What 346 DialAFlight clients thought of The Maldives

I would like to thank Ben for sorting out a lovely holiday for us both - we had a fantastic time and we would recommend you to all our friends and family

The trip was excellent and all went to plan. Good communication from Des during the whole process. Will def use again.

Totally fantastic service, recommendations and flight times - will definitely be booking again.

Holiday destination was fantastic. Everything ran extremely well and DialAFlight did a amazing job for us. All bookings and changes we were kept informed of and all ran smoothly. I would have no hesitation in recommending them.

Always willing to assist and help with even the silliest of questions. Thank you for everything.

Stafford was brilliant, and kept us in the loop. He was really friendly and helpful, made our holiday process so easy and made sure we were happy with everything. Would definitely recommend DialAFlight.

Craig was brilliant from the initial enquiry to dealing with final requests and ensuring everything was OK a few days before departure.

Dylan is fantastic. Our operator changed the holiday twice due to Covid. Not only did he rebook but took the time to find best flight options and this was made 10x harder due to the final trip being in the Easter holidays. Always loved dealing with him but this time he really proved invaluable. Thanks so much!

Declan was brilliant. He was super patient and kind. He even called us just before the trip. We rebooked it 4 times due to lockdowns and illness and he wanted to make sure everything was in place and we were ok. Anyone else we spoke to was professional and helpful. There are not many companies you can say that about these days!

Sarah is absolutely fantastic. We will definitely be booking our next holiday with her

Excellent service as always and trip went according to plan. Maldives in particular was amazing

Stacey helped us book our holiday back in 2020. She was super helpful and then again when it all had to be changed due to Covid.

Les and Teddy, absolute stars!

Sean literally made our dream holiday come true. He’s amazing and we will hold the memory of this beautiful place in our hearts forever. Unforgettable holiday. We certainly found paradise in The Maldives.

Attention to detail, fast response and very polite and friendly staff - could not be any better.

Great service. Will definitely use you again.

Everything worked out perfectly.

Kylie was fantastic and a credit to your company

We had excellent advice from Marie and Tristan. They also made it stress free when we had to change our booking to new dates.

Dexter was excellent as always and made sure our first holiday with our baby went as smoothly as possible.

Superb support from Paul

Julie provided a first class holiday with no problems as usual.

Taylor helped us personally and professionally from start to finish. Happy to answer any questions however small. We felt comfortable that even if we needed support whilst we were away we had 24 hour help. We had the most amazing holiday of a lifetime! Thankyou. We have already recommended to friends

A superb efficient service as always and very reassuring when it came to making sure we had all the right paperwork for the trip

Fantastic communication throughout and excellent service - can’t fault it.

First class yet again from Neil and his team, excellent trip and excellent advice.

Kennedy is a star

Eric provided us with a first class service, always available and professional. Have no hesitation in recommending him and the company and will certainly use him again.

Holiday was perfect

I think it would be useful to provided specific information on what documents are required re: covid proofs by the airports, airlines and resorts visited on the holiday. A list and links to relevant sites would have been really helpful.

Perfect for families

Family fun in the Maldives

Presenter Jamie Theakston and his young sons fall in love with the Four Seasons

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.

Favourite view: watching the sunset from the Italian bar/restaurant

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.

The Marine Discovery Centre in the Baa Atol is improving the natural marine habitat

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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