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Jack always looks after us well
Tony Judge was always on hand to support and answer questions. He made the booking of our honeymoon and the trip itself go super smoothly
An amazing holiday and Jake again delivered on every request. Would recommend to everyone
Great flights, great airlines and good value
Used you before, always been hassle free!
Kieran was excellent at arranging our trip
Timely updates from my appointed agent meant that I was kept aware of any changes to the bookings I had made. A courtesy call just prior to travelling was a nice touch. All in all 100% satisfied with the service.
Once again excellent, trouble free travel. There is little point in checking every website - one phone call to Eric and the job is done. Thanks again
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As always, excellent service from Dominic and our holiday was superb.
It's very reassuring to know that if something goes wrong with my trip there's someone I can call to help sort it out.
A well planned touring holiday, all the connections worked well resulting in a very enjoyable holiday. Thanks to Michelle Dooler for putting it together
When return flight was cancelled I couldn’t fault Roger for sorting a flight asap.
The business class flight service with BA on the return was an embarrassment to our national airline. If I have a choice in the future I will not fly with them.
You are great for flights and hire cars, just start doing hotel bookings and we would use you for them.
In Arenal we stayed at a hotel with hot springs, so didn't need an excursion to another place with hot springs, we could have done something else. Drivers, pick up, guides, other excursions were all excellent. Overall we had a brilliant time
Callum was super helpful, many thanks
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We had a wonderful family holiday in Mexico, Dexter Tahsin helped us with everything and it exceeded our expectations. The resort, food and our rooms were fantastic, cannot fault anything,
Thank you Riley Ranson. Clarice and I had the most amazing time and we’ll be back with your help . What a holiday at Secrets the vine Mexico. Thanks to recommendation.
Great service, delivered what was promised yet again
Dexter’s help and recommendation was amazing, thank you! This was the perfect location and the resort was beautiful. The perfect family holiday we needed!
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United were very good - enough drinks provided throughout the flights and something edible to eat out of every tray. Polite caring hostesses. Excellent app especially the bag tracking and boarding reminders
We had a great holiday - the Drake Bay and Oxygen Villas were lovely as was the Cheyote Lodge, although food was not great. The small plane flight to Drake Bay was amazing! Costa Rica was lovely. BA was a letdown on the return.
Vernon is a rare hero! Calm, professional, proficient and pulls a trip together in minutes.
It's a sun-drenched morning at the East Perth Terminal and the Indian Pacific train gleams brightly beyond the cool shadows of the station. Two dozen stainless-steel carriages stretch along the boomerang-shaped platform.
Our coaches, dating from the late 1960s and early 1970s, were built in New South Wales by Commonwealth Engineering, which received a licence for the sleek, bullet-like design from Budd, a metal-fabricating company in Philadelphia.
I know this because John Brinkley, one of three train managers on the 1,860ft-long Indian Pacific (it travels from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean), is on hand to answer any questions. He also points guests towards their carriage for our 2,700-mile journey.
We are departing Perth on a Sunday at 11.55am, and are due to arrive in Sydney on Wednesday at 11.07am.
I'm travelling in gold class for two nights (sleeper cabins and a lounge with free drinks, plus free meals in a smart dining carriage) followed by a night in red (reclining seats and a cafe where you have to pay). There's also platinum class - comfortable cabins with double beds, a swanky dining carriage, and a free cocktail bar.
Brinkley tells me the train hit a camel on the way from Sydney to Perth a couple of days ago. 'There was damage to the loco - we had to repair an air pipe. We blow animal whistles and the horn, but it still happens. Kangaroos keep out of the way generally. Kangaroos are pretty smart.'
We roll out of Perth and into the parched countryside with gum trees, shrubs and orange-tinged soil. After dumping my bag in my cabin, I go to the gold-class lounge to meet my fellow travellers. Many are sitting in burgundy leather armchairs and banquettes drinking Crown lager and glasses of Australian wine, while conversations range from Chinese investment in Hunter Valley coal mines to the quality of the train's gin (deemed top-notch).
It's a jolly train. Meals are substantial: three courses, served in booths separated by frosted-glass partitions.
We stop at Kalgoorlie (population: 31,000) at 10.45pm. Coaches take us past darkened sights including a vast working mine; gold was discovered here in 1893. The town has a frontier feel. A guide points out a Woolworths that has the biggest takings in Australia (gold miners have plenty of cash to spend).
I sleep well, to the rhythm of the tracks, and wake to see copper-gold light illuminating wispy clouds above gum trees and dried-out river beds.By mid-morning, the Indian Pacific draws to a halt at Cook (population: four) and I spot a sign saying: 'If you're crook, come to Cook, Queen City of the Nullarbor.' Crook, of course, is slang for 'ill' in Australia, while the Nullarbor Plain is a region that boasts a wild and rugged landscape. A 297-mile section of track running through it is the world's longest straight stretch. Cook is an outpost of rundown buildings. However, it's a good place to stretch our legs.
Early next morning we pull into Adelaide, and passengers join coach tours of the South Australian city. We are taken to Mount Lofty, though it's shrouded in cloud. We see the Adelaide Oval, where there's a statue of cricket legend Sir Don Bradman.
Back at Adelaide Parklands Terminal I buy a battery-powered beer-bottle cooler that makes train sounds when lifted.
Now I have to switch to red class, towards the front of the train. It comprises 48 seats that look as though they belong in a plane's business-class, but filled with backpackers and retirees.
Our duty manager recommends the breakfasts that he personally cooks. 'I've had phone calls from Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver saying, "I've heard about your breakfasts". I reply, "No, I can't come to work for you. I want the twenty bucks an hour Great Southern Rail is paying me".' Not far out of Adelaide, I glimpse my first and only kangaroos, far in the distance. I also spot an eagle high above.
That evening we reach Broken Hill, a lead and zinc mining town, and I make my way to the Palace Hotel. The venue featured in the 1994 film The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, about the unlikely subject of drag queens in the Outback.
I discover a reception area with bright murals, stuffed birds and cabinets displaying leopard-print high heels. On the wall is an advert for the Broken Heel Festival. Its motto? 'Life in the Outback is never a drag.' Back on the train, we clatter through the night and wake to see cows munching grass in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. I eat our carriage manager's Gordon Ramsay-quality breakfast and sit back as we snake into Sydney's Grand Central station. We're a mere 13 minutes late - not bad when you've just covered 2,700 miles.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - September 2016
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