I booked a £99 thriller vacation and ended up in Venice
Having virtually given up on a vacation break final summer season, I had been drawn in by an advert promising the ‘Ultimate Mystery Holiday’ on the low cost web site Wowcher.
The photos of unique seashores within the Maldives, Mexico and Barbados had initially caught my eye — however it was the headline determine of £99 per particular person for a two-night journey that actually received me hooked.
The catch? I have to gamble on a last-minute fortunate dip.
But what had I received to lose if, for lower than £200, I might bag a romantic weekend away for 2 that included flights and two nights in four-star lodging?
That was method again in July. At the time, I wrote about how the provide didn’t fairly work out to be as fantastic because it had initially seemed to be.
Winter solar in Italy: Reporter Toby Walne and his spouse Sacha on their discount break to Venice
I might neglect any hope of attending to Barbados, and was compelled to haggle the preliminary gives of a break in Bulgaria or Poland with endurance and perseverance earlier than lastly accepting Italy.
Then, I needed to put my foot down and demand that beneath package deal journey laws I anticipated a resort in Venice — not yet one more than three miles away from town, as was initially supplied.
The compromise for getting all this was to just accept the break in winter somewhat than summer season.
And, sadly, as a result of ‘administration’ and ‘seasonal’ expenses, the preliminary £198 whole was additionally bumped as much as £267.99.
But might much more financial savings be made as I ready for the final word thriller vacation of a lifetime?
En route for additional value cuts
With some number-crunching on the kitchen desk, I found that I might get monetary savings by merely not turning as much as the airport and reserving separate new flights as an alternative.
I discovered the 2 return tickets from Gatwick to Venice supplied inside the ‘ultimate’ package deal really value me excess of the overall of £88 with WizzAir — ‘the worst short-haul airline’, based on client group Which?.
We can be travelling with hand baggage solely, and transport and parking on the airport additionally needed to be added to the ultimate invoice.
I stay a dozen miles from Stansted airport and — as I had initially requested for the final word journey — that is the place I would favor to fly from.
Shop round: Spending a couple of minutes investigating different flights and transport to and from the airports can prevent each money and time
I found a Stansted to Venice return for 2 on the identical weekend might be bought for a complete of £85 utilizing Ryanair, so fractionally cheaper.
But the main financial savings can be on transport and parking, to not point out the comfort.
Flying from Stansted airport would save us three hours of driving and a 160-mile spherical journey utilizing £30 of petrol — plus the fee of £107 for a long-stay automotive park spot at Gatwick airport.
I thought-about reserving an area on somebody’s driveway close to Stansted, utilizing a web site reminiscent of Parkopedia or JustPark.
Had I acted earlier, there have been properties with a driveway house charging from £5 a day, the place I might have parked after which taken a 20-minute £3 bus trip to the airport.
Some householders will even drop you on the airport for a price. But by my skinflint calculation the most cost effective possibility can be a prepare ticket to Stansted airport from Bishop’s Stortford for £4.90 every (£9.80 as a pair a technique), after discovering a free road house to park the automotive half a mile from the station.
The drive to city and again residence used £3 of petrol. If I had pushed to Gatwick, the overall value of journey after which the airport automotive park would have been £137.
Naturally, as with all of the best-laid plans, it went mistaken.
The Ryanair return flight was badly delayed and didn’t return till after midnight — too late for a prepare. So we needed to pay £31 for a taxi somewhat than purchase a return prepare ticket. Even so, I nonetheless ended up successfully saving £93.20 in comparison with if I had travelled to Gatwick.
Room improve? No downside
The resort I used to be booked into would have value the 2 of us a minimal of £99 per night time together with breakfast — so a complete of £198.
The Hotel Principe had been chosen by the corporate organising the ‘Ultimate Mystery Holiday’ Weekender Breaks. So the reserving saved me cash on four-star lodging, although I had negotiated to get this resort after I initially made my reserving.
The ‘classic double’ was completely sufficient, however manners value nothing and after I politely requested if it is likely to be attainable to have an improve, the concierge supplied a ‘superior’ room — which might have value a minimum of £154 an evening — at no further cost.
It was nicely value asking, because the room was extra luxurious and in addition had two small verandas — one with a view of the canal. If you aren’t certain you want a room at a resort, it’s all the time value asking if there are others out there.
I additionally needed to pay a vacationer tax not included within the two-day journey package deal or my very own calculations. This labored out at 4.50 euros per particular person for every night time of our keep, including £16 to the invoice.
Save for a romantic meal
Using the low cost web site Booking.com, I discovered three-star double rooms for 2 out there a brief distance away for £38 an evening on the Hotel San Giuliano.
Had I made a decision to go it alone with out an company, booked on a shoestring and go for a extra modest resort, then I might have saved cash.
Priorities: By saving on resorts and transport you will have extra money to spend on meals and leisure
The Ultimate Mystery Holiday had value a complete of £267.99. Had I organized our personal flights from Stansted, we might have spent £85 on flights, £22.60 on transport to and from the airport and £76 for 2 nights at a resort — so a complete of £183.60.
That’s a complete saving of £84.39, which might have gone in direction of a romantic meal with a bottle of wine at a Venetian restaurant.
Embrace free sights
You can take in the fantastic ambiance of a metropolis like Venice totally free should you take pleasure in a stroll. Highlights embody the Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square), the Ponte di Rialto bridge, and getting misplaced within the historical slender streets of the Cannaregio neighbourhood.
There’s actually no have to splash out 80 euros (£70) for a tour on a gondola when you may stroll round and watch them totally free.
What’s extra, for 25 euros (£22) you get 24-hour limitless use of the Vaporetto water bus, which connects a few of the 120 islands of Venice.
Those aged 25 and beneath or 65 and over, a pupil, disabled or affiliated to a career (reminiscent of a journalist) can flash a card at a fee-charging artwork gallery such because the Gallerie dell’Accademia and get in for a reduction — or, as I did, totally free.
Tickets normally value 15 euros (£13), so it’s all the time value taking alongside your passport, driving licence or enterprise card and simply asking if there’s a discount.
Be versatile to get greatest deal
I had initially wished to journey in July, as had been marketed by Weekender Breaks — however after initially being congratulated for profitable ‘two tickets to Sofia in Germany’ (which is definitely in Bulgaria), I had politely declined and was supplied Gdansk as an alternative.
Holding out, I’d then been supplied Milan however must take three nights and pay a complete of £525.99 — excess of my price range.
Venice in November proved an ideal compromise.
The resort that had been booked initially was three miles from the centre, however after I defined that beneath package deal journey laws there’s safety if a vacation doesn’t prove as anticipated, we have been moved to a more in-depth resort.
The haggling paid dividends, however it will not have been crucial had I realised how straightforward it’s to bag a discount just by doing your individual homework.
