[Updated] MINI has teamed up with Virgin Vacations to offer a MINI Motoring Holiday. Here are all the details:
Get ready for a some curves, dips, fish and chips. You’ve got a chance to do a little motoring in the old world. In the place it all began, Oxford England.
MINI USA has partnered with Virgin Vacations to create the MINI Motoring Holiday, a new travel program for MINI owners and enthusiasts. The new program will offer bookings for travel beginning June 20, 2005.
The program is designed specifically for those MINI enthusiasts who would like to create their own customized holiday to the UK. Most notably, travel includes unique ‘MINI-esque’ extras such as a tour of the MINI manufacturing plant in Oxford, England and the option to rent a MINI while on holiday.
There are individual packages to suit varying interests, budgets and travel schedules. Available packages include: the “Short Cut”, with three nights in London, the “Long Cut”, a six-night London stay and “The Scenic Route”, offering three nights in London and three nights in Oxford. Each package offers the add-on option of a MINI rental car as well as additional sight-seeing and travel options that can be booked in advance.
The 3 or 6-Night London Stay and the 6-Night London/Oxford Stay:
Inclusions:
- Round-trip Economy air on Virgin Atlantic Airways
- Choice of stay at first-class, superior or deluxe hotel in London or Oxford
- Meet & Greet service upon arrival in London
- Round-trip standard class rail ticket to Oxford
- MINI plant tour
- Round-trip airport transfer
- Complimentary Virgin “Extras” including London City Guide, Carry-all bag and MINI Motoring Holiday kit
- Optional MINI Car Rental: Cooper S – and coming soon – Convertible S
- Links to additional activities
Pricing:
- 3 night London: start from $759*
- 6 night London: start from $949*
- 6 night London/Oxford: start from $1,029*
- Rental car: rates from $125 per day**
*Prices based on double occupancy for travel 9/6 – 10/18 2005 from New York. Other travel dates and gateways available at applicable prices.
** Rental cars are based on number of days.
Please note: more detailed pricing and travel information is attached.Also available are a number of unique activities that travelers can book which are ideally suited to the MINI enthusiast. Travelers get to choose from activities that include driving go-karts, racing MINIs on the track or even commanding a real tank. Tours are also available at the National Motor Museum and Heritage Motor Centre museum which feature historic Mini displays.
The partnership with Virgin Vacations and MINI USA to create a travel program is appropriate as both brands posses a unique and fun customer orientation. The MINI Motoring Holiday emphasizes the sense of adventure MINI owners and enthusiasts possess, while offering travel packages managed by Virgin Vacations, experts in travel to Great Britain and other European destinations.
“MINI is about individualization and discovering the road less traveled,” said Marian Hawryluk, MINI Sales Process Manager, “Our partnership with Virgin Vacations is a natural fit as our program caters to those MINI enthusiasts who wish to experience a customized holiday package that offers a unique British flavor – yet with a MINI twist.”
[ MINI Motoring Holiday ] MINI/Virgin Vacations
Based on a conversation I had a while back with someone at MINI, quite a few people have been hard at work on this idea for sometime. While a true UK delivery option for US customers probably will never happen (right side driving + left side wheel = huge liability) this looks to be the next best thing. Kudos to MINI for offering something like this.
<p>I received that email tonight too … looked quite expensive to me :(</p>
<p>What email??? Did they actually launch this already?</p>
<p>Got the email as well.</p>
<p>Oh now I see it. I was under the impression that they weren’t going to push this quite yet. I suppose I should have posted this a few hours earlier for a more dramatic effect then :)</p>
<p>There are actually quite a few left handed vehicles driving on the right side (or what many of us over in mainland Europe call the wrong side) of the road.</p>
<p>What would be cool is if they would also include the JCW tour as well, integrated into this tour.</p>
<p>Also, not sure how much work it was to put together and why it required quite a bit of time. Appears that they just took a generic London trip and added a 2nd class rail pass to Oxford. Doesn’t seem to be anything much unique to Mini on this trip except for the plant tour.</p>
<p>Looks like a great way to see the plant for those of us that are euro-newbies. Have know idea if the pricing is good or not though.</p>
<p>I actually think the prices are quite reasonable.</p>
<p>I’m kinda disapointed in this package too. The only MINI thing about it is the factory tour and that’s a two hour, by second class train, trip from London to Oxford. The rest… is just another trip to London. Bummer.</p>
<p>got the email..but it doesnt open up to the Vigin airways site?</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a real MINI adventure, come to Italy in October for the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mini.com/MINIUnited/en/">MINI UNITED event</a>. It is hosted at the Misano race track. The MINI Challenge season final will be there too. I live in Germany and plan to drive down there across the Alpes. Get in touch if you want. In Germany MINIs can be rented from Entreprise and a couple of other rental companies.
(And no, I’m not a travel agent or BMW employee)</p>
<p>Cheers
Philip</p>
<p>Thats about £675 average, inc flights and accomodation, not a bad deal, MINI hire is available from several sources in the UK now, PARK Lane MINI, in er… Park Lane London will rent you an ‘S’ for around $100 a day. all in all for a taster its not a bad value package.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think the price is pretty good.</p>
<p>I just got the email and it’s very interesting to me. 6 nights for $1000 sure seems like a good deal. I’ve never been to Europe and would love to go. I hope this is not just some limited time offer, because a year from now I may be seriously considering it.</p>
<p>I do not think the price may hold for a whole year. There are a lot of variables between now and then, like exchange rates, airfare charges, European inflation….</p>
<p>Saw the email and was hoping it was chance for a free trip. Drat!
Interesting application of embedded marketing for Virgin.</p>
<p>Seems like a pretty good deal, considering that air fare from Miami to London (non-stop) comes close to $900 on tickets alone!!!</p>
<p>I have been to London and Oxford before (2001) and at the time I had no idea about the existence of the MINI factory there. The car had not yet been released yet but launch was just a few months away.</p>
<p>We liked London alot, but in a way I prefer Paris. There are some places we didn’t get to see the first time, so this package sound slike a platable idea for later in the year (Is cheaper too after the summer), plus having the opportunity to visit the MINI plant is a dream come true!.</p>
<p>$3600 for six days with plane fare for two from SFO.</p>
<p>Duhhhh….. LOL ;-)</p>
<p>Nice trip.
How nice it would be if yoy could have a Mini delivered in Europe and spend amonth cruising around.
Maybe some day</p>
<p>This toally sucks – I really want to do this, but it’s such a tiny timeframe, it’s not when I want to or can take vacation. I plan my yearly trips for November :(</p>
<p>we were already considering a trip to europe this year. i wasn’t sure about the price myself so i checked on flights and hotel individually. if you want to stay in a nice hotel, this is a real deal. my wife and i are booked for september.</p>
<p>I’m taking my 10 year old daughter, we’re doing the 6 night “long cut” staying at the Sanderson in London. I can’t wait. We’re leaving at the end of June.</p>
<p>ok, the coolest thing happened… as i said in my post on may 27, i signed up for the package. last thursday morngin i got a letter from MINI USA telling me that i was the first person to book the package and that to congratulate me they were sending me a gift. later that afternoon, i came home to find a HUGE box on my door step. the box was from MINI. after dragging it inside, i opened it to find an entire set of the Mandarina Duck MINI luggage!</p>
would like to rent a BMW mini in Rome italy. Does anyone know of a rental company that does this.