I spent £189pp on a Wowcher holiday – but when I saw the ‘lovely spa hotel’ I cried and left
A WOMAN who booked a Wowcher holiday for her partner's birthday was left horrified after realising they booked a "hotel from hell."
Brit Laura booked a romantic getaway with her partner, only for it to be fraught with issues from the get-go.
Originally, Laura had booked to fly in and out between December 7 and December 10, 2024.
However, when she redeemed her voucher, the flight times were unsuitable for a three-day trip.
She told the Sun Online: "Flying late on the 7th from Gatwick Airport meant we already lost the whole day, and the return flight was 6 am on the 10th flying back into Luton."
Laura called TravelODeal (the third-party company used by Wowcher to provide the holiday) to cancel the trip, explaining: "I was told I could cancel but there was no way I could have a refund.
"He said I could change flights and days and go 5th till the 8th December.
"Both flights would be in and out from Stansted but would cost an additional £78, which I paid".
When Laura asked the agent where she would be staying, she was told it was a "lovely spa hotel with a pool" called Hotel Sympozjum & Spa.
Despite the initial setbacks, the couple managed to fly to Krakow, Poland, on their newly arranged dates.
Most read in City breaks
"Upon arrival (to the hotel), my first reaction was to laugh as I thought it was a joke," she continued.
"My partner and I walked through the hallways with ceilings missing, thick dust everywhere, plasterboard just strewn across every hallway.
"There were piles of black bin bags of rubbish on the landings and just general building equipment everywhere.
"Then we got to our room - it was filthy, the bedding was dirty, the walls were covered in cobwebs, the carpet had mould patches on that continued up the walls, the chairs and lampshades were stained beyond recognition of the original pattern it was just disgusting.
"I sat on the bed and cried as I had booked this for my partner's birthday and was so disheartened at the state of the place."
Laura and her partner were quick to ask the receptionist about the hotel.
She said: "The receptionist looked at me with a very shocked face and said the pool hasn't been here for over a year it was closed down a long long time ago."
I sat on the bed and cried as I had booked this for my partner's birthday and was so disheartened at the state of the place
Laura O'Halloran
Almost immediately, the couple booked themselves a new place to stay and complained to the company.
Laura added: "Unfortunately it was me that has had to constantly chase them for an answer and on more than one occasion when I have called and given my name I just have the telephone put down on me."
The travel company initially offered her £34 and two £20 vouchers as a gesture of goodwill, which she refused.
She said: "The new hotel cost an additional £150 but to be honest we would have paid 3x that just to get out of there."
Following their ordeal, Laura and her partner managed to enjoy the rest of their Krakow trip; they went snowmobiling, visited Auschwitz and strolled through the picturesque Christmas Market.
Wowcher told Sun Online Travel: "We have refunded both orders and reached out to the customers to apologise for the poor experience they've had.
"We've also applied some goodwill credit to their accounts.
"We have also made urgent contact with the third-party holiday provider for comment. "
The Sun Online also reached out to TravelODeal, the third-party travel provider used by Wowcher, and the hotel Laura was allocated, but has received no response.
Unfortunately, Laura is not the only one who has faced issues with Wowcher.
Read More on The Sun
Petek and her husband were also met with hotel rooms straight out of a horror movie.
And, some, like Jono Read, who used the £89 Mystery Holiday deal, were put up in a 1* hotel while expecting to land in the Maldives.
