It was a very nice long weekend. Many thanks for organising the flights and hotel.
Small blip - H10 Marina in Barcelona is adjacent to a building at the back which had very loud music coming from a bar. Moved rooms to the front and then much better
The hotel chosen for us in the centre of Malaga by Cody was perfect. A beautiful hotel
All good
All went well as usual.
I have already recommended you
Exceptional service throughout
Hotel staff were universally excellent.
Looking forward to the next trip
Particular thanks to Jerry
Another lovely holiday.
The personal care with even the most simple bookings is excellent
Another brilliant trip, as always. Thanks for sorting this one out and at such short notice. We will be back soon
As ever Matthew and colleagues were efficient, friendly and delivered
I never have problems with DialAFlight.
All was great thank you
Howard is great
Will be back!
Great service from Kylie. Cancelled flight ruined the end but this was no fault of DialAFlight
Excellent as always
Matilda is simply fabulous. Quick to respond and very approachable.
Excellent service start to finish
Fantastic service!
Thanks again Reid Marshall for a seamless holiday. Everything was perfect!
Excellent service as always from DialAFlight. Manny always seemed to be at the end of the phone and always helpful and calm. Thank you for taking the stress out of travelling.
Very helpful as usual
Gareth Carver provided 5 star service and always goes above and beyond to help. We have recommended him to friends and when Gareth isn't available the rest of the team are so helpful and willing to provide excellent support
Very impressed as usual by Kennedy, any problems dealt with promptly, always very helpful.
DialAFlight were great but the destination (not DialAFlight's fault) was not my best.
Megan is excellent
Reaching the top of a twisting trail through the forests of Monte Urgull, I suddenly saw why the city below is sometimes compared with Rio de Janeiro.
From the rocky crest, a giant statue of Christ opens his arms, blessing San Sebastian. At his feet lie golden scallops of urban beach, sandwiched between green pinnacles rising from a vast natural harbour.
This is the setting for the Basque city on the Bay of Biscay, chosen (jointly with Wroclaw in Poland) to be European Capital of Culture 2016.
It is hard to ignore the twinkling of Michelin stars in Spain's foodie capital – that's what the city is known the world over for. More about the grub in a moment, but I was here to taste some of the other cultural delicacies of San Sebastian, or Donostia as it is known in the Basque language.
The seaside town has been attracting cultured sophisticates ever since the Spanish royal family made it their summer base in the 19th century. Alluring art nouveau hotels and mansions soon became the rivals of fellow Basque resort Biarritz across the French border but just 20 kilometres away.
Since the Fifties the cream of Hollywood have been drawn here by the annual September film festival, which is artier and more compact than glitzy Cannes, according to the cognoscenti. And for half a century the July San Sebastian jazz fortnight has been drawing grandees of the music world.
The length of the city's coast is fringed by a boardwalk, starting at the surfers' Zurriola beach, then skirting the Urgull peninsula headland to La Concha bay, which must rank as one of the world's top urban beaches.
The esplanade rounds a horseshoe of golden sand more than a mile long, facing dark green Santa Clara islet. As I strolled along, the stirring echoes I felt of Rio's Copacabana beach amplified as I neared the rearing Monte Igueldo headland.
The old quarter, I found, is as walkable as the sea-fringe. A grid of narrow streets pedestrianised from noon onwards (after the vans delivering food have gone), is relieved by open spaces such as Plaza de la Constitucion, where windows have seat numbers dating from when the square was used as a bullring.
There is a neo-Gothic cathedral and some fine, older churches. However, the way to observe the town's purest religion is to eat. Pintxos – the version of tapas that Basques take to dizzy heights of delicacy – are the order of the day (and night).
People swarm to sniff out morsels of edible art including dishes such as chipirones en equilibrio (squid, patterned with caramel filigree).
As I tried to walk off my gastronomic indulgence by hiking up Monte Urgull, I concluded that the Rio-like panorama was as visually appetising as the most elaborate San Sebastian pintxo.
First published in the Daily Mail - July 2016
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements