Your calls always answered within 5 rings.
Everything went smoothly as usual. In particular Edward found us a really lovely boutique hotel which wasn’t available on any of the usual booking websites and at a competitive price.
I've been using DialAFlight for over 10 years .. I wouldn't use anyone else. I personally find it comforting to be able to call them and be answered virtually immediately without having to wade through a ton of options like most businesses! They are always ready with useful advice and very very efficient.
Overall I was very pleased with DialAFlight. Cmpliments to Callum - I appreciated his patience with me when I was asking him so many questions!! Well done!
My easyJet flight out of Milan was cancelled. Not your fault. Luke is always excellent - he is the reason I keep coming back.
Curtis, I can’t thank you enough
Great holiday!
As ever, good service from Matthew Price
Lewis did a great job, thank you
Some minor details that were not conveyed. Over all very happy. Had an amazing trip.
I like the way all communications are responded to by a person within such a short time. That makes such a difference in a time of automated responses and useless FAQs.
Love the fact that I can call up regarding flight and airport related queries such as cabin allowance, car parking, as I have some flight anxiety. Special mention to Julie and Glen. Your staff are very customer focused and knowledgeable - and by the way - fly Lufthansa! Epic airline
Great service before and during the holiday. Jarvis Allen was a pleasure to deal with and his service was exemplary .
Aidan was very helpful throughout
Joanna was very helpful and easy to get hold of to answer my stupid questions.
Bradley is very good
We'd like to thank Des for all his help including online check in for us which was very helpful. It's always good to know we can contact DialAFlight if we encounter any problems.
Connie was friendly, efficient and sensibly reminded me to confirm my flight details with the airline and get a boarding pass. Everything worked out as planned.
All of your staff are so good. Thank you
Eric was very helpful sorting out our holiday so a big thank you. He listened to what we asked for and put everything together for us perfectly. We had a brilliant holiday
Good service from the start. Grateful that two rooms next door to each other were also followed up on.
Sam Nott brilliant as ever. Service faultless.
Thanks to Kylie and her colleagues for their courteous, prompt and effective response to a last-minute emergency, which required a rapid change of flights, car-parking, etc. If ever a case needed to be made for using DialAFlight, rather than flying independently, this was it!
Great organisation by Darryll.
DialAFlight stuck with me through a worrying time while I was in Corfu and had to come home early. Thank you Gareth .
Excellent company - would definitely use again.
As always, Chloe understood exactly what we wanted and planned the perfect holiday.
Tony is brilliant!
Flights all OK and hotel comfortable with good food. Only comment would be to take care which room to accept in the Admiral hotel. Ours was on the top floor with stairs from the living area to the bedroom, which were steep and not really suitable for the elderly.
You do not want to know what happened on the return flight: It left late, took half an hour to start disembarking, then we had to wait nearly two hours for luggage, because of a failure in the scanning system.
You are a breath of fresh air
Some hotels manage effortlessly to combine a hip and trendy image with old school charm - and the Splendido Hotel in Portofino is certainly one of them. In the Hotel Splendido’s case a generous dose of Italian style is also thrown in for good measure.
THE ROAD TO SPLENDIDO
It is perched on the Italian Riviera coastline, two hotels in one, both boasting roof gardens, geranium-filled terraces and a languid way of life. Carved from a 16th Century Benedictine monastery high above the village, the original Hotel Splendido opened in 1902 and has 65 rooms surrounded by terrace gardens with a swimming pool. In 1998, a satellite branch on the harbour - the Splendido al Mare - opened with 16 rooms and suites.
Portofino is still a fishing village, south-east of Genoa. Pastel-coloured houses, high-end boutiques and seafood restaurants fringe the Piazzetta, which is a small cobbled square overlooking the harbor, which often has a selection of super-yachts in evidence.
A path leads from the Piazzetta to Castello Brown, a 16th century fortress and museum with frequent art exhibitions and constant panoramic views of the town and the Ligurian Sea.
The village in general, and Hotel Splendido in particular, has always been a magnet for celebrities, past and present. The visitor of note list includes Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Ava Gardner, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Madonna, Rihanna.
WHAT TO EXPECT
All the hotel's rooms are spacious with a mix of antiques and marble, maintaining a timeless feel. Gadgets are kept to a minimum, although the Splendido does have its own yacht. There is also a shuttle to spare guests the 15-minute walk between the two sites.
ITALIANS DO IT BEST
Food takes centre stage - this is Italy, after all. Elizabeth Taylor, who honeymooned here, has a spaghetti dish named after her – but Ava Gardner went one better. There is a suite named after her.
La Terrazza is the Splendido's most iconic restaurant – it’s romantic, relaxed, with serious seafood and alfresco tables.
Down in the harbour, Chuflay offers a more formal dining experience, but many celebrities - including Madonna and Rihanna - see it as the perfect place to hang out during yachting holidays.
The location on the Ligurian is as scenic as could be desired, and Portofino's harbour is one of Europe's most beautiful. The many-coloured villas hugging the coastline are the subject of many calendars.
The waters of this fishing village are now frequented by the yachts of the super rich. Yes, there's nothing much to do - but that's really the whole point of Portofino. You stroll, indulge in some light shopping at Ferragamo, and then indulge some more at a restaurant or bar.
HOME TO THE STARS
The USP of Portofino is that it can claim to be Italy the way it was - for Hollywood stars at least - around 50 years ago, when celebrities could wander through the cobbled streets without being pestered for selfies.
It's still, relatively speaking, a safe zone for celebrities. But Beyoncé learned that stilettos aren't the best footwear for the terrain in 2010 - when she returned in 2014, she opted for more suitable flats.
Regular guests Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw holidayed at the hotel with their family very recently. Kylie Minogue, another regular visitor, was also in Portofino recently to perform at a Dolce & Gabbana show.
FINAL CONCLUSION
But is it good enough for the rest of us? Undeniably it is. You can sip your aperitif at one of the delightful harbour bars and feel just like a star.
And at the Splendido, from the stars twinkling above the moonlit ocean to the swaying palms in the garden, you can live la dolce vita. It is the epitome of Italian glamour.
First published in the Mail Online - June 2018
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