This was not an issue with DialAFlight, but on our trip to Japan, we booked a beach hotel for the last four days of the trip. We planned to relax in the hotel swimming pool and on the beach. However, when we arrived, we were told that the pool and beaches were closed despite 36 degrees. The Japanese swimming season finishes on the 27th of August for the season no matter the weather, and pools and public beaches close. (We did break the rules and snuck a swim in the sea! But obviously couldn't use the hotel pool).
Thanks for the help when UK air traffic control went down, much appreciated
We are happy with the personal interactions and using the same person who knows us and what our needs are.
Always a great service
Very good advice from Martha, all flights and check-ins worked out really well. Would definitely use you again.
All worked like a dream. A crazy one but a dream
Especially impressed by quick email reply from Isaac when we had problems checking in for an internal flight in Japan
Brandy was very good - she planned things really well and the communication was clear with no fuss all connections. The only issue we had was that in Tokyo the hotel was a £150 taxi ride as when we arrived the buses were not running and with the train you had to change so with kids and suitcases that would have been hard. It would have helped to know that before arrival so we could book transport.
Vinnie was first class with his recommendations
Excellent service and support for the whole booking
Amazing all the way
Brody was superb. That man deserves a raise!
An excellent trip organised by an excellent team at DialAFlight!
All worked well.
I was delighted with all of our contacts with DialAFlight and as usual everything worked out beautifully. Thank you Nadia. We’ll be booking again soon.
Everything organised by Michelle was excellent as usual. She always goes the extra mile
Trip planned out very well. Our only issue was the hotel - location amazing but poor facilities -a lounge area only opened 3pm-6pm and the barl in the lounge area never opened
Troy was a fantastic help to us arranging our flights to/from Japan to connect with our cruise. Everything worked out perfectly and the fact that Troy managed to get us a great price, with First Class on the way back, was the icing on the cake!
Always review if things could be done better, however keep up the good work ...
Would recommend as the communication from everyone at your end was great, particularly Keely Papworth. Would always come back.
First class service from Ivor Savage
Couldn't rate Darryll any higher. We have been booking trips with him since 2011 and never had an issue.
Amy is a star
BA Club strained and threadbare service!
Excellent service, everything went smoothly, thankyou Trevor
Kieran did a great job
Lee was brilliant - so on the ball and helpful
My 2nd trip using DialAFlight - excellent service from Dominic
Monika was brilliant as usual. We'll definitely be using DialAFlight again
Theo is a real star
Hiro raises his bare thigh and slams his foot on the ground, spreading ripples across his man mountain of a body.
He bows at his opponent and, in a vision of manboobs and giant wedgies, they engage in combat; wrestling, pushing, heaving and tugging until one emerges victorious.
Suddenly, it's my turn. I step into the ring and stare ahead towards the sumo wrestler a few feet away - all 26st of him. A moment later I'm pressed up against his folds of flesh, my face alarmingly close to his armpit as I push with all my might. My feet scramble at the salt-strewn floor while Hiro - a wrestler for 22 years - stands there chuckling.
I'm in the small city of Katsuragi, considered the birthplace of sumo. Located an hour from Osaka in the Kansai region, this is a corner of Japan that has just become more accessible thanks to British Airways direct flights from Heathrow.
Kansai is an area of misty mountains dotted with remote shrines, tropical beaches and tea plantations which will appeal to visitors keen to explore what lies beyond the capital Tokyo. After putting Hiro through his paces ('You have great potential,' he jokes), it's time to move on to Osaka.
Home to three million people, the city is a patchwork of 16th century castles and 21st century glass skyscrapers. From my room on the 36th floor of the Conrad Hotel, the view of Dotonbori district, the main restaurant and entertainment area, is dizzying.
This 164-room hotel gives off a Lost In Translation vibe – think Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson – and is filled with 389 artworks including one by local boy turned renowned sculptor, Kohei Nawa.
While Osaka is certainly worthy of a few days' exploration, the experiences awaiting further afield prove to be the real temptation.
Travelling south, urban sprawl gives way to delightful rural scenes. Before long we're surrounded by the crumpled green peaks of the Kii Peninsula. These mountains are the gateway to Wakayama.
Occupying the southern tip of Kansai, this city holds the key to much of Japan's ancient spiritual heritage.
For more than 1,000 years, everyone from emperors to humble farmers has walked these peaks seeking peace and purification. The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage ranks as one of the world's great pilgrim routes. A network of trails, it has several options, from gentle hour-long strolls to arduous multi-day treks.
Opting for the easier and shorter route, I slice through silent bamboo forests and inch along paths that hug plunging wooded ravines. I pause to enjoy panoramas splashed with cherry blossom. I am feeling more peaceful by the moment.
The climax is our arrival at the grand Shinto shrine of Kumano Hongu Taisha, the hallowed ground where all trails meet. The silence of the forest is broken by the rhythmic chiming of bells and the flapping of flags in the breeze.
I watch as worshippers cross the gravel courtyards, clap their hands twice (to announce their arrivals to the deities) and bow their heads in prayer. This is a special, unforgettable place. Just down the road, in the valley and dissected by a stream of healing thermal waters, is Yunomine, an onsen village centred around natural hot springs.
These healing waters were discovered 1,800 years ago and became an important part of the pilgrimage by offering hot water purification along the way.
Pilgrims enjoy a spiritual soaking by stripping off, as is custom, for a dip in the stone plunge pool housed in a rickety shed. Barely big enough for two, it makes for quite the intimate experience.
I choose instead a riverside dip in the thermal rockpool at the Kawayu Midoriya. A spa hotel somewhat stuck in the Seventies, it models itself on the traditional inn, the ryokan. Expect sliding paper screens and legless chairs.
No trip to this part of Japan would be complete without the glittering jewel in its Imperial crown, Kyoto.
Reached in 15 minutes from Osaka by Shinkansen bullet train, this enchanting city was the nation's capital until 1868. It retains much of its ancient character, particularly in the Gion district where geishas once scuttled between teahouses in their elaborate silk costumes.
From the comfortable Ritz-Carlton hotel, it's a pleasant 20-minute stroll along the Kamogawa River to Gion.
Delving into the backstreets, I discover deserted gardens and teahouses serving fragrant cherry blossom tea and sit with elderly locals painting watercolours of a pagoda.
Hunched over their palettes, they look long and hard and produce thoughtful brushstrokes. They seem lost in their individual reveries, drinking in the beauty. It sums up my experience perfectly.
First published in the Daily Mail - November 2019
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