Brief: A couple want to spend a week in an all-inclusive hotel in the Mediterranean. They’re less bothered about destination than value – they want to get as much as possible for their money and can travel last-minute.
Budget: £800.
Verdict: The winner gave Mystery Shopper plenty of choices and brought each holiday to life.
View Mystery Shopper: Nuneaton travel agents tested on Med all-inclusives in a larger map
Thomson
8 Newdegate Street
Score: 74%
This chatty agent asked if there were destinations I preferred or wanted to avoid, who I was travelling with and my budget. She seemed to have lots of personal knowledge of the resorts we were discussing and very patiently did quite a lot of research.
However, she struggled to find something within budget. She was able to offer me a week at the Hotel Park Side in Turkey through Skytours for £794. She wrote a quote on a piece of paper and gave it to me to take away, together with her contact details and the Skytours brochure.
I would recommend the shop for the agent’s friendly and polite service, but I wouldn’t expect this to be the agency with the best deal.
The Co-operative Travel
11 New Century Way
Score: 83%
The agent here was very friendly and seemed committed to finding the right holiday for me; I felt she would have carried on searching until I was a happy customer. She was very patient and polite, but struggled to find a huge amount in my price range.
One was significantly within budget: Green Beach Resort in Bodrum, Turkey, through Thomas Cook for £642. But others, such as the Ersan Resort & Spa in Bodrum, through the same operator, for £892, were over. The closest was the Club Turan Prince World in Antalya for £808, also with Thomas Cook.
The agent gave me printed quotes and prints of brochure pages to take away; I would have preferred the brochures themselves.
First Choice
12 Abbey Street
Score: 90%
The agent here made me feel really relaxed and showed exceptional enthusiasm for the holiday we discussed.
She asked plenty of questions and recommended the Saadia Hotel in Skanes, Tunisia, for £674 through Skytours, as she had been to the destination several times herself, and said the modern hotel had great facilities but also was close to lively areas.
She gave me a brochure and printed quote to take away, and spoke about pre-booking excursions as well as insurance and airport parking.
The only thing I would have liked was more than one option. I would have no hesitation in recommending this shop as the agent was exceptional.
Thomas Cook
21A Market Place
Score: 91%
The agent here displayed really excellent knowledge and spoke from personal experience about many of the options we discussed, bringing the holidays to life.
She researched the holidays and hotels thoroughly using brochures and the internet, and offered two very suitable options through Airtours: the Luabay Tenerife for £750, and the Mayfair in Paphos, Cyprus, for £755.
She found the holidays much more quickly than some of the other agents. She suggested extras such as a sea-view room and additional luggage allowance as the recommendations were a little under budget, and gave me detailed printouts and a brochure to take away.
She asked if I planned to book that day, but didn’t offer to follow up my inquiry when I said I needed to discuss the options with my partner.
Winning agent: Lisa Gray, travel adviser
“I always go all-inclusive, but usually farther afield than the Med. We’ve been to Jamaica for the last few years but this year we’re off to Mexico. We’re going to stay at The Royal in Playa del Carmen and we leave four weeks on Monday – not that I’m counting!”
All-inclusive tips
- Olympic Holidays offers 14 nights’ all-inclusive at the three-star Bahar Hotel, near Fethiye in Turkey, for £705 per person, departing Stansted on July 24.
- Thomson offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at the 4T-rated Hotel Presidente in Portinatx, Ibiza, for £585, departing Birmingham on July 27.
- Thomas Cook offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at the four-star Aziza Beach in Hammamet, Tunisia, for £414, departing Manchester on July 22.
- Cosmos offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at the three-diamond-rated Maravel Hotel in Rethymnon, Crete, from £442, departing Manchester on July 26.