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Absolutely brilliant, we will always come to you for a quote.
Arthur never fails to deliver the best holiday with attention to detail and a very personalised.service
Keep on doing what you're doing. It's first class
I have travelled with DialAFlight many times. I often deal with Orlando Spragg and his team. They are always extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable.
Bobby Tuggey was excellent - he worked tirelessly to help us on our trip
Tammy is just amazing, everything was SO perfect and I’m very grateful for her diligent attention to detail. Every trip is just perfect and she is over and above what I could hope for in a travel planner.
Roy Copeland was lovely and helpful, he went above and beyond to help us
As always excellent customer service from Kennedy and everything ran smoothly
Five star service
As ever, the service provided was absolutely first class
Good holiday thanks. Well organised by Taylor
Everyone is always helpful, always clear, and we had great trip all round.
Wonderful trip as always. Thanks for organising everything
We were extremely pleased with the customer service we received from Annabelle and her colleagues. Many thanks to everyone
Just the best service
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Keely has been so helpful - always responsive and as a result we’ve had a fabulous holiday
DialAFlight is always the first call I make when booking a trip.
An amazing trip to the beautiful Maldives organised by Stacey at DialAFlight. Everything worked out perfectly thank you.
Flying to Seychelles you are required to set up online Photo identity. Emirates would not allow us to board flight at Heathrow without this and we spent one hour of panic while we navigated through on line programme which kept rejecting our photos. Eventually the holiday became stress free and would highly recommend the Constance Ophelia
Will be in touch when planning another trip.
Another great holiday. Chris Coulter provides excellent service
Very stress free experience
Great break and just what we needed. It was first class.
Rebecca Wilkie was extremely helpful in all respects
Excellent service given.
Superb, personal service from Ray. From communication to personal knowledge ... couldn't fault it
Everything was perfect.
No lounge at Cape Town airport for Air France
The most famous of Portugal's Atlantic islands, Madeira is a gardener's heaven. Perched on windowsills or on steps up to the doors of even the tiniest houses, flowers are a constant welcome to visitors.
The semi-tropical climate means you are as likely to see an African flame tree, a jacaranda or a popcorn bush as a lupin or hollyhock. I was guided by landscape architect Dr Gerald Luckhurst, author of The Gardens Of Madeira.
Here is his pick of the bunch…
Belmond Reid's Palace Hotel
This is Madeira's most iconic landmark and Gerald helped design its peaceful and soothing gardens. Paved with pebbles, the terraced garden was the vision of hotel founder William Reid.
'I used to think cacti and succulents were something small boys collected – but since working in this climate, I have realised what beautiful forms they have,' says Gerald, showing me a crown of thorns set off by towering agapanthus.
Quinta da Boa Vista
High above red tiled roofs, a green door in a crumbly wall transports us into Madeira's orchid farm.
Originally a vegetable and then a flower farm, Boa Vista is run by Patrick Garton, whose late father, Group Captain Cecil Garton OBE, was British Consul in Madeira and founded the orchid garden in the Sixties.
Long staircases with Spanish moss and steep paths flanked by hibiscus lead to glasshouses, where rare orchids bloom.
Botanical Garden
Behind tall, iron gates in a faded ochre wall lies a handsome old mansion, a late 19th-century cream house with dark-green shutters – today home to a natural history museum.
The garden is divided into five parts and is known for its formal mosaiculture, or carpet bedding, an ornate purple and green patchwork with views over the city of Funchal.
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
This lofty garden is reached by cable car. It plummets from a Gothic structure housing African sculpture and an impressive gem and mineral collection. Archways, rails, bridges and pagodas are a vibrant Chinese red, accentuating the lush green around them. Waterfalls tumble into pools and lakes.
Palheiro Gardens
These best represent Madeira's flamboyant soul. They are mainly the work of the Blandy family, who bought the estate in 1885 from the Count of Carvahal.
They were neglected until the Eighties, when Mildred Blandy's Swedish daughter-in-law Christina re-invigorated them. 'Christina likes serendipity, rather than colour plans,' explains Gerald as we walk amid jasmine, calendula, birds of paradise, azaleas, camellias, pansies, dahlias, foxgloves and roses.
First published in the Daily Mail - October 2016
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