Excellent service and trip - can’t wait to make our next booking!
Stuart always goes above and beyond, never lets us down and is always there if a problem arises
Fantastic customer service from Calvin. He was patient and accommodating with our request which helped make our holiday a memorable one.
Great service and a pleasure to deal with
Jamal was amazing - great service, helpful and our holiday was perfect.
Billy Gardner is the best consultant out there
Everything was 1st class as usual
DialAFlight service excellent. Some aspects of Sandals Barbados very good but some aspects very poor. We will probably not use Sandals again.
It was good to have someone you could contact if needed!
Great service
My contact Helen was exceptional and catered to my every need
Finn Conlon was brilliant as always
No problems with DialAFlight, hotel excellent but Virgin flight not so good.
Darren always goes above and beyond
Joe is so helpful and has a great knowledge of most destinations around the world. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip, the hotel was ideally located on the beach and close to the nightlife of St Lawrence Gap. He never let's us down. Looking forward to booking our next adventure with you!
Excellent throughout
Kylie delivered exceptionally well...as usual
Fantastic
Not your fault, but the 13 hour delay at Heathrow on our return was awful and not well managed by BA at all.
I love DialAFlight. Kylie is the best travel agent I have ever had. Her attention to detail and her willingness to go the extra mile for us has ensured that all our travel plans have been hugely successful.
Peter was exceptional. He helped us rearrange our plans and our trip to Barbados was fantastic .
Riley is a credit to your team. Many thanks have recommended him to other people.
Everything went to plan.
Excellent service as always. Thanks Neil
Reggie did a great job for us. Everything worked extremely well.
Dominic's customer service is excellent
The new Terminal 2 at Manchester is one of the best terminals in the UK
I have always dealt with Drew and he has always delivered the service. Very happy
Great communication and support throughout.
The only thing that could be improved was Lufthansa cancelling our original flights. Other than that, the package holiday was just what we expected.
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.
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.
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.
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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