A travel enthusiast who took advantage of a £99 mystery holiday deal ended up regretting it after experiencing a series of disappointments. Lauren Kirby and her companion each paid £99 for the trip, with an additional £20 to switch from Venice to Malta and another £12 for a city center hotel.
In addition to these costs, there were extra expenses of €3 for tourist tax and €100 for transfers and meals. Despite the additional fees, they felt the destination did not live up to their expectations. Lauren, a 22-year-old from Maidstone, Kent, expressed hesitation about repeating the experience.
“We purchased our tickets in August 2025 and embarked on the journey in January 2026,” she explained. “While we didn’t anticipate a luxury hotel for £99, we did expect a basic level of service, which we felt was lacking.”
Initially planning to visit Venice, they opted to upgrade to Malta for a fresh experience. However, complications arose during the booking confirmation process. They were informed they could not go to Malta after already paying for the change and were given options to go to Prague or Venice with no refund on the extra fee.
Despite eventually securing the Malta trip, Lauren’s trust in the agency waned. Although the hotel and staff were satisfactory, they were disappointed to find that the city center hotel they paid extra for was actually a 30-minute drive away.
Feeling that the experience did not align with what they paid for, Lauren highlighted concerns about being asked for their easyJet login details to facilitate the booking process. She believed a reputable travel service should handle such matters independently.
Disheartened by the overall outcome, she expressed reluctance to repeat the mystery holiday experience. Instead, she suggested personally selecting destinations for future trips to avoid similar disappointments.
