020·7962·9933
Magnificent support once virus problems arose. Their concern, advice and support were so reassuring at a difficult and worrying time.
We cannot thank Kylie enough for her constant help with our travel arrangements over 20 years. This year with the Coronavirus stopping so many flights Kylie put herself out to make sure we returned home from NZ safely and on time
Lily provided us with an excellent service, ensuring our safe return home in very difficult circumstances and supporting us throughout our trip.
Your assistance in rescheduling our return to the UK in a timely fashion is very much appreciated.
Just want to thank everyone who helped us get home from New Zealand especially Russell who was fantastic and we cannot thank him enough
Would like to personally thank Jordan for his wonderful service during such a difficult time. Had he not tried so hard to get our urgent return flight from Auckland to Birmingham we would probably be stranded somewhere. Cannot thank him enough. We wish all the staff at DialAFlight all the best for the future.
Could not have had better service to get us home from New Zealand.
Many thanks to Lucie and Lloyd for their help in getting us home from NZ early during the Covid 19 outbreak.
Excellent, going above and beyond to get me home as flights and countries shut down due to virus issues.
Whenever I use DialAFlight I am relaxed with knowing as a company you deliver a good service. Thanks to Riley for keeping me up to date with my NZ trip.
Pretty sure it was about the last scheduled flight to leave, so very relieved. Thank you Robin and your team for all your help, particularly with my visa
Very helpful in difficult times
As ever, exceptional service
Really appreciated the personal contact.
Ted is an absolute hero. He dealt with my (twice) daily panic calls like an absolute pro, advising and guiding me with the utmost professionalism. I am so committed to DialAFlight for all of my longhaul flights due to this one man.
We are so grateful for the support John provided in rescheduling flights and cancellation of hotels .. in spite of the 12 hour time difference! We got home ahead of the closure of Dubai for which we are very grateful and certainly will recommend once again the value of your company in planning travel.
We were extraordinarily grateful to Jerry who provided outstanding assistance to us when our return flight was cancelled
You got us on the last flight home by the skin of our teeth - what more can l say other than thank you. Now we are in 14 days self isolation
Cannot speak highly enough of your company. Got us back from New Zealand recently without a hitch. Would definitely use in the future and recommend you to all our friends.
In the Coronavirus pandemic I spoke to Jasper who sorted out our flight from NZ to LHR via HKG within the hour and we flew home the following day.
Thanks for the excellent support from Amy. Despite the unexpected challenge of being abroad in very difficult circumstances it was like having a fairy godmother look after us. The piece of mind and advice she provided was greatly appreciated
Brian has been a star from our very first conversation. He found us a good business class deal and handled our questions patiently throughout. When everything blew up with the coronavirus, he sorted out an alternative route home for us and took the initiative to check it was going ahead. He helped us manage what was quite a stressful situation with calmness, kindness and professionalism. We consider him amongst the best travel consultants we have dealt with
Thanks Troy, everything went like clockwork.
Jasper and his team were brilliant. Will definitely be contacting when considering our next trip.
Gordon is a star
Cody is a great agent and professional
Noah was excellent, he kept us up to date and arranged what he promised
Very good service under very difficult circumstances.
DialAFlight is excellent. We have only had good experiences and Neil is the Master, cool and extremely knowledgeable. A great ability to understand people’s exact needs and match them for a perfect holiday
Connie's service to us was exceptional. I have already recommended your organisation to all our friends and will use you on our next long haul trip.
Sir Howard Arriving at our Thames B&B, we're told by the landlady that in the event of an earthquake, we should assemble at the cattle grid.
We're not in England's Thames Valley - this is the historic town of Thames, 90 minutes' drive south-east of Auckland on New Zealand's North Island.
North Island is a top sailing spot
SO MUCH TO SEE & DO
This country's spectacular, exotic beauty was forged by earthquakes and volcanoes over millions of years. The South Island looks and even sounds like the Scottish Highlands. Parts of the North Island resemble Jurassic Park.
It's no surprise that Kiwi filmmaker Peter Jackson used his native country as the backdrop for The Lord Of The Rings. About a third of New Zealand's four-and-a-half million people live in Auckland, with the rest spread over a country slightly bigger than the UK.
Our trip was part normal holiday and partly to follow the British Lions rugby tour.
Arriving in Christchurch, we found it still scarred by the tragic 2011 earthquake - a constant reminder of how this lovely land came into being.
Driving south to Dunedin - so Scottish we had haggis and whisky for breakfast - we spent a glorious day exploring the craggy Otago Peninsula. We saw rare royal albatrosses with wings like wind turbines crash-land on a cliff to feed fluffy chicks too fat to move; we watched baby-blue penguins waddle up the beach at dusk for a cuddle, honking amorously; and we nearly tripped over a snoozing sea lion on windswept Allans Beach.
Sit back and enjoy views of the beautiful geysers in Rotorua
SWEET REMINDERS
New Zealand's endless miles of neat wooden bungalows, with pretty Victorian ornamentation, white picket fences and soporific verandas, filled me with nostalgia for my childhood in a wooden bungalow by the River Thames near Windsor.
There are two sets of initials a visitor to New Zealand should know: the All Blacks rugby team are the ABs - and SBs are sauvignon blanc wines.
VINEYARD TOURS
The New Zealand SB boom is exemplified by the Woolshed Vineyard, which produces Mud House wines in the Marlborough region at the top of the South Island. The Woolshed ranch was once a sheep farm, but the sound of shearing has been replaced by that of SBs being swirled round the palate by brilliant young winemaker Cleighton Cornelius.
Mud House was sporting enough to sponsor the British Lions - another reason to buy its excellent wines, including sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. After sipping several, we took a ferry to the North Island, passing many hidden sandy coves glinting in the moonlight.
Next we headed north to Rotorua, New Zealand's unofficial Maori capital. The Maoris came to New Zealand some 500 years before Captain Cook landed here in 1769, but no one is sure where from. Guesses range from Hawaii to Indonesia.
Maori chiefs handed sover-eignty of New Zealand to Britain in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.
Have your own beach bath at Hot Water Beach
A WARM WELCOME
Some say that NZ has made a greater success of integrating two ethnic groups with starkly contrasting cultures than any other country.
A fun way to experience New Zealand's natural underfloor heating is at Hot Water Beach, on the Coromandel Peninsula. Dig a hole in the beach, let the cold waves dilute the boiling sand and you have your own bubble bath. But beware: get the mix wrong and you'll be scalded where it hurts.
Simon wrapped up his trip watching the All Blacks
A FUN FINALE
We ended our tour in Auckland, where we joined thousands of British rugby fans who swapped beer, banter and ballads with the locals in harbourside bars and restaurants.
We stayed in Auckland's Ponsonby district, a kind of mini-Notting Hill with yet more quaint bungalows. They make for a novel skyline, with skyscrapers and the ocean right behind them.
We twice bumped into ex-Irish and Lions rugby pin-up Brian O'Driscoll in Ponsonby as well as AB star Beauden Barrett - though a friend laughed off our celebrity sightings, saying: 'There are so few people in New Zealand, you soon get to meet them all!'
Amazingly, it is simple old-fashioned service that sets us apart from other travel firms. And yes, we really do answer the phone within 5 seconds!
Check out the reviews on Trustpilot and the word ‘service’ appears again and again. And you’ll find many reviews from customers saying they wasted hours trying to plan a holiday themselves before calling us - often on the advice of a friend - only to find we could offer numerous options not available online, which also saved them money.
Our team of 300 travel managers has been arranging tailor-made holidays for almost 40 years and we believe no one does it better. Judge for yourself.
Not quite what you're looking for? We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements
Airport Lounges from £25
Once you’re through security leave the crowds, kids and chaos behind you with a visit to one of our comfortable airport lounges.
All offer complimentary food, drinks, wifi and newspapers with some also including Fastrack through security. Prices from £25.
Use our speedy private transfer service to avoid the stress of finding your way out of the airport terminal and looking for a taxi or bus on arrival.
With our meet and greet service, our driver will meet you in the arrivals hall. They will monitor flight arrival times giving you peace of mind that someone will be waiting for you with a name board even if your flight is late.
They will then assist you with your luggage and organise a private transfer directly to your hotel - there’s no waiting around for other passengers for shared transfers!
So no queues, no delays and less stress.
Let us extend the personalised service of your booking into your holiday with great prices on business class flights ready to add a touch of class to your trip.
Take the stress out of travelling with a host of wonderful perks on offer from priority check-in and premium lounge access to chauffeur service and fine in-flight dining, plus the supreme comfort of a fully-reclining seat.
Call us to see how much you could save on Business Class flights.
All customers can take advantage of exclusive premium rates we’ve negotiated for our portfolio of business clients. We’ll maintain your preferred airline loyalty programmes and you’ll have 24/7 support wherever you are in the world.
