What 1085 DialAFlight clients thought of Barbados

Fantastic service. Tailored exactly to suit my needs. Nick found a package that suited my purse and fitted within my timeframe. He even managed to work it so I would have 2 extra days on my dream holiday.

Thanks Alfie for the help and advice

Great communication and service

Everything was just as we expected. Connie Lau did a great job as usual.

No issues. I was kept updated at every stage of the process with reassurance should the need be.

Jake and all the team went above and beyond to make our trip extra special and hassle free

Tristan is fantastic

Tristan was very helpful with our booking from the US!

Great service, superb holiday. Many, many thanks.

Orlando Spragg did an amazing job coordinating flights for 10 of us. He never lets us down.

Just perfect

Good communication and always on hand with answers to any queries. Very helpful. 5* service.

Mango Bay hotel is nice but in need of updating. All in all had a eat time and would stay there again .

You continue to give 100% service.

Impeccable as always

I have used DialAFlight a few times before -excellent service, phone operators superb, you get exactly what you ask for. Fantastic work.

Just more of the same please. Thank you Dexter

First class service as always

Excellent service from Stacey Rayner

You are always there if needed - thank you so much

Just what we expected from you as usual Manny

Any questions I had were answered promptly. We had a fantastic trip to Barbados

Exceptional service as usual!

Great pre and post service. I couldn't ask for more. I checked with Virgin/BA directly and a few other travel agencies and was really left with a feeling that they weren't interested in finding me the best flight price within the dates I was looking for. While DialAFlight provided options for the best dates to fly on, for prices that were not unfairly excessive..

Great service from Jason and his team again. Just when we thought we would have to stay put because of flight prices Jason never gave up and came back with a price solution. We were very happy.

Everything was as described

Marcus Nunn - exceptional as always from start to finish. Couldn’t recommend more

Your services were fantastic as always.

Due to accident while on the island we had to delay return twice. Whole team were so helpful in arranging our change of flights. Having dealt with you all for the last 10 years you have been amazing.

Excellent service

Sailing splendour

Finding heaven on the high seas

Boarding a small luxury cruise ship around the Windwards proved just the ticket for Helen Atkinson Wood

Who doesn't daydream about sailing on their own private yacht to the most secluded coves in the Caribbean? But cruising?

In my mind, cruising was the preserve of a senior generation who enjoyed being transported in their thousands in a floating block of flats to a number of different tourist hotspots.

And that image stayed with me until the elegant four-masted motor yacht Windstar came over the horizon and into view. It quickly tipped any preconceived notions about what it is to take a cruise holiday on its head.

Before joining the Windstar, my mother and I spent a lovely night in Barbados - to acclimatise to the balmy weather of the Caribbean, you understand.

Just 30 minutes from the port of Bridgetown - home to luxury liners and international cruise companies - sits Fairmont Royal Pavilion a perfect hotel hideaway.

The hotel is much favoured by return visitors, and having sampled its delights, I wouldn't take much convincing to enjoy a second stay.

After a refreshing dip in the aqua-blue sea, a couple of pina colada cocktails and a dinner of fresh seafood, we began to feel human again after the long-haul flight from London.

At Bridgetown harbour there are humble wooden boats, there are grander ships - and then there's the regal Windstar.

Fairmont Royal Pavilion on Barbados is a perfect pre-cruise hotel

Now I don't know my port from my starboard when it comes to sailing terminology, but I do know that the reason this 440ft motor yacht is breathtaking is quite simply her sails.

Step aboard and you feel that you're in a different era, a feeling confirmed by the sight of the splendid teak decking, which makes you want to start every day with a game of quoits.

After exploring the sumptuous cabin that would be our home for the next week, we joined the other passengers on deck as we sailed away to Vangelis's theme tune to the film 1492: Conquest Of Paradise, a fitting melody to match the stirring setting.

The particular paradise we were setting sail to conquer came in the form of the Windward Islands - St Lucia, Grenada and St Vincent - on a cruise that promised to uncover the Caribbean's lesser known islands.

To be gently rocked to sleep each evening by the waves and wake up at a new island each morning feels more like time-travelling than a holiday at sea. And not knowing what sight is going to greet you as you throw back the curtains is incredibly exciting.

To work up an appetite before breakfast, we could take a body-stretching yoga or pilates class, or else just settle for a brisk walk on deck, which always comes with a beautiful azure-blue view.

One day we dropped anchor at the idyllic 44-islet Pigeon Island on St Lucia before a tender swept us across to this verdant national park. We clambered up Signal Hill, which provides stunning views across to Martinique, before treating ourselves to an ice-cold beer and kingfish roti.

Princess Margaret Beach in Bequia

Next we headed for the spectacular Spice Island of Grenada, where we could participate in anything from scuba-diving to river-tubing, and golf to sampling rum. The island is known for its cocoa, with chocolate factory tours offering a particularly aromatic insight into how this lush green island trades the fruits of its lands.

On another occasion, the Windstar crew swept us up from Princess Margaret Beach in tiny Bequia. It was at times like this that we really did feel like royalty returning to our own private yacht. The fact that the 99 guests on board were attended to by a discreet yet congenial crew of 99 might have had something to do with that. It's hard to argue with a ratio of 1:1.

Guests enjoy a 1:1 staff to guest ratio on board the Windstar

Exemplary service and comfort are one thing but the intimacy - and smiling crew - was what really made this trip so special.

Executive chef Budhi Thakur runs a tight ship in the galley, and to savour the vast array of gastronomic masterpieces - from caviar to the most stylish BBQ you'll ever attend - that he and his team of ten chefs manage to produce from the tiny kitchen is incredible.

Windstar? This vessel could easily be renamed Michelin Star. I've always fancied the idea of running away to sea and now I've found the perfect place on which to have such an adventure. And my mum would happily be my shipmate too.

It's got four masts, it's gleaming white, it's luxurious from stern to bow - and it's called Windstar.

First published in the Mail on Sunday - April 2016

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