Kimkim Trip Reviews for Australia

Great experience. Loved it

A 1st class hotel located in Ponsonby, a walkable Auckland neighborhood with lots of food and shopping options. The hotel is a small B&B, professionally run with a lovely wine/beer happy hour and included, stocked fridge in the room. Breakfast was amazing with delicious options such as an eggs benedict on a potato rosti, or pancakes, added to a delicious continental breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt and breads. Uber to the musuem and downtown Auckland was around 20 AUS.

A first rate hotel, located in the central business district. Rooms are spacious and comfortbale, breakfast had everything you could possibly want.

This review is for the Heal House Brisbane- please update the heading to reflect this. The Heal house is a luxury 3 bedroom B&B run by a couple who go out of their way to ensure you have the best possible stay in Brisbane. They are located in New Farm which is walkable to downtown (30 minute easy walk). The hosts provide you with a Go card on their account that allows you to use the public transport system to get around the river spots. You just pay them at the end for what you used. The beds were very comfortable, the bathrooms well-appointed with thoughtful touches like micellar wipes for female guests, cotton balls, swabs, robes, slippers etc. They pre-stocked the fridge with complimentary soft drinks, soda water and snacks. Wine, beer and liquor are available from an honor bar with the prices reflecting retail cost.

We really enjoyed the walk and tour in the forest. The visit to the beach was OK. The tour guides were knowledgeable and friendly. The bus was comfortable.

We didn't know what to expect and were pleasantly surprised with how charming this village is. I would recommend it to Hobbit and Non Hobbit fans alike

This reminded me of a luau Maori style. A bit too touristy for us

A must-do if you want to understand Maori culture from a Maori who has lived it.

This trip was magical. People do need to know they will be in small spaces in 2 man kayaks. They will be provided with wetsuits and will get wet. Some kayaking experience is useful but not 100% required.

A very interesting viwsit to the thermal springs with an additional look at a kiwi sanctuary and the Maori experience

We had a great overview of this fantastic museum. There are several very interesting historical exhibits. New Zealand has done a great job with this museum.

A great tour that shows you all of the spaces and gives a great historical background on the architect and many challenges in designing and building this structure.

The blue mountains are pretty but it is a long day on a bus. I would have preferred spending an extra day in Sydney. The best part was the visit to the animal farm.

We upgraded our Room to a Harbor view . That was well worth the cost of the upgrade , from a bland any big city office building view to one overlooking the beautiful and bustling Darling Harbor . The roof top bar is a must with a stunning view of Darling Harbor with great cocktail and small bite food options. Loved the vibe . The breakfasts were excellent , combining a huge selection of options from various buffet stations with a choice to have made to order omelettes and Eggs Benedict . Bonus mimosas or Champaign included. The rooms were clean and bed very comfortable.

Well appointed room in a great central location with a beautiful view. Great breakfasts as well!

Probably the best hotel we have ever stayed in. The spacious rooms, views of Hobart Harbor, the super friendly and helpful staff , sumptuous breakfasts, and overall vibe made this our favorite hotel on our trip.

A Washer / dryer are in the cabins which was very helpful . A Good restaurant is open “on campus” for breakfast and evening dinner . This is helpful as there are limited dining options in port Arthur . The cabins have a full kitchen so dinning in is also an option. Check the hours and days the restaurant is open as they can be variable. There is a beautiful walking path along the waterfront at the lodge that continues to the Port Arthur Historical Site .

Our upgraded room was amazing , with a private view of the granite mountains ( the Hazards) and an outside secluded bath . A nice perk is that everything in the mini bar and fridge was included in the room rate - no extra charges. The location was also unique , inside the National Park , affording easy access to hiking to overlooks with stunning views and access to a number of white sand beaches with pristine waters , with very few fellow beach goers. Excellent breakfasts. We liked the bistro for dinner - it seemed a better value and the food was great. The property has a beautiful expansive deck overlooking Cole’s Bay . An added plus - the lodge as free laundry facilities.

A wonderful way to see the city and get an initial overview / lay of the land. Dave ( a retired solicitor) our guide was excellent. We felt safe and learned so much about Melbourne. Also what areas to revisit . We loved the lunch stop at Brunnelli’s. The tour ended just in time before the heat of the day was too much.

A must do . On of the highlights of the trip. The Penguin plus ( upgrade) viewing platform also a must . It is special experience to witness in less than a hour, the 1, 000 plus little blue penguins exiting the surf in unison and marching up the beach dunes to their burrows .

A great way to get some exercise, see the City of Hobart from the water and have a fish and chips snack right from the kayak! .Our tour guide, Kane was wonderful. We felt safe , even while navigating the busy waters of the port.

One of the best wildlife tours we have ever experienced . What makes this unique is that this is a rescue shelter so the wildlife is here either as their only resort due to injury or human abandonment or in a state of rehabilitation to be returned to their natural habitat. The early evening is a wonderful time to tour as for many of the animals this is their natural feeding time. This is also a semi private tour that has limited participants , otherwise closed to the public. One gets close to the kangaroos, wombats, ichybnas( our favorite) , 110 year old cockatoo (Fred) , and of course Tasmanian devils. Bono-Lou our tour guide was fantastic.

The food and wine / beer were extensive, varied and excellent . I rarely post food on social media but I felt compelled to do so in this instance . Our guide Deanna was top notch and a lot of fun too ! Though not an inexpensive tour , it was well worth the cost. A great value .

We loved the twelve apostles and shipwreck cove . Just a gorgeous coastline and beautiful place .

Perfect way to start our Hobart Stay . The center city is compact and walkable with a lot of history. Dave our tour guide was wonderful . He is a history buff and highlighted aspects of Hobart’s history not necessarily generally known. As an example he took us into a Real tennis club ( fascinating to visit ) as he learned of our interest in the Aussie Open . It is clear Dave loves to show off Hobart .

Smooth pick up and drop off . We requested a route without tunnels and the driver Miguel was very accommodating. We also request a pick up 30 min later than scheduled and they accommodated.

Fun tour , we loved all the stops along the way . Yummy artisan food and drink ( cheese , beer, honey, chocolate) . The lunch stop was also excellent . It is a long day but is broken up by several interesting stops as well as a ferry ride each way that helps break it up. The tour guide was terrific. It is a relatively early start so I would build in time for an early breakfast before arriving if one is like me ; a big breakfast person .

The best way to get an overview of Sydney . The sandwich lunch was excellent and was included. In addition to the description , we also rode along by the Barangoo Reserve, Sydney Observatory, Darling Harbor , Chinatown , Hyde Park, the Botanical Gardens, along Woolloomooloo bay and Sydney Opera House . Our Tour Guide Ruben was great .

Fantastic way to see the stunning and rugged Tassie coast. We felt like we were at the end of the earth . Wildlife abounds . We saw albatross up close - what a magnificent bird. Cliffs , caves, an iconic lighthouse and wildlife. What’s not to love !

What a treat ! A wonderful meal and way to tour the harbor from the water .

A must do . First class treatment all the way . Pete our tour leader was a veteran guide and the best , right out of casting central . My wife is not always comfortable with heights and she did it and loved it.

A great way to get an overview of the opera house ,and its design and construction while also visiting stunning performance venues within the opera house complex. After the tour I wanted to attend a performance, just to get an actual experience of venue in action. It is a first class tour conducted by a very knowledgeable docent.

Perfect introduction to Sydney, extremely helpful staff!

Rebecca was a friendly informative guide, introducing us to a beautiful area of the country

4 hours of snorkeling available during the cruise, really nice staff and cruise

Pleasant drift over the beautiful rainforest.

amazing location and very comfortable room , bed Nice and helpful staff

this is more like a hostel not very much a hotel. the rooms are very big but empty. no decor, not a dresser to put your cloths, not a table - nothing. The was no remote to the AC unit so the room was freezing. Two towels were provided for 4 nights and no cleaning service. Carins gets lots of rain but they do not provide any umbrellas. The breakfast looks miserable, for the some cost we ate at The Novotel next door and enjoyed a wonderful variety of food and drinks. But the worst were the staff - they were so NOT friendly that we were actually laughing . Its like they were trying to avoid making eye contact with us so they don't need to greet us. The desk is literally next to the elevator and they were pretending to be on the computer or immediately went to the back room without saying simply "Hello". Very weird.

this is not a 5 stars hotel but is it very well maintained. the rooms are comfortable and large. the coffee at the Lobby Bar was amazing. the location is AWSOME and the staff are nice and friendly. I used the laundry facility - it was very appreciated to have one after 10 days of the trip.

a MSUT DO

our specific tour guid was not the best but the tour itself is important for the first day in Sydney

I think that the idea of this trip was supposed to be much different than what we got. but seriously I have no idea what was this trip about

After visiting the Yarra Vally near Melbourne I know that Yarra is better ... HAHAHAH

the young guy that took us on the trip was absolutely adorable. it was a very very nice trip

We were taken by a beautiful Catamaran. The staff on the boat were absolutely outstanding !!!!! they took care of each one of the 80+ passengers as if we were royals. I was not feeling well on the way and 2 staff members looked after me easing my sea sick and making me feel better. When one of the guides saw that I was not comfortable with the snorkelling gear in the water he took me personally on trip to the reef attached to a life saving ring making sure to point every special fish and coral we saw on the way. He made my day and I made sure to tell him he did (I tipped him some extra $) .

it is defiantly a MUST do while in Carins. The view from the gondola was outstanding I think that we were a bit tired that day - it was a slow moving and a bit too commercial for our test but, still, a MUST DO

nothing to add - the view said it all

Probably the highlight of the trip - we learned SOOOOOOO much about Melbourne and Australia that day

I wish we could go Stright to Phillip Island. We LOVED LOVED LOVED the Penguins parade part and being in the "Penguin PLUS" experience made a HUGE difference for us. The day trip itself was a waste of time for us as by now we saw million Koalas and Kangaroos ....

Our tour Gide was amazing, the group was so friendly and the vibe was very fun. we loved visiting the farm on the way to the mountain.

Yarra Valley is SOOOO much nicer than Hunter Valley (the wine is better too) - but don't tell the ppl of Sydney I said that ...

Centrally located in Darling Harbor. Friendly staff and good restaurant option though there is plenty to eat in the near by places.

Wonderful location and friendly staff. Beautiful character considering it was the old treasury building.

Very moderate hotel. Rooms were small and noisy due to train tracks.

Nice comfortable hotel with wonderful onsite restaurants. Convenient for trips. Little pricey but comfy.

Definitely a not to miss experience. It’s surreal to see the penguins and the seals.

Very informative and timely tour! Got to see the opera house and even hear some artists prepping for their show.

Nice cruise around the harbor. Enjoyed going under the harbor bridge the most.

The visit to Calmsley farms was fantastic. My kid loved feeding the kangaroos and seeing them up close. Lunch was very delicious and kept us nourished for the hike. Not spectacular as Grand Canyon and definitely not a must do. Guide was really friendly and knowledgeable

It was a good tour but it was hard to understand the guide and felt like lot of waiting to see few places. Sunset location was not that spectacular.

Fantastic way to see the beauty during sunrise, wapau hike was great, breakfast was quite good too! Best way to see Kata Tjuṯa

Fantastic guide and awesome way to see Koalas, Kangaroos in their natural habitats! Lunch spread was awesome! Wish they had given time for dinner before the cruise back to Adelaide

Boutique hotel in the middle of "wine country", we plan on staying here again if we ever get the chance to visit Hunter's Valley in the future!

Glamping on the beach, if that is your thing rent a cabin here.

The room, staff and views are top notch!

If you are into history, take this tour very worthwhile. you can visit the archives with a docent and go behind the scenes where they are restoring items and exhibits. One can visit a number of ships while there.

We had an excellent tour guide a Texan actually. Very informative on the creation of and the construction of the Opera House.

One day they did not clean our room. When we called they said housekeeping was gone for the day. What would we like them to do! Really?? How about new towels, dump garbage, Kleenex etc. Then he said we only have two staff working. That is not our problem!!! We are paying for the hotel and the service and this was definitely lacking. Would not recommend. Suites nice.

Spectacular. The most stunning vistas!!!loved!!!!breathtaking.

Most incredible experience of our lives!!! So beautiful. Surrounded 360 degrees by mountains on the fjord. Woww!! No words!!!! Loved!!!!! And the flight back over the mountains, surreal. Best experience ever!!!!

Best most fascinating experience ever!! We were in the rain and did not want to leave. Loved!!!

Spectacular!!! The cliffs, the dolphins!!! Wowww!!!!

Informative and beautiful!!

Loved it all!!!

Absolutely stunning place. Loved it and the wineries. What a day!!! Loved

There are no words!!! Incredible!!!

Fascinating and beautiful!!!

Educational and incredible to learn about the culture. Loved the interactive activities. A lot of fun. Great experience!! A highlight.

Loved!! Beautiful. Fascinating.

This was an incredible experience. Loved every minute. Wowwww. No words.

Loved this. Great day!! Great wineries!! Great guide Donna 😊

So beautiful and captivating. Gorgeous!!! Loved it

Beautiful. Incredible dinner. Sheep sheering etc fascinating. Love this

A great spot in the middle of downtown Sydney.

Extremely upscale and accomodating. An insanely amazing staff with a lot of amenities and a beautiful property. A really cool operate-on-your-own bar. Highly recommend!

There were other places on the massive property I would have rather stayed. These rooms were quite ghastly, but probably were cheaper than other spots on the property.

This was our favorite experience of our trip! Kiwis are all so nice, and our driver was so friendly, fun, and perfect for a whole-day tour. The wines were amazing, and the scenery cannot be beat. Loved everything about this tour!

I would not recommend this tour. While the area is beautiful, the endless drive through the middle of no where was not ideal. The trip advertises Kangaroos and Emus... Our tour guide told us that in the year she'd been working with the company, she'd never seen a Kangaroo. Its on a cattle farm—you will only see cattle. You might see a camel, but even the camels are not good for the cows, so they drive them away. If you're looking to see wildlife, the whole area around Uluru probably isn't great. Our time would have been better spent exploring Uluru or Kata Tjuta for the natural beauty.

Very friendly and comfortable hotel. Location is very convenient to major sites in the city. We loved their breakfast buffet.

Loved scenery around it: peaceful and beautiful.

"MUST" do activity!! Beautiful place to watch sunset and have a wonderful dinner!

The walking tour was very informative and fun. Bondi Beach; we got the tee-shirt!

Loved it all. The driver met us at the airport, and was very informative and full of info as he drove us into the city and our hotel.

Our driver was great!

This tour was not available. As I recall, the tour company, and the other companies were not running at the time we were there. We were off by a week or so. No fault of Vickie's.

This transfer was part of our itnerary. We used Uber.

This market tour was great. Just a couple of hours long, but it was fun. After the tour completed we had trouble deciding which market stall to go back to for our lunch. Great choice, Vickie!

These two days were absolutely wonderful. Lots of land and marine mammals and birds performed for us. Our driver was great. The other travelers in our small group were fun. The overnight hotel and restaurant were great. The weather was great. We're so glad this tour was included in our plan.

We've been to some nice zoos. This is one of the best! And the view of Sydney from the zoo is unforgettable.

We hosted our relatives, a couple with 3 children, on this rafting experience and everyone of us loved it. Especially the snorkeling.

We rode the hotel shuttle but to the airport.

This hop-on hop-off experience is a waste of money and time. The harbour is beautiful. But the 'cruise' boats were few and far between, and when on the boat, any tour dialogue was forgettable. The water ferry system is very nice, very convenient, goes to many more locations, and is very affordable.

There was no flight for us that day. We arrived in Airlie Beach too late in the day.

Loved the train ride from Townsville to Cairns. Upon arrival at the Cairns station in the evening, it took us quite awhile to get a taxi to take us to our hotel. The hotel opposite the bay shore was great and centrally located for exploring the town on foot. The taxi waiting experience was not bad, just unexpected and uncomfortable as we stepped off the air conditioned train into the humidity in the covered train station. In the future, for other visiting travelers, perhaps a heads-up about the possible wait might be appropriate.

The catamaran trip out to the anchored barge was nice, very comfortable. The multi-activity barge was great. Unfortunately we chose to ride in the semi-submersible submarine as our first activity, and we both became very nauseous from the small boat's movement. The nauseousness put a damper on further activities. So we weren't up for the snorkeling or other activities. However it was fun to watch all the others having fun. Its amazing that they'll teach you so scuba dive in the short time we're on the barge. Watching the fish feeding is fun. All things considered, this is a great experience.

The Billy Tea Safari tour to the rainforest showed us some great flora and fauna. Our guide/driver as great. However our safari vehicle was too rough-riding for our old bones. For us, the same travel route in a more conventional vehicle would have made the day tour more comfortable.

We rode the Karunda scenic Railroad up the mountain. Wonderful experience. The Karunda village is nice. We bought some artwork from a local vendor and had it (sucessfully) shipped to our home in Idaho. The Karunda Skyrail overhead tram was awesome. I never expected I would enjoy this as much as I did. Seeing the rainforest from above is indescribable. I would love to see the rainforest from this perspective when its raining hard. I know they close the skyrail when raining, out of caution for lightening strikes, but still I'd like to see it.

Modern, terrific hotel. Excellent location for walking and exploring the city. The room was clean and comfortable. We loved the restaurant in the lobby. Overall, Great service, kind and helpful people.

Location was a bit far from the harbor. Heavy drapes thick carpet made the room feel closed. We preferred the Vibe in Hobart which we stayed in with the tour group.

The room had been updated recently and was comfortable as well as sizable.

Clean, good location, quiet, parking was easy

We didn't stay here , We stayed at the Grand Chancellor Hotel. I was not very happy with the room and almost asked for a different room. thick dusty carpet, inefficient design, dark (not enough light) heavy curtains, very stained carpet in hallway. we were on the 1st or 2nd floor. I was happy we were only there one night. The breakfast buffet and lobby area were great!

Totally highly recommended by us!

Great location, clean and comfortable. Off street parking was tight

We didn't stay here- We stayed at the Escape Resort. We got there at 7:00pm and left at 8:00am. The cabin was over used - we didn't need the kitchen. the bed was comfortable

updated room, old ac

We didn't stay here. We stayed at the Ocean Village, I think,

It was ok. noisy. good location

the walk from the airport was challenged by construction. The room was over used and needed a deep clean

we didn't stay here, we stayed at The Barn. It was excellent!

Not many options in this town. The motel was good and updated.

We didn't stay here. We stayed in the Ozone Hotel. It was comfortable and clean right on the ocean.

In the end, we were just off the long flight and didn't feel like we were ready to be attached to a group of people and wear community jumpsuits and helmets .

We loved walking around and discovering the city. We went to the top of the tall building to get a perspective of the city.

We liked having the driver there at the airport to pick us up and bring us to the hotel. The hotel stored our bags and we went out walking.

I wish we would have been in the hotel where we met our group. I didn't like the Grand Chancellor Hotel. The Intrepid tour was terrific! It was rigorous but wonderful!

Stanley and hiking the Nut

Corrina was amazing! I would have liked to stay here at least 2 or more nights.

we explored the prison

Melbourne Museum is a must see!

It was difficult to hear the narration because the speaker system was not great. In addition there was a party of 35 women celebrating someone's birthday. They were loud and took over the outside part of the boat. The lunch food was ok.

We were a bit shocked by the numbers of people and bikes. I'm happy we were on the bus tour because we saw the sights quickly. Lunch was good and we went back on the 2:30 ferry getting off at Fremantle and taking the train back to Perth. The narration was better than on the Lunch cruise.

We stopped at the information Center in Exmouth for the best information. This is definitely shoulder season there are very few visitors around. We set out for the Cape Range National Park and on of the beaches just beyond the park center. We swam and loved it. We decided to go back to the park center and bought one set of snorkel gear to share. We went to the Oyster Stacks and had a terrific time snorkeling. Since the National park is an out and back driving experience, we headed back north and stopped at another swimming beach and found the protected turtle beach. After finding dinner we went to the hotel after the office closed. They had sent an email with after hour instructions.

On the way to Denham we stopped at Coral Bay for another snorkeling experience by the jetty. We were the only ones on the beach. Snorkeling and swimming were fun. We did not swim off the beach in town. It was a long desolate drive to Denham so we were pleased to have time to relax over 2 nights. The Experience was cancelled because of the strong wind and fire danger.

We skipped this experience- We stayed in Kalbarri it was marvelous. We snorkeled near town and I signed up for The Abrolhos Island Discovery Full Day Tour with Pink Lake add-on from Kalbarri https://kalbarriscenicflights.rezdy.com It was amazing!

The drive from Kalbarri to Perth was exhausting. It would have been great to stop at one of the town (Green Head area) on the Turquoise Coast for one night before driving to Perth. We didn't have the time. We stopped at the Pinnacles, it 45 minutes and we stayed in the car- I think its a good stop. Taking the car back to Perth Airport was stressful because of construction and not really knowing where we were going. It had to be.

This was a terrific tour! We learned a lot.

I really loved touring the Opera House and seeing inside the building. The information from the tour was good and interesting, but I think our tour guide was a bit over it all. She seemed cranky and didn't really answer peoples questions kindly.

I loved this experience. Our tour was a private tour and it really made it more personal. We were able to ask questions freely and learnt about a whole different history of Sydney and Australia's people. It was really interesting to combine this tour and the Rocks tour on our trip because there was overlap discussing some of the same histories and peoples from different perspectives (The Rocks Tour was mostly from an European perspective and this tour, was obviously, more of an Aboriginal perspective). We also got to learn about some of the different uses of the plants in the garden.

This show was an interesting addition to our trip. It was basically a cabaret show and dinner. The dinner was good and the show had great music and dancing. However, the boat itself was having some issues that needed some maintenance. There was water leaking onto one of the dining tables from the ceiling (this was an inside dining room, so it was not water or mist from the cove). Luckily, no one was seated at that table, but that makes me suspect it was a known problem. The pace of the show was also very slow. The show started and stopped multiple times, which I suspect was to account for large crowds and serving dinner, but we had a rather small crowd for our show time, and the pace was just off, like the entire tour time was 3 hours, but with the dinner and the show, it really could have wrapped up in 2 hours.

We had a great tour of the Blue Mountains. The mountains were beautiful and our guide had a great pace for seeing and enjoying the views as well as getting us to the next location. The botanical gardens at the end were very impressive!

This was the best tour we took in Sydney. Very great guide and just really interesting information about the history of Sydney.