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It was a spur of a moment thing, I got yet another email in my inbox with must purchase deals. But this one was a little different, a £99 mystery holiday deal. 2 nights in an unknown location. A WhatsApp chat with a friend and 15min later I had booked a 2-night deal flying form 1 of 3 airports in an approximate date range in January. All very elusive.
How to book a holiday deal
First, you have to understand a mystery holiday is almost a mystery but before you book, read the fine print. There is a list of destinations that you may get the chance to visit. These can range from Amsterdam to Thailand. 2 nights but up to 7. It is a bit like a lucky dip. Once ‘x amount’ of people have purchased you get your lucky dip holiday.
You fill out a form with your preferred travel dates, departure airports and that is it. Easy. Your £99 has booked you a 2 night break in a mystery destination.
A few weeks later I got a phone call from a travel agent.
A quick £99 mystery holiday review
So, what does £99 get you? Return flights with hand luggage and 2 nights in a 3 star hotel, in this case, it was Malta. I had never been which was exciting.
When I spoke to the travel agent, they offered me my 1st choice airport and on one of my selected dates. It felt too good to be true, and it was surprisingly easy. I booked the dates off work and then just had to wait 4 months until the holiday came around.
The outbound flight was Friday at 7:30am meaning we had a full afternoon and evening in our destination. The return flight was 12:30pm on Sunday. For our 2 nights, we had 1 and a half days in the destination. Just long enough to explore and give us a taste of the city.
The only negative, I came across was that we had a change of date due to our outbound flights been cancelled. But as the booking was all via the agent they sorted this out. Including changing the night in the hotel. Instead on Thursday to Saturday, meaning I did a more typical weekend break of Friday – Sunday.
Was it worth the money?
If I had booked independently it would have cost significantly slightly more to book independently. The flights alone would have been £75.98 and the hotel £108. The total would have been £183.98. Plus ‘my time’ in researching and booking a hotel and flights. When the flights were cancelled the travel agent also sort the hotel change and I didn’t have to worry about it at all! And in with the uncertainty in the travel market, the holiday was also ATOL protected.
Yes, I would book again. In fact, the next time I see a £99 mystery holiday deal I am undoubtedly going to book it. If you have been around here long enough you know I love a good holiday.
