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.
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!
Going back to a place you have really enjoyed can be a bit of a risk. Can you recreate those happy memories?
We went to the Maldives four years ago and loved it. This time we returned over Christmas.
This was my first 'hot' Christmas. My wife Storm is from Australia, so when she was growing up, December 25 was a day spent on the beach or playing cricket on the lawn.
I, meanwhile, grew up in Ireland, so I'm used to wet, cold and damp days. If we were really lucky, we had snow.
FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
As we were taking four children - my three older ones, Jack, 18, Missy, 16, and Ali, 12, and our baby Cooper, who was born last April - I was a little anxious. How would a non-traditional Christmas in the sun appeal to them? But from the moment we arrived at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, they loved it. We were delighted to discover we even had a Christmas tree in our room - with gifts underneath.
It was the children's first trip to the Maldives, and the journey is a thrill in itself. After arriving in the capital Male, we took the seaplane for the half-hour flight to Kihavah Huravalhi. We flew over glorious desert islands before landing on a beautiful turquoise lagoon.
THE VILLA
As we stepped on to pristine white sand, the staff were waiting, singing welcome songs, clapping and beating drums - it was magical. Garlands were hung around our necks and we were handed glasses of fruit punch. We suddenly felt very cosseted.
Next came the excitement of being taken to our villa - an over-water one which was fantastic. In the bathroom there was a glass floor, which made for an interesting, if slightly unnerving, experience.
On the way to the villa we could see uninhabited islands surrounded by reefs which we were told are home to turtles, eels and beautiful coral formations. Anantara forms part of the Baa Atoll, with baby sharks, stingrays and every fish you can imagine. It meant the snorkelling was exceptional.
We needn't have worried about the children having a good time - the staff worked tirelessly to make certain everyone was happy.
LIKE A DREAM
The food was phenomenal, the service extraordinary, the weather brilliant, the sea perfect. We were floating on air.
And any anxieties about Christmas were swept away when Father Christmas arrived on a banana-boat!
At Anantara they take dining to new levels. At Sea, an underwater restaurant, you dine inside a tank and the fish are outside looking in at you.
One of its attractions is the world's first underwater wine cellar. Wine with depth, you might say. But when we were in Sea, we couldn't bring ourselves to order the fish - in the circumstances it seemed wrong!
HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
We liked Fire, a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant, while Salt, an Asian fusion restaurant, was also superb. All the children loved the food. The new Sky Bar, with its own DJ, was a very cool place and it features an observatory. We could have sat there all night looking through the telescope at the stars.
The children were never bored. There was something going on all the time and lots of other children were there, so they were never short of people to hook up with for a game of beach volleyball, for example.
One day we all went on a boat trip which allowed us to snorkel out on the reef - we were right among the turtles.
EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
In the evenings, we loved the open-air cinema, watching movies under the stars.
The resort also had a good kids' club - Ali had a brilliant time making sushi.
In the evenings, there was a pool party with a DJ, and on New Year's Eve there was a band and fireworks. Did I succumb to the temptation of performing on New Year's Eve? Of course I did - I can't help myself. I sang my hit When You Say Nothing At All, which seemed to go down well.
When I was growing up in Ireland, we never left the country - Killarney was as good as it got for me. Every summer, we'd go for a couple of weeks to a guesthouse. We had a great time -but it's still quite a leap from Killarney to the Maldives!
First published in the Mail on Sunday - April 2018
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