple Watch was returned to him after it was found in some bushes nearby.
She was unable to report the incident to the police until she returned to the UK, as her flight home was due to leave that morning.
She has since reported the incident to the Civil Guard by email and filed a complaint with the hotel because, according to her, they did not call the police that night.
She asked the hotel for compensation because she feels the incident “ruined her holiday,” but an email from the hotel manager denied her request.
Rachel says her son is “traumatized” because his room at home also has a balcony.
“Now that I’m home, my son makes me go into every room and onto the balcony before I can come in,” she said.
‘I’ve been more cautious at home, making sure all doors are fully closed and alarms are on.
“But I am disappointed with the way the hotel has handled the matter; it could happen again to someone else.”
Rachel now wants to warn other travellers to make sure all doors are locked and take reasonable precautions to stay safe.
She said: ‘If you have to remove someone from the room, do it loudly and get people’s attention.
“If you’re on the balcony, if you’re talking loudly, they’ll be more focused on trying to escape than on getting back into the room or hurting you.”
EPIC SANA Algarve General Manager André Romeiro said: ‘We confirm that Ms Brown was a guest at our hotel and that on 22 July 2024, an incident occurred where an unknown person attempted to enter the guest’s room via the balcony, which was open at the time. No damage was sustained as a result of this attempt.
‘Immediately after becoming aware of the situation, the hotel activated internal security procedures, namely mobilizing the security guard to inspect the property in search of the suspect and checking the video surveillance cameras.
‘The hotel also filed a complaint with the police authorities and provided the video surveillance images for this purpose.
Rachel said she was disappointed with how the hotel had handled the situation.
Rachel said a man sneaked into her room through the balcony doors (pictured)
‘Our immediate concern was to help Mrs Brown and ensure her safety and that of her son. In fact, the next day I personally expressed to Mrs Brown my deep regret for what had happened and offered to accompany her to the police station to file the criminal complaint for grievance, but she refused, as it was her last day.
‘However, when the complaint was made, the hotel provided the client’s contact details to the police authorities, so that they could contact Ms Brown and provide the necessary assistance for the investigation.
‘We also arranged for Mrs Brown’s transfer to the airport, at the hotel’s expense.
‘After her departure, Ms Brown contacted the hotel by email, requesting monetary compensation for the traumatic experience.
‘As we consider that there is no basis for any compensation to be paid by the hotel and the hotel does not follow such practices, we reject their payment.’
