John Huff arranged another perfect holiday for us. From start to finish he thought of everything. It’s so nice to travel stress free. The resort he chose was absolutely perfect. Big thank you's!
Over the moon with the experience from start to finish. We will definitely use you guys again.
100% perfect! Well done
Check in reminder for return flight would have been helpful but other than that DialAFlight delivered the goods yet again. Have been using them for over 10 years and their calm, professional and efficient service is always so much appreciated. A special thanks to Gino on this trip. It went like a dream in spite of some irritating last minute changes made by me.
Ethan Fell was first class. Everything went smoothly
Advance advice on Maldives entry requirements and forms would have been helpful.
We have dealt with Chris Coulter for more than 20 years and he always strives to provide the best possible service and advice.
Top marks to Neil and his team again, wonderful trip.
Amazing hotel, amazing service - definitely would recommend and go back!
Taylor was fantastic. He listened to what we wanted from our honeymoon and went above and beyond to deliver. Absolutely top quality service
Awesome, thanks again Guy for your recommendation for the trip!
Once again, a fabulous holiday made effortless by DialAFlight
Really helpful and knowledgeable team
Another successful holiday booked by Ryan, many thanks.
Ryan was absolutely excellent and we had a trip of a lifetime!
Always provide a fantastic service. We have booked with Kylie for years, she s a real credit to the company!
We had an amazing holiday and everything was organised perfectly. The only minor thing was we weren't advised if we were booked as standard all inclusive or premium all inclusive at our first hotel and thought a sunset cruise was included but it wasn't.
Yet again Reece did a fantastic job. We had a fabulous holiday.
Informative, knowledgeable and helpful, prepared to invest time to support making choices. Nothing too much trouble. Pricing competitive. Responsive to queries and keen to deliver satisfaction.
We will definitely use you for our next holiday
Seymour was an absolute star
Kieran is feb! Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable
Great holiday
Yet again Dennis and his team have been excellent in sorting everything out for us including a last minute special meal booking for the flight.
Fantastic experience booking our honeymoon. Dylan was very helpful and helped us to book the perfect holiday. Everything went smoothly and we will definitely be using DialAflight again
The most perfect holiday organised by DialAFlight. Somewhere I had never been so knew nothing about and everything was 10/10
Jenson always goes above and beyond. We followed his recommendation and were not disappointed. The Maldives were amazing, the island and accommodation beautiful. Thank you, we will be in touch soon to book our next adventure
Isla was absolutely amazing help and the holiday was perfect
Darryll brilliant as always
Alway great service from Marshall Finnimore
My first family break was in 1978 to Burgh Island, the Art Deco hotel in Devon that inspired Agatha Christie to write And Then There Were None. For me, however, the place's major delight was not its murder-mystery connections but the brilliant sea tractor ride from Bigbury-on-Sea.
I spent endless sunny days hunting spider crabs, and then eating hot crumpets at 4pm. It was the best time of my life. Granted, it was the only holiday of my life at that stage, but I can remember it as clearly as yesterday, and what are great holidays but memories glued like fading polaroids to the albums of our minds?
It was a question I asked myself again as I waved goodbye to Martin Cody, manager of the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru in the Maldives. The ingredients of a brilliant break are well-documented - good weather, impressive accommodation, wonderful food - yet the end product is less clear-cut.
I've stayed in some of the finest hotels in Dubai and yet have no memory of them whatsoever. However, I'll never forget the weekend in a crumbling two-star hotel in Bangkok en route to my first bar job in Koh Samui - but that's another story.
Manager Martin told me that there are never too many guests on Landaa Giraavaru. My guess is that is because few can pronounce it, let alone spell it. But once you have overcome this potential pitfall, I can promise that you won't be disappointed - nor should you be with rooms costing up to £30,000 a night.
The Maldives are going through a period of one-upmanship in an effort to attract suitors from Russia and the Middle East. Essentially, this means building villas the size of leisure centres. While this has little impact on us mere mortals, it does make for some interesting gossip around the pool.
The resort is situated just 30 minutes north of Male and reached by seaplane. As you can imagine, this caused much excitement among my two young boys - Sid, five, and four-year-old Kit.
It's quite large by Maldivian standards, measuring 44 acres, and Sri Lankan-based architect Geoff Bawa has done a clever job of blending understated luxury with complete privacy. The 102 thatched bungalows and villas are located on the beach, over the lagoon or within the lush gardens.
The spa and Ayurvedic retreat was a big hit with my wife Sophie. Here our Ayurvedic physician suggested a chakra blessing, which at one stage involved sitting on a terracotta chimney pot as he lit incense beneath us. With our chakras suitably blessed, it was time to visit the Marine Discovery Centre.
The centre is in the nearby Baa Atoll and was recently awarded Unesco World Biosphere status. This means you can enjoy the company of manta rays and whale sharks at the atoll's Hanifaru Bay. Sign up for the Manta-On-Call programme and you'll even receive a text to invite you to swim with giant mantas when the beasts make an appearance.
For the less adventurous, you could always spend some time with Elisa the turtle. According to the WWF, six of the world's seven species of sea turtles are endangered because of the human consumption of their eggs and the effects of rising ocean temperatures. Elisa is fitted with a GPS device, which helps track her movements on the atoll. Such a device was not something I needed in the Maldives - the most energetic thing I did most days was to decide where to eat.
Any Four Seasoned traveller knows that the dining experience is a priority, and Landaa doesn't disappoint. Our favourite was Blu, an Italian bar/restaurant with a view over a narrowing strip of beach which disappeared where the sea meets the sky. While the boys raced crabs, mum and dad sank watermelon cocktails.
During the day, the boys often went to the Kuda Velaa kids' club and were kept occupied with a programme that included craft sessions and making ice cream. If it's tranquillity you're after, lazing by the pool and being interrupted occasionally by a spot of pampering in the spa, Landaa hits the spot.
If, however, you fancy something a little more active, there's plenty to get you off your lounger - from motorised underwater scooters to yacht parties, arranging a private picnic on your own private island, or being serenaded under the stars by a local choir.
In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a hotel that offers a better definition of the perfect holiday - and that includes Burgh Island.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - May 2016
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