Whenever I rang my call was answered promptly and my request was dealt with efficiently. Twice I rang from South Africa about a problem, once out of hours, and again someone answered promptly, and dealt with my question courteously. It is so helpful to have someone answer the phone without having to go through a long procedure before speaking to a human voice.
Everything perfect. Reassuring staff. Always quick response on telephone.
I was going to choose KLM for my flight to Cape Town but Matthew Price recommended Qatar and I'm so glad he did. The service throughout was far superior and the whole process from booking the flights to answering any queries was handled efficiently and always in a friendly manner.
Great service from Dale. Everything went according to schedule and an amazing first trip to South Africa. Definitely be booking again for the next adventure.
I would avoid terminal 5 at Heathrow in the future if at all possible
We use DialAFlight all the time. I sometimes look at what’s available and let them have the details which always seem to get pretty much around the same price even if it’s a bit more expensive. In the past we’ve come to learn when things go wrong DialAFlight were indispensable in sorting everything out to get us back home. Even in the early hours of the morning.
The hotel had to contact the transfer company to find out what time we were to be picked up. Scott had contacted them for timings for the transfer to Ivory Tree. Communication could be much better.
Great flying premier class with you. Very comfortable and crew very friendly. Thank you for suggesting it.
Very impressed with Turkish airline as recommended by you. Everything worked perfectly both ways
Our return flight connection at Heathrow for Manchester was very tight, and we would possibly have missed the flight if it hadn't been delayed because of the time taken to get through security checks. Otherwise very happy with service provided
Always excellent service
I really appreciate the very quick response to any questions - even when abroad. A very professional and reassuring service.
Advised that Kenya Airways business class from Nairobi to Cape Town (7 hour flight) would have a flat bed. A little disappointing however as this was mainly day time it didn't matter too much.
Thanks to Sebastian and team who always tirelessly dealt with my difficulties in a polite and efficient manner. I will never consider using anyone but DialAFlight.
Very good. Kylie was very helpful. Thank you for excellent service
There were minor issues with Virgin on the return flight and they are aware of my concerns. There were no issues with the DialAFlight arrangements
The best company I have dealt with to organise my flights.
Everything went perfectly. Flights and car hire all worked well. Can’t praise the staff enough for the excellent service they give every time.
Everything so easy with Claire helping us all the way
Always an immediate response. Very impressive.
Larry was amazing and I am looking forward to booking the next trip.
Another excellent trip organised by Kieran at DialAFlight. Great customer service, great insight and always competing on price. He just takes the hard work out of booking a trip,
My experience re this trip justifies the reason why I have dealt with your company over many years.
We will certainly use you again
Car was the only problem. A mid sized SUV was minute, with a boot that took only one large suitcase. When 4 people are travelling together they need a large car with a big boot. To be fair you may not have known there were 4 of us but the car would have been small even for 2 people.
I deal with Stacey Rayner and she is very professional and friendly
I can always count on Danny's team when I have a problem or need advice.
Thank you team for your usual efficiency and attentiveness
Thank you to the staff at DialAFlight for always making our holiday experience so very pleasant and stress free
Dylan was helpful and courteous throughout and helped make my trip a success.
When the French astronomer Abbe Louis de la Caille made it to the top of Table Mountain in 1750, he observed no fewer than 10,000 stars and was so impressed that he named a whole constellation (Mons Mensae) after this iconic slab of stone.
Today, you're likely to see almost as many tourists coming and going on the cable car or huffing and puffing on foot. But that's no excuse not to join them – because once you get there the crowds become insignificant in such an exhilarating setting.
We had allocated 45 minutes to wander about on the massive plateau, but it soon became almost two hours – and still, like Moses, we were reluctant to come down from the mountain.
There's so much to do up there. You can hike, picnic, study the rock rabbits (hyraxes), admire the spiky plants that thrive with little in the way of soil, practise yoga, grow tipsy on the champagne air and even abseil down it if you dare. And, of course, you can survey the scene from every angle: oceans to the left, oceans to the right, beaches down below, cloudless skies up above, Cape Point somewhere in the distance.
I was last here 21 years ago, a few months before the first democratic elections were held – and the transformation is astonishing.
The waterfront, buzzing with shops and restaurants, is a little too California for me, but it's one of the city's great success stories. By comparison, the town centre is still sleepy during the day and has largely avoided a full chi-chi makeover. When our guide said we were off to the bus terminal not far from the impressive old City Hall building, it was a case of following on trust.
Our reward was an introduction to a chef called David, one of several who run kitchens housed in cramped wooden shacks. Lunch here is ten times cheaper than on the waterfront and, somehow, ten times more atmospheric.
But perhaps our best meal was at trendy Test Kitchen, presided over by Luke Dale-Roberts, probably South Africa's most celebrated chef. We stayed 30 minutes out of town for our first two nights, at Steenberg Farm in Constantia, the oldest vineyard (1682).
The whole place – its lush golf course, excellent bistro (wine tastings aplenty), intimate spa, manor house and colonial-style rooms – exudes charm and calm. Cape Town is a bubble compared with the rest of the country – and locals of every creed and colour seem to know that.
I detected no smugness, no sense of entitlement. Rather, an acute awareness that this is a work in progress. And just as the physical backdrop plays such a huge part here, so too does the political backdrop.
I couldn’t find anyone with a good word to say about President Jacob Zuma. Some think he could be gone within 12 months, despite his term officially having almost four more years to run.
Visiting a country that remains on a political knife-edge is exhilarating – and I was very much struck by how Nelson Mandela still has such a powerful influence; always will. His presence is everywhere: on street names, on billboards and, crucially, within the hearts of all South Africans.
We made the pilgrimage to Robben Island, where he spent 18 of his 27 years in captivity, joining a tour led by a fellow former inmate. It could be so much more interesting than it is, but if you've never done it, you must.
Visiting the penguins at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town is a good idea, too. Then head back to the city via the False Bay villages of Kalk Bay (lunch at Harbour House was sensational and we loved the ramshackle shops), St James and Muizenburg, the latter described as the St Tropez of Cape Town, which may or may not be a compliment.
The swimming is colder on the west side of the Cape, but the views better. We stayed at the fabulous Cape View Clifton, which opened two years ago and has only seven rooms, all facing the ocean, all whites and greys, with soulful art and comforts of every kind.
It's a glorious spot high above the beach, with Camps Bay round the corner. A beach house that feels more like a home than hotel. You help yourself to drinks and jot it down; guests wander about in the kitchen chatting to the cheerful staff; no one wears shoes.
The sunset on our last night was the colour of the rosé swishing about in our huge wine glasses. We drank deeply on both counts, painfully aware that the morning would bring a hangover made worse by the thought of flying home.
First published in the Mail Online - April 2016
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