Gerhard van den Berg was due to go on holiday in November and would have stayed at the Maldives' five-star Cinnamon Velifushi Hotel for seven days, all-inclusive.
The hotel is situated on its own island. It features rooms on the beach and over-water suites along piers jutting into the ocean, with sumptuous cuisine from three restaurants and several beach bars adding to the ambience.
Instead, Van den Berg’s dream 40th birthday vacation turned to dust when Fourways travel agency Priority Escapes allegedly made off with the R115 000 he paid them.