What 11011 DialAFlight clients thought of Asia

We have been booking our holidays through Gavin Dattani for years and he always gets it right and makes our trips so easy. He booked everything for our last trip to Dubai and Qatar and it was amazing.

Shelley was very helpful

Another great holiday planned through yourselves

Trip was a success. Thanks Isaac Price - so very helpful.

Very helpful staff, was kept well informed about flight,

Samuel was very helpful and attentive. Thank you for all of your help.

Ryan was really good and found us an amazing package.

Always a good service

Fantastic service from Elliott from start to finish. Would definitely book with you again in the future

The staff at DialAFlight are always helpful and supportive

Excellent customer support and great recommendations for restaurants at my resort

Good service all the way

Brilliant trip - superbly organised. Great value for money. Ticked all our boxes. Highly recommend.

Excellent service from start to finish and the aftersales is second to none. I have used them for a number of years and can't find a better service and value for money provider

Thanks for providing up to date information

Very good professional service.

Your service with Warren is simply fantastic. Just a shame that Heathrow is a disgrace. Thank you for your great service. We had an awesome holiday.

Excellent service - great app and all backed with the security and comfort of a direct number to call in case of any emergency while away

We would like to thank Stacey - a big thank you again for another great holiday

Jonathan never lets us down with our trips, excellent service, thanks again

Shelley Dimes is a superstar. My trip was organised to perfection and could not be more pleased with her help, advice and planning

Marshall as always was fantastic dealing with my family's booking. On this occasion the Emirates flight from Bangkok to Dubai was less than satisfactory but that is no reflection on DialAFlight's masterful booking admin

Spencer Ormerod was brilliant and kept us informed throughout the booking process.

Marshall is always on the ball. Looks after his customers very well.

Alan is brilliant. I have been booking through him for over 5 years and I love having someone to talk to at the other end of the phone.

Zoe delivers as always!

Fabulous company - efficient and highly professional

Will use DialAFlight again.

Tristan Chatburn was extremely helpful and professional. Highly recommended

This was the best holiday ever - thank you for everyone who helped us.

Thailand rediscovered

Thailand's all grown up

Full Moon partygoers of yesteryear have rediscovered Thailand… and are bringing their kids along too, says Frank Barrett

I first visited Thailand at the end of the Seventies when I was invited to Pattaya Beach by Thai Airways to hear about plans to introduce Boeing 747 jets on the London to Bangkok route.

Around the hotel grounds were elephants decked out in Thai Airways livery: jumbos advertising jumbo jets. It was the first time I had seen elephants in their natural environment!

These days when people want to reach a tropical Thai beach they get on a plane for a short hop to Koh Samui or Phuket. In those days, it took a two-hour drive south from Bangkok to Pattaya (the drive was down a road so bad it made the B4326 look like the M1). This was my first experience of the Far East and probably as good an introduction as you could hope for.

By 1979, US servicemen on leave in the Far East were enjoying Pattaya Beach's extraordinary, edgy nightlife; the characteristic excesses of Thai entertainment were firmly established here. It was the place where The Beach's author, Alex Garland, would have been in seventh heaven.

I'm not clear why there was such a large US presence in Thailand at the end of the Seventies but the bar and club owners were clearly grateful.

Away from the strip, hotel developers were building resort hotels which at this time seemed to serve a market of affluent Parisians.

They have moved on but Pattaya remains a fun-loving place: the Costa del Sol of South East Asia. But there are interesting developments east of Pattaya, along the coast towards the border with Cambodia.

Cassia Phuket

Typical of the different style is Centara Q Resort Rayong, a boutique resort set on quiet Laem Mae Phim beach on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand.

there are 41 modern rooms in a resort designed to provide an intimate, beachfront getaway three hours' drive from Bangkok.

A number of other less well known Thai places are also beginning to be discovered by UK travellers, including Khanom, Koh Kood and Koh Phangan.

Koh Phangan is one of the many Thai resorts that has completed the journey from backpacker hang-out to upmarket resort.

Once known as the ultimate party destination thanks to its hedonistic scene and guest appearance in The Beach, the island has emerged as stylish and elegant.

The Anantara Rasananda on Koh Phangan is one of the Thai properties which makes the link between Koh Phangan's boisterous past and its more mellow present. Many guests have been here before, in their wilder days, but are now happily settled in their 30s, often with kids in tow.

Those hot, heady affairs still take place on Haad Rin beach, 30 minutes from the hotel, but now many people seek this more refined island option.

If you're looking for a more affordable Thai beach break, the Cassia Phuket lies on the unspoilt Bangtao Beach. Those looking to relax can choose to take a dip in the chic infinity pool or indulge in a massage and pampering session at the Chill Chill Spa.

At Market 23 Cafe, guests can socialise over a cup of coffee and takeaway snacks and meals including fresh fruit juices, daily smoothies, organic pro-biotic yogurt, light sandwiches, freshly prepared salads, and savoury and sweet pies.

Alternatively, guests can buy fresh ingredients to recreate their favourite dishes in their apartment. You can also order from local restaurants or take away directly from street vendors.

First published in the Mail on Sunday - June 2016

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