BA outbound flights were not up to standard, inbound much better
My travel went very smoothly, couldn’t have asked for more.
We couldn't have wished for a better service. We were looked after incredibly well every step of the way by Daniel Webb. Our resort was beautiful, the transfers were managed well and we couldn't have wished for a better holiday. As regular customers of DialAFlight, we know we can always rely on you to provide a great service and lots of helpful advice.
Rupert and team were phenomenal. Thanks so much
Thank you Jason!
Justin was fabulous- personal touch, great communication - absolutely brilliant service
The best and only travel agent I use. Always a great deal, great service and very competitive. My agent is the best !
Perfect handling of my holiday from start to finish. Thanks again Ross for all you do.
The service was top notch help when need. Prompted about things that needed to be done. Out of hours service is a help in a pinch. Start to finish A1 service
Too many times airlines change flight times which happened twice to us. More pressure should be put on airlines to financially compensate for this. I can't fault DialAFlight.
Everything was sorted and worked like clockwork. We had the best honeymoon and didn’t have to arrange a thing.
Orlando was a star as always. From the original enquiry to just before we departed he kept in contact and made us feel that we were always in his mind. Great service from a very helpful employee
Fabulous holiday with room we wanted. Thanks as ever, Kylie. We had a great time. Not being a whizz on the computer, we found the Maldivian health online form a bit of a challenge. It worked much better on our phone, in the end.
Mark was very professional and gave us all the information that we needed for a successful and stress free trip
Very good service all round but it would have been really beneficial to have had our passenger ticket numbers earlier than the day of departure. This would have enabled us to check in online 24 hours before departure rather than on the day itself
Service was brilliant. Always updated when needed and contact with Niall was always quick and easy if we had any queries. Would definitely recommend and we will be using again to book our holidays
Amelia is excellent, always willing to help!
Had a great holiday, thank you for an amazing time
Not overly impressed with BA Premium Economy.
Great customer service
Arthur is the dream maker of DialAFlight
Yet another well organised holiday. Over 15 trips with DialAFlight and they never fail to deliver .
Troy Morris always does an excellent Job
Stacey arranged an amazing holiday for us!
Another wonderful trip organised for us by Eric. Can’t wait to rebook again soon!
Outstanding service from the outset. We had some difficulties due to personal reasons meaning our holiday had to change twice. Harvey was nothing put patient, courteous and professional. Out holiday was fantastic and went smoothly. I will definitely use again and would recommend to others.
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.
The idea of taking two small children to the Maldives is not something anyone of sound mind would usually entertain. The Maldives is a honeymoon destination, right?
The 26 atolls are renowned for their serenity… I'd been promised that the LUX* South Ari Atoll was different. Beloved of hand-holding couples but also child and eco-friendly, with a marine biology programme.
But on the flight, with husband Kenton, four-year-old Rafe and Allegra, eight, I was still questioning my decision to head there as a family.
On arrival there followed a 25-minute seaplane hop to our final destination.
South Ari Atoll is a big island resort by Maldivian standards. There are just over 190 villas and suites (either on stilts or nestled along the beach), nine bars and restaurants, a delicious ice-cream parlour, two pools, and countless watersports. But their ethos is to be a bit different from the usual family-orientated resort.
It is full of little secrets and surprises, such as a bright red phone box where you can call home for free, or the open-air photo-booth where my children amused themselves for hours by pulling funny faces at the camera.
There were messages in bottles hidden all over the hotel every morning, offering the lucky finder free pizza or bottle of wine. And a bar that popped up in various palm-fringed coves, where you could help yourself to a cocktail or three.
There were fresh coconut stalls, and stashes of chopped fruit here and piles of nuts there. In short, the walk to breakfast was fun. There was no better way to motivate Rafe to make the ten-minute walk down the beach each day for his boiled egg and soldiers than the prospect of finding a hidden treat along the way.
South Ari Atoll knows how to cater for children: there's a kids' pool, films on the beach, a kids' club with arts and crafts, and, best of all, the marine biology centre run by Italian powerhouse Francesca.
My daughter became rather obsessed with Francesca, a gorgeous polyglot, with a degree in marine biology and a passion for whale sharks with which she managed to enthuse everyone.
The resort has a major whale shark-spotting area on its doorstep, and Francesca and the rest of the marine centre staff photograph and monitor these gentle giants (they can grow to 40ft and weigh 21 tons) as part of a global preservation plan.
We spent most of our week on, or in, the water, either swimming in the crystal-clear ocean, snorkelling, or sailing. One evening, instead of going to watch stingrays being fed outside the Umami sushi restaurant, we fished for our supper. As a storm came in and the rain lashed down, the children became all the more determined to land any sort of catch - but to no avail.
Fortunately, some Japanese tourists who came with us caught plenty so gave us some of theirs. And what a delicious meal it made. There's nothing more glamorous than having your chef barbecue freshly caught fish while you sip a glass of rosé.
The best was yet to come. On our last day we went sailing on the resort's catamaran and we were joined by 30 or so over-excited dolphins that showed off their swimming skills for at least half an hour, much to Allegra's delight.
Just then the call went out from Dolores, from the marine centre: 'A whale shark! Over the starboard deck.' There was a mad scramble for masks and snorkels before we all threw ourselves over the side.
By a stroke of luck, as everyone else was swept in the wrong direction, I landed within a few feet of the whale shark's head.
Dark grey and the size of six London buses, it was one of the most beautiful, serene and impressive animals I have ever seen. For ten minutes we swam side by side, one of its large soulful eyes staring at me, and me staring right back. It was a heart-stopping, privileged moment I will never forget.
The hotel food was delicious, particularly the Umami sushi. However, it was the ice-cream parlour ICI that drove my children wild - choc, double choc, or choc with extra choc delight. There were marshmallows and sprinkles and Smarties to throw over the top. It was as if Willy Wonka himself had set up shop.
On that final day, as we stood on the jetty with our bags packed waiting for the seaplane, I did feel a terrible twinge of jealousy as a group of new guests arrived for their week of delights, while ours was over.
Whoever suggests the Maldives is not for families doesn't know what they are talking about - ask my children, one of whom came home a stingray-feeding pirate, while the other discovered she is actually a marine biologist.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - March 2016 More articles below...
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