Tom Earnshaw
A mum has revealed her surprise after spending £129 on a Wowcher mystery holiday and ending up at one of Europe's most stunning locations affectionately known as the 'Island in the Sun'.
Starting at £99, the mysterious holiday packages can be bought by anyone who wants to take a gamble on potentially securing the deal of a lifetime.
Handing over the cash when you don't know the location is a risk, for sure, but it's one that many have taken and landed firmly on their feet.
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Some of the most luxurious destinations include the Maldives, New York City, Dubai, and Bali. Absolutely head over heels if you land them, that's for sure.
There is also the likes of Rome, Madrid, and Ibiza on the cards with a whole load of destinations potentially up for grabs when you take the £99 per person plunge.
For Sarah Woodward and daughter Lacie Barwell, they took the plunge earlier this year and took out one voucher each, paying the more premium £129 per person to be able to take the holiday in the summer months.
"My daughter asked me if I’d go away with her for a few days," Sarah, 52, told LADbible.
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"We were looking at holidays for a few weeks but couldn’t decide where to go so we thought we’d take a chance on a Wowcher mystery holiday."
Sarah said they redeemed the voucher and originally won a multi city break to Athens and Istanbul.
"We couldn’t believe it," she said. "But when we were called they didn’t have any flights to take us there."
All was not lost for the mum and daughter though, with the duo offered Portugal.
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Sarah said: "We would have been happy with that, but the advisor who called said - 'no, I can do better than that, how does four nights in Rhodes sound?'."
Result. The pair flew out to Rhodes from East Midlands Airport on a 4pm flight before getting a taxi to their hotel in Faliraki, which set them back €10 (£8.40) each.
"We threw our bags in the room and went straight to Faliraki Bar Street to watch the Euros final between England and Spain. It was amazing (except losing, of course)."
As for the accommodation, Sarah was full of praise for the hotel.
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"Our room overlooked the pool, it was clean, comfy and the staff and other guests were all so friendly," she said.
"We were five minutes from Faliraki town and around 20 minutes from Rhodes town, there was a bus right outside the hotel."
On the official rules behind paying for a mystery holiday, Wowcher's official 'fine print' on the £99 holiday deals reads: "Once customers have been advised of their holiday destination they will not be entitled to a refund on the basis they do not wish to travel to the destination drawn."
If you're not happy with the holiday you've been given, there are things you can do to fix the situation.
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A Wowcher spokesperson told LADbible Group earlier this year: "Once a customer purchases our Mystery Holiday, they are randomly allocated a destination and there is the chance to change this destination at redemption.
"You can speak with the travel provider to determine preferences. For example if you are awarded Barcelona but you do not like the hotel or flight times, often the provider can try and find you something more suitable.
"If they can’t find something more suitable within that destination, they can offer you an alternative.
"These alternatives depend on availability and what the travel providers can find you within budgets. They may also offer more desirable options at a higher cost but this is only ever optional to the customer."