First rate service, thank you.
Once again DialAFlight have been brilliant, specifically Peter Smith finding me the best flights, times and price for a complex, multi country trip. Always quick to respond to my question and very supportive with regard to visa requirements.
You were efficient and listened to what I needed. Very reliable and I felt safe knowing my trip would go well
It was good to know that if any problems arose during my trip I would have been able to phone the out of hours number for help or advice
Keep up the excellent personal contact
Really great holiday and Jonathan has been very helpful throughout
Colin always comes up trumps with his recommendations.
Michelle Dooler was an absolute star from start to finish! Each detail of our trip was perfect and Michelle’s prompt communication, attention to detail including catering for my husband’s disability needs, wealth of knowledge and kindness made this trip possible for our 20th wedding anniversary
Thank you very much for all your help Stan, 10 out of 10, superb.
The only problem was a 2 1/2 delay on the return flight, due to a delayed flight from Japan. A lot of hanging about! Many thanks for your excellent service Richard.
I have dealt with your firm for many, many years. I can pick up the phone, pass Keely Papworth the information and she does all the hard work sorting my travel plans (normally last minute as my life is hectic). Tis takes the sting out of planning for me. Through the years I have built a rapport, and have 100% trust and confidence as I’ve NEVER been let down. This is “customer service” done right.
Callum in particular excelled; thanks for everything.
Hotels in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were great and in very good locations and all flights were on time. Everything worked out perfectly
Our holiday was excellent - thank you for your assistance throughout.
Fantastic recommendations on hotels and structure of flights. Really happy with our holiday and we will use you again.
As always the trip was exciting but very challenging in places. The guide was excellent, patient, supportive and very knowledgeable.
Bruce has arranged my flights and many of my customers coming to Asia over many years. Always very good communication, alternative suggestions. Solely because of Bruce and his excellent attitude and help I have not searched for cheaper flights which I know are available.
Lucas always does an amazing job - thanks again
An accomplished travel company which puts the client's interest at the forefront of everything it does. Thank you Calvin. I will certainly do business with you again.
Molly Smith who arranged my tickets was thorough and helpful throughout the process.
We were really pleased with Calvin's service and also with the help received when it seemed there was a problem with getting our flight from Chiang Mai.
There is a medical insurance required by the Qatari government for all foreign tourists which we were unaware of and caused a delay: 5o Riyals per passenger. They did not accept our Amex Insurance cover. Another money making scheme!
Excellent advice and all hotels and flights fabulous. We always use DialAFlight and highly recommend to friends.
Sean Furnival goes above and beyond at all times. Since dealing with him a few years ago we just go back to him each time for booking our trips. He is so helpful, friendly and knowledgeable and nothing is ever too much trouble.
Seymour was fantastic and we look forward to booking again with him and DialAFlight.
Whilst in Australia I needed to contact DialAFlight on two occasions for help and on both occasions Jonathan or Chris dealt promptly and efficiently with the issues. Issues of my making I might add not theirs.. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone planning an extensive and complicated holiday.
Connie has been so helpful. I’ve had additions, cancellations due to deaths, date changes etc and she’s handled it all so efficiently and swiftly. I’ve already recommended DialAFlight to friends and will not hesitate to recommend over and over again. Thank you for all your help. You’ve made everything so easy
Disappointed that only one leg of journey was with Qatar (not your fault!) Malaysian not my favourite airline but BA back to Heathrow very comfortable. I would always recommend DialAFlight and James is always helpful and friendly.
Been with DialAFlight for years and although all the agents I have dealt with have been great, my praises go to Kirsty Farmer. She is not only good at her job, she is friendly, helpful and a really good egg!
Our only challenge is that the flight from Hathrow to Istanbul was due to land relatively shortly before the flight to KL. If we hadn't forced ourselves onto the earlier flight, and downgraded, we would have missed the KL flight. As ever, Stan was a star - he is so good
Kuala Lumpur is often over-looked in favour of a stopover in a more high profile Asian metropolis such as Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok. But the Malaysian capital is a city on the up, packed with fascinating art and architecture, top shopping - and some of the best street food in Asia.
From the airport the air-conditioned, wi-fi-enabled KLIA Ekspres Train whisks you to the city centre for you to check in to your hotel. If you're not too jetlagged you can try the sensational street-food scene straightaway.
Strung with red lanterns, pedestrian-ised Jalan Alor is noisy and tremendous fun. Start with sweet-spicy, perfectly charred chicken wings from Wong Ah Wah, then work your way down the street, finishing with a red-hot bowl of curry mee at Alor Corner Curry Noodle, on the corner with Changkat Bukit Bintang. Every dish is incredibly cheap.
Next morning fuel up with a back-straightening cup of Malaysian kopi (coffee) and kaya (thickly sliced toast smeared with butter and coconut jam) from a stall at Imbi Market. Download taxi app Grab – Southeast Asia's answer to Uber – and book a cab to the Batu Caves, an incense-cloaked Hindu temple complex on the outskirts of town (free). You'll see its 140ft gold statue of Murugan, Hindu god of war, long before you arrive at the limestone caves, which house murals, shrines and families of macaques. Don't get too close – they'll steal your phone/food/anything shiny.
Authentic Indian cuisine
Indians are the third-largest ethnic group in Malaysia, behind Malays and Chinese, and while you'll find reasonably good Indian restaurants outside Batu, there are more authentic foodie offerings in Brickfields – KL's Little India. So cab back over to canteen-like Vishal Food & Catering, at 22, Jalan Scott, which serves southern Indian cuisine on banana leaves, and order chicken biryani or mutton varuval. Leave room for extra poppadoms.
Escape the afternoon heat at the air-conditioned Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. It's set on a hillside and its numerous rooms are treasure troves, filled with 1,000-year-old gold-inscribed Korans, rare compendiums of astronomy and astrology, Mogul daggers with jade hilts, and enough diamonds, rubies and sapphires to sink a pirate ship.
Indonesian flavours
Imagine a cuisine that combines piquant Indonesian flavours with Chinese cooking techniques; that would be Peranakan, gastronomic legacy of Chinese migrants who settled in Java and on the Malay peninsula. Precious Old China, in Central Market, serves some of the best and is one of the town's most charming spots – full of crystal chandeliers, carved rosewood furniture and antiques.
Standout dishes include flaky pastry 'top hats' filled with prawns and shredded vegetables, 'devil curry'chicken and sago gula melaka – palm sugar tapioca.
Ten minutes away is Omakase + Appreciate, the first Malaysian entry to make it onto Asia's 50 Best Bars list, and the size of a shoebox. Order a rum, pineapple, orange and coconut cream Painkiller.
Varied cultural history
Next day explore some more - have a city overview from the 12-metre by 15-metre scale model at the City Gallery, snap a selfie in front of the I Love KL sign, then check out Merdeka Square, the old Royal Selangor cricket ground, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, with its magical-looking Mogul turrets and domes; and gothic St Mary's Cathedral.
Malaysia's national dish is nasi lemak, coconut milk rice served with sambal, salad, peanuts and egg. You'll find fragrant plates of it for sale on every corner, or try the hipster version – nasi lemak pancakes – at Merchant's Lane, on a fern-filled terrace in the heart of Chinatown.
The neighbourhood is one of the oldest in the city, with garish Taoist temples, colonial-era architecture and souvenir stalls touting faux-silk pyjamas.
Nearby Central Market is the place for smart handicrafts such as batik cushion covers and beaded slippers.
You can't leave KL without visiting 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers - beat the queues by buying a ticket online and sunset's the best time to go.
Take a walk through KLCC Park (take a photo of the towers framed between palm trees) for an aperitif in the SkyBar at Traders Hotel. Happy hour here runs from 5pm to 9pm.
For dinner, move onwards and upwards to the 57th floor of Petronas Tower 3 and Marini's on 57, a low-lit Italian restaurant. Book a table by the window.
Where to stay? The whitewashed Hotel Majestic has a calm atmosphere, with a delightful afternoon tea – white jackets, curry puffs and mango jam – an orchid conservatory and a Charles Rennie Mackintosh-inspired spa.
First published in the Sunday Times - June 2019
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