Your calls always answered within 5 rings.
Thank you Peter Smith for arranging another perfect holiday
Would it not be possible to have family areas for seating? Anyone with children one end of cabin childless the other? Both ways we had screaming, kicking children behind us making the trip very uncomfortable.
Parador double beds are always two single beds, pushed together, it would seem. The hotels were all special and were a delight! Flights, car hire, breakfasts at the hotels were all excellent. Thank you very much for arranging everything for us, Harry!
Tremendous help from your excellent team of travel managers, particularly George Burke and his team
Room was very small - don't recommend Ibis. Otherwise fantastic as always.
Riley is a star and always a credit to DialAFlight.
We had a wonderful holiday thanks to Simon Pitman who once again gave us valuable advice & assistance. We have already booked another holiday with Simon next month.
Annabelle on your team is always excellent - we would always use her
Leah was super helpful as always!
Another fantastic trip from Austin
We were very impressed with the eficiency of Vueling Airlines. They were very courteous, prompt, & despite being 20 minutes late in taking off from Malaga, got us back to Gatwick right on the dot of the expected time !
Disappointed with car hire from Centauro
You have a 5 star communication service. Unique globally. Thankyou
Flawless as always - thank you Michelle.
Great customer service throughout.
Once again, Tony and the team provided an excellent service.
Amanda & Harry delivered on all fronts
Professional, efficient and always at end of telephone if a query or problem to be resolved. Would not hesitate to recommend to others Zoe and team
Always good service.
We were charged extra by Easyjet for things that we didn't need, but that wasn't your fault. Your service was brilliant.
Amazing holiday, ticked all the right boxes. My mom hasn’t been abroad for a few years and she absolutely loved it. Sean you’ve done us proud again. Unforgettable memories. Beautiful resort with fabulous staff and food. Highly recommend it
Great personal service as always. Thank you.
Excellent service by Nicky Degun - everything went like clockwork. Especially appreciated Nicky organising special assistance at the airports.
So friendly and helpful.
As always I had excellent treatment from Oliver, always recommend his service
Excellent service
Five stars all day long
Again, another great holiday arranged by Sean Furnival.
Luke and his team efficient, helpful and professional as always.
Great service as usual.
Phuket may not be perfect. But parts of it are approaching that state of bliss. And it's fairly easy to avoid the parts that aren't.
For example, the busy beachside strip of Patong can be rather a test of patience for those of us who might have grown a little weary of sunset-to-sunrise shenanigans.
But that's not the whole story. After all, Phuket is quite a big island, stretching 30 miles north to south and 13 miles across (joined to the mainland by the Sarasin Bridge) and it offers plenty of options for holidaymakers looking for almost-guaranteed sunshine.
It has come a long way since the days when it boasted just a few beach front bungalows for barefoot backpackers in the Seventies. Back then, it was a grim 17-hour bus ride to get there from Bangkok.
The construction of one international airport later, and there are more than 750 licensed places to stay, with 47,000 rooms available. And in the next few years another 35 hotels are expected to be built.
Mick Jagger, Beyonce, Kate Moss and Rihanna are among the celebrities who have all checked in at Phuket at one time or another.
On my most recent visit I stayed at the five-star Dream Phuket, a newish hotel on Layan Beach, a lovely, tranquil stretch of sand on the island's west coast. It is only 20 minutes from Phuket International Airport, but definitely away from any hustle and bustle.
It has giant beds in large rooms, partly open-plan bathrooms, an enticing swimming pool, international cuisine, a roof-top bar with infinity pool - from which there is a breathtaking panoramic view of the surrounding lush hills - and a great spa offering the full range of treatments including deep tissue massages, aloe wraps and spice scrubs.
At the signature restaurant Trilogy, there's a 'theatre' kitchen where you can watch the chefs sauté and flambé to their hearts' content.
The hotel is not directly on the beach, but it has a separate beach club, with sun loungers and private cabanas, just two minutes away by shuttle bus.
It is at the beach club that the young and fabulous from Russia, Singapore, Australia and Britain pose on their stools at the swim-up bar and use their phones to snap, study and share their selfies. All day long.
That is good news for the rest of us, as it means there's no wait for the cheap massages on the beach. They're seriously good; I couldn't resist having two in one day. During one of them, a vast man having a massage next to me snored loudly despite the fierce kneading.
Less than half a mile from our hotel is the Project Artisan, Laguna. A labour of love from a gentle Croatian couple with a deep affection for all things Thai, it's a restaurant and deli, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The hotel also offers foot massages and mani-pedis, while there are plans for a cookery school and art club.
A boat trip is a must. Some prefer to barter for a place on speedboats, which take a well-worn route to celebrity-touched islands such as Phi Phi Le, where Leonardo DiCaprio's film The Beach was shot.
I opted for a trip on a larger boat which motored to the less well-known Phang Nga Bay. If you want to be more active you can kayak, swim off the back of the boat - or watch long-tailed boats take visitors to the islands of Khao Phing Kan and (The Man With The Golden Gun was filmed here) before returning as the sun sets.
The boat crew speak fluent English and Chinese and, at the end of my trip, the captain said: 'If we have done anything wrong, we hope you forgive us.' There's absolutely nothing to forgive.
The next time I return to Phuket (and I will be returning) I hope to explore more of the island and perhaps fit in a safari experience – yes they offer safaris in Thailand! There are some great luxury safari companies which come highly recommended and offer authentic and respectful encounters with native wild elephants and other spectacular wildlife. After all, there’s more to Thailand than stunning beaches and spas- but it’s a good place to start.
First published in the Daily Mail - March 2018
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements