Saf Patel is fantastic
This is the best that Britain has and beats the others by a mile. Gino is a genius in all he does. He has the answers at the tip of his fingers (while typing) and at the tip of his tongue (while talking). I'll be back with DialAFlight again and again. Cheers to you all!
Thanks Des, 110% as always. Helpful. Thorough. Friendly and best service ever.
I have contacted Jim Camahin with a suggestion for inter island transport to Reethi Beach, ie seaplane instead of scheduled flight plus speedboat.
Thanks to Kennedy for all her help and changing the whole trip last minute! It was wonderful and memories made for a lifetime
Our first trip with you and all went well. Thank you
Thanks for everything, we had a wonderful time. Samuel sorted out the itinerary perfectly.
Megan is an absolute superstar and really looked after us. She is an asset to your organisation.
Simple to follow and thorough itinerary. The transfer company arranged for us in Mauritius (coquille Bonheur) were amazing and helped us throughout our trip.
Hummingbird were efficient and good to deal with once we landed in Male. Thanks for your clear and precise communication.
Everything went smoothly with the booking - the flights and the extra luggage made our holiday well worth it. Will go to Mauritius again next year in November and will be sure to book with DialAFlight again.
The holiday worked out really well and Kurumba in the Maldives was amazing. It was just a pity they have developed the area across the water with high rise flats which spoilt the desert island feel.
Todd has been great
Shame you couldn’t do anything about weather
Everything went smoothly
Always a pleasure dealing with you
Not knowing much about Mauritius we relied on Tony Judge's advice on where to go and where to stay. His advice was spot on, as was his help in changing the seating on our return flight.
Everything went smoothly, not one single hitch. Perfection
This has been by far one of my favourite holidays and the service provided by DialAFlight has been outstanding. In particular Jackson Cowton has been incredible and always on hand to help.
Can’t fault anything about the service or help I was given and our holiday was out of this world.
Roy gets it right everytime.
Dexter was there with information and support when needed. Great company, would thoroughly recommend
Only disappointment was the seating in Virgin Upper Class for the flight - it was awful and not as expected.
No issues. Very responsive on all questions, and holiday went smoothly.
Our trip to the Seychelles was amazing. Manny Mittoo was professional when booking and always got back with any questions we had. Will recommend DialAFlight to family and friends. Thank you for hassle free travel and wonderful holiday.
Libby is always fantastic and delivered an incredible trip. Thank you!!
Always a first class service. Friendly and professional staff that will always go the extra mile to be helpful.
Superb experience. We were looked after like royalty
Great advice from Matthew as usual. Had a fabulous time in Mauritius and looking forward to booking our next long haul trip with DialAFlight
Perfect!
The dodo's image is everywhere you look in Mauritius, from the moment you arrive at the airport to the cover of restaurant menus. It seems a strange emblem to use to promote the island, considering it was the very place they were hunted into extinction in the 17th century.
The 3ft-tall, flightless birds were killed by dogs, cats, rats, pigs and, of course, humans who ate them, despite the unpleasant taste, until they became extinct in the 1660s while the island was under Dutch rule. But it's the national bird of Mauritius. And, like the dodo, the island has a complicated history. Replacing the Dutch, the French invaded in 1710 and ruled Mauritius for 100 years.
The population speaks French today despite the British colonisation beginning in the early 19th century (Mauritius became an independent nation in 1968). The majority of the population is of Indian descent, with residents also hailing from Africa, Fiji, China and, of course, Europe.
Mauritius is surprisingly verdant, full of rich green hills, woods and lush farmland. And another big surprise was its incredibly well-maintained road network.
Mauritius is a wealthy island with its sugar, rum and cut-flower exports. I travelled north up the east coast to Shangri-La's Le Touessrok Resort, which reopened at the end of last year after a major refurbishment (previously owned by the One&Only group).
No matter what time you arrive, your breath will be taken away by the entrance to the hotel with its huge mangrove tree filled with fairy lights - and then by the local art and huge, blown-glass light fittings in the foyer.
The resort sprawls across the bay with low-level beachfront villas connected by a path which you can use to pop to one of the three private beaches.
Depending on which way the wind's blowing, you will always find a tranquil suntrap; well, mostly tranquil - sometimes you'll get a party boat whizzing by with rum-soaked guests dancing on deck. As well as the beaches, the Mauritius hotel has two beautiful, and very quiet, swimming pools surrounded by tropical plants and trees. Lying in the shade and taking the occasional dip to cool off, the days could not have been more perfect. The hotel also has regular motorboat shuttles to its two private islands.
One is the venue for watersports such as parasailing and kite-surfing, while the other has an 18-hole golf course and a huge stretch of totally unspoilt beach, where we were serenaded by a guitarist who played Light My Fire ('Have you heard of The Doors?' he asked).
You might not want to, but there are plenty of opportunities to leave the resort. You can canoe among the mangrove trees, visit a local rum distillery, cycle along the coast or have a speedboat tour along the coast.
Our driver Charles was no stranger to full throttle, and we charged along with music blaring, leaving boats of Japanese tourists bobbing in our wake. We anchored at the Blue Bay Marine Park where we dived from the boat to snorkel among beautiful fish. Back in the boat, we were taken to a waterfall where we saw monkeys eating mangos from the trees on the bank, then to Fouquets Island, which houses an old lighthouse built by slaves, and to an ocean sandbank for a great view of the island.
The only view that's better is through the plane window as you leave, but you'll be too sad it's all over to appreciate that one.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - November 2016
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