Having almost given up on a holiday break last summer, I had been drawn in by an advert promising the ‘Ultimate Mystery Holiday’ on the discount website Wowcher.
The images of exotic beaches in the Maldives, Mexico and Barbados had initially caught my eye — but it was the headline figure of £99 per person for a two-night trip that really got me hooked.
The catch? I must gamble on a last-minute lucky dip.
But what had I got to lose if, for less than £200, I could bag a romantic weekend away for two that included flights and two nights in four-star accommodation?
That was way back in July. At the time, I wrote about how the offer did not quite work out to be as wonderful as it had initially appeared to be.
Winter sun in Italy: Reporter Toby Walne and his wife Sacha on their bargain break to Venice
I could forget any hope of getting to Barbados, and was forced to haggle the initial offers of a break in Bulgaria or Poland with patience and perseverance before finally accepting Italy.
Then, I had to put my foot down and insist that under package travel regulations I expected a hotel in Venice — not one more than three miles away from the city, as was originally offered.
The compromise for getting all this was to accept the break in winter rather than summer.
And, sadly, due to ‘administration’ and ‘seasonal’ charges, the initial £198 total was also bumped up to £267.99.
But could even more savings be made as I prepared for the ultimate mystery holiday of a lifetime?
En route for further cost cuts
With some number-crunching at the kitchen table, I discovered that I could save money by simply not turning up to the airport and booking separate new flights instead.
I found the two return tickets from Gatwick to Venice offered within the ‘ultimate’ package actually cost me far more than the total of £88 with WizzAir — ‘the worst short-haul airline’, according to consumer group Which?.
We would be travelling with hand luggage only, and transport and parking at the airport also had to be added to the final bill.
I live a dozen miles from Stansted airport and — as I had originally requested for the ultimate trip — this is where I would prefer to fly from.
Shop around: Spending a few minutes investigating alternative flights and transport to and from the airports can save you both time and money
I discovered a Stansted to Venice return for two on the same weekend could be purchased for a total of £85 using Ryanair, so fractionally cheaper.
But the major savings would be on transport and parking, not to mention the convenience.
Flying from Stansted airport would save us three hours of driving and a 160-mile round trip using £30 of petrol — plus the payment of £107 for a long-stay car park spot at Gatwick airport.
I considered booking a space on someone’s driveway near Stansted, using a website such as Parkopedia or JustPark.
Had I acted earlier, there were homes with a driveway space charging from £5 a day, where I could have parked and then taken a 20-minute £3 bus ride to the airport.
Some homeowners will even drop you at the airport for a fee. But by my skinflint calculation the cheapest option would be a train ticket to Stansted airport from Bishop’s Stortford for £4.90 each (£9.80 as a couple one way), after finding a free street space to park the car half a mile from the station.
The drive to town and back home used £3 of petrol. If I had driven to Gatwick, the total cost of travel and then the airport car park would have been £137.
Naturally, as with all the best-laid plans, it went wrong.
The Ryanair return flight was badly delayed and did not return until after midnight — too late for a train. So we had to pay £31 for a taxi rather than buy a return train ticket. Even so, I still ended up effectively saving £93.20 compared to if I had travelled to Gatwick.
Room upgrade? No problem
the hotel I was booked into would have cost the two of us a minimum of £99 per night including breakfast — so a total of £198.
The Hotel Principe had been chosen by the company organising the ‘Ultimate Mystery Holiday’ Weekender Breaks. So the booking saved me money on four-star accommodation, though I had negotiated to get this hotel when I initially made my booking.
The ‘classic double’ was perfectly adequate, but manners cost nothing and when I politely asked if it might be possible to have an upgrade, the concierge offered a ‘superior’ room — which would have cost at least £154 a night — at no extra charge.
It was well worth asking, as the room was more luxurious and also had two small verandas — one with a view of the canal. If you are not sure you like a room at a hotel, it is always worth asking if there are others available.
I also had to pay a tourist tax not included in the two-day trip package or my own calculations. This worked out at 4.50 euros per person for each night of our stay, adding £16 to the bill.
Save for a romantic meal
Using the discount website Booking.com, I found three-star double rooms for two available a short distance away for £38 a night at the Hotel San Giuliano.
Had I decided to go it alone without an agency, booked on a shoestring and opt for a more modest hotel, then I could have saved money.
Priorities: By saving on hotels and transport you’ll have more money to spend on meals and entertainment
The Ultimate Mystery Holiday had cost a total of £267.99. Had I arranged our own flights from Stansted, we could have spent £85 on flights, £22.60 on transport to and from the airport and £76 for two nights at a hotel — so a total of £183.60.
That’s a total saving of £84.39, which could have gone towards a romantic meal with a bottle of wine at a Venetian restaurant.
Embrace free attractions
You can soak up the wonderful atmosphere of a city like Venice for free if you enjoy a stroll. Highlights include the Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square), the Ponte di Rialto bridge, and getting lost in the ancient narrow streets of the Cannaregio neighbourhood.
There’s really no need to splash out 80 euros (£70) for a tour on a gondola when you can stroll around and watch them for free.
What’s more, for 25 euros (£22) you get 24-hour unlimited use of the Vaporetto water bus, which connects some of the 120 islands of Venice.
Those aged 25 and under or 65 and over, a student, disabled or affiliated to a profession (such as a journalist) can flash a card at a fee-charging art gallery such as the Gallerie dell’Accademia and get in for a discount — or, as I did, for free.
Tickets usually cost 15 euros (£13), so it’s always worth taking along your passport, driving licence or business card and just asking if there is a reduction.
Be flexible to get best deal
I had originally wanted to travel in July, as had been advertised by Weekender Breaks — but after initially being congratulated for winning ‘two tickets to Sofia in Germany’ (which is actually in Bulgaria), I had politely declined and was offered Gdansk instead.
Holding out, I’d then been offered Milan but would have to take three nights and pay a total of £525.99 — far more than my budget.
Venice in November proved a perfect compromise.
The hotel that had been booked initially was three miles from the centre, but after I explained that under package travel regulations there is protection if a holiday does not turn out as expected, we were moved to a closer hotel.
The haggling paid dividends, but it would not have been necessary had I realised how easy it is to bag a bargain simply by doing your own homework.
