Travel Diaries: SRPRS.ME
Ever thought about leaving a stranger to book your holiday for you and not find out where you’re going until you get to the airport? Me neither…until coming across srprs.me! Myself and my life long travel companion Lulu took the plunge into the travelling-unknown and this is how it went…
When it came to choosing where we fancied going for this years city escape, we struggled to pick one exact location. So, after hearing about Srprs.me we thought we’d leave it to someone else to decide our holiday fate for us.
What you need to know:
The website is pretty self explanatory and easy to navigate. In fact it’s so simple, you can essentially book a trip within a matter of clicks!
Once you’ve entered your dates, the fun customisation part begins. First up, you need to decide whether you want to travel within Europe or outside of Europe. You’re then able to pick 3 places you definitely wouldn’t want (aka. cities you’ve already been to or are visiting for upcoming holidays).
Next you choose preferred airports and departure times and the level of accommodation (this is mainly what impacts the price point).
Once you’re happy with your dates and total cost, you have the option of extra’s e.g. checked luggage and included breakfast for the accommodation.
When you’ve entered your details and made the payment, the rest is left to the imagination until your day of departure…it really is that simple!
Next steps:
The only clue you receive, apart from what time to be at the airport, is the weather report a week before your trip. This is your guide to packing and starting to guess where you might be heading. It’s also worth noting this is updated every day leading up to the final countdown so will be most accurate the day before departure.
Revelation day:
6:30am came around and we’d made it to Gatwick with just our luggage and scratch card, waiting to reveal where we’d be jetting off to. It’s safe to say we got the place we were hoping for…
Once finding out we were headed to Prague, we were then given our flight details and accommodation. Srprs.me send the boarding passes in a little black envelope and also provide various routes you can take from the airport to where you’ll be staying, continuing the stress-free approach to the experience.
And so it was finally time to set off for a long weekend in Prague!
The Hotel:
We stayed at the Red & Blue Design Hotel Prague. Situated about a 10 minute walk from the Charles Bridge (where you then cross over into Old Town Prague) we really were in the perfect location. The room, hotel facilities and staff exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t have asked for a better accommodation!
Our Prague Experience
Prague really is as beautiful as everyone says. It aesthetically feels like a mix of Budapest and Vienna and is the sort of place you can mooch around endlessly enjoying the architecture, quirky shops and scenery.
We never found ourselves short of choice for food spots, bars, quaint drink stops and places to boogie. If you’re looking for a fun night out you can’t miss Karlovy Lazne; being the biggest club in Central Europe it consists of 5 floors of varying music and crowds and even includes an Ice Bar.
The best way to get your bearings and see Prague is of course by foot, however one of our favourite moments had to be taking a boat tour down river Vltava. There are various boat tours you can take, we opted for Prague Boats which included a one hour journey and table service to enjoy a drink along the way. We also spent our last few hours in Prague on the pedalo’s enjoying the sights from the river!
Prague Castle is of course one of the main attractions. The layout can be a little confusing and we found ourselves underestimating how much time is needed to see it all. Despite this, it’s definitely worth a visit. The architecture is beautiful and the views are breathtaking. A top tip for once you’ve gone through security is to avoid the first visible queue for tickets; go to the slightly hidden indoor section for faster service.
We were lucky to only have one brief rain shower whilst in Prague and what better way to avoid the rain than to head to the iconic Staropramen Brewery Tour! I’d highly recommend including the beer tasting within the tour package (for obvious reasons). Overall it was a quick and entertaining experience, learning the secrets to making the Czech beer taste as good as it does.
Whilst in Prague, the most common delicacy you’ll find on the streets is Trdelnik. Made by rolling out dough, wrapping it around the stick, sprinkling it with a sugar and spice mixture and setting it over the flames to cook, it’s as delicious as it sounds. There are a variety of ways you can enjoy this Czech dessert, whether that’s with ice cream, melted chocolate or various other toppings inside, you’ll end up wanting one after every meal!
Overall Srprs.me was one of the most unforgettable travel experiences. From packing for the unknown, having butterflies the night before and watching the live countdown, waiting to find out where you’ll be jetting off to, the whole experience was both freeing and exhilarating. If you ever want to take a leap of faith when planning your next holiday, Srprs.me made everything seamless and stress-free and I can’t recommend it highly enough!
As for Prague, I absolutely fell in love with it’s beauty and character. 3 nights was just the right amount of time to see the sights whilst also being able to comfortably enjoy leisurely time within the city’s culture. Whether you’re looking for a romantic break or a weekend of fun with friends, Prague is a must do.
