All went well. Kylie was brilliant as always. Really felt she was watching our backs on this trip ,
Almost normality. Whilst there were some minor checking in delays and whilst masks were required on the flights and in overseas airports, the experience was almost ‘back to normal’
Jim gave us all the information we needed to travel to each area and with all the different covid restrictions that made it stress free. All transfers were seamless and we had no issues with anything. It was the best holiday we ever had so thank you
Very pleased, great flight
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Excellent service. Nothing too much trouble. Always a friendly and caring person to deal with your questions and booking
Amazing! I always use DialAFlight when booking long-distance travel. They are the best team in the world, couldn't ask for more. They are brilliant not just at organising good flights and travel plans, but the customer care is second to none. Stuck abroad in lockdown, the staff kept on top of all my flight changes and cancellations, re-organising new flights every time and negotiating with the airline until all was successfully resolved. Thank you for everything, full of gratitude.
Excellent ,personal and dependable as always
Nick and his team were excellent as ever. Always happy to recommend DialAFlight to family and friends
Marco was very helpful and arranged my flights as requested.
Lovely trip cut short by Corona
I would like to commend Alan and Jay for their fantastic work in getting our flights changed on Singapore Airlines in the nick of time. Cannot thank Alan enough for his rapid action
I use you although I can often get slightly cheaper elsewhere because of the person to person back-up service that you provide
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Marshall was very professional and friendly and very helpful with any queries
Great customer service!
Totally professional service.
Our flight got cancelled for part of our return leg and Byron was excellent at communicating and rescheduling
Very efficient. Superb service.
It was our choice to go to Kuta but wouldn’t go again! Town is very tacky now, though our hotel was great.
Please allow more time for a connecting flight if it’s to be at a large airport eg Dubai
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Richard organised everything and as usual it went to plan
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Excellent service. Always use when booking our longhaul flights.
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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