What 3274 DialAFlight clients thought of Thailand

You have been excellent as always. Will book soon.

As always great service

Great service as always

Very helpful and professional team, rare these days.

Great staff, always on the ball.

As always a fantastic service in difficult times

Fantastic service as always. Guy stayed in contact at all times to ensure the journey went as smoothly as possible.

With things changing from day to day Darren and staff were amazing. We thank all of you.

Great holiday and good flight with Scoot, but don’t want to fly from Gatwick next time. Heathrow every time with whoever is going at a decent price

Excellent service from Raj as always - been using DialAFlight since 2010 and would never go elsewhere as I know they will look after me if I have any issues

Excellent service and communication from Vinny as I changed my flight times and had extra luggage which he sorted for me without any bother. 5 star service.

Having DialAFlight support me during my journey to and from Thailand was a bonus. Travel isn't easy these days and airlines don't always deliver what you expect. The team at were there for me at the end of the phone ready to offer help when I needed it.

Have booked through DialAFlight many times - response and service has always been exemplary.

As always DialAFlight have excelled in their professional qualities.

Never want to fly with Qatar again. Also the thoughts of strangers I sat with.

Nicky was fantastic!

Special thanks to Connie

It was excellent. All the team provided great help before and during my trip.

Outstanding service from Russell Harrison

Always great service - Monika Jain is exeptional

Many thanks to Jordan. Our holiday was amazing from start to finish. We will never book a holiday with any other tour operator. DialAFlight never disappoints. All our dreams came true

Dominic, as always, amazing

Arthur took all the stress and strain from the flight selection and booking process. The whole trip went just as planned with disabled assistance and chauffeur car all arranged

Cheers Brody, see you in November

You provided an excellent service and I have already recommended you to a lot of my friends,

My experience with DialAFlight in such challenging times was excellent. Graham has the patience of a saint

Excellent service kept me well updated - Samuel was brilliant

Great to know someone is going to answer the phone after a couple of rings and be able to deal with your concerns

Philippa has been excellent helping with changes and providing clear information in these challenging travel times

Vinnie has been providing me with great service for many years now.

Perfect Phuket

The many fabulous faces of Phuket

This island gem offers a huge choice of different holidays - let Jo Gardner guide you through the possibilities

When it comes to island paradises, Phuket is a winner. Located off the south west coast of Thailand, it has wide beaches, blissful temperatures and clear, inviting water with a distinctive blue-green hue.

You can spend your days lazing on the soft sand, hiking through rainforest, enjoying world-class spa treatments or snorkelling, scuba diving, surfing, windsurfing or Hobie Cat sailing.

Your evenings might well be taken up enjoying delicious food (the island will soon, for the first time, be included in the Michelin guide to Thailand). The cuisine on the island tends to be a wonderful blend of complementary styles - an alluring mix of Asian and western delicacies - and it's one of Phuket's major attractions.

Chefs here seem to know better than anywhere else in the world how to use delicate flavours and fragrant spices and the seafood is heavenly.

Spa treatments here take on a new concept as they are married with the ancient traditions of natural healing, including herbal baths and meditation. The levels of tranquility and relaxation that can be reached are remarkable.

For a change of pace, Phuket Town has temples, markets and cultural attractions. And the Old Town has street after street of colourful colonial-style mansions and townhouses now the home to shops and small restaurants.

Ko Kaeo Rawai, also known as Buddha Island, has many beautiful statues along its shoreline

Breathtaking views
And a simple but enthralling experience can be had by heading for one of the noted viewpoints, such as Kata, Rang Hill, Leam Singh or Promthep Cape - they give a magnificent vista of the entire island. One of the best views is from the site of The Big Buddha (the majority of Thais are practising Buddhists) - it's a 45-metre tall white marble statue that is worth a hot walk up to see close.

Phuket is one of those destinations that can be delightful at any time of year - it has such a wide range of attributes that it can come up with the goods for whatever type of holiday, active or otherwise, that is required.

November to April is generally cooler and drier - a great time to escape the British winter. Some of the more popular hotels and resorts book up quickly at this time.

It is often at its warmest in July and August, when temperatures can occasionally reach 40 degrees - and often accompanied by some intense downpours. But this is also when your hotel of choice may well be available at particularly good value.

Stunning pools and gardens at the contemporary designed Twinpalms Resort Phuket

If you’re looking to stay at a beach resort, you are spoilt for choice. There are many from which to choose and each has its own distinctive character and personality.

You’ll find upmarket resorts – with equally upmarket accommodation – on Surin and Ao Bang Thao, family-oriented spots on Rawai, a party atmosphere on Patong, culture in Phuket Town and wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the north.

There is accommodation of every conceivable type to suit every conceivable taste - from intimate boutique properties to expansive wellness retreats.

Longtail boats moored in Maya Bay lagoon on Ko Phi Phi Lee

Something for everyone
Patong and Mai Khao are both popular options for beach stays. For undeveloped beauty, Mai Khao is hard to beat - it has an 11km stretch of coarse white sand that has remained untouched thanks to its location inside Sirinat National Park.

Patong, on the other hand, is all about having fun, with lively nightlife, watersports and activities available during the day.

Many decide that they want to mix a stay in Phuket with a visit to other parts of Thailand. The multi-centre trip is becoming ever more popular.
The obvious partner for a Phuket beach stay is the buzzing capital city of Bangkok. A twin-centre holiday such as this delivers fabulous contrasts.

Or you could also have a different type of beach and city experience by combining a sandy sojourn in the Phi Phi Islands with an exploration of the towns and interior on Phuket. This can be very rewarding.

This combination of stays, for example, could see you based at Wanaburi, on the doorstep of the beautiful Kho Phra Teaw National Park.

Whatever face of Phuket you choose to focus on, you'll find yourself captivated by this deceptively diverse island.

First published in the Mail Online - March 2019

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