Htop secret hotel

kellyswon

Hi, Has anyone booked an Holiday were they dont know their Accomodation until a day or two before departure?What is your experience?Got my eye on a cheap Holiday but with the above criteria,Just a bit weary i may get a place which is of a poor standard, thanks in advance

Andypandyboy

You could google the description see what comes up.

kellyswon

Thanks Andy unfortunatley there is no description just says your accomodation will be carefully chosen by one of our experienced staff.

InsideInsurance

Did once when I was a teenager as the first holiday with my mother after my father had died.

I dont know what the stated minimum specification was as I wasnt involved in the booking process but it was a solid 4 star hotel that we were given and I know my mother was nervous about it at the time but happy when she turned up.

From memory it was a bit out of the way from the normal tourist areas but for beach/ sea/ pool that she wanted it was perfectly good enough.

AndyT678

I once booked a skiing holiday where I didn't even know the resort I was going to until I arrived at the airport in Turin. All I knew was it would be 3* somewhere in Italy.

We were sent to a really nice resort and since there was no 3* available we got upgraded to (the best local) 4* instead.

It turned out to be an absolute steal. So much do that the rep specifically asked us not to tell the other guests how much we'd paid!

It's a gamble though. You pays your money and you takes your chance.

Alan_Bowen

It is a real gamble. As a general rule you will get the accommodation which the operator has contracted and has to pay for and which no one else wanted. I remember, many moons ago, being in a 4 star hotel in Tenerife when I met two young ladies who had booked the week before for an unknown hotel and had paid less than 50% of the price I was charged. I have also known many more who hated the accommodation that was 'allocated on arrival' Worse still, in peak season they often contact accommodation that doesn't appear in a brochure or on the company website, this is usually accommodation that no other operator wanted either.

It is a real gamble, you have no guaranteed facilities so you can't complain if the hotel is 30 miles from the beach or has no swimming pool so long as it meets whatever criteria the company offers. If you are easy going and not expecting the Ritz you might get a real bargain, but I would warn against booking such a holiday from the end of July to the end of August when you are quite possibly going to get the dregs of accommodation. if you can choose your accommodation for £50 more, I would be seriously tempted to do so

lea2012

If it's a HTOP Secret Hotel then it would need to be an actual HTOP hotel which is a chain of hotels in Spain. To be honest I would avoid it. The hotels are located mainly along the Costa Brava and range from the abysmal to the just about OK. Mainly 3*-4* hotels that are very popular with cheap and often not so cheerful holidaymakers. Ideally suited to stag and hens who want to drink a lot and don't mind crap food too!!
Location wise most of them are pretty good, with clean but a little outdated rooms. If you don't plan on eating in the hotel much then give it a go, but if you are planning on going all inclusive and aim to eat well in the hotel then go elsewhere.
I suggest looking at the HTOP Hotels own website and then cross checking some of the hotels with Trip Advisor reviews.

Electrikkettle

You can usually find out more information about these hotels on sites like secrethotels.eu. Personally I have booked a few and never been disappointed doesn't take a genius to work out which it might be!

jimd-f

if you are booking a 3* HTOP AOA hotel you will almost certainly get the Olympic in Calella.
if it is a 4* then you are most likely to get the calella Palace or the Royal Beach/Star in Lloret de Mar.
check out the HTOP website here for a full list of their hotels
http://www.htophotels.com/
if you are allocated the casino royal in lloret and are not their to party all night, or are taking children, then complain straight away that this is not a family hotel and insist on being transferred elsewhere.
you should also look at
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g187496-i43-Catalonia.html
where a search will give you loads more info.