Your calls always answered within 5 rings.
Everything went smoothly -flights, transfers and hotel accomodation. We can find no fault!
Jeff organised everything perfectly and called to reassure no issues with flight.
Thanks Dominic - look forward to using you again very soon
Amazing! This holiday was booked last minute and Ethan pulled it out of the bag. The hotel was one of the best that we have stayed in. Can’t wait for Harry and team to help sort the next one out for us. Brilliant service
Ash Pankhania always goes above and beyond to make sure his clients are satisfied!
We have been using DialAFlight for over 20 years and we have never been disappointed. We have travelled across the world and Ryan has always organised our trips.
Absolutely fantastic! Another winner Michael Millward. Another great trip organised by DialAFlight
Fantastic service from DialAFlight as always!
Arthur and his team are the very reason I book time and time again with DialAFlight. Their friendly, helpful and knowledgeable service always amazes me. Thanks once again for a fabulous customer experience.
Ralph, as always, thanks for sorting us out with our latest Dubai trip. We had the best time and the hotel was definitely one of the best we have done there. We will be in touch soon to start the plans for 2025!
Saf and Noah - A1 service as usual - many thanks
Roy Copeland and Frazer were very helpful. I will always speak to them again when booking my next holiday.
Dale Walton has arranged several flights for me and I’ve always been very pleased with the service and attention to detail
Wouldn't choose anyone else for long haul - simply the best
Niall is fabulous to deal with and always keeps you informed
Ryan really helpful
Thank you to Liam who looked after us and knew our needs as a family .. the personal touch he gave us is priceless. I have already sent him a email to get the next holiday organised
Everything worked out really well so thank you to Christian for all your help and reassurance!
Fantastic trip again organised by Kirsty from beginning to end. Thank you again for the great service.
Chris was always at the end of the phone and nothing was too much trouble. He had good local knowledge which we were able to use to save time and money whilst on our holiday. Will definitely be using DialAFlight again.
Thank you Stacey for helping us once again!
Gordon and Lauren have been brilliant
Keep it up
Darren has always been extremely helpful every time when we book our holidays
Fantastic service, really friendly staff will definitely be using you again.
Karl Patel and his colleagues were very helpful with rebooking our flights and hotel following the disastrous flood in Dubai.
Edward was fantastic in helping us get our hotel booked to Dubai - thank you!
Great recommendations from Gavin for our Sydney / Abu Dhabi trip and in parallel Mum and Dad’s USA trip.
Always book through yourselves. Would never consider using any one else. Excellent service.
First class service from Larry - efficient friendly and accurate.Tip top.
There I was, sailing around the Aegean on a super-yacht... and there wasn't an oligarch in sight.
Crystal Cruises' new Esprit is one of the new generation of smaller cruise ships, and it was the perfect home for a tour of the beautiful Greek islands, the Holy Land and the Jordanian port city of Aqaba.
The Esprit was recently christened in the Seychelles with a bottle of champagne (Louis Roederer, Cristal Brut 2004 since you ask), and its 31 suites are spread over two floors.
There are no balconies - it's a yacht, remember - but each suite comes with lovely picture windows.
It felt like I had been invited to a house party - albeit one held at sea - rather than a cruise, and there was a sense of immediacy and familiarity that is not readily apparent on larger ships. It really does feel like you've checked into a fabulous floating boutique hotel.
Boarding in the Greek port of Piraeus, I walked up the gangplank to a champagne reception.
Crystal really does know how to make guests feel welcome. My butler Clarke showed me to my stateroom, unpacked for me, and before long we were sailing towards the party island of Mykonos.
WELCOME COCKTAILS
That evening Esprit's director Harry Ter Horst arranged for the yacht's small crew to meet the guests. It broke the ice and friendships were made over some truly shipshape cocktails. Dinner was also superb. Fine dining at sea is a wonderful experience and the wines were carefully matched. Best of all, it was all included in the price.
Most sommeliers can't wait to show off their knowledge and end up boring you towards a wine you didn't really want, but Ramon made choosing one a pleasure. Still, I decided the time wasn't right to order a £4,300 bottle of Chateau le Pin.
The first night at sea always takes some getting used to: the hum of the engines and the slight rolling of a smaller ship. The stabilisers aren't quite as good as those on bigger vessels but the stateroom technology is certainly better. There were iPads to make in-room dining and communications more passenger-friendly.
As an experienced cruiser, the most important elements for me during a trip are the quality of the food and choice of excursions.
Louisa Kierman was in charge of the tours and she chose the destinations wisely. 'I prefer working on a yacht because everything is far more personal,' she said. 'You get to know people and they aren't just buddies on boats - we feel as though we are welcoming guests into our family.'
One of her excursions during our tour of the Aegean was to Santorini - perhaps my favourite destination. The skies were blue and the whitewashed houses in towns such as Oia sparkled in the sunshine. And if you visit out of the peak summer season, as we did, the crowds have gone and you feel as though you have the island to yourself.
THE HOLY LAND
All of our guides were good but in the Holy Land they were outstanding. One, Barak, was a major in the Israeli army and he helped bring familiar stories from the Bible to life. As for the food, after a week I didn't think the chef, Rainer Buss, could prepare a better dinner, but he did - a sublime lobster with hot butter sauce, and sea bass with asparagus risotto. Everything was Michelin standard.
Crystal Esprit is sleek and nimble, with a shallow draught of less than 15ft. And because of her relatively small size it means a new array of harbours can be accessed, allowing visits to exclusive marinas, hidden coves, and secluded islands where the docking infrastructure - so critical for big ships - doesn't exist.
SUMMER ROUTES
Crystal Esprit sails the Adriatic through the summer, with seven-night cruises between Athens and Dubrovnik, and Dubrovnik and Venice. Included are all meals and drinks, butler service, marina and water-sports activities, a choice of complimentary shore excursions and gratuities.
The only problem is that spending a week on board the elegant and luxurious Esprit spoils you for life.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - April 2017
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements