What 6725 DialAFlight clients thought of Europe

Harrison was very responsive each time I contacted him - even the day we left to travel home. Great service, courtesy call before we left - will definitely use again!

Always amazing service from Cameron - I recommend you guys to everyone

You saved our trip in the face of a total nightmare. Thank you!

Micky Patten was fantastic, super helpful, friendly and efficient. Our holiday was fantastic

Every stage of my trip to the USA was expertly put together. Assistance in place, lovely hotel, all flight seats were aisle, as requested. DialAFlight will be planning my next trip.

Always brilliant, make it all so easy, hence we always come back!

Sarah Hole and her team are fantastic! I so recommend them. They give you confidence

Thanks Adam for the excellent service as always

Thanks to Tara for arranging assistance through Malaga airport for our son in his wheelchair. When we arrived at Malaga airport there was a clearly marked intercom near the entrance to the terminal for disabled passengers. When I used it, the person I spoke to checked our son’s name was on the system, asked us to stay there and within 10 minutes an escort arrived in a buggy to transport the whole party through the airport from check in, through security and straight to the gate. Very impressed!

Neil and his team were all so helpful. We could not have managed the trip without their help. AND they answered the 'phone quicker than any other company that I have had the misfortune to ring in the last 30 months!

Fantastic service as always, especially Troy

Always excellent service

Sean Furnival was his usual outstanding self

Paul Jones and his team are excellent. I will be using you guys again for my next holiday.

Lucas is a star! Always gets it right

Paula was brilliant and a credit to your company

Matt Power is a legend

Super-satisfied. Many thanks.

Amelia Beecham looked after our recent Portugal trip. She also booked my Toronto trip earlier in the year. Both trips were fantastic. Accommodation was brilliant. Everything ran smoothly. Amelia was superb!

Have used you guys for several years and would not consider using anybody else. Brilliant all the way.

Efficient and informative. Would highly recommend

Bruce was always available and dealt with any queries immediately. He also contacted us before travel to wish us a happy holiday

Very informative - lots of updates. Very helpful and friendly - would definitely recommend Danny Sharma.

Everything went according to plan. Thank you so much Patrick

Perfect service as always

Fantastic service from start to finish! We had an amazing holiday

Very responsive from the outset; quick to provide documents and responses to questions. Would definitely recommend. Thanks to Teddy and Les for making it all run smoothly

I will certainly use you again! Thank you so much

Ed was so professional and friendly. Would never book with anyone else.

I thought the pre holiday attention was great and given the amount of variables involved in my trip to several Greek Islands - logistically it was great. I would say there was some inconsistencies in hotel qualities though as the only caviat. But I appreciate it was a fairly tricky itinerary and was overall a fantastic holiday

Intriguing Istria

Croatia's Tuscany by the sea

The unspoilt peninsula of Istria does a great impression of rural Italy...but has its own identity too, writes Jane Horrocks

Croatia is increasingly popular for British travellers, and we decided to jump on the bandwagon. But rather than head for the Dalmatian coast islands, we opted for the intriguing peninsula in the far north, known as Istria.

There are regular flights from the UK to the region's capital, Pula, where you quickly pick up the Italianate feel, thanks to its well-preserved Roman amphitheatre, Italian menus and elegant architecture left behind by 450 years of Venetian occupation.

The imposing amphitheatre in Pula dates back to 68 AD

Venice is less than three hours away on a high-speed ferry these days but Istria very much has its own identity.We stayed close to the town of Sveti Lovrec, a 40-minute drive north of Pula. It's a beautifully preserved example of a medieval fortified town. Within its walls, the cobbled streets are deserted and silent but for the tolling of the church bell, while a couple of mini supermarkets, bars and an excellent pizzeria lie outside the ramparts.

Don't be fooled, though - Sveti Lovrec erupts into life in early August when the town holds its annual Beerfest - a bit like a huge, unruly wedding.

The peninsula's rugged coastline means that the beaches tend to be small, pebbly affairs. If you're looking for golden sands, head to Dalmatia and the islands. But the geology here throws up far more interesting features. Take the Limski Kanal, for example: a spectacular six-mile, fjord-like estuary that cuts inland a few miles south of Sveti Lovrec. You'd think such an enormous channel would be hard to miss, but on our first attempt by car we overshot the turning and ended up in the port of Vrsar, with my partner Nick squinting into a map on his iPhone.

A boat ride down the cobalt waters of Limski Kanal is a must

While negotiating a three-point turn, we were struck by the number of naked families in front of us and it became clear that we had driven into Koversada, a huge nudist colony.

We quickly returned to Vrsar to get on a boat instead; trips run all day every day from the harbour and will take you on a cruise along the Kanal and also to the beautiful town of Rovinj. The town juts out into the sea, a stunning cluster of Venetian houses clinging to a rocky isthmus, crowned with the spire of St Euphemia's Basilica at the top.

We disembarked and ascended the picturesque cobbled streets, enjoying wonderful sea views from outside the Basilica and the cooler air within it. We also discovered the joy of cevapcici (sausage-shaped 'burgers' served with raw onion and pepper sauce) outside a bistro halfway up the hill.

Later, the boat dropped us off to inspect a pirate's cave allegedly used by Captain Morgan and now conveniently housing a bar. From here we enjoyed views of the calm waters and densely wooded banks of the Kanal, and also views of naked pensioners in speedboats: it seems enthusiasm for naturism is everywhere.

Istria boasts pretty hill-top towns and an undulating landscape

Along the northern bank, restaurants serve up beautifully fresh seafood and it isn't ridiculously expensive. The same goes for most of Istria's restaurants; high quality, low prices. There are treats for the meat-eaters, too: with suckling pigs roast on spits at roadside grills. Another great boat excursion is to the Brijuni islands. This little archipelago, a couple of miles off the coast, has a long and fascinating history.

The Venetians quarried the stone here to build their own city; then, in the late 19th Century, an Austrian entrepreneur turned the islands into an exclusive beach resort, which, after the Second World War, became General Tito's private summer residence.

On Brijuni he entertained everyone from Fidel Castro to Elizabeth Taylor. A little museum houses a terrific exhibition of photos of Tito with his glamorous guests. Tito's parakeet Koki is still alive too and available for a chat in his aviary.

It's once you leave the coast and drive inland that you realise why Istria is often dubbed 'the new Tuscany'. We headed north to hook up with some of Nick's friends, and were stunned by the endless sublime vistas.

The ancient town of Groznan

One such town, Groznan, is reached only by a winding dirt track and is a haven for artists and musicians. The sound of a cello echoed through the empty streets as we went to meet Mike and Marijana, and sat on a hillside terrace sipping prosecco and gazing at the preposterously beautiful town of Motovun a few miles away.

Later we visited a wonderful restaurant, Konoba Mondo, in Motovun, and had a terrific evening enjoying Istrian produce that inspires its comparisons with Tuscany - first-rate olive oil, world-class wine and truffles galore. As we devoured plates of pasta, we could actually hear the truffle-hunting dogs in the valley below.

Istria is hospitable, charming, a bit off the beaten track and very much on the way up. Tuscany had better watch out…

First published in the Daily Mail - April 2016

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