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Depart 22 November 2024

Return 29 November 2024

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What 841 of our customers thought of India...

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See another reviews on Trustpilot where 98% of customers say they'd book again.

Have used Stuart and Graham at DialAFlight for many years - great experience and service

Excellent service, I would highly recommend

Top class trip that exceeded our expectations!

Holiday was amazing.

Jim always brilliant. Thank you

Tristan provides a fabulous service. I would always use DialAFlight for booking flights where possible.

A great service from beginning to end. In a tour incorporating seven locations and hotels, multiple trips to monuments, temples and historical buildings, all including transport and tour guides; every single experience was slick, professional and memorable.

Smooth and attentive. Everything worked perfectly.

Everything was straightforward, no issues.

Jerry Bushnell provided an excellent service

Detailed planning meant for a smooth journey. Always good to know I could contact you at anytime. Excellent flight times. I will definitely use this company again and recommend to others.

Thank you Guy for your professionalism and support throughout the trip

Excellent and reliable.

Not your fault but Vistara is a very poor airline with a mixture of helpful and hostile and rude staff.

Always amazing

Always a 1st Class service

Always book with Adrian, have booked 3 trips within the last 2 months with him totalling 12 flights.

You can not fault this company. They go above and beyond. I had to extend my stay by a few days and when I called and spoke with Zoe about this, she sorted out my new ticket and confirmation straight away and the price was very fair too.

Sean Furnival was a delight with suggestions and my flights were perfect

Craig and team are amazing. Never let's us down. We have again given DialAFlight recommendation to people who we met whilst travelling

Air India, despite its quite recent privatisation, is simply awful in every way. I was at Gatwick for 11 hours , with zero information about what was happening. Apparently the previous two Air India flights to Kochi were cancelled. All very stressful, but no fault of DAF!

There is a great deal of reassurance in knowing that your trip has been arranged by people who really know what they are doing. And that you are not just abandoned to the anonymous machinery of an airline that doesn't really care, in spite of all their rubbish claims about caring! Also that if something goes wrong you can get advice with a telephone call that is actually answered!

Although my baggage was lost from Dubai to London Gatwick I was able to speak to DialAFlight and ask for guidance on how to process the forms to reclaim my baggage. This they did readily which was a comfort at the time. You'll be glad to hear I now have my lost baggage!

Archie was brilliant - sorted everything out. Will definitely be using you guys and recommending to friends

Absolutely brilliant, we will always come to you for a quote.

Great service, especially from Ray Taylor.

Zoe Lane is an excellent travel agent.

It's not until something goes wrong with your travel plans that you realise the benefits of booking with them. After sitting on the plane at Gatwick for a couple of hours our flight was cancelled due to a technical issue. At 11pm there aren't that many people in the airport to help. Fortunately a call to DialAFlight's emergency phone line had me talking to Korinna within seconds. She was able to see there were no flights from Gatwick the following morning but there were spaces on the Heathrow flight and she changed our booking to this flight. She also re-arranged our connecting flight for Dubai to Delhi. All this whilst my husband was trying to talk to the airline's customer call centre who were saying they couldn't do anything as the flight hadn't been officially cancelled! A big thanks to Korinna for her help.

Efficient and helpful

Thank you so much for our wonderful experience. Etihad was A1 with its service. Thanks to Ryan for taking care of our booking. We look forward to travelling with you soon.

Portugal Reviews 832

Portugal Offers 9

Portugal Hotels 270

Portugal Pousadas 36

Madeira in full bloom

The spectacular gardens on this remote Atlantic island are awe-inspiring, as Charlotte Metcalf discovered

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…

Gardens at the iconic Reid's Palace

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.

The Botanical Garden is as spectacular as the views if affords of Funchal

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

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 at the Casa Velha do Palheiro hotel

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...

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Portugal's pousadas

Magnificent hotels with wall-to-wall history

Magnificent Madeira

There’s a reason the capital is called Fun-chal, says Louise Thomas

God's waiting room

But Harriet Sime finds that a younger crowd is now discovering Madeira's glories

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Good old fashioned service and VALUE for money

Clients range from TV companies to Space agencies, investment banks to firms recruiting nurses, doctors and teachers around the world. One saves tigers, elephants and and orang-utans, another clears landmines around the world.

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98% would book again with DialAFlight
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Amazing Business Class Fares

Save on First & Business Class

Save on First & Business Class Fares

Let us extend the personalised service of your booking into your holiday with great prices on business class flights ready to add a touch of class to your trip.

Take the stress out of travelling with a host of wonderful perks on offer from priority check-in and premium lounge access to chauffeur service and fine in-flight dining, plus the supreme comfort of a fully-reclining seat.

Call us to see how much you could save on Business Class flights.

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Airport lounges

Relax in comfort before you fly

Beat the airport chaos. Swap the crowds for a luxury lounge

Airport Lounges from £25

Once you’re through security leave the crowds, kids and chaos behind you with a visit to one of our comfortable airport lounges.

All offer complimentary food, drinks, wifi and newspapers with some also including Fastrack through security. Prices from £25.

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Meet and greet

We'll arrange to meet you on arrival

Avoid the stress with our Meet & Greet service

Use our speedy private transfer service to avoid the stress of finding your way out of the airport terminal and looking for a taxi or bus on arrival.

With our meet and greet service, our driver will meet you in the arrivals hall. They will monitor flight arrival times giving you peace of mind that someone will be waiting for you with a name board even if your flight is late.

They will then assist you with your luggage and organise a private transfer directly to your hotel - there’s no waiting around for other passengers for shared transfers!

So no queues, no delays and less stress.

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Travel Vouchers

Gift of Travel

What could be better than giving someone the Gift of Travel?

Starting at just £50, with no maximum value, DialAFlght's 'Gift of Travel' vouchers make the perfect present for any occasion or celebration.

And it couldn't be simpler to organise, just contact one of our travel experts today and they will organise a personalised travel voucher to be sent out.