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Secret Escapes review

Updated September 30, 2026 · NomadCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026

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Our verdict

Secret Escapes suits couples and families who want a short break booked in one search. It scores 9.3 out of ten here, and hotels, packages and flights sit behind a single booking with the fee already inside the price you compare.

Key facts

Best for
Couples and families booking a whole short break, room plus flight, in one search.
Products
Hotels, Packages, Flights, Cruise, Ski↗
Booking fees
Service fee shown in price, non-refundable↗
Cancellation terms
Non-refundable unless flexible; £35 fee↗
Mobile app
Yes↗
Legal entity
Secret Escapes Limited↗
Headquarters
United Kingdom↗
Founded
2009↗
Support channels
Email, Chat, Phone, Help-centre↗
Official website
secretescapes.com

Facts checked September 30, 2026, 4 sources

Apps and profiles

Elsewhere
WikidataXTrustpilotLinkedInfacebook.com

Pros and cons

Pros

  • One booking covers hotels, packages and flights, so a room, a flight and a ski week do not need separate searches.
  • The Service fee shown in price, non-refundable is displayed in the price rather than added at the last step, which makes the headline figure easier to trust.
  • A mobile app is available, so a booking can be opened and checked while travelling.
  • Support spans email, chat and phone, so a question about an existing booking does not have to sit in an email queue.
  • Flexible rates sit alongside the standard terms (Non-refundable unless flexible; £35 fee), which matters for anyone booking around school holidays or work.

Cons

  • Non-refundable unless flexible; £35 fee is firm by default, so a date change late in the booking process means paying to move it.
  • The service fee is folded into the price and non-refundable (Service fee shown in price, non-refundable), so it goes with the booking if the trip is called off.
  • The catalogue stops at hotels, packages and flights, so rail, transfers, car hire and airport parking sit outside the same booking.
  • Car rental, transfers, parking and lounges are not among hotels, packages and flights, while Emirates folds all of them into flights, hotels and tours.
Secret Escapes

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Scored 9.3 / 10 by NomadCue.

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Who it suits

  • Couples planning a short romantic break where the stay and the flight matter equally.
  • Families who want a ski or cruise week booked from the same place as a city hotel break.
  • Travellers who prefer a curated shortlist over browsing a very large general booking site.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Emirates, for anyone whose trip hinges on transfers, car hire or airport parking, since its range covers flights, hotels and tours.
  • Intrepid Travel, for a longer guided itinerary, since it covers packages, tours and cruise including rail.
  • Čedok, for ski and cruise trips with rail added, since it covers flights, packages and tours.

What you can book

The range is a curated holiday catalogue rather than a general travel inventory, and it covers hotels, packages and flights. A couple can therefore move from a weekend city hotel to a ski week or a cruise without leaving the same site, which is the main reason this brand sits apart from a broad airline site. A mobile app is available, so a saved shortlist and an existing booking can be opened from a phone rather than a laptop. The trade-off is where that list stops, so transport extras, rail and car hire are arranged on a different site, and a trip with several legs in it needs more than one search.

Fees and cancellation

The Service fee shown in price, non-refundable is shown in the price from the outset, so the number a reader compares is the number a traveller pays, and no extra charge is discovered at the payment step. The same care does not extend to the terms: Non-refundable unless flexible; £35 fee applies by default, so a cancellation costs a set fee and forfeits the balance, and only a flexible rate changes that. In practice a fixed plan rewards a confident booker and punishes a hesitant one, which is the single most useful line to read before confirming a date, and the more expensive flexible rate can be worth it for a group split across several dates.

Who runs it

The operator behind the site is Secret Escapes Limited, registered and based in the United Kingdom, and the company has been trading since 2009, so this is a long-established business rather than a new aggregator. Buyers can reach it through email, chat and phone, which covers both self-service reading and a direct conversation. For a site that takes payment for a whole trip at once, that combination of a named UK entity, a clear founding date and a phone line as well as email is the reassurance worth having, and it is the part to weigh against a newer operator selling the same kind of break.

How Secret Escapes compares

Frequently asked questions

Is there a booking fee on top of the price shown?+

There is a Service fee shown in price, non-refundable, and it is displayed in the price rather than added at checkout. A reader comparing headline figures is therefore comparing the amount that would actually be charged. The catch is that this component is non-refundable.

What happens if I need to cancel a booking?+

The standard position is Non-refundable unless flexible; £35 fee, so a cancellation carries a fee and the balance is lost. A flexible rate is the exception, and it is the line to look at when dates are uncertain. Worth weighing before confirming anything, especially for a group trip.

Can I book flights, hotels and a ski or cruise trip in the same place?+

Yes. The catalogue covers hotels, packages and flights, which is unusual for a brand built around short breaks rather than a single type of holiday. A family can set up a ski week or a cruise and add a flight to it without starting a second search.

Is there an app for booking on the move?+

A mobile app is available, so shortlisted places and existing bookings can be opened on a phone. That matters most once a trip is live, when a confirmation or a change needs checking away from a laptop.

How do I get help with a booking I already have?+

Support runs on email, chat and phone, which mixes self-service with direct contact, including a phone line. For a site that holds the whole trip rather than one flight, having phone support alongside email is a meaningful part of the service.

Who am I actually paying?+

The site is run by Secret Escapes Limited, which is based in the United Kingdom and has traded since 2009. Payment therefore goes to a named UK company with a long trading record rather than an anonymous intermediary, which matters when a booking covers a room and a flight together.

Can I add car hire, transfers or parking to my booking?+

Those sit outside this catalogue, which ends at hotels, packages and flights, so each has to be arranged separately. Emirates covers car-rental, transfers and parking in the same booking, so it is the practical alternative for a road trip or an airport transfer.

Is this better for a short break or a long trip?+

A short break. The range centres on hotels, packages and flights built for a weekend or a week away rather than an extended multi-stop route, so a traveller needing rail connections and a long itinerary fits better with a specialist operator.

Sources

Compiled from 4 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.

Secret Escapes

Secret Escapes

Couples and families booking a whole short break, room plus flight, in one search.

9.3/10Visit