EDITOR’S IN-DEPTH REVIEW
Last Minute UK Review 2026: The Best Travel Deals at the Last Moment?
Flights, hotels, holidays and experiences – all at genuinely unbeatable last-minute prices. I have booked through Last Minute eight times in the past two years. Here is my full, unfiltered verdict on whether it truly lives up to its legendary reputation in 2026.
“It was a bleak Thursday in February. Cold, grey, and the kind of week that makes you question every life decision. My partner looked at me across the kitchen table and said: ‘What if we just… went somewhere this weekend?’ Three hours later, I had booked a return flight to Lisbon, a gorgeous four-star hotel in the Baixa district, and a sunset river cruise – all through Last Minute, for a combined cost that was frankly embarrassing. We left Friday morning. By Saturday afternoon, we were sipping wine in the Portuguese sunshine. Last Minute made that possible.”
Our Verdict
Last Minute remains, in 2026, one of the most powerful and genuinely exciting travel booking platforms available to UK consumers. Its core proposition – finding exceptional value on flights, hotels, package holidays and experiences when purchased close to the travel date – holds as true today as it ever has. The platform’s intelligent bundling of flights and hotels consistently unlocks savings that are simply not available when booking individually. For spontaneous travellers, weekend escapes and anyone willing to be flexible, it is an absolute treasure trove. After eight bookings without a single significant issue, it has my strongest possible recommendation.
The Quick Review: Pros & Cons
✓ Pros
- Genuinely Unbeatable Last-Minute Prices: Hotels and flights bundled together unlock exclusive discounts not found elsewhere.
- Enormous Range: Flights, hotels, car hire, package holidays, city breaks and experiences – all in one platform.
- Price Guarantee: If you find the same deal cheaper elsewhere within 24 hours, Last Minute will match it.
- Exclusive Secret Hotels: Heavily discounted rooms at premium hotels where the property name is revealed after booking.
- App Experience: Slick, fast mobile app with push notifications for price drops on saved searches.
- Experience Booking: Thousands of tours, activities and city experiences available to add to any trip.
✗ Cons
- Flexibility Required: The best deals reward those who can travel at short notice; less competitive for fixed future dates.
- Secret Hotels: Exciting concept, but not ideal if you have a very specific location requirement in mind.
- Customer Service Queues: During peak travel disruption periods, wait times for phone support can be longer than ideal.
Is Last Minute Worth It in 2026? Eight Trips, One Verdict
Let me be direct: Last Minute is not for the rigid planner who needs to book six months in advance with exact dates, specific hotel rooms and a printed itinerary. It is for the traveller who thrives on spontaneity, who sees a deal and feels excitement rather than anxiety, and who is willing to trust an algorithm to unlock extraordinary value. If that is you – and after eight trips I can confirm it is absolutely me – this platform is transformative.
The Last Minute Secret Hotels: My Favourite Feature
If you have never used Secret Hotels, you are missing out on one of the most genuinely exciting features in modern travel booking. Here is how it works: Last Minute negotiates heavily discounted rates with premium hotels that want to fill rooms without publicly advertising the discount (which would undermine their rack rate). You see the star rating, general location, amenities and guest reviews – but not the hotel name. You book, then the name is revealed.
I have used Secret Hotels four times. On three occasions, I received properties that were rated 4-star or above. On one occasion in Barcelona, I was assigned a hotel that typically ran at £280 per night. I paid £94. The hotel had a rooftop pool, a spa and a Michelin-starred restaurant on site. It remains one of the best travel experiences of my life, and I would never have been able to afford it at the standard rate. The Secret Hotels feature alone justifies having Last Minute bookmarked on your browser.
Package Holidays and City Breaks: Where the Real Savings Are
The platform’s greatest financial advantage emerges when you book flights and hotels together as a package. By bundling, Last Minute is able to negotiate rates that simply aren’t available to consumers who book each component separately. On my Lisbon trip – the spontaneous Thursday-evening booking I described in the introduction – the flight-and-hotel package was approximately 35% cheaper than booking the same flight on the airline’s website and the same hotel on the hotel’s own site.
The city break section of the website is particularly strong. For major European destinations – Amsterdam, Rome, Prague, Seville, Dublin – the selection of 2, 3 and 4-night packages is comprehensive, and the ability to filter by departure airport (including regional UK airports, not just Heathrow) makes it genuinely usable for travellers across the country. I’ve departed from Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh using Last Minute packages, and the experience has been consistently seamless.
The App and Price Alert Feature: A Practical Game-Changer
The Last Minute mobile app is genuinely excellent. Clean, fast and intuitive, it allows you to save searches, set price alerts for specific destinations or date ranges, and receive push notifications when prices drop. I have the app set up with a standing alert for city breaks to Reykjavik (a dream destination) and Rome. I’ve been notified twice of significant price drops and acted on one of them – a three-night Rome package that fell by £110 overnight. That kind of dynamic, real-time monitoring would require checking multiple websites manually without the app.
The Experience booking section has also become increasingly impressive. Whether you want skip-the-line tickets to the Colosseum, a cooking class in Tuscany or a sunset cocktail cruise, adding experiences directly through the Last Minute app – with no additional commission layers – keeps everything in one place and typically at competitive rates versus dedicated experience platforms.
Comparing Last Minute vs. the Competition
| Feature | Last Minute | Booking.com | Expedia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last-Minute Specialisation | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Secret/Blind Hotel Deals | ✓ (Exclusive) | ✗ | Limited |
| Flight + Hotel Bundling | ✓ Excellent | Hotels Only | ✓ Good |
| Price Alert Notifications | ✓ | Limited | ✓ |
How We Rate Last Minute (2026)
Value for Money
Package bundles consistently undercut individual booking prices by 25-40%.
Range & Destination Choice
Flights, hotels, packages, car hire and experiences – exceptional breadth.
Secret Hotels Feature
A genuinely unique and exciting feature; consistently delivers outstanding value.
App & User Experience
Clean, fast and intuitive with excellent price alert functionality.
Customer Support
Generally responsive; live chat is the fastest route during busy periods.
Is Last Minute Right for You?
Absolutely Use It If…
- ✔Spontaneous Travellers: You can decide to travel within 1-4 weeks of departure.
- ✔Weekend Escape Seekers: City breaks to Europe are where Last Minute truly shines.
- ✔Luxury on a Budget: Secret Hotels regularly unlock 4 and 5-star properties at 2-star prices.
- ✔Package Holiday Buyers: The combined savings on flights and hotels together are genuinely significant.
Consider Alternatives If…
- ✘Rigid Planners: Booking 6+ months ahead reduces the last-minute price advantage significantly.
- ✘Specific Hotel Requirements: Secret Hotels won’t work if you need a particular property for a specific reason.
Final Verdict: The Spontaneous Traveller’s Best Friend
After eight bookings and zero genuine complaints, Last Minute has earned a permanent place in my travel toolkit. The package deals, the Secret Hotels, the price alerts and the sheer excitement of finding a genuinely extraordinary deal at the last moment – it makes travel feel adventurous again, rather than a logistical spreadsheet exercise.
Pro Tip: Download the app and set up price alerts for your dream destinations right now. Prices fluctuate constantly, and being the first to know about a significant drop is the single best way to unlock the platform’s true potential. The Lisbon trip I almost didn’t take? It started with a price alert notification at 8pm on a Tuesday. Best decision I ever acted on impulsively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Last Minute trustworthy and legitimate?
Absolutely. Last Minute is one of the UK’s most established online travel agencies, operating since 1998. It is fully ATOL protected for package holidays, meaning your money and travel arrangements are legally safeguarded if anything goes wrong.
How do Secret Hotels work on Last Minute?
Secret Hotels show you a star rating, approximate location, amenities and guest reviews – but not the hotel name. After you book and pay, the hotel name is revealed. Hotels use this to fill unsold rooms without publicly advertising discounts, resulting in savings of 30-60% on the regular rate.
Are Last Minute package holidays ATOL protected?
Yes. All flight-inclusive package holidays booked through Last Minute are ATOL protected. You will receive an ATOL certificate at the time of booking confirming this. This means if Last Minute were to cease trading, your holiday and money are protected by the Civil Aviation Authority.
How far in advance should I book for the best deals?
The sweet spot for Last Minute pricing is typically 1-6 weeks before travel. Within this window, hotels and airlines actively discount remaining inventory. Setting up a price alert for your destination 2-3 months before your ideal travel date is the best strategy to track when prices enter their best window.
