{"id":5769,"date":"2023-08-09T12:45:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T12:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/2023\/08\/09\/i-gambled-on-the-99-ultimate-mystery-holiday-heres-what-i-got\/"},"modified":"2023-08-09T12:45:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T12:45:10","slug":"i-gambled-on-the-99-ultimate-mystery-holiday-heres-what-i-got","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/i-gambled-on-the-99-ultimate-mystery-holiday-heres-what-i-got\/","title":{"rendered":"I gambled on the \u00a399 ‘Ultimate Mystery’ holiday – here’s what I got"},"content":{"rendered":"


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I had almost given up on a holiday abroad this summer as they\u2019re now so eye-wateringly expensive. Flights alone cost over a quarter more than last year.<\/p>\n

But then I saw an advert by discount website Wowcher that brought a holiday for me and my wife back into my miserly grasp.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The deal offers flights and two-nights\u2019 accommodation for two somewhere abroad for just \u00a399 per person.<\/p>\n

The only catch? The trip is labelled \u2018The Ultimate Mystery Holiday\u2019 \u2014 in other words, we would not know before paying for it where we would be going.<\/p>\n

The advertisement showed tantalising images of New York, Las Vegas and Mexico, along with sun-kissed beach scenes that looked as if they could be Barbados or the Maldives. So, I decided to gamble.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Promise: <\/div>\n

Promise: Wowcher’s mystery deal offers flights and two-nights\u2019 accommodation for two somewhere abroad for just \u00a399 per person<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"The <\/div>\n

The original advertisement showed tantalising images of New York, Las Vegas and Mexico, along with sun-kissed beach scenes that looked as if they could be Barbados or the Maldives<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"These <\/div>\n

These are the list of the best long-haul deals that were offered up which included New York, Dubai, Las Vegas\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The chance to jet away for a romantic weekend with my wife for under \u00a3200 seemed too good an offer to pass up.<\/p>\n

\n

Have you ever been on an \u2018Ultimate Mystery\u2019 holiday?\u00a0<\/h3>\n
\n

Please let us know what your experience was like by emailing toby.walne@dailymail.co.uk\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

The deal promised we would be given four-star accommodation \u2014 and 1,386 such breaks had already been snapped up in June and July.<\/p>\n

Not wanting to miss out, I fumbled for my wallet to pay for our mystery trip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, I quickly learned that the \u00a399 price was only from the autumn \u2014 as we want to go before the summer is out, the price was actually \u00a3129.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then there was a \u00a39.99 \u2018administration\u2019 charge, bringing the total to \u00a3267.99.<\/p>\n

Trip to a place that does not exist<\/h2>\n

Still, I was feeling hopeful when, within hours of paying, I received an email asking for some date options for when we would be available to jet off. I excitedly broke the news to my wife.<\/p>\n

Then we waited patiently, passports at the ready as the first weekend that we had asked for came and went. Eventually, a week later, I finally received that expected call.<\/p>\n

Ashish was courteous and friendly, ringing from a call centre in India. There was a rehearsed sense of theatre to the proceedings \u2014 as if he were opening a golden envelope.<\/p>\n

\u2018Congratulations . . . you have two tickets to Sofia in Germany,\u2019 he announced. I have been to Sofia in the past and I\u2019m pretty sure it\u2019s in Bulgaria. Is he sure?<\/p>\n

\u2018Ah yes. Sorry. It is Bulgaria,\u2019 admitted Ashish. Although I have nothing against this lovely country, it was not what I had in mind for our summer break and I asked if I could have another go at the lucky dip. This time he came back with Gdansk in Poland.<\/p>\n

Again, nonplussed. I told him I was willing to sulk on the line until he found a weekend break more to my liking.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Originally <\/div>\n

Originally they were going to put me off the main island at Hotel San Giuliano. It was a basic three-star some five miles out of Venice itself. I looked it up and could have got it for \u00a3170 for two nights if I\u2019d booked directly. So, if I had booked the break myself I would have paid \u00a310 less than with the mystery offer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
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\"Lista <\/div>\n

Lista Di Spagna:\u00a0I was upgraded to a four-star hotel (as initially promised in the promotion) in Venice. This accommodation costs \u00a3300 to book directly \u2014 so by using the Mystery Holiday deal I was now \u00a3120 up<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Special deal doubles in price<\/h2>\n

My intransigence paid off and after ten minutes Ashish came back \u2014 with an offer of Milan in Italy at the end of July.<\/p>\n

We went through the itinerary and when Ashish said we would be flying from my local airport Stansted, just 12 miles away, I was delighted.<\/p>\n

There was a slight hiccup in that the break was for three nights not the two as requested \u2014 but as I was hopeful I could arrange the extra time off work, I still eagerly agreed to the offer.<\/p>\n

\u2018Because you are booking for an extra day there is a supplementary charge of \u00a3129 per person,\u2019 Ashish then calmly added. I argued that I should not have to pay the supplement since it was the decision of the tour operator \u2014 not me \u2014 to extend the trip.<\/p>\n

But my argument failed to impress. Suddenly the price of the holiday had doubled and an initial expectation of \u00a3198 had risen to a total of \u00a3525.99. Not quite the money-saving trip I had in mind.<\/p>\n

Ashish explained that \u2018because June and July are so popular there is much less choice\u2019.<\/p>\n

As a compromise I was willing to forget the summer break and go any time he had available.<\/p>\n

\n
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\"Other <\/div>\n

Other European destinations included two-night breaks in Dubrovnik, Genoa and Santander\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
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\"Bargain <\/div>\n

Bargain bucket: Wowcher’s \u2018Ultimate Mystery Holiday\u2019 deal offers two nights for just \u00a399 per person – but you don’t know where you’ll end up<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Summer stay \u2014 in winter<\/h2>\n

Ashish then went away for a further 20 minutes to find what else might be in the tour operator\u2019s mystery locker. I was feeling grateful for finding someone so helpful.<\/p>\n

He could all too easily have told me there were no more choices on the table or done what so many firms do these days when they don\u2019t want to help \u2014 and just hung up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It also helped that I remained courteous, understanding all too well the unnecessary abuse call centre staff often suffer when just trying to do their job.<\/p>\n

Eventually Ashish came back on the line: \u2018Okay. Venice in November. That is the best I can do.\u2019<\/p>\n

The negotiating was over and I felt this was a fair result as it cost the original \u00a3267.99 I had paid for. Yet it was still not for when I actually wanted to travel and would involve going from Gatwick airport \u2014 considerably less convenient than Stansted.<\/p>\n

The itinerary was emailed through moments later from a company called \u2018Weekender Breaks\u2019. Apparently, we would be travelling via Wizz Air (it holds the dubious honour of being \u2018the worst short-haul airline\u2019, according to consumer group Which?).<\/p>\n

Had I bought two return flight tickets separately for these journeys, it would have cost just \u00a388. Naturally, the tickets only included a hand baggage allowance. If we had taken suitcases they would have cost more than the flights.<\/p>\n

But the hotel was the biggest disappointment \u2014 as it was a basic three-star some five miles out of Venice itself. I looked it up and could have got it for \u00a3170 for two nights if I\u2019d booked directly. So, if I had booked the break myself I would have paid \u00a310 less than with the mystery offer.<\/p>\n

Great expectations not quite met<\/h2>\n

This mystery holiday had turned into a bit of a damp squib and I called the next day to explain my disappointment.<\/p>\n

In preparation, I was armed with the knowledge that when booking a holiday under package travel regulations there is protection if the holiday does not turn out to be as expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And it would be fair to assume that when booking an advertised break in Venice, this is where I might expect to stay.<\/p>\n

Politely I put forward this case. To my surprise, it worked, and I was upgraded to a four-star hotel (as initially promised in the promotion) in Venice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This accommodation costs \u00a3300 to book directly \u2014 so by using the Mystery Holiday deal I was now \u00a3120 up.<\/p>\n

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\"The <\/div>\n

The deal promised four-star accommodation – and claimed that 1,386 such breaks had already been snapped up in June and July<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Odds of winning the perfect break<\/h2>\n

Weekender Breaks is the trading name of Viva Holidays, which is an agent for Hays Travel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Delve into the small-print terms and conditions \u2014 tucked in a link under \u2018the fine print\u2019 \u2014 and you will find holidays are sold in batches of 1,000 to a wide variety of destinations.<\/p>\n

Only one in 1,000 bought are to Barbados. And you get the same odds for hitting the jackpot with locations such as New York and Dubai.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are more than 50 other \u2018winning\u2019 destinations, with many offering dozens of breaks \u2014 almost all of which are in Europe.<\/p>\n

A tip for anyone tempted to buy a Mystery Holiday \u2014 print off the full list of available destinations and have it to hand when you are told where you are being sent, so you are better prepared to fight for where you really want to go.<\/p>\n

A spokesman for Hays Travel says: \u2018We advise people to always read the small print on deals offering holidays costing well below the market value. It helps keep expectations realistic.\u2019<\/p>\n

But is the mystery holiday worth a punt? Well, after quite a bit of haggling and several phone calls, I ended up making some savings.<\/p>\n

But \u2014 as with so many things in life \u2014 I discovered you get what you pay for.<\/p>\n

toby.walne@dailymail.co.uk<\/p>\n

Have you ever been on an \u2018Ultimate Mystery\u2019 holiday? Please email your experience to toby.walne@dailymail.co.uk<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.<\/p>\n


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I had almost given up on a holiday abroad this summer as they\u2019re now so eye-wateringly expensive. Flights alone cost over a quarter more than last year. But then I saw an advert by discount website Wowcher that brought a holiday for me and my wife back into my miserly grasp.\u00a0 The deal offers flights […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[23,9561,1807,1326,421,6551,2398,1589],"acf":{"source_article":"","image_credit":""},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}