I tried out a mystery holiday and was only told where I was going at the airport – here is what to expect
SUITCASES packed, we are on a train to Gatwick – but where are flying to, we still don’t know.
My girlfriend and I have booked a surprise holiday with Srprs.me, which means our trip location won’t be revealed until a few hours before boarding our flight.
It was a risk we were willing to take if it meant someone else would have the stress of choosing the destination, flights and accommodation.
Just as we reach the airport, we find out via the Srprs.me app that we’ll be going to Venice, spending three nights in the Radisson Collection — a hotel that far exceeds our expectations.
Mystery holiday companies can often book travellers into better hotels at cheaper rates.
Every aspect of the trip, bar the weather forecast, was kept a surprise, although if you worry about rain, the holiday company has just launched Sunny Escape packages that follow the usual mystery travel process, except the destination is a sunshine spot.
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The luxury of our chic hotel is a mere sideshow compared to the city because, regardless of how much you hear about Venice’s beauty, nothing can properly prepare you for it.
Every corner could be a postcard, with each alleyway revealing a more idyllic scene than the last.
The mystery element of the trip meant that we were unable to prepare or research in the way we ordinarily would when going away.
But that only made it more exciting.
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Once we knew our destination, time in the airport was spent forming a rough itinerary, with Srprs.me sending us some tips, which relieved some of the drudgery of waiting to board the plane.
By the time we’d landed we’d had enough time to work out how to save money on seeing the main sights — buying a Venezia Unica pass.
This gives access to 16 churches around the city plus Venice’s four main museums — the Doge’s Palace, Museo Correr, the Archaeological Museum and the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. These sit in St Mark’s Square, housed within the Gothic buildings that have lined the city’s famous piazza for hundreds of years.
Of the quartet, the Doge’s Palace is the standout, with its opulent decor well worth a gander.
It also provides access to one of the city’s main sights, the Bridge of Sighs, which connects the palace to former prison cells on the other side of a narrow canal.
A boat trip is a must, too. Instead of forking out £70 for half an hour on a gondola, take the water bus, which costs £21.80 for a day pass and covers the whole city plus the islands beyond it, including Murano and Burano.
The two islands are somehow even more charming than central Venice itself.
Burano is home to whimsical rows of houses, painted with vivid colours reminiscent of the scoops seen in the city’s countless gelato shops. The best of these ice cream parlours is Suso, which has two branches, both easily identified by the queues stretching far beyond their front doors.
This artisan gelateria offers two scoops of phenomenally flavoured ice cream for £3.50. The “Manet”, a mix of rich hazelnut and silky pistachio cream, left the greatest impression.
Their desserts went down a treat after a stop at Antico Forno, a grab-and-go pizza place that stood out from the crowd of ten-a-penny slice shops, with its thick yet light focaccia pizzas.
Equally good was Baci & Pasta, who deal in handmade gnocchi and pasta served in delicious sauces for less than £10 a go. Each of our leisurely strolls through the historic streets was punctuated with stops at corner bars, like Il Santo Bevitore, that serve the locals’ luminous orange favourite, Aperol spritz, for under £2.
You can also get Venetian tapas or cicchetti — small bites of seafood, vegetables or meat placed on top of a slice of baguette.
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Quality grub and the ancient buildings are undoubtedly a highlight of Venice.
But what I really learned was that with the right ingredients, any trip can be perfect, no matter where you end up.
GO: MYSTERY HOLIDAY
GETTING/STAYING THERE: The price of trips vary depending on budget, dates and type of accommodation selected.
A three-night holiday starts from £185pp, including flights from one of six UK airports. See .