Your calls always answered within 5 rings.
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
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
No hitches on the way despite the potential for this to happen. Radisson Blue Hotel in Connaught Place excellent service and very convenient for shopping and restaurants.
Always very helpful and a pleasure to book with.
Other than the changes with the flights everything else was great
Amazing customer care
Excellent service
None. Good service
Alfie was very helpful, as usual and ensured all went smoothly
You didn't have to rearrange a flight home for me after a last minute international flight cancellation on this holiday, as you did on the last, but it was so good to know that - far from home - you were there to help me should I find myself stranded. Thank you so much for being there.
Excellent service and they were there for me when I needed assistance. Will definitely use again.
Always had good customer service from Michelle
Flight suggestions worked really well
All perfect!
Everything was handled promptly, professionally and it delivered an experience in India that was everything we hoped for. Great to have a team that were readily available to support us in both the planning and execution! Particular call-out for Brody Letchfield who was our main contact and ensured that, through liaison with Tamarind Global on the ground in India, everything ran smoothly
Connecting flight from Heathrow was delayed because of fog in Delhi, causing us to miss the connection to Goa. Seven hour wait for the next flight.
Great service yet again
Brody once again has provided excellent service and planned our holiday to perfection
Edward Scudder is a star - above and beyond. Quality service
Absolutely seamless holiday to Goa with all the flights booked with Rosie at DialAFlight Thanks again
As always, excellent service especially by Gino. If only BA could learn a thing or two from you about customer service.
Raphael was very helpful throughout the entire process, from initial booking to just before departure
Aiden is great and always most helpful as are all your team!
There is a dusty old history book in the library of the Sanctuary Cap Cana, entitled The British Are Coming. It feels rather prophetic. Ten years ago, the Dominican Republic, with its troubled political past, would have been quite low down the average Briton's Caribbean wish-list. No longer. In fact, the country's tourist industry has rallied so strongly post-pandemic that it is now the most popular tourist destination in the entire Caribbean.
British visitors are still heavily outnumbered by Americans, but with regular direct flights from the UK, there is no better time to visit a likeable destination with a real spring in its step.
All the main tourist developments are concentrated in Punta Cana, at the eastern tip of the island. The enclave feels light years from the hustle and bustle of Santo Domingo, the capital, but if you are in search of the holy trinity of sun, sea and sand, not to mention golf courses, theme parks, sunset cruises, etc., you will not feel short-changed.
The lavishly appointed Sanctuary Cap Cana, which opened at the start of 2023, epitomises the new mood of confidence in the Dominican Republic.
It really is a beautiful property, blending Spanish colonial architecture in the main building with state-of-the-art accommodation and facilities. The lovingly landscaped gardens, interspersed with tropical flowers and shady streams, are delightful.
For Marriott International, the owners, the resort marks a significant first: a luxury resort which is also all inclusive. i.e, you can eat and drink as much as you like, 24/7. The luxury and all inclusive markets have traditionally been seen as distinct, targeted at different kinds of holidaymaker.
In the case of the Dominican Republic, the island used to be associated with all inclusive resorts that were so cheap and cheerful that they were a magnet for drunken young Americans on a bender. Think Ibiza in the tropics.
So Marriott is breaking the mould and I am curious how well the Sanctuary has been able to square the circle.
Very well indeed, is the answer. In fact, judging by the pervasive smiles on the faces of our fellow guests, Marriott has got a winner on its hands.
It is an adult-only resort and, at the poolside bars, the cocktails are flowing from early morning, as you would expect. But there is not much sign of raucousness and, at the resort's various bars and eateries, there is an attractive mix of informality and stylishness.
People dress casually, chat to strangers, take photos, lark about in the pool, let their hair down. But there is nothing cheap and cheerful about the food.
The breakfast buffet is as good as I have come across: a plethora of fresh fruit and fish and pastries and omelettes for the ages.
The traditional American steakhouse is another winner: prime cuts of beef, cooked to perfection, washed down with fine French wines. And if you just want a simple burger and fries, or sushi, you can have them.
From dawn to dusk, relaxation is the name of the game. Apart from a few people riding bicycles around the resort or doing aerobics classes, nobody ever seems to be in a hurry. There is just too much in the surroundings to savour.
From our balcony suite, with its outdoor Jacuzzi, we are able to admire the Caribbean at its incomparable best, with the sun catching the tiny waves and an endless succession of brown pelicans swooping to catch fish. Or trying to catch fish. One doughty bird, whom we nickname Percy, makes six attempts in as many minutes, hovering, swooping and emerging with diddly squat.
Why does he do it? He must know he's wasting precious energy. But his persistence is oddly touching.
For me, people-watching is an intrinsic part of any holiday, and there are rich pickings here, with more minor comic characters than Love Island. The tattoos on display in the pool are an education in themselves. I keep willing the woman with a baby penguin on her shoulder to stand next to the man with a large shark on his chest, so I can shout: "Look behind you!"
Apart from one couple from Berkshire, most of our fellow guests are American, with a median age of around 40, while the friendly Spanish-speaking staff give the resort a quite different feel to former British colonies such as Barbados or Antigua, where you are at risk of bumping into your neighbours from Hemel Hempstead.
If the days are relaxed and low-key, a chance to unwind and leave the cares of the world behind, the resort really comes to life after dark, with live shows and cabarets and cheesy crooners and as many opportunities for dad dancing as a seasoned ham like me could ask for.
It all adds up to a very attractive package: an oasis of calm and sophistication in a likeable country.
If you are a sucker for the Caribbean, like me, and want to spread your wings, this could just be the answer.
First published in the Daily Mail - December 2023
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements