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Highest satisfaction rating of any UK travel company. 98% of 5776 reviews say 'EXCELLENT'
Highest satisfaction rating of any UK travel company. 98% of 5776 reviews say 'EXCELLENT'
Top rate support from Adam. Holiday was very well planned and took a lot of the stress out of booking
Excellent service and competitive prices, thanks for a great trip
Jay was fantastic and really looked after. I couldn't have asked for more. First class service.
Very good customer Service. I would definitely use DialAFlight again and will recommend to friends and family.
Thank you Roy for all your help just before we flew out when I realised I had left my husband's credit card at home and the car hire had to be changed at the last minute otherwise we would have had huge problems in the States. As always you went the extra mile
Always had good service
Karl was great. Found exactly what I asked for and answered all of my questions
Maria was great and did everything that was asked - will use again
Top job
Excellent as usual - timing of flights perfect
Your team were amazing. I forgot to order a vegan meal and the team arranged it even though the request was outside the 48 hours notice period. I cannot thank them enough, they made the entire trip worry free. Awesome team.
Excellent communication from your company. Much appreciated
I like how you have a specific agent who takes care of you with a direct line to them. And if they are off for any reason there is one other person assigned to deal with it. Also regular updates and calls from your agent. It's more of a personal touch.
The staff I dealt with were brilliant. My wife is disabled and they sorted everything out with the airline and airports. I would recommend them unreservedly and will most definitely be using them again.
Even though I was not advised of extra tax when travelling to Las Vegas you took charge kept me informed and dealt with by refunding me. Great service.
An excellent service. The team offered support from the time of booking right up to the date of the holiday. I felt very supported.
Brilliant from Niall start to finish
Had a call from the agent reminding me about my trip and required documentation. Very impressed
Super service and great support from Daniel. I must remember next time to book my seat early.
Thanks to Christian once again for a trouble-free trip.
When we had any concerns you were pleased to help
Excellent as usual. Many thanks to Ross and his team
Professional service and great trip.
Fabulous service and they went ‘the extra mile’ to help me!
Mason was awesome once again
Jenson never lets us down with service and price
As always first class service
Harry excellent as always!
I was so happy and relaxed - it was the most relaxing holiday I could ever dream of
Clyde was the best travel agent I’ve ever come across.
The evening slams into action with a long blast of brass. Ronell Johnson has swung to his feet and is squeezing every last bit of jazz out of his trombone.
Rickie Monie, meanwhile, is tinkling the ivories at frantic speed. I'd been told the Preservation Hall in New Orleans was the place to see live jazz, but never realised it would be as moody-blues as this.
All the local jazz legends have blown their trumpets here, from Punch Miller and George Lewis to Sweet Emma Barrett and The Humphrey Brothers. The Preservation Hall continues to attract the best acts.
FINDING THE MUSIC
Jazz is everywhere in New Orleans - in the bars, in the streets and in the psyche. This, after all, is the city of Louis Armstrong, who played his way to fame on the paddle-steamers that plied the Mississippi river.
This, too, is where the early jazz legends Buddy Bolden and Jelly Roll Morton once jammed through the night. Their local haunt, the Little Gem Saloon, has recently reopened and serves cocktails and food along with the music. Even those paddle-steamer river excursions still serve up jazz with their Creole cuisine.
PRESERVATION HALL
'Welcome to New Orleans,' whoops the compere at the Preservation Hall in a pause between acts. Welcome indeed. New Orleans has to be the funkiest city on earth, where the
streets are filled with buskers and the back-alleys packed with cocktail bars. They even have drive-thru daiquiri bars where - I kid you not - the daiquiris are sold by the gallon. A visit to Louisiana's most beguiling city ought to begin with a government health warning: this is a place that takes partying very seriously.
The wildest district is Bourbon Street, the setting for some of America's most outlandish clubs, strip-joints and cocktail bars. It's about as raw as it gets.
Women dressed in knickers and nipple-tassels parade the street touting for photos ($1 a snap) while men hang out in doorways drinking 'hand grenades', a Bourbon Street speciality that will blow your socks off. It comes in a yard-long vessel that's tinted green and shaped like a grenade at the bottom. The recipe is a guarded secret.
FINDING THE CALM
Apart from Bourbon Street's excesses, the rest of the city winds down to a gentler pace at around midnight. Then it's back to the hotel - in my case, the historic Maison DuPuy - where the party continues in the inner courtyard at a more subdued pace.
In 2005 Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic devastation. More than 1,200 people died and 400,000 left homeless. An excellent (if sobering) exhibition in the city's Presbytère - a branch of Louisiana State Museum - recounts the horror as the levees collapsed and a tidal wave hit the residential quarters.
THE FRENCH QUARTER
The only part scarcely touched was the historic French Quarter, home to many of the oldest buildings, jazz clubs and museums. 'New Orleans is not an American city,' explained John, my guide. 'It's half European, half African. It's unique.'
Founded by the French, ceded to the Spanish, sold to the Americans and besieged by the British, it was populated for much of its history by slaves from Africa. Allowed one day off work each week, they would congregate in local parks and improvise the musical riffs of their African forbears. This was how jazz was born.
Jackson Square is home to fine museums: the 1850 Museum, the Cabildo - the old town hall - the Presbytère and nearby Gallier House, with a preserved mid-19th century interior.
In the French Quarter, head to the Gumbo Shop restaurant to sample typical New Orleans fare: shrimp Creole, seafood gumbo (a thick Creole soup) and deep-fried alligator (straight from the swamps surrounding the city).
COCKTAIL HOUR
But I'm in need of a cocktail and take myself back to Bar Tonique, which serves the best sazerac in town (New Orleans's signature cocktail: cognac, absinthe and a shot of local Peychaud's bitters.) As the sun oozes itself into the Mississippi, I down a couple before taking myself back to Preservation Hall.
There's no Ronell Johnson on tonight's programme. But local star Clint Maedgen is on the sax, and that'll do for me.
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 38 years and we do not believe anyone does it better. Judge for yourself.
Airport Lounges fr £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.
Curious tourist, culture vulture or sporting addict? Wherever you are in the world we can help you get the most from your trip with sightseeing suggestions, city tours and a variety of leisure activities.
Book in advance through your travel manager and not only will you save an average of 10% over booking locally but you won’t risk missing out if a particularly activity or tour is oversubscribed.
With or without a guide, tours offer a unique insight
Take an escorted small group tour if you really want to find the essence of a country, from a local guide.
Take the open road for a freewheeling self-drive tour - a fantastic way to explore a country at your own pace.
Cruise holidays have come of age allowing you to visit several countries and see amazing places, all on one go.
Bespoke private tours offer you freedom and flexibility without the stress of arranging everything yourself.
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.
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