Surgeon Mabs Alam wanted his first post-pandemic family holiday to be special – and with a little help from an online travel agency he was able to make it the trip of a lifetime
“I worked all the way throughout the pandemic so I felt we deserved a special holiday,” says Mabs Alam, a surgeon from Epping in Essex. “But, more importantly, the dates – in July 2022 – coincided with my and my wife’s 15th wedding anniversary.
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Mabs’ favourite meal was breakfast. “A chef cooked roti with dal, a traditional Indian breakfast that Mum used to make when I was a kid. Another chef was from Nepal and we chatted about momos (Nepalese dumplings) that I’d eaten in the country during my gap year. Next time I was in the restaurant he’d remembered and made me some!”
Every day ended with a spectacular Maldivian sunset viewed with a glass of wine from the villa. A perfect holiday. And that’s why he added his commendation for Kay’s customer service to the nearly 65,000 reviews for Travel Republic on Trustpilot.
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“The Maldives stood out as our daughter Iman, eight, is doing projects at school on climate change and learning about the Maldivian islands. We researched different options for the holiday, even going to a high street travel agent to chat through possibilities, and then I came home and looked on the Travel Republic website. The deals that came up were better on price compared to others we’d been offered so I rang the sales team for more information.”
Travel Republic is the top-rated online travel agent on Trustpilot. Its Holiday Lovin’ Experts are available seven days a week at the end of a phone and online to help customers, with 24-hour in-resort support – and these holiday heroes are a big part of why 77 per cent of Travel Republic’s reviews on Trustpilot earn 5/5 ratings. When Mabs called Travel Republic, holiday expert Kay Smallman answered. Kay has been with Travel Republic for nearly two decades and is the star of many of the online reviews.
For Iman, there was an adventure pool with a big slide and zip wires. “She ran around and made friends – ‘BFFs’, she called them. For us adults, the restaurants were amazing. I’d told Kay we’d like a selection of places to eat on the island and she’d listened – there were restaurants serving seafood, Indian dishes, barbecues.”
Mabs’ favourite meal was breakfast. “A chef cooked roti with dal, a traditional Indian breakfast that Mum used to make when I was a kid. Another chef was from Nepal and we chatted about momos (Nepalese dumplings) that I’d eaten in the country during my gap year. Next time I was in the restaurant he’d remembered and made me some!”
Every day ended with a spectacular Maldivian sunset viewed from the villa. A perfect holiday. And that’s why he added his commendation for Kay’s customer service to the nearly 65,000 reviews for Travel Republic on Trustpilot.
“From the very first conversation Kay has been exceptional,” Mabs wrote. “Even after booking our holiday with Travel Republic, she continued to assist us with changing flights and enquiries into an upgrade on our hotel room.”
Mabs might have enjoyed the trip of a lifetime, but it doesn’t matter whether you’re living the high life in a luxe resort in the Maldives or watching the pennies in a backpacker-style hotel on the Costa Blanca, Kay and her colleagues offer five-star advice every time.
“Kay also explained that we could save money by booking extras like scuba diving, fishing and island-hopping trips through Travel Republic instead of at the resort. The Maldives was always going to be expensive but tips like that helped keep costs down.”
With Kay’s help, Mabs booked ten days, including flights and transfers, at the five-star all-inclusive Sun Siyam Iru Fushi resort.
The Maldives was everything he and his family had hoped for – and more. “Landing at the island on the seaplane was spectacular,” Mabs says. “And that set the scene for the whole holiday.”
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PAUL CADBY and his wife Nikki, from Poole in Dorset, love their holidays. Their company Rustic and Retro Cakery keeps them busy all year round – but being able to afford an annual getaway really is the icing on their cake.
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“Kay was excellent,” Mabs says. “She had some really good insider knowledge. She understood exactly what we were looking for – a family holiday but with good restaurants for the grown-ups – and took the time to explain everything. She helped with the flights and the different sorts of rooms we wanted. That was a bit complicated as my wife Sham, Iman and I plumped for a water villa with a sunset view while my sister, who was joining us with her partner and six-month-old baby, chose a beachside villa.
Their happy place … Mabs and daughter Iman loved every minute of their ‘spectacular’ holiday
Picture perfect … there’s a vivid world of colour and life to discover, above and below the surface
For Iman, there was an adventure pool with a big slide and zip wires. “She ran around and made friends – ‘BFFs’, she called them. For us adults, the restaurants were amazing. I’d told Kay we’d like a selection of places to eat on the island and she’d listened – there were restaurants serving seafood, Indian dishes, barbecues.”
“From the very first conversation Kay has been exceptional,” Mabs wrote. “Even after booking our holiday with Travel Republic, she continued to assist us with changing flights and enquiries into an upgrade on our hotel room.”
Mabs might have enjoyed the trip of a lifetime, but it doesn’t matter whether you’re living the high life in a luxe resort in the Maldives or watching the pennies in a backpackers’ style hotel on the Costa Blanca, Kay and her colleagues offer five-star advice every time.
“Kay also explained that we could save money by booking extras like scuba diving, fishing and island-hopping trips through Travel Republic instead of at the resort. The Maldives was always going to be expensive but tips like that helped keep costs down.”
With Kay’s help, Mabs booked ten days, including flights and transfers, at the five-star all-inclusive Sun Siyam Iru Fushi resort.
The Maldives was everything he and his family had hoped for – and more. “Landing on the island on the seaplane was spectacular,” Mabs says. “And that set the scene for the whole holiday.”
“The Maldives stood out as our daughter Iman, eight, is doing projects at school on climate change and learning about the Maldivian islands. We researched different options for the holiday, even going to a high street travel agent to chat through possibilities, and then I came home and looked on the Travel Republic website. The deals that came up were better on price compared to others we’d been offered so I rang the sales team for more information.”
Travel Republic is the top-rated online travel agent on Trustpilot. Its Holiday Lovin’ Experts are available seven days a week at the end of a phone and online to help customers, with 24-hour in-resort support – and these holiday heroes are a big part of why 77 per cent of Travel Republic’s reviews on Trustpilot earn 5/5 ratings. When Mabs called Travel Republic, holiday expert Kay Smallman answered. Kay has been with Travel Republic for nearly two decades and is the star of many of the online reviews.
Surgeon Mabs Alam wanted his first post-pandemic family holiday to be special – and with a little help from an online travel agency he was able to make it the trip of a lifetime
Just what the
ORDERED...
DOCTOR
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Picture perfect … there's a vivid world of colour and life to discover, above and below the surface