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
Bali was the place friends kept telling me I should visit. Surely nowhere could be that fabulous - but it lived up to the hype. I loved it.
There was an enormous sense of tradition, belief in family values and beautiful aesthetics - there's nowhere like it.
I hadn't gone with any intention of searching for new fabrics or inspiration for designs - after all, I really had no idea what I would find.
It is so spiritual - it's astonishing how many temples there are. I arrived after an exhausting Fashion Week, but from the moment I entered Alila Villas Soori - the most amazing hotel I've seen - I felt thoroughly relaxed.
Alila Villas Soori is on Bali's south-west coast in the Tabanan regency, 20 minutes from Tanah Lot temple, the island's most sacred. It's one of Bali's prettiest regions, between the sea and rice terraces, with mystical Mount Batukaru in the distance.
My bedroom overlooked a glorious beach - the sand black and volcanic.
When I woke on the first morning, it felt almost enchanted. It had been stormy overnight and the beach was full of people collecting driftwood for fuel. Some were dragging away large pieces to turn into sculptures, to sell to tourists.
I had incredible spa treatments. ?They make their own soaps - volcanic, rice and cinnamon - all beautifully scented. And I saw how they use volcanic sand in body scrubs
The hotel's Cotta restaurant had a French and a local chef, together creating a magnificent fusion of French and Balinese.
After three days it was time to explore. The mountains in the centre of the island were a two-hour drive, but worth it.
I was in the picturesque Bali you see in guidebooks - rice fields and irrigation ditches everywhere.
I went whitewater rafting - and all around were stunning temples and rice fields. It was one of the greatest outdoor adventures I've ever had.
Later I thought I could hear music. When I asked what it was, I was told: 'It's the monks praying.'
There were often religious processions, and I was able to enjoy it all at close quarters.
For the second part of my stay, I moved to the Alila Villas Uluwatu at the south of the island. It was in a gorgeous area, above limestone cliffs and sandy beaches - very smart and fashionable, yet very tranquil.
A pool was set high above the Indian Ocean, with one of the world's best views.
I was surprised to find a well-stocked library, with books about traditional crafts such as weaving and basket-making.
My guide took me to a museum in Denpasar focusing on local handicrafts, with displays of traditional textiles and hand-made masks and tapestries.
Then I went on a bit of a 'treasure hunt' to learn more about the local dyeing techniques of batik and ikat. I discovered beautiful ikat weaves using gold and silver threads. I was learning about the culture and history of Bali through its crafts.
I bought so much local handiwork I had to buy a second suitcase.
I came across antiques shops where they have lots of textiles - some hundreds of years old - which you can buy.
At a temple at Uluwatu, on a cliff edge, I saw people performing a traditional dance.
There was a choir of 70 men who sang and then went into a meditation dance called a kecak -extraordinary.
What I saw in Bali proved to be a source of inspiration for my designs. I took many pictures, and I'm going to translate my experiences into some very modern, glamorous, Julien Macdonald designs.
I'm sitting surrounded by batik, ikat and incense - ready to go to work.
My ten days in Bali simply weren't enough. I'm already planning another trip.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - October 2015
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