The only thing that could have been a little more organised (and less stressful) was regarding the pick up from Venice to the airport. Our documents stated that we would have been picked up at our hotel, but in fact it was at the water taxi terminal. This needs to be made clear on the documents.
As always a superb service. Can’t be beaten by any other travel company..
Everything went like a dream and was organised for us as planned. Would definitely recommend to friends. Well done.
Everything was in place when we arrived. Taxi pick up at airport was on time, hotel accommodation was just as requested, hotel and facilities were exactly as shown.
All went very well. Thanks to Harry.
Ian Newton. Excellent as always.
The hotel and its location were perfect - close to restaurants, a centrally located metro station and a variety of shops and the buzz of Barcelona life. Thanks DialAFlight.
Seamless as usual
You made it very easy and all the well timed reminders were welcome
Jenson was so helpful and attentive it made the booking a happy experience and I would certainly recommend him to my friends. Thank you so much for such great service
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Excellent service.
Very pleased with the arrangements and advice from start to finish.
Riley is brilliant and has all our needs covered and made sure we had an excellent trip
Excellent service as always
The hotel was great! It was very close to all public transport stations. The food was good at the hotel and the range for breakfast was modest. I will gladly go back to this hotel. Great birthday present for my husband.
Best place we stayed - clean, food excellent and staff.
Your help and support were second to none. I would highly recommend you and I have already suggested to friends to contact you
This trip was for a wedding and Glen as always was great assistance throughout. Fantastic recommendation on hotel and arranging flights for a large group. DialAFlight offer a super service. Always deliver. Can’t recommend them enough
Luggage did not arrive in Graz when we did. We had to go back for it 10 hours later. Not a good start.
DialAFlight performance is excellent - just a shame the car company that was booked wasn’t good.
Elizabeth is great, really helpful
Great job, as always!
I would like to thank Jack Sulliman for arranging our trip to Madeira. Everything went like clockwork.
Once again Guy delivered - superb hotel in Puerto Banus. Highly recommended.
Great holiday. All aspects perfect.
Slight hassle with the taxi transfers to and from the airport. After a few messages, and a phone call from our hotel to our driver for the return journey, it all resolved itself.
Craig was so helpful - really excellent service!
Peace of mind and lots of info and reminders. Thank you
Highly recommend.
A statue on Funchal's quayside of the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has golden boots, hands and groin, the bronze buffed by the touches of adoring fans. I take hold of his right hand and have my photo taken.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player is Madeira's golden boy – the island's airport is named after him and here on the quayside is the CR7 (7 is his shirt number) museum, shop, hotel and café.
You can also have your picture taken inside, where there are models and a computer simulation of the great man, now plying his trade for Juventus in Italy. There are cabinets of fan mail, signed footballs, shirts, boots, medals and trophies. There are also detailed instructions on 'how to score a free kick like Cristiano'. I'm sure it'll come in useful, even to a non-football fan such as myself.
In the museum shop I note that you can buy mini replicas of his golden boot and Ballon d'Or trophies at the knockdown price of €80 per pair. In the hotel my travelling companion Kate is astounded to find that the door handles in the lavatories are shaped like Ronaldo's hands – put your hand in his.
Despite him plainly being the most famous person to come from Madeira, this, we agree, is a step too far.
Until Ronaldo opened his museum of greatness in 2013, the most quirky tourist pastime was being pushed by men in straw hats down the steep streets of Funchal, the capital, in a wicker toboggan.
The Portuguese island, 250 miles north of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, has been named by the Association of British Travel Agents as one of the 12 hot destinations to watch. In its Travel Trends report, it says: 'The island is increasingly gaining a reputation for adventure and activity holidays, with mountain biking, canyoning and climbing in its dramatic landscapes.'
And indeed a short drive from Funchal we find ourselves surrounded by lush tropical mountains and steep-sided valleys. We decide to leave hiking along the island's irrigation canals, known as levadas, for a longer visit and opt to cover the greatest distance in the shortest time with a four-wheel-drive tour.
Our driver, David, is a talking encyclopaedia, barely drawing breath while pointing out the different types of vegetation on the steep terraced fields as he negotiates numerous tunnels and hairpin bends.
'On the right you see bananas, our main crop. On the left sugar cane, from which we make rum. We use the rum in the traditional poncha cocktails. Oh, look at the waterfalls. Winter is the best time to see them; it's too dry in summer.'
We emerge, slightly shaken, on the north coast. Here you really appreciate the rugged beauty of this small volcanic island. Its red cliffs drop straight into the ocean, occasionally giving way to a narrow beach of black sand. We stop to admire the scenery, and in Santana we stop to admire traditional A-frame cottages, some with thatched roofs.
The skywalk, a glass viewing platform at Cabo Girao in the south, is one of the best places to appreciate the dramatic scenery. In the north, less scarily, we have lunch on the terrace of the Quinta do Furao restaurant in Santana, noted for local delicacies such as garlic limpets, beef kebabs barbecued on laurel skewers, black scabbardfish in banana sauce and sweet potato bread. While we eat we admire one of the most stunning views on the island.
We burn off the calories with a walk in the restaurant's vineyard and lush garden, where there is a huge traditional grape press, the site of harvest celebrations in the summer.
Almost every restaurant we visit produces its own wine. The beachside restaurant of Faja dos Padres in the south is famous for its dark vintage that dates from the 15th century – and its inaccessibility. A cable car transports you down a steep cliff into its vineyard and garden. Mario Fernandes, a winemaker, claims that the soothing sound of the waves, and the classical music he plays while working, helps to improve the taste of his wine.
He tells me that Ronaldo's mother recently used the garden to film an advertisement for Madeiran bananas. 'Maybe it was these bananas that helped to make him so famous,' he says. I immediately eat one.
First published in The Times - April 2019
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