It was supposed to be a relaxing, romantic break to celebrate his silver wedding anniversary.
But Inverness man Michael Scott was left fearing for his life after contracting a deadly lung condition during a trip to Italy.
Mr Scott, 46, was diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease on his return from Rome after the trip with his wife Lorraine.
And now, he has enlisted travel law specialists at Irwin Mitchell to look into his stay at the three-star Hotel Verona on a holiday organised by Jet2Holidays.
The trip had been planned as a surprise for Mr Scott by his wife to celebrate both his birthday and their 25th wedding anniversary.
They visited the Italian capital for four days in June 2014 but after returning Mr Scott began to suffer shortness of breath and kidney pain.
He was initially diagnosed with a kidney infection but his condition continued to deteriorate until he was admitted to intensive care at Raigmore Hospital where medics found he was suffering from Legionnaires.
He was discharged a few days later but has since had to have counselling to help him come to terms with the trauma of his illness.
He had to take time off from his work as a gardener with Highland Council and has been on a phased return to work because of his loss of fitness.
Michael told his legal team that the “old and dated” air conditioning unit in their hotel room was not working properly and had water dripping from it.
He also said the shower facilities were not clean and the bed sheets were not cleaned during their stay.
Mr Scott said: “When we booked this holiday it was to celebrate our 25th anniversary and my birthday and a lot of thought and planning went into the trip.
“Now we look back and remember that trip for all the wrong reasons. No holiday should result in you ending up being ill in the way that I was.
“When you book a package holiday you put your trust in the tour operator to make your health and wellbeing a priority.
“It’s really important for me to find out what exactly caused me to fall so ill, so that if there have been any failings these can be addressed in the hope of preventing anyone else suffering in the way I have.”
A spokeswoman for Jet2Holidays said: “The health and safety of our customers is extremely important to us and we are exploring Mr Scott’s claim fully.
“Unfortunately, as this is part of an ongoing legal process, we are unable to comment any further at this time.”