My only concern was that I was not told about the Esta documentation which was required. Would have been useful to be told when booking.
Well planned trip and good communication both before and while we were away.
Very professional
I am always happy with the service and the holidays. Thank you we had a great time in Los Angeles
Wonderful service, professional and caring. Would highly recommend.
It was great to be able to book flights again with Kennedy Thrower managing everything. It is very reassuring to have her on the end of the phone and to receive her emails reminding us of things we should do before we go. I will certainly use you again.
Trip went extremely well and disabled assistance was perfect
Might warn others that LAX can be a nightmare often huge queues at immigration and have to take a shuttle to get to a taxi rank. And no such thing as in transit......
Good communication, regular and accurate information. Friendly and competent staff - I have recommended Zoe Lane to family and friends.
From the point of booking right through to return home I had help when needed, in particular from Michelle Dooler. Nothing was ever too much trouble for her.
Fantastic service as always
Always get what we expect and often more
Wonderful service, thank you so much. We've already recommended to friends and colleagues.
Thank you Tommy. You were brilliant. I never doubted and I’m so glad I called you!
Thanks to Philip Bardsley. Always sorts me out and always helpful with every little detail
Great - personal and caring service.
Donovan has been an absolute star. A long postponed trip finally taken. Recommend to all my friends and famlly
There when needed. Very reassureing. Always answer quickly
The service Karl provided, his support and communication were excellent.
Fantastic personalised service, as always!
Thanks for your help with our recent trips to the USA. You have always been really helpful - phoning us to update us on the protests on the M25 on the morning of our flight was really appreciated.
Made life easier for us, thank you
My travel manager Dennis was amazing. There were multiple flight cancellations in the lead-up to my trip and he did a fantastic job in rebooking everything and explaining the alternative flights. I've used DialAFlight several times in the past. Their customer service is absolutely priceless.
Libby was brilliant and really helpful. Emailed updates and really gave a personal service.
Curtis and Callum were both first rate.
Very good and helpful
Everything went smoothly. Thanks again for an amazing trip
Used DialAFlight many times in the past and this experience was just as those were - fantastic! We always recommend you to friends and family. Huge thank you for such amazing trips over the years!
Everything was as sold! Thank you
Really good, would use again
Laguna Beach in the late 1960s was overrun with hippies. It was home to Timothy Leary's Brotherhood of Eternal Love movement, on a mission to spread peace, love - and acid - to the world.
The focal point was a gallery and bookshop that supplied locals with its famous Orange Sunshine acid tabs. Surfboards were filled with them, and on one occasion Laguna Beach was showered with acid blotter dropped from a helicopter.
These hippies and surfers became major-league suppliers of LSD, and achieved superstar status among the psychedelic movement. Doug Oyen, our guide during a morning hike through the canyons above Laguna Beach, shows us some of the caves where hippies used to hang out.
We couldn't wish for a better guide. Doug is the first of many people we meet straight out of SoCal central casting: laidback, suntanned, wraparound shades and long blond mane.
The trek is painfully steep at times but worth it for panoramic views of the beaches and towns fringing the Pacific. A late afternoon walk in Laguna Beach confirms its counterculture days are over. Forget the 1960s ethos of 'Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out' - today's buzzwords are 'Tone Up, Tummy In, Work Out'. LSD has been replaced by the yoga mat.
They're everywhere: beside Gucci handbags in restaurants; in shopping baskets next to quinoa and kale; or clutched under the arms of shoppers looking at $200 ripped jeans in boutiques.
On a stroll through Heisler Park we see a timeless SoCal sight: rows of surfers in the ocean, waiting for the big wave that will make them the envy of their friends. A long line of brown pelicans in V-formation flies just above the water.
We dine at Driftwood Kitchen, a fabulous new beachfront restaurant serving classic surf and turf.
Enjoy waterfront views of the PAcifici whilst dining at Driftwood Kitchen
We stay the night at The Ranch at Laguna Beach. Transport is by a golf buggy, or else in a cool 15-seat Chevy Stageway. Next day we head up the Pacific Coast Highway to Huntington Beach, where we're greeted by two giant inflatable swans in the new Pasea Hotel's pool, facing the large sandy beach.
In the hotel's Tanner's bar, the centrepiece is a large, twisting tree trunk with a canopy of hanging lights. Hearing our English accents, our waitress reveals she's moving to London to take a drama course. Later, a surferdude taxi-driver blasts out Brahms from the stereo: SoCal folk can be so surprising.
After heading further north to Santa Barbara, we eat delicious ice cream at McConnell's and wander along Stearns Wharf, where children jump off into the sea.
We're treated to a helicopter ride over Santa Barbara, and fly above the huge Clark Estate, home to a former copper magnate and, later, his reclusive heiress. We also spot Michael Douglas's place and Oprah Winfrey's house.
We stay at luxurious El Encanto, in the Santa Barbara hills, where actress Hedy Lamarr once lived. The accommodation is luxurious Spanish-style villas among palms and lemon trees.
Sun trap: the pool at The Belmond
Next stop is a little bit of Denmark: Solvang, in the Santa Ynez Valley. In 1911, almost 100 Danish settlers arrived looking for farming land and built what now resembles a Danish village, with windmills, bakeries and their own version of Copenhagen's Little Mermaid statue. We pop into the Solvang Restaurant, famous for aebleskiver, a traditional, spherical Danish dessert served with raspberry jam and sugar.
This is the heart of southern California's wine region - the celebrated Sonoma and Napa valleys are much further north. Downtown Solvang has many bars and wine-tasting rooms, serving wines from local producers. In The Wandering Dog, we're soon swaying on our stools but this is due more to the all-American sounds of Boston, Kansas and Don Henley on the music system than to the chardonnay, syrah and, of course, pinot noir.
Later, we drive up winding roads of Ballard Canyon to a vineyard called Rusack to taste its wines. When veteran American comedian Shelley Berman visited, he launched into an impromptu rendition of Que Syrah Syrah, which was met with delight from surprised guests. The estate's Marti Martin told him: 'You see, you're still getting applause wherever you go.' Who needs LSD when you have a good bottle of syrah?
First published in the Mail on Sunday - July 2017
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