Your calls always answered within 5 rings.
The whole experience with DialAFlight was exceptional. Rebecca and Stuart from the beginning were so professional and helpful. Rebecca organised my travel efficiently and I was totally confident that all my travel arrangements were in place. On my return journey the flight was delayed due to bad weather so I missed my connection. As I was sitting in Amsterdam airport waiting to board a re-scheduled flight Stuart called to check that I was OK. Incredible service. I will always be using DialAFlight for future travel.
My flight was cancelled. Luggage left behind. You guys were excellent in listening and helping. Thank you.
Trevor and his team did an excellent job after Air France cancelled 2 of our flights then strikes caused another change
We have used DialAFlight for a few years now never had a problem - thank you so much
I was recommended to you and was really pleased with the aircraft, the cost, the spacious seats and staff. I will be booking again real soon.
Only hotel that did not meet expectations was Si No Como
Billy is so helpful - have recommended to many people. Always happy with our trips
Booked party of 10 to Mexico. Great work by Elliott. Got us a great price, prebooked all the seats and great communication. Highly recommended
My transit in Miami on the way back was a little tight. I ended up sprinting the length of Miami airport whilst last calls were being issued. Pleased to say I made it though. Other than that all flights were exactly as promised although there was a noticeable drop in standard on American Airlines compared to BA.
Fantastic service once again
Darren was excellent
Jane was able to transfer our flights so we could fit in my friend's wedding in Phoenix en route to Mexico. She also booked our seats on all 3 flights which made the whole journey so much better. She is a star!
Great service as always
Philippa was on point as usual, thanks
All went exceptionally smoothly and brilliant value for money
Justin went over and beyond to help.
I was kept up to date with everything I needed to know in good time
Bradley, as always, was brilliant.
Alfie at DialAFlight is great. Loved every holiday I have booked and they have all gone so smoothly.
Jack always looks after us well
Tony Judge was always on hand to support and answer questions. He made the booking of our honeymoon and the trip itself go super smoothly
An amazing holiday and Jake again delivered on every request. Would recommend to everyone
Great flights, great airlines and good value
Used you before, always been hassle free!
Kieran was excellent at arranging our trip
Timely updates from my appointed agent meant that I was kept aware of any changes to the bookings I had made. A courtesy call just prior to travelling was a nice touch. All in all 100% satisfied with the service.
Once again excellent, trouble free travel. There is little point in checking every website - one phone call to Eric and the job is done. Thanks again
Always excellent and thorough service.
As always, excellent service from Dominic and our holiday was superb.
It's very reassuring to know that if something goes wrong with my trip there's someone I can call to help sort it out.
An 11-hour overnight flight from Heathrow finds you blinking into the sunrise of another clear blue Cape Town morning. We had come to sample the sauvignon, sip the shiraz, marvel at the malbec, and also savour the world-class cuisine. But why, you may ask, travel to the southern hemisphere to experience what we have right here on our European doorstep? You obviously haven’t been to South Africa.
This pilgrimage to the wine-taster’s paradise of Franschhoek began not with an aperitif - say a Graham Beck Game Reserve chenin blanc - but with an appetising few days in Cape Town to acclimatise.
Our hotel, the Cape Grace, sits like a luxury liner alongside the lively marina. It’s in a fantastic location, with the harbour flanked by the flat-topped Table Mountain.
From here, you can take a tourist bus ride around the city, a cable-car trip to the top of Table Mountain, and then shop until you drop when you return to the Waterfront area.
At the Baia restaurant, we feasted on seafood bisque, lobster and langoustine - and were then presented with a bill as cheap as chips.
If you are looking for something more sedate, the colonial grandeur of Mount Nelson is the place to take afternoon tea. However, if I could eat only one meal on the Cape it would be at The Pot Luck Club, the hottest restaurant in town.
After our stay in Cape Town, we drove past skyscrapers, high-priced apartment blocks and the sobering miles upon miles of poverty stricken townships before breaking into open countryside and climbing through the Helshoogte Pass, with its amazing panoramic mountain views.
Just 90 minutes later we were in a different country - think Tuscany comes to Cumbria, with some Dutch gable architecture thrown in for good measure.
In fact, it was the Huguenots who brought their distillery skills to this verdant triangle of South Africa. Hotel and villa operator Relais & Chateaux has now captured a corner of Franschhoek and discreetly created the Provencal-style retreat of Le Quartier Francais - so discreetly, in fact, that we drove past without noticing it.
In the spirit of, say, a complex table wine, the hotel opened up with a series of delicious surprises. An opal-shaped pool, a tranquil hidden garden, a lavender-lined walkway, the inner sanctum of The Tasting Room restaurant, and stylish glass-walled conservatory, all set within the charm of a Victorian village square and leading out towards the colourful Franschhoek Main Street. For the connoisseur there is a glorious menu of wine estates to visit in this area, with restaurants and tastings on tap.
La Petite Ferme sits up at the back of Franschhoek and has spectacular mountain views and a mouth-watering lunch menu. Delaire Graff is a gem of a wine estate, where you can view the oak-barrelled seasoning process, or visit its famous art collection, including Tretchikoff’s Chinese Girl (it’s said to be the most reproduced painting in the world), and a diamond showroom on which the Graff fortune is built.
We opted for the hop-on, hop-off Franschhoek tram tour of the vineyards, along with a boisterous party who got ever squiffier as we rum-bled from one distinguished estate to the next.
The history of Franschhoek stretches back more than 300 years to when persecuted Protestants from France fled to the Netherlands only to be persecuted there too. From the Netherlands, they were transported as refugees to the South African Cape.
Nine of those Huguenot families settled in Franschhoek and transformed the wilderness into one of the most beautiful wine valleys in the world. It’s a pleasure to drive in South Africa - and on the left too. But the open-sided tram left us free to really enjoy the exceptional wines on offer.
There was Mont Rochelle’s chardonnay, fermented in a butterscotch-flavoured barrel, La Couronne’s plummy malbec which we partnered with a local cheese platter, and my favourite, Moreson’s In My Bed cabernet sauvignon merlot.
Moreson’s has a brilliant collection of wines, wittily named around the good-natured naughtiness of their Weimaraner dog. Rather tipsily, we left the tram party to the strains of Chicago’s If You Leave Me Now, as the rest of the travellers continued the journey.
We needed all our concentration for the task ahead: a night in The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais. There are restaurants around the world that are worth making a pilgrimage to - and this is certainly one of them. Award-winning chef Margot Janse weaves her magic in the kitchen, combining earthy African and sophisticated French to create some audacious flavour combinations.
Janse once considered a career in the theatre - and each of the eight courses, accompanied by a different wine, was drama on a plate. There was texture, humour, sex appeal and surprises with every mouthful. The Eastern Cape marron crayfish, Cape gooseberry and lemon verbena was like leaping into the freezing Atlantic - so tinglingly exhilarating I nearly had to go change into my swimwear to eat it.
We finished our trip on the coast at the glamorous Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa in Camps Bay, but not before sweeping up some booty from Ebony, the Cape’s equivalent of the Conran Shop.
Dropping down into the foothills of Table Mountain to the unabashed luxury of Twelve Apostles was like being greeted with a glass of Klein Constantia Vin de Constance - a silky, rich dessert wine much loved by Napoleon.
But there was one more thing left to do before we returned to Britain. Well aware that we had the good fortune to taste the best that South Africa had to offer, we took the sobering trip out to Robben Island, where the country’s former president Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for more than 27 years.
To be privileged enough to come here and not pay homage to one of the most inspiring figures of our time - or any time - would be missing the point of South Africa today.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - January 2015
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements