Your calls always answered within 5 rings.
Ray Taylor was always very helpful and responsive to any questions. We had an amazing trip!
This was a fantastic holiday and adventure experience of a lifetime as well as a relaxing holiday.
The Lacto OVO vegetarian meal on Thai is not vegan. We eventually found a vegan option for the return flight to UK by ordering something like the European Vegan option.
Efficient team especially Joe Orton.
Jeff provided an excellent service. All transfers went smoothly and we were pleased with the price. We were let down by one hotel which was under construction on arrival and did not offer the services advertised. This was disclosed less than 24 hrs prior to arrival.
Molly was a fab agent to deal with. Very helpful pre and during the trip. Abbie also was helpful in helping me sort out flight delays and chauffeur contacts
Lauren, who dealt with our flights was fabulous. Nothing was too much trouble. The only downside we had was being told by one of Lauren's colleagues that we needed to pick up our bags in Bangkok. This was incorrect
While not everything went to plan, you managed to resolve these issues quickly and without fuss
Matthew was recommended to me. I would have no hesitation in recommending him to others
Assistance organised by DialAFlight was perfect
Brilliant service, would definitely recommend and use again.
Charlie and his team could not have done any more - can not recommend them enough. A big thank you
Absolutely stunning 3 weeks away, beautiful accommodations and everything ran to schedule. Couldn't have asked for better. Well done to Libby Mcgarry
Absolutely fantastic from start to finish (apart from delayed return flight). Many thanks to Elizabeth for her vast amount of help and support!
Thank you Leo Thompson-Persaud for going above and beyond to organise an amazing trip for us!
Not all flights were satisfactory and seat choice was not available on online check in so a bit disappointing
Everything went to plan, well organised.
Very good service from young Fraser as always
Matthew as always was great, thanks for your help
Everything went to plan - no fuss or worry. Excellent.
All went very well, thank you
Received regular emails throughout. Everything went like clockwork. Brilliant flight but did pay more for extra leg room which wasn’t cheap.
Saf Patel was outstanding. Service went above and beyond to help us.
Vinny does all my bookings - he’s always very helpfu looking at all my flight options and he always gives me a courtesy call the day before my flight
Rosie was with us every step of the way planning our trip. We had several hotels and six flights, so it was quite complicated. Her knowledge, advice and professionalism was very reassuring. I had never organised a trip with so many bookings involved and Rosie was brilliant. The trip was brilliant, the hotels were super and the flights all pieced together perfectly.
Excellent service. Many thanks
My trip went as planned thanks to DialAFlight.
Keep up your good work. I would like to thank you again for organising my last trip back from Bangkok and wish you all the best for the future.
We had a fantastic holiday in Vietnam. Marshall Finnimore arranged everything and it all went like clockwork. We did not need to worry about anything other than enjoying our holiday. We will definitely be using DialAFlight again in the future.
Keep up the good work - you never fail me
Having just re-read Victoria Hislop's novel The Island, my mind was full of images of olive groves and small fishing villages hugging rocky coastlines, with friendly locals offering food and drink to die for - and in Crete my literary-inspired imaginings came true.
If you take an early flight from the UK you can be eating Greek salad on the beach by lunchtime - and of course I'm used to being up well before the crack of dawn to host ITV's Good Morning Britain.
Enticed by the promise of exclusive elegance, we stayed at the Daios Cove Luxury Resort and Villas, less than an hour from Heraklion airport - from where we were whisked in an air-conditioned limo.
At Daios Cove, the first thing that hits you is the glorious view across the Aegean Sea. The resort is laid out beneath you - four different levels cut into the cliff-face, as well as an infinity pool and a private beach.
The resort was the vision of owner Dimitris Daios. His aim was to create 'luxury a different way', and certainly every detail has been thought through.
Each of the 39 villas has a private heated pool and they are set along one side of the cove, all with unspoilt views and privacy.
To get to our villa we were whizzed off in a golf buggy, which gave us the distinctive feel of being in James Bond's Moonraker. Our two-storey villa was so spacious we could have had a floor each. It had a pillow menu and even a choice of fragrance to have pumped into the air-conditioning system.
Delicious local food
Greek salads, grilled fish, seafood and souvlaki are my favourite holiday foods, and all were in abundance at Daios Cove.
The buffet restaurant, The Pangea, has a large selection of regional and international dishes, and several are cooked in front of you. There's also a formal Mediterranean restaurant, as well as Greek specialities at the Taverna Restaurant. However, my favourite meal was a private candlelit dinner served in the courtyard of our villa.
To help work off calories, there are plenty of watersports, including kayaking and paddle-boarding. You can also zip around the bay on an inflatable doughnut.
On land there's tennis, yoga and Pilates - but even that seemed too energetic as I was making the most of having a week of complete relaxation. The extent of my exertions was reading a book while floating on a lilo.
My excuse was that getting around the resort keeps you fit - being built over four levels means there are hundreds of steps, and we walked everywhere. If you don't fancy being so energetic, you can summon a golf buggy or use the funicular.
There's plenty to keep guests entertained in the evening. We went to a sparkling comedy show from the Feta Queen, Katerina Vrana, who poked fun at both the Greek and the British.
To help with the total relaxation process, there's a huge spa. I chose a bliss-fully relaxing massage as well as a facial.
Visiting the islands
We made it to Spinalonga, the former leper colony featured in The Island, on our final morning. The colony is a short hop across the sea from the village of Plaka. For anyone who has read the novel, it's a hugely evocative trip - you can imagine those who faced that journey for real as they were banished to the island and forced to leave their families behind.
Even for those who haven't read the book, you get a real sense of how those confined there for years had to create a community until a cure for leprosy was found in the 1950s. It feels even more eerie now that it's deserted, apart from tourists meandering around.
Back in Plaka there are quaint streets and buildings that haven't changed for years. Not to be missed is Giovanni's Taverna, where we received a delightfully warm welcome from the owner, Yanni.
The taverna is everything you would hope for, with a truly authentic feel. The marinated anchovies are delicious, and Yanni's tomato and olive oil dip made to his grandmother's recipe is exquisite.
I was delighted my experience of Crete lived up to expectations from reading The Island - and if you go, don't forget to pack it as a must-read holiday book.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - July 2019
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