Beaten up, bruised, missing a nail – and traumatized.
It couldn’t be further from how Breanna Peebles envisioned her solo trip to Cuba to celebrate her birthday.
The Manitoba woman is detailing to CityNews what she says was her experience in early June at Grand Memories Varadero – a resort with mostly excellent reviews and a high rating.
“I think only God can save me right now. I’ve been praying non-stop,” Peebles said.
Peebles says on the first day of her trip – June 9 – she made friends with another family there.
She spent the next day, her birthday, enjoying herself by the ocean and the pool. Peebles says things took a turn when she got two drinks from the bar and swam a bit before drinking them. It was at that point that she claims she started feeling drowsy.
“I started going down,” she recalled. “I felt maybe it was just the alcohol. I’ve never been drugged before, so I didn’t know that this is what was happening.”
Peebles recalls a couple helping her get her shoes on as she grabbed her resort key and phone and tried to get back to her room. She says on the way there, security appeared and took her to a room that wasn’t hers.
“That was the last thing I remember,” she said. “I woke up in the room by myself, unclothed.”
Peebles recalls taking a few moments to orient herself, still feeling drowsy. “I got up and I was all beaten up, bruised, skinned knees and a missing nail. And I started thinking to myself, like what happened?”
She says she couldn’t find her phone, but saw three coffee cups.
“The staff there always walk around with those little coffees,” she said. “Like they’re always walking around with them. And there was three of them there. And a note that said ‘thanks.’”
Still feeling out of it, Peebles says that she went to get a new key for her room and see if maybe her phone was found and turned in. However, she never got her phone back. That led to her family filing a missing persons report when they didn’t hear from her.
‘I finally realized this is what happened’
From that point on, she recalls strange interactions with resort staff.
“I did notice after there was certain staff members looking at me funny. They were looking at me like they knew what happened.”
Shaken, Peebles says she didn’t want to admit to herself what happened, so she didn’t report it at the time.
“Last night, on the drive home is when I finally realized this is what happened. There’s no other…”
With the devastation came a rush of relief when her plane touched down in Winnipeg Monday night.
“I was so relieved when I got home,” she recounted. “I was relieved. I wanted to fall down and kiss the floor. I was back in Canada. It was the worst experience of my life. I don’t think I’ll ever go back, even in a group, I don’t think I’ll go back.
“I stayed up all night. I was pretty shaken up about it. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t sit down. I was a mess.”
—Breanna Peebles
Blue Diamond Resorts, which owns Grand Memories Varadero, did not respond to CityNews’ request for comment, neither did the resort itself after asking CityNews to submit the inquiry via email.
RedTag, the agency Peebles says she booked her trip through, said in a statement: “Due to our privacy policy and to respect the individual’s identity, we ask that any concerns be raised directly by the traveller involved so we can provide appropriate assistance and support.”
Warning for travellers
Peebles says she’s still looking at next steps, but in the meantime, is issuing a warning to others to travel together and always stay aware of their surroundings – even at resorts they think are safe.
“Be safe out there,” she warned. “In other countries, you don’t know what’s going through other people’s minds, even when they’re smiling at you and serving you drinks, you don’t know what they’re thinking. And it’s terrifying.
“Don’t go alone. Always have someone with you. I wish I didn’t go alone.”
Peebles is now leaning on those around her.
“I just gotta stay strong, keep my family close, keep my friends close. There’s been a lot of support.”
Peebles’ story comes five years after CityNews reported on a woman from the Greater Toronto Area who alleged she was sexually assaulted at Memories Veradero Beach Resort, which is right next to Grand Memories Varadero and also owned by Blue Diamond Resorts.
