Your calls always answered within 5 rings.
Another superb trip organised by Bradley
Everything excellent as always. Will use you again
Excellent all round service - reassured me
Dexter, all perfect. Many thanks. We will be back!
DialAFlight take out all the stress that would be involved in booking complicated longhaul flights
Have recommended to my sons and friends - such amazing service
Kylie and Kennedy dealt with our booking. They were both helpful and efficient. I was very impressed with the service and will be in contact soon to discuss options for our next family vacation.
Can’t wait to book my next flight with you.
Both Howard and Russell were excellent in support and no query was ever too much for them. A brilliant service.
Another fantastic trip organised by Kieran Greenfield at DialAFlight. Already planning the next one
Les is brilliant, very customer-focused and helpful...
First class attention. Very pleased with the support and information given by Emma. Very impressed
Matthew and the team are first class in every respect
Thanks Nicole and Theo for your excellent service and making it a smooth trip
We’ve relied on DialAFlight for decades now and wouldn’t go anywhere else
Great communication. Whole process was very smooth.
I tell all my friends about DialAFlight - for longhaul they are the best and Dennis takes the time to follow up on all bookings with a personal touch. No long waits for the phone to be picked up, always better rates than websites can offer and I can’t recommend them highly enough!
Excellent service and would recommend to anyone. Thank you Billy
Jerry always does a brilliant job for me
Great service
Sam was excellent and we would definitely return to book flights with him
As always, 5 stars
The connecting flight time was too short as BA was 45 mins delayed on take off ! Collecting suitcase at Joburg took 40 mins leaving a very tight time scale to go through security and check in so had to push in front of queue to get to flight before gate closed. Although this wasn’t your problem it was still a stressful 30 mins to get to plane on time through no fault of yours or mine
Thank you. 5 stars
We appreciated your help, however we will do everything to avoid flying with BA ever again. Their cost relative to performance is expensive in comparison with other airlines. In addition their service is also poor.
So much more than I could have asked for. So pleased I worked with DialAFlight
Excellent service from Shane and all at DialAFlight. I only ever use them as they are highly reliable, efficient, kind, go over and beyond to assist in all your travels
Leah Jessop, thanks for finding me a break despite my goalposts changing! All the help appreciated, definitely continue to use the agency, love the app, keeping in touch and knowing if things get delayed, you are on it.
BA outbound flight was on old aircraft - no centre toilets, door broken, no headphones plug broken, no blankets. Not your fault but a different experience coming back on a newer aircraft with more room
Sadie is so helpful - every mistake I make she comes to the rescue. Brilliant
Hiro raises his bare thigh and slams his foot on the ground, spreading ripples across his man mountain of a body.
He bows at his opponent and, in a vision of manboobs and giant wedgies, they engage in combat; wrestling, pushing, heaving and tugging until one emerges victorious.
Suddenly, it's my turn. I step into the ring and stare ahead towards the sumo wrestler a few feet away - all 26st of him. A moment later I'm pressed up against his folds of flesh, my face alarmingly close to his armpit as I push with all my might. My feet scramble at the salt-strewn floor while Hiro - a wrestler for 22 years - stands there chuckling.
I'm in the small city of Katsuragi, considered the birthplace of sumo. Located an hour from Osaka in the Kansai region, this is a corner of Japan that has just become more accessible thanks to British Airways direct flights from Heathrow.
Kansai is an area of misty mountains dotted with remote shrines, tropical beaches and tea plantations which will appeal to visitors keen to explore what lies beyond the capital Tokyo. After putting Hiro through his paces ('You have great potential,' he jokes), it's time to move on to Osaka.
Home to three million people, the city is a patchwork of 16th century castles and 21st century glass skyscrapers. From my room on the 36th floor of the Conrad Hotel, the view of Dotonbori district, the main restaurant and entertainment area, is dizzying.
This 164-room hotel gives off a Lost In Translation vibe – think Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson – and is filled with 389 artworks including one by local boy turned renowned sculptor, Kohei Nawa.
While Osaka is certainly worthy of a few days' exploration, the experiences awaiting further afield prove to be the real temptation.
Travelling south, urban sprawl gives way to delightful rural scenes. Before long we're surrounded by the crumpled green peaks of the Kii Peninsula. These mountains are the gateway to Wakayama.
Occupying the southern tip of Kansai, this city holds the key to much of Japan's ancient spiritual heritage.
For more than 1,000 years, everyone from emperors to humble farmers has walked these peaks seeking peace and purification. The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage ranks as one of the world's great pilgrim routes. A network of trails, it has several options, from gentle hour-long strolls to arduous multi-day treks.
Opting for the easier and shorter route, I slice through silent bamboo forests and inch along paths that hug plunging wooded ravines. I pause to enjoy panoramas splashed with cherry blossom. I am feeling more peaceful by the moment.
The climax is our arrival at the grand Shinto shrine of Kumano Hongu Taisha, the hallowed ground where all trails meet. The silence of the forest is broken by the rhythmic chiming of bells and the flapping of flags in the breeze.
I watch as worshippers cross the gravel courtyards, clap their hands twice (to announce their arrivals to the deities) and bow their heads in prayer. This is a special, unforgettable place. Just down the road, in the valley and dissected by a stream of healing thermal waters, is Yunomine, an onsen village centred around natural hot springs.
These healing waters were discovered 1,800 years ago and became an important part of the pilgrimage by offering hot water purification along the way.
Pilgrims enjoy a spiritual soaking by stripping off, as is custom, for a dip in the stone plunge pool housed in a rickety shed. Barely big enough for two, it makes for quite the intimate experience.
I choose instead a riverside dip in the thermal rockpool at the Kawayu Midoriya. A spa hotel somewhat stuck in the Seventies, it models itself on the traditional inn, the ryokan. Expect sliding paper screens and legless chairs.
No trip to this part of Japan would be complete without the glittering jewel in its Imperial crown, Kyoto.
Reached in 15 minutes from Osaka by Shinkansen bullet train, this enchanting city was the nation's capital until 1868. It retains much of its ancient character, particularly in the Gion district where geishas once scuttled between teahouses in their elaborate silk costumes.
From the comfortable Ritz-Carlton hotel, it's a pleasant 20-minute stroll along the Kamogawa River to Gion.
Delving into the backstreets, I discover deserted gardens and teahouses serving fragrant cherry blossom tea and sit with elderly locals painting watercolours of a pagoda.
Hunched over their palettes, they look long and hard and produce thoughtful brushstrokes. They seem lost in their individual reveries, drinking in the beauty. It sums up my experience perfectly.
First published in the Daily Mail - November 2019
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