Everything worked like clockwork. Charlie Miles and Chris Coulter were extremely helpful which eased my mind about travelling as an elderly person.
Professional, friendly and accommodating. We couldn’t have asked for better service. Thank you so much
All flights arranged by Kylie were good and other than a long wait in Miami they were extremely well organised.
The only issue that I had was no vegetarian meal on the homebound longhaul flight. I do, however, suspect that this was an airline issue rather than DialAFlight.
I had to make a change whilst away and this was dealt with very quickly.
Note that Ibis Styles does not have transport to airport and the buses from airport don't go there. Would stay somewhere else next time.
All was perfect - no delays
Very good hotel choices and the flight connections went smoothly. Ably assisted by our Travel Manager who was only a phone call away for any queries, which were answered promptly and dealt with sympathetically. Will use for future holidays.
The DialAFlight app made checking in very straightforward.
Jarvis is superb. A great ambassador for the company.
Great staff, always available to help with queries. Would definitely use again and recommend
Harriet was very helpful and I got my flights for a good price. The connections worked out well so I didn't have to hang around any airport for too long.
Matthew Price is a magician - he always gets it right
Lee was very helpful and answered my questions promptly.
Never received such 5* service when booking flights before. Hugely impressed, will definitely use again and recommend to friends - in fact already recommended to friends who have booked!
Very happy with the service.
No problems but felt reassured that I could contact Ethan if any arose
Richard is a delight to work with. Have been dealing with DialAFlight for over 30 years in my capacity as Personal Assistant to the Executive Director of International Coffee Organisation and now as Consultant for InterAfrican Coffee Organisation. It has always been a pleasure and a peace of mind!
As always the service was first class for my fourth trip in the last 12 months. No need to look anywhere else for travel arrangements
Thak you Joey - we had a great wildlife adventure!
Had a few complications but all worked out in the end and was very glad for the help with cancelling part of my trip to Peru and rescheduling of my flights.
Des brilliant as always.
Julie is always helpful and gives me so many options to choose from. Great service
Small niggle. Qantas charged us extra for our checked in luggage which we thought was included on our Sydney to Honolulu flight
Fantastic service again - been using DialAFlight for the past 8 years and the service is as good today as it was the first time
Roger was excellent. He took all the stress away and his customer care was on point. Great service and a good price.
Reece always a star
Great price and service
Glen and Jack constantly available and helpful. App is very easy to navigate.
Richard got me out of a tight spot while I was in Costa Rica and saved me lots of trouble for which I am very grateful.
When your two sons’ favourite TV programmes are Weird Creatures With Nick Baker and Austin Stevens: Most Dangerous! you have a choice: stick your fingers in your ears and pretend it isn’t happening or go with the flow.
So it was that I found myself crouched on the floor of a hotel room in Costa Rica at 2am, trying to catch a spider the size of a fried egg with a tumbler.
In my imaginary life, holidays are spent on a sun lounger. Back in the real world, I’d travelled to the depths of the Costa Rican rainforest with my sons, nine and six, to look at monkeys, caimans, frogs and, yes, spiders - although I hadn’t bargained on having to share a room with one.
Thanks to the country’s incredibly varied landscape, Costa Rica is one of the most bio-diverse countries on earth - it has rainforests, cloud forests, beaches, hot springs and volcanoes.
It’s anything but a Third World country. The streets of San Jose are clean, the people well-educated and the hotels fantastic. To get a proper sense of the place, you need to travel about, which means a lot of driving, although flying is quicker.
My sons had a wish list of animals they were dying to see. Top of the list were the monkeys and, cruising down the river in Tortuguero National Park, we watched fascinated as white-faced capuchin monkeys leapt from tree to tree over our heads.
Our first stop was the Pachira Lodge in a lagoon in the heart of Tortuguero National Park. It’s an eco lodge with its own dock, boats and guide, but there was no air conditioning or TV. Instead guests gravitated to the pool bar where there was a lovely breeze. It was very friendly and sociable.
The best time to see monkeys was early morning. We also spotted toucans, herons, caimans and even a wild otter.
Our next stop was Tabacon Resort and Spa in La Fortuna. Here you can see the active Arenal Volcano, experience hot springs, and visit Cano Negro Wildlife Park, which you do by boat. The animals were astonishing.
The hot springs are free to guests and you dip into a series of swimming pools with natural waterfalls.
On then to Manuel Antonio on the coast and the Arenas Del Mar Hotel. Here we had a hot tub overlooking a pretty cove, a super-comfortable bed and flat-screen TV. My eco conscience was clear as it is sustainable - even the shampoo is biodegradable.
The boys loved it because it was in the middle of a forest, which meant easy access to more wildlife. It is also useful for visiting the Manuel Antonio National Park where we saw more monkeys, lizards, crabs and very lazy sloths doing nothing but clinging to branches.
The highlight was when a wild deer stepped out of the forest and walked alongside my eldest son. He will never forget it. If you are going to the park at Manuel Antonio, take a swimsuit, because there is a lovely beach. It is sheltered, so ideal for children, and we had a great afternoon playing in the water and collecting hermit crabs.
Our final stop was the Paradisus Playa Conchal Hotel. The Paradisus is all-inclusive with jaw-dropping pool, bars and restaurants and lots of activities.
The best bit, as far as the boys were concerned, was the possibility of having a Playstation, X-Box or Wii installed in your room.
Still, on the flight home, I asked them what their favourite part of the holiday was.
I expected them to say the X-Box, but they didn't. The highlight for them was the Pachira Lodge, with the monkeys hopping about on the roofs. Seeing wildlife on TV is all very well, but when you see it for real, it beats the pants off any computer game.
First published in the Mail Online - February 2015
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