Brilliant!
Very reliable. Always available if you have any questions. I feel very happy to have booked with DialAFlight.
Fantastic service by Dale Walton. His hotel suggestion was exceptional! Will definitely use DialAFlight again. I have passed his details to a few friends, one of whom booked their summer holiday this year through him.
Marcus and Tommy were excellent from start to finish (as usual) and I will definitely be contacting them again for my next trip.
Bruce as ever kept us informed with everything. Thank you for great service
Have been using DialAFlight for over 20 years and never had a problem
Really pleased with the services from Lucas, Harriet and team. We were treated very well, even when we changed our minds about hotels and locations. We were notified at every stage of the process and they saved us money overall.
As always Cody extremely helpful .
All flight arrangements worked well. Singapore Airways were excellent - on time and good service. I was a bit concerned about only 50 minutes between the Bali -Singapore leg landing and the Singapore -London departure time but it all worked out!
Jason was very professional and we’ve booked again to Antigua.
A very good trip well organised and provided by DAF
An excellent service - will be booking again for next year
Very good service and will use again when needed.
Philippa returned my email straight away and helped me change my flight from Bali without any drama or stress. She will always be the one I call for my travelling.
Jessie was fantastic! Will definitely be in touch again for our next trip
Finn is excellent. We have always looked to him over the years for our holidays. His recommendations are always spot on and service is impeccable.
As travel plans went it was a simple enough plan but had numerous opportunities to go badly wrong - from layovers to airport hotels being available etc. Courtney ensured everything went smoothly with a knowledgeable, experienced and well travelled eye on our plans. I’m very grateful as it was the first time I’d taken my young family longhaul so it was very important it worked out.
The team were amazing and looked after us so well when we needed to change our flight due to illness.
I want to thank Ralph Summers for helping me book my travel to Bali. Also a massive thank you to Karina Evans on the 24/7 team who helped me with flight issues after missing my connecting flight. DialAFlight have been amazing and will definitely be using them again.
Everything worked as planned and as someone who doesn't travel much, it was very reassuring.
Jonathan was very helpful booking the flights and kept in touch right till take off.
Amazing service by DialAFlight from start to finish.
The assistance I received at the airports was very efficient and helpful. Thank you for arranging
Michael is always excellent
Courtney was really great right from the beginning. All the flights worked well and it was easy to change the last one, with Courtney's help. Fab service
Great service.
Everything as expected. I didn't even bother checking or researching anywhere else and just trusted DialAFlight to find me the best deal to fit what I wanted.
Amazing service from Travis, quick response when I had a question on holiday
Thanks for your help - great service. I have used you many times
Ian Newton was exceptional helping to arrange a holiday to Singapore and Bali. Will be back in touch to arrange our next trip
It’s raining and suddenly my terrace is flooded with sound - heavy droplets drum down, frogs chatter, birds hiss and cicadas chant in chorus. A high-pitched wail from some jungle creature pierces the sultry, twilight air and halts my swim. Peering over the edge of the infinity pool into the waterfall and jungle below, I feel like I'm living an episode of Planet Earth.
Ever bewitching, Indonesia has the power to simultaneously arrest every sense. I'm treated to this dusk performance while taking a dip in my private plunge pool, just one of the many fabulous features of the luxurious treehouse-style suites at Four Seasons Resort Bali At Sayan in Ubud.
From an unassuming entrance on a dusty street, guests travel along a road flanked by treetops oblivious to the Bond-style lair that lies beneath the canopy. The main building has been designed to resemble a huge rice bowl laden with unexpected surprises on each level – Jati bar, Ayung Terrace restaurant and a spa all overlook the lush greenery present at every turn.
In harmony with its locale, the hotel offers a day in the life of a Balinese farmer experience - learning how to plant and farm a rice paddy field, followed by a traditional lunch and then a revitalising Chakra ritual.
Our friendly guide Santika leads us to the outer edges of the hotel, which spill into Ayung Valley's green paddy terraces.
After a tour of the herb garden, packed with fragrant and healing plants, we learn about ‘taksu’ a spirit said to dwell within each of us. Then it’s time to don a traditional farmer’s hat and wellies as I vigorously turn over the turf, letting the water swell over my ‘rice patch’.
Following a lunch of rice, fruits and meat, I head to a small spa overlooking the water. Frangipani suffuses the air and after completing a heath survey, I have a Manipura Chakra ritual focusing on my digestive system. I’m given ginger and honey to drink before being scrubbed with Himalayan salt and sea oil and wrapped in mud. Eventually I take an alfresco herbal bath before I’m kneaded with a soothing massage into utter relaxation.
I also try anti-gravity yoga, which involves swinging and contorting myself in a hammock. It involves a lot of time upside down and soaring through the air.
I regain my balance with a Buddhist nun who arrives to meditate with my yoga group. Although she’s only in her thirties emanates an ancient wisdom. Melodiously, she encourages us to appreciate the present, to listen to distant water trickling, chickens clucking and her singing bowl lilting across the incense-infused air. Some of my group are so moved they weep.
It’s hard to deny the island has an intoxicating energy, drenched in timeless mysticism. It’s why there are so many yoga retreats here and travellers following the trail of the cult movie Eat,Pray, Love.
I’m holidaying at both hotels on the island that Julia Roberts stayed at during filming. My contrasting, yet equally luxurious, second address is a laidback beach haven, Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay, favoured by celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Nicolas Cage and Cameron Diaz.
The dreamy retreat overlooks the bay’s enticing white sands and cerulean waters with the jade outline of Mount Agung in the misty distance.
Guests are housed in villas with private gardens and the resort is built in the style of a Balinese village. Despite there being 147 villas and nine residences, while sprawled out on a sun-lounger I feel like I have this slice of paradise all to myself.
Energetic guests can try paddle-boarding, kayaking and surfing lessons. I opt for Hatha yoga, revitalised as I meditate to a soundtrack of waves crashing against rocks.
Uluwatu monkey temple is nearby. From the lofty pinnacle of the park, you’re rewarded with breath-taking ocean panoramas. Tirta Empul temple in Tampaksiring, bustling with pilgrims, is also worth a visit.
Closer to Jimbaran is Pedang Pedang - the hidden beach of fantasies. After a climb down a winding staircase you’re confronted with a paradise expanse that stole a scene in Eat, Pray, Love.
Blessed with a cinematic backdrop, intriguing spirituality and glamorous hotels, the magic of a spa break in Bali will linger with you long after you've left.
First published in the Mail Online - July 2017
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