A WYCOMBE family are counting their lucky stars after surviving the full impact of a hurricane in Mexico.

Keith and Cris Cordice, of Gandon Vale, were caught right in the middle of hurricane Emily that hit the resort of Tulum on Sunday, July 17.

The couple, who were celebrating their second wedding anniversary at the Akumal Hotel, with their young son Courtney, were sitting by the pool on Sunday morning when they were told of the upcoming hurricane the first to hit the country since 1860.

Mr Cordice, 38, said: "We could see the sky getting darker and darker out at sea. We were told we had to be in our rooms by 6pm but I said there was no way we were staying outside that long."

The family moved into their ground floor suite and shut the storm shutters.

Soon they were being buffeted by very high winds.

Mr Cordice said: "We wedged a mattress under the door and just prayed to God. It was an absolute horror. My ten-year-old son was panicking and my wife thought we were going to die."

The Cordice's hotel, built to withstand hurricanes. was passed over by the eye of the storm the centre of the hurricane.

Mr Cordice said: "For about 20 minutes it was dead silent. Then suddenly the noise picked up again and it was ten times worse than it had been before. It felt like somebody was outside with a sledgehammer."

Several other villas which were evacuated were partly demolished.

Ten inch concrete pillars were snapped in half and trees were dumped in the hotel swimming pool.

Having escaped the devastating storm, the Cordices were then stuck in a partially demolished hotel.

Many other guests, travelling with other tour companies, were moved to resorts in the area to continue their holiday.

The day after the hurricane hit was the Cordices' anniversary.

Mr Cordice said: "We were celebrating our anniversary in a place that looked like it had been hit by a bomb."

The family are angry that the tour operator, My Travel, failed to find them alternative arrangements or keep them informed of what was happening.

He added: "The operators were diabolical. We were told the only flight leaving was on Wednesday July 20 and that we had to get on it. Our excursions were not refunded and we lost days off our holiday."

The family are now seeking full compensation for their trip.

A My Travel spokesperson said a cheque for £566 was being sent to the Cordice family as compensation.

She added: "We are sorry the hurricane affected the Cordice family holiday. The safety and wellbeing of our customers are of paramount concern and we had to make the decision whether to move customers or whether they would be safer to remain in the hotel."