Tyler is EXCELLENT. Embodiment of true customer service. I have recommended to my friends and I will keep coming back to you. Thank you for your exceptional service.
Thanks Damian and team
Nathan and Malcolm were fantastic. Hotel in great location and super efficient and helpful
Very helpful and supportive throughout the process
The only person I deal with is Aidan Pinder at DialAFlight. Aidan is professional, funny, and extremely knowledgeable. I always receive a call just before a flight to wish me a safe journey, which is a nice touch. Once I threw a hissy fit about a hotel I was staying at, so sent an email to Aidan to complain which he answered and offered advice even though he was on holiday himself….so simply the best!
It is always a pleasure to deal with DialAFlight. We have been a client for many years. Keep up the good work.
Hotel was excellent but too full of children...not your fault but it might help you inform other future clients.
Samuel was excellent and everything was as arranged
Great service
Such a great experience. I will definitely be booking with DialAFlight again.
Problem with recent EasyJet booking. Luggage not booked. Otherwise excellent service.
Well done Lloyd and Chloe, great service. Will use you again.
Many thanks Tristan, everything went well as always, will be in touch for my trip
Best thing about the company is the staff
Thanks again to Roy Copeland for arranging our holiday and my son’s return flights to New Zealand.
Kennedy spot on as usual!
Only one hiccup with the return transfer which Francis sorted out immediately.
It makes life so much easier just contacting DialAFlight and getting everything organised for you!
All went as planned although cannot blame your company for airport delays or lack of anything to eat on the plane. DialAFlight’s instant telephone response with human being is always most appreciated.
All arrangements went smoothly - thank you Jamal.
We were caught by the Saturday chaos at Heathrow which meant a 5 - 6 hour wait at Marseille before they sent a Jumbo out to take two loads home. Have just recommended you to a nephew!
Automatic car needs to be given as an option
Your performance was wonderful and as promised. However I have resolved to NEVER fly into Malaga again. Most inefficient in the Assistance department. The couple I was with were so delayed that their plane left without them. I only caught my plane because a friend who knew I should be on that plane made a big fuss and demanded to know where I was. (I was still waiting in assistance.) Hotel owner is now taking this up with the airport.
All too easy and cheerful
Theo was fabulous with helping us to book our Iceland trip
Calvin did good!
Sean you're a star. All my requirements for a perfect tailormade break. Transfers. Ideal Hotel. Everything I wanted you supplied.
Been using DialAFlight for over 15 years and recommend you to all. You always make it easy and have good prices when needed. Thank you Gino for all your help.
Usual professional and dedicated personal service.
An extremely caring and very professional service. The staff are always available within seconds to offer advice and assistance.
You'll know the feeling. You wake in a luxurious hotel room, look around, and you could be anywhere. So many look the same but until you venture outside it's often hard to know where you are.
But in Portugal or Spain you can avoid this danger by staying in magnificent pousadas and paradores - partly state-owned castles, palaces, monasteries and mansions offering unique but affordable accommodation with a huge helping of antique style and historic class.
On the way down to breakfast you're likely to come face-to-face with a full suit of armour, pass through ancient cloisters and along ramparts and corridors wide enough to take a coach and horses.
I had already experienced the splendour of the Spanish paradores, but this time I was including Portugal where the pousadas - different name, same concept - cast a similar spell. I travelled around the beautiful Douro Valley and in and out of Porto staying in a 12th century monastery, several palaces and a couple of extraordinary mansions.
They've all been cleverly converted and renovated to provide top class accommodation while retaining their historic charm.
There are many different routes you can take where you stay exclusively at pousadas and paradores. DialAFlight can provide you with all the details necessary and make the arrangements for an unforgettable trip.
I began at a castle near the Spanish border - the Parador de Monterrei, on a hilltop overlooking the town of Verin. It has only 12 rooms but each has a wow factor with views across a lovely valley into Portugal. Strolling around the ramparts before dinner was delightful.
Over the border and next stop was the pousada Barao de Forrester at Alijo - a stately mansion in the heart of town and a great base for seeing the Douro, the 'River of Gold', visiting the famous port and wine estates and stopping at delightful towns such as Pinhao and Lamego.
Next, the majestic Santa Marinha pousada looms large over the lovely city of Guimaraes. From reception to my suite, overlooking the city, took me via stone stairs, hushed cloisters, grand panelled rooms and vast corridors. Meals were taken in an expansive monks' refectory. The gardens and lake were a joy.
From Guimaraes I headed north past Porto to the Pousada Monte de Santa Luzia, above the ocean-side city of Viana do Castelo. From my balcony I looked down on planes taking off from the local airport and watched waves crashing on the rugged Atlantic coast.
I didn't think it could get grander than this, but then I hadn't experienced the Palacio do Freixo, a beautiful pousada on the banks of the Douro and a short walk from the old town of Porto. Built around 1742, the Freixo Palace is a remarkable example of baroque architecture and when you're not walking around marvelling at the place, you can relax in the superb spa or swim in the indoor/outdoor infinity pool.
My next, pousada de Viseu, was an imposing 19th century building, with rooftop statues of Faith, Hope and Charity. It started life as a convent then became a hospital but now the old infirmary and mortuary have given way to a slick spa, roomy restaurant and covered courtyard. The polished cherry wood interiors add extra gloss.
I drove on to the walled city of Braganza, set in rugged countryside, and the stylish, modern pousada Sao Bartolomeu. It's handily placed for walks around the old town and picturesque ravine. The elegant rooms have balconies overlooking a beautiful medieval castle.
My last night was back across the border in Spain, at the Parador de Cervera de Pisuerga in the foothills of the Picos de Europa mountains. It stands in the Fuentes Carrionas Nature Reserve and has a hunting lodge feel, with stone fireplaces and wood panelling. Here I encountered the first snows of winter, making my stay even more magical.
Most towns of interest in Portugal and Spain have a pousada or parador nearby. Fly out, pick up a hire car - and stay somewhere memorable every night.
First published in February 2019
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