Your calls always answered within 5 rings.
Another perfect trip
Doug Scrivener and his team deliver excellent service and have for the 20 years I have been coming to DialAFlight. Thank you
Excellent work
Whilst I did not need any assistance whilst travelling, I felt confident that should I need any, DialAFlight would have been there. Also the booking process was easy and straightforward.
Dealing with a human being gives you great peace of mind, and as my flight was cancelled it was great being able to speak to Graham about the problem. Computers don't care about you - DialAFlight do!
Ruby was very helpful and professional.
Finn Conlon as always did an excellent job for which I am very grateful.
Not aware that Palm Springs car rental at Alamo did not open until we had to check-in. Checked their website and found their advice about checking in early morning.
Always keeps us up to date on all of our travel arrangements.
Everything went to plan. Had a wonderful time with my family and seeing my grandson graduate from university.
For the many, many years I have dealt with DAF and Ewan and his team, they have never let us down, and our recent trip was perfect as well. Thanks DAF for being just a 100% perfect company to deal with.
Always very professional - look forward to the next one
Disappointed not to have adjacent seats from Sacramento to Dallas. Suffice it say we will never fly BA again. Got our lost baggage back last night.
Peter looked after my trip from beginning to end, thank you
Everything went like clockwork - very nice resort
Excellent contact and communication. Clear information on flights and good choice of hotel. Probably need to inform customers about hotel tax!
Very polite and efficient service
Have dealt with Christian for many a year and would not organise a trip through anyone else. Superb as always.
Everything was perfect thanks. Great seats on the plane. Great car. Excellent connections. Thanks.
Mason has always helped us with travel plans superbly and the app from DialAflight is really helpful.
I know someone is looking after me from booking to arriving back home. Makes my trips stress free
As always perfect in every way, great holiday, fantastic hotel recommendation, caring communication - pre hols and post hols checkin.
The car hire arrangement was just what I wanted - thank you
Gino gave great service and even booked us upgraded seats for the best price - a nice touch and much appreciated
A bit more clarification re US time zones would be good.
All good thank you
Thank you for the ongoing support, even whilst we were on holiday and needed to call! Des was great right from booking through to the travel date.
Philippa was great throughout the whole process - thank you for your help!
Would highly recommend. Thank you Steven Merralls and team.
Always a pleasure to book with DialAflight. Very professional and efficient. I look forward to the courtesy call 24 hours before I travel . Professionalalism at its best.
The most famous of Portugal's Atlantic islands, Madeira is a gardener's heaven. Perched on windowsills or on steps up to the doors of even the tiniest houses, flowers are a constant welcome to visitors.
The semi-tropical climate means you are as likely to see an African flame tree, a jacaranda or a popcorn bush as a lupin or hollyhock. I was guided by landscape architect Dr Gerald Luckhurst, author of The Gardens Of Madeira.
Here is his pick of the bunch…
Belmond Reid's Palace Hotel
This is Madeira's most iconic landmark and Gerald helped design its peaceful and soothing gardens. Paved with pebbles, the terraced garden was the vision of hotel founder William Reid.
'I used to think cacti and succulents were something small boys collected – but since working in this climate, I have realised what beautiful forms they have,' says Gerald, showing me a crown of thorns set off by towering agapanthus.
Quinta da Boa Vista
High above red tiled roofs, a green door in a crumbly wall transports us into Madeira's orchid farm.
Originally a vegetable and then a flower farm, Boa Vista is run by Patrick Garton, whose late father, Group Captain Cecil Garton OBE, was British Consul in Madeira and founded the orchid garden in the Sixties.
Long staircases with Spanish moss and steep paths flanked by hibiscus lead to glasshouses, where rare orchids bloom.
Botanical Garden
Behind tall, iron gates in a faded ochre wall lies a handsome old mansion, a late 19th-century cream house with dark-green shutters – today home to a natural history museum.
The garden is divided into five parts and is known for its formal mosaiculture, or carpet bedding, an ornate purple and green patchwork with views over the city of Funchal.
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
This lofty garden is reached by cable car. It plummets from a Gothic structure housing African sculpture and an impressive gem and mineral collection. Archways, rails, bridges and pagodas are a vibrant Chinese red, accentuating the lush green around them. Waterfalls tumble into pools and lakes.
Palheiro Gardens
These best represent Madeira's flamboyant soul. They are mainly the work of the Blandy family, who bought the estate in 1885 from the Count of Carvahal.
They were neglected until the Eighties, when Mildred Blandy's Swedish daughter-in-law Christina re-invigorated them. 'Christina likes serendipity, rather than colour plans,' explains Gerald as we walk amid jasmine, calendula, birds of paradise, azaleas, camellias, pansies, dahlias, foxgloves and roses.
First published in the Daily Mail - October 2016
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements