The £99 Wowcher Holiday deal advertised all year long was something that instantly caught our eye – I mean who wouldn’t want a bargain holiday!
One of our first thoughts was ‘Is it worth it?’ and we struggled to find a single legitimate post on it (we found lots of reviews – mostly bad ones about the service). So I wanted to share with you my experience and review of the Wowcher £99 Holiday Deal so that you can make the best decision based on what you’re looking for on your travels!
Here is my £99 Wowcher Holiday Review…
When we first saw the Mystery Holiday deal on Wowcher we were super excited. With the chance to win a 7 day holiday to Thailand or Dubai, with flights and hotel included for just £99 it was an offer we couldn’t resist! Other than the big luxurious destinations, you can also win 2 nights stay in different areas all over Europe such as; Algarve, Ibiza, Budapest etc. So, we decided even if we didn’t win Thailand, we would be happy either way.
They give a raffle date on the advert but the date they actually contact you with is different for everyone, and is usually 10 days after you buy it. The next two weeks felt like years, we sat anxiously waiting at the phone itching to find out where we had won!
When we first received our call, they said we had won Berlin with flights leaving London at 9pm on Monday and returning 6am Wednesday. Obviously, we asked if they had alternative flights as this would not give us much time in Berlin. We were then offered Milan or Venice in order to change our flight times. It was at this point we realised it wasn’t actually a raffle, rather just the best deal they could give us on the day. They also don’t give anyone the chance to Thailand or Dubai unless enough people enter the raffle.
As I received the call at work, I needed to double check with my travelling partner if these dates were okay with their work schedule. 10 minutes later I tried ringing them back with no luck. I continued to ring another four times throughout the day with still no answer. When I finally did get through at the end of the day, they said the office had now closed and they will ring me back tomorrow.
The next day I waited for a call but had not heard anything, so I rang them another 4 times till someone finally answered. When I explained the deal we had been offered, they then said the deal had expired and offered us another destination and different flight times again! When I pushed back and said these dates had already been agreed with work and we are not willing to budge on the destination, we haggled on the phone for another hour and finally agreed on paying £20 extra per person for better flight times.
So, all in we paid £120 each for 6am outbound and 9pm inbound flights to Venice! It wasn’t ideal having to pay an extra £20 but we thought it would be worth having the extra time to explore.
They don’t send you your flight details until around 2 weeks before departure, so we had no idea who we was flying with, if we had luggage included or reserved seats. When we finally got our flight details, we found we had no seats and no hand luggage included, so this bumped up the price even more and we ended up paying another £62.
When we arrived in Venice, the hotel wasn’t in actual Venice, but rather in the mainland. It was a 30 minute train journey each way and costed 3 euro per person. The hotel was 4* and okay for the price, but the room that we were staying in was very run down and dated. We did get breakfast included which was very basic so we decided to miss breakfast on the second day and head straight to Venice.
All in all, we spent around £400 for two people including trains, taxis, luggage and seats for two people. Although still a reasonable price, the inconvenience of not being in actual Venice did tire us out and all the added extra costs of this did add up. Also, the hassle of trying to get in contact with the company and not knowing any of the travel details was a bit frustrating, but what did we expect for a cheap holiday deal!
For any of you who have already booked or thinking of booking, I would say definitely push back to the agent and don’t be afraid to put your foot down. Beware of the extra costs they try to add on do your research on the hotel they are offering before accepting.
So, Is the £99 Wowcher holiday deal worth it?
For me, as I quite like scouting out cheap deals and hotels, I would prefer to book all this myself. Although it was exciting – the money and time that we spent on the mystery holiday is pretty much the same as what we would have spent had we have just picked and booked our own. But for people looking for the easiest and quickest way to book a trip, then why not give Wowcher’s Mystery Holiday a try…you never know where you could end up!
Have you booked onto the Wowcher £99 Mystery Holiday? If so, which holiday destination did you win?
And if you’re headed to Venice, why not check out my list of best things to do?
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