Location:Bournemouth and Christchurch, Dorset
Wanted:A bride and her five closest friends want a long weekend away in Barcelona for her hen do in May next year. They would like a hotel with a spa near to the beach but also want to be close enough to explore the city.
Budget: £3,000
Hays Travel
Old Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth
94%
The agent was very friendly and enthusiastic about finding the best accommodation to suit my party’s requirements. The suggested hotel was slightly over budget at £3,114 but included private transfers. It was a stay at the H10 Marina Barcelona for three nights from the Superbreak Explore Europe & Worldwide brochure, flying from Gatwick on May 19. The airline was not specified. The hotel was a ten minute walk to the beach, had a spa and was a short journey on the Metro to the city centre. She spent a large amount of time tailoring the holiday to my needs and was excellent at providing her own knowledge of the city.
Thomson
12 Saxon Square, Christchurch
92%
The agent was friendly, welcoming and enthusiastic. I was given a lot of in-depth information about Barcelona, the hotel and its attractions. The recommendation was a stay at the Icaria Barcelona Hotel for three nights, also from the Superbreak Explore Europe & Worldwide brochure, costing £3,114, flying from Gatwick on May 19 and included transfers. Although it was slighly over budget the agent said it had everything I was looking for. The hotel had a gymnasium with a swimming pool and sauna, there were beaches within walking distance, plenty of night-life and a large selection of restaurants in the vicinity.
Thomas Cook
Old Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth
90%
The travel agent was very helpful and spent a lot of time researching the best hotel for my requirements. They also suggested the Icaria Barcelona Hotel from Superbreak’s Explore Europe & Worldwide brochure but costing less at £3,073.50 flying from Gatwick on May 19 for three nights. It would have been useful to have more pictures of the hotel to take away and show other people and the flight times were not as convenient.
Verdict
It was very close this week, but the winning agent was enthusiastic about the location and had excellent knowledge even though the holiday suggestion was slightly over budget.
Winner: Julie Painter, travel consultant
“It’s amazing to be a winner and I have only been here for 12 weeks. I always try to get to know the customer and find the perfect hotel and destination for them as people save up a lot of money for their holidays. ”
Top-scoring agent each month will win use of a car for 10 days.
The winning agent must be at least 25, for insurance reasons. Winners under 25 will win a week’s all-inclusive holiday at an Elite Islands Resorts property. The prize is non-transferable and the car must be driven only by the winning agent. The winner must not have any serious driving convictions. Elite Island Resorts will endeavour to supply the car to the agency but reserves the right to request the winning agent to collect and return the car from Essex or a central location