We were glad we booked with DialAFlight meaning our ad hoc holiday was a package and protected if anything went wrong! It didn’t!
Great service from start to end. Definitely use again
Vinnie is always most helpful and professional.
Wonderful service
All spot on as ever. Only confusion caused by Destination Asia which was resolved.
Luke Neilson was excellent in helping us
Above and beyond expectations
Jetstar failed to put our bags on the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket so we had no change of clothes for 3 days. However the holiday was a fantastic success. We have used DialAFlight for all our holidays and would highly recommend them.
Amazing service as always from Ben
As always, a big shout out to Guy Foskin. Great service!
Great vacation. Fantastic flights with Emirates and Chauffeur. Thank you Marco.
Great service provided by Arthur
Excellent service offered by my DialAFlight contact, Gavin. I was particularly impressed with his call to me a few days prior to traveling checking if everything was in order. I have no hesitation in recommending this company.
Jordan was extremely helpful with all aspects of my booking. First class advice and attention to detail
Outstanding
Abbie's emails were very helpful and much appreciated.
Everything worked perfectly and was really well organised
Perfect, in every respect. Hope to repeat next year.
Paul looked after us yet again. Great holiday experience
Loved being able to speak to an actual person when I called you on the telephone. Great communication and kept up to date of any changes to my travel plans.
Theo is a real star
Thank you Graham and your team
Had an amazing time. Hotel you recommended was amazing
I used to book direct with airlines but had a problem with Thai airways that no one at the airline could sort. I will now always book with Robert. If things go wrong we have a professional on our side to sort things out!
Perfect service
Molly Smith who arranged my tickets was thorough and helpful throughout the process.
Avoid Bangkok by all means - wish we had taken alternative route,
Well done to Matt Power. Very professional and polite and delivered yet again
Libby, she rocks. I recommend to everyone.
As always, a very good service by competent people
It’s twilight at the Shwedagon pagoda, a 300-ft tower of shimmering gold.
Amid a sea of candles, burning incense and kneeling worshippers, a monk has retrieved his mobile phone from the folds of his maroon robes and is posing for a selfie.
The most impressive Buddhist site in South East Asia still looms over the low skyline of Yangon, but everywhere a closed society is colliding with the modern world.
The Shwedagon pagoda, in Yangon, is one of the most impressive Buddhist sites in South East Asia.
Since the lifting of international sanctions three years ago, change has come to the city.
This was Burma’s capital until 2005, when military rulers decided on a whim to build a new one 200 miles away. Now, hotels, shops and high-end restaurants are springing up among the crumbling apartment blocks and spice-laden roadside markets.
Cars, phones and other luxuries once preserved for a rich elite are trickling down, and there’s cautious optimism.
Before it was plunged into half a century of isolation, Rangoon, as it was then, was a trading centre of the British Empire. The colonial past lingers on downtown.
Along wide Victorian avenues are the stucco-fronted Telegraph office, Port Authority, old Secretariat and offices of long-defunct companies, in slow decay with foliage poking out of some upstairs windows.
The Strand Hotel, built in 1901, is one of the few restored to former glory and is an atmospheric stop for a drink, with wood panels and twinkling chandeliers.
Swathes of the country, renamed Myanmar in 1989, still feel barely touched by the 21st century.
We follow a typical route for foreigners, taking in the misty plains of Bagan packed with ancient temples, to the floating villages of Inle Lake, trekking in the hills of Kalaw and exploring the last royal city of Mandalay.
Bagan is a ghost city, built between 1057 and 1287 as the capital of a once prosperous dynasty, before their reign was abruptly ended by invading Mongols.
About 2,000 temples still stand, in an archaeological wonder to rival Angkor Wat in Cambodia - but with a fraction of the visitors. They range from tiny red brick cabins, to palace-sized shrines painted with intricate wall murals, 30-foot gold Buddhas and whole souvenir markets inside.
One of the grandest was put up by a 12th century king to atone for executing his father, brother and wife.
We had a hot air balloon at dawn over Bagan, and were treated with unforgettable views drifting across the stunning landscape, eerily quiet except for farmers herding cattle far below.
Our guide took us to businesses locals will benefit from, one of them the Be Kind to Animals restaurant in Old Bagan. The vegetarian owner serves delicious tamarind leaf curry to a full house at lunchtimes.
Our arrival in Mandalay, the capital of the last Burmese kings, is by boat down the Irrawaddy River. Then the artery for armies of timber traders and merchants, today we sail along almost alone.
From the top of Mandalay Hill, a beautiful temple with views for miles around, novice monks practise English by asking about the fortunes of Manchester United and Chelsea.
From there, we head north to Kalaw, a former British hill station where officials enjoyed some cool air in the baking summer.
Surrounded by misty mountaintops, it is a haven for trekkers passing through the mountain villages and remote monasteries.
Quiet at night, like most of Burma, it sprang to life on our first evening for the full moon, with fireworks flung in all directions, troupes in traditional costumes processing through town with blazing lanterns, and a huge sound system struggling behind by horse drawn cart.
Our final stop is Inle Lake, a four by ten mile expanse of water heaving with life. Around a number of bustling villages on stilts, children paddle to school, farmers tend floating tomato crops and fishing boats glide among them.
Travelling by longboat through the fray, we pass restaurants, yet more gold-topped temples, and workshops full of silk weavers, umbrella makers and silversmiths.
Ten years ago there were just a few guesthouses along its banks. Now there are dozens in the main town of Nyaung Shwe, where the beginnings of a backpacker vibe are emerging.
Tourism has brought much needed jobs but many fear reform may stall for Burma, sandwiched between powerful China and India, trapped between the iron grip of the old government and tantalising new freedoms on the horizon.
We chew over the possibilities with a retired civil servant at a monastery back in Yangon.
Despite the advent of more employment and a rise in living standards, he is concerned that the younger generation, many still poorly educated, should share in the benefits.
‘The change is good, but we must make sure it helps our people’, he said. ‘We must make our own way this time.’
First published in the Mail Online - August 2015
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements
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.
But they all have one thing in common. They love the unique DialAFlight approach. Read more here
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.
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.
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.
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.
BACK TO TOP
