Thanks as always to Ralph Summers. I always recommend DialAFlight to family and friends and I will soon be booking a trip to the USA this summer.
I should have been informed of the single person’s supplement and the reason for the expense of the hotel room.
Toby was wonderful
We have used DialAFlight for over 20 years and would never consider going anywhere else.
Kylie Budinger is just brilliant - everything you could want in a travel consultant
Not sure why, but we never got the booked seats going out, and were split up although still in Premium Economy. Virgin gave us £40 each duty free items for the mistake. Flight back much better. DialAFlight info and follow up good by Vinnie.
DialAFlight never let me down.
Used Stuart for many years and recommend to many friends. Friendly, helpful and patient and always delivers the best hotels..
As always, Max was brilliant! He went that extra mile to ensure everything was beyond our expectations.
Blue Orchid and Coral Mist (where we stayed the first night) were gems, as long as you aren't too worried about the plumbing and breakfasts which one doesn't really need as each room has its own kitchen. Staff were very helpful and its situation on beach was beautiful. The quality of British Airways food was poor.
As always, many thanks Dylan Harris for all your help and support.
Roy Copeland is an absolute gem. He will take on the most complicated travel plans deliver an itinerary with a professionalism and ease that I have never come across with any travel agent anywhere.
We booked a last minute trip to Barbados all based on Danny Sharma’s recommendations. He gave us a great experience
Our holiday plans went without a hitch and we loved every minute. We have two more holidays booked with Mason but they will not be the last.
I'd have liked to choose from more than 2 suggested hotels, one of which was at the cruise ship terminal, but Island House was lovely, albeit on the flight path for Nassau airport, which would have been valuable information to know before we booked.
BA use really old planes on Barbados route. My flatbed needed crew assistance! Toilet door handle fell off! Screen didn’t show any films on outward trip -seat 13 A . Really need newer planes on this route.
Great service from start to finish.
Will be coming back to you for another trip.
As usual, professional helpful staff
Michelle as fab as ever!
Please let the airline know that they need to improve the diabetic meals. It is not only sweet things that need to be reduced but also the amount of carbs.
It was all very good, the room, the meals, and the facilities, including the beach and the service there. We had a good discount for the pool out of action, which did not affect us greatly. The pick up at the airport was rather casual with an old vehicle, but the return was fine.
Great work Gordon and team.
Gordon Hibbert, as ever excellent service
The only slight issue we had was when we arrived in Barbados there didn’t appear to be the private transfer there for us …no one was holding a DialAFlight board up. We eventually got it sorted
Exceptional service
I will definitely be using DialAFlight again. Everyone was very helpful and booking was very easy. All the details we needed were there in our app with no problems. Would definitely recommend to friends
We will be using you again.
Flights and hotel really good. Had to get a room upgrade at Sandpiper - but no extra charge.
Everything worked like clockwork. Your local rep was excellent
The most dreaded words I know are 'closed for refurbishment'.
Whatever they apply to - a favourite hotel, restaurant or bar - they inevitably signify the end of something I love and the beginning of something I will loathe.
Professionally I crave sudden change - I'm in the news business. But personally I yearn for the opposite. I'm a creature of habit.
So for years I've regularly returned for a 'lads'' holiday with my three sons to the same Caribbean resort - Jumby Bay, a 300-acre private island with 40 hotel suites and 50 private homes off the coast of Antigua.
We stay in the same two intercon-necting suites, sit on the same stunning beach all morning, play afternoon cricket on the same 22ft stretch of sand, dine in one of the same delightful three restaurants - and I get mocked in the same merciless manner by my offspring before finally collapsing in the same gorgeously appointed bedroom.
It's been an utterly reliable, gloriously peaceful break from media frenzy.
But as I was booking my most recent trip, back came an email saying: 'New management: Complete Design Transformation'. Even worse, the refurb would be going on while we were there. Nightmare beckoned. We flew there full of fear and trepidation.
One of Jumby Bay's many beauties is that it lies a two-minute drive and five-minute ferry from Antigua's V.C. Bird International Airport. Within 40 minutes of landing, we were at the resort, sipping a rum punch.
There are no cars: every guest gets a bicycle instead. Guests at the private houses have golf buggies. There are no locked doors to suites: the island operates on trust.
I could trust the old 'Jumby Bay', run by Rosewood Resorts under the cultured eye of its brilliant former general manager, Andrew Hedley.
But could I trust the new 'Jumby Bay Island', now run by the Oetker Collection? That was the big question.
My first surprise was the food. It was always good, but this time it was exceptional, especially in the signature Estate House restaurant.
The head chef was trained by French genius Alain Ducasse and it shows. Trust me, you won't eat better than this anywhere in the Caribbean.
Breakfasts at the ocean view Pool Grille were as lean and healthy or as sinful as you desired. And I particularly enjoyed the new lunchtime beach shack barbecue that delivered delicious lobsters.
My second surprise was the general standard of service, everywhere in the resort. It was, astonishingly, even faster and more consistently reliable than before.
The Jumby staff, many of whom have been there many years, take great pride in their work and their enthusiasm for the renovations was infectious.
Once I viewed the extensive 'structural changes', I realised why… and my fears promptly converted to three cheers.
This refurb is more evolutionary than revolutionary, executed by acclaimed Brazilian designer Patricia Anastassiadis. Oetker has introduced a spanking new beachfront infinity pool, a fabulous addition. It has also performed substantial upgrades to the water sports centre and luxury spa.
And the old Veranda restaurant and lobby area has been ripped up and replaced by an elegant new Italian restaurant and bar.
But none of this has changed the 'feel' of the place.
Many big names find peace and solace here. I've seen everyone from Sir Paul McCartney to Mariah Carey and Will Smith strolling along the beach, and no-one bothers them.
Last year, Barcelona football super-stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were both at Jumby the week before we arrived, causing my sons to nearly disown me for not booking us in at the same time.
'Dad,' raged my eldest, Spencer, 'have you any idea how many Insta likes I'd have got for a beach kick-about video with those two?'
More than he'd get for playing cricket with me, definitely.
You can be as energetic or lazy as you like on Jumby. There's a great gym, some excellent floodlit tennis courts, and you can cycle wherever you like.
Or, like me, you can just take a gigantic metaphorical chill pill and do almost nothing. And I feel enthused by the new owner's commitment to preserving the best of Jumby Past, and excited by their vision for Jumby Future.
If I were writing a news headline about it, it would be this: BREAKING NEWS: Jumby Bay's back – better than ever.
First published in the Daily Mail - January 2019
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements
Clients range from TV companies to Space agencies, investment banks to firms recruiting nurses, doctors and teachers around the world. One saves tigers, elephants and and orang-utans, another clears landmines around the world.
But they all have one thing in common. They love the unique DialAFlight approach. Read more here
Let us extend the personalised service of your booking into your holiday with great prices on business class flights ready to add a touch of class to your trip.
Take the stress out of travelling with a host of wonderful perks on offer from priority check-in and premium lounge access to chauffeur service and fine in-flight dining, plus the supreme comfort of a fully-reclining seat.
Call us to see how much you could save on Business Class flights.
Airport Lounges from £25
Once you’re through security leave the crowds, kids and chaos behind you with a visit to one of our comfortable airport lounges.
All offer complimentary food, drinks, wifi and newspapers with some also including Fastrack through security. Prices from £25.
Use our speedy private transfer service to avoid the stress of finding your way out of the airport terminal and looking for a taxi or bus on arrival.
With our meet and greet service, our driver will meet you in the arrivals hall. They will monitor flight arrival times giving you peace of mind that someone will be waiting for you with a name board even if your flight is late.
They will then assist you with your luggage and organise a private transfer directly to your hotel - there’s no waiting around for other passengers for shared transfers!
So no queues, no delays and less stress.
What could be better than giving someone the Gift of Travel?
Starting at just £50, with no maximum value, DialAFlght's 'Gift of Travel' vouchers make the perfect present for any occasion or celebration.
And it couldn't be simpler to organise, just contact one of our travel experts today and they will organise a personalised travel voucher to be sent out.
BACK TO TOP
