Best flight and hotel deal sites

While genuine flight and hotel deals are hard to come by, Which? members have revealed the travel deal websites they rely on for a real saving.

According to our recent survey, both Travelzoo and Secret Escapes source good-value breaks and are transparent about costs. Overall Travelzoo achieved a 76% customer score, with Secret Escapes at 75%. 

Holidaymakers were generally pleased with their experiences of both brands. A Travelzoo customer told us their deal was 'good value for money compared with booking directly'.  A Secret Escapes user explained: 'I check with the hotel directly, as well as other booking sites, and Secret Escapes does work out better value.'

However, members had mixed ratings about customer service — both firms scored a middling three out of five stars in this category.

They also both scored three out of five stars on flexible or free-to-cancel deals. An average rating in this area is not surprising, because the level of flexibility seems to vary deal by deal. With Secret Escapes, you'll find some hotel-only offers that permit unlimited date changes up to eight days before travel (without charge). For many hotel-only or day-trip deals on Travelzoo, you can cancel and get a full refund if you change your mind within 14 days of purchase.

While packages can offer some flexibility,  flights are generally non-refundable. The hotel component of your package deal may be more flexible, but it depends on the tour operator's terms and conditions.

You can sign up to Travelzoo and become a Secret Escapes member for free to view their deals. 

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Best flight and hotel deal sites to find travel bargains

Flight and hotel deal websites reviewed

Travelzoo 

Travelzoo says it scours more than 2,000 companies worldwide for the best deals on everything, from UK spa breaks to hand-picked hotels and holiday offers abroad. It publishes hundreds of deals each week and compiles a top 20 list to highlight those that offer the best value.

In our survey, 83% of customers said Travelzoo deals are good or excellent value, so its money-saving credentials seem reliable. But no matter how good a deal looks, always read the T&Cs carefully and, if you choose a package holiday, check which company provides it. Travelzoo aggregates the best deals from external providers, but it isn't a tour operator, so you'll need to review the terms and conditions of the site you book through.

Travelzoo is transparent about exactly what the deal doesn’t include and what the cancellation terms are. Look out for its flexible deal banner, which means you can cancel within 14 days of purchase if you change your mind or can't find suitable travel dates.

Which? verdict: Travelzoo is an excellent value deal site – but always check the T&Cs of the company that's offering the holiday. 

Browse deals on Travelzoo

Secret Escapes 

There's little to separate Secret Escapes from Travelzoo – their star ratings are identical, whether on customer service (three stars) to transparency of fees (four stars). And while Travelzoo just managed to clinch the top spot with a 76% customer score, Secret Escapes was right up there with it, garnering 75%.

Unlike Travelzoo, which is just an aggregator of deals, the Secret Escapes setup is more complicated. It sells hotels and package holidays supplied by third parties, but is also a package-holiday provider itself. 

Where they are offering third-party deals, it's best to comb through that operator's terms and conditions carefully, as they'll vary depending on who your stay or package is with.

Which? verdict:  For luxury travel deals, Secret Escapes delivers

Browse deals on Secret Escapes

Travelzoo and Secret Escapes are excellent for travel deals. But for regular flight bookings, read our article on the best-rated flight booking sites

How to check flight and hotel deals are genuine

No matter how good a deal looks, always do your sums to work out whether you’re making a genuine saving. If it’s a package deal, for example, check what it would cost to book the same airfares and hotel directly. But remember, if you book it this way, you won’t be protected by Package Travel Regulations, which we'd highly recommend. See what protection this provides in our Package Travel Regulations guide.

When sense-checking hotel-only deals, ensure you compare like for like. Check the room type, board basis, plus any extras that may have been thrown into the deal, such as afternoon tea. See our guide to the best-rated hotel booking sites.

We reviewed four hotels under £100 in the UK undercover - find out what we thought 

How we research travel deal sites

In September 2023, we asked 1,307 Which? members to tell us about their experiences of travel deal sites they'd used in the past two years. We only reported on companies and star rating categories when we received at least 30 responses.

You can have your say on what we research and help us achieve change by joining Which? Connect.