Kimkim Trip Reviews for Australia

Liz planned a perfect getaway, taking in consideration our timetable and price range. She also encouraged us to try new things like the Sidney Bridgeclimb and River Drift Snorkeling, we're grateful we did it. We'll reach out to Liz again for our next Australian adventure.

Despite we planned to do this trip very late (less than 1 month before the departure), everything was done perfectly: all bookings made in 1 week And targeting exactly what we expected (hotels and activities). The hotels were very comfortable and in a ideal place in each city. We really loved all the activities : excellent guides with a lot of experience, good advices and sense of humor. The only activity we liked less was the barrier reef boat trip because the weather was quite bad but also because it was a “mass “ activity (more than 100 people in the boat). Our best memories will be the biking in Sydney, the magnificent blue mountains, we did by ourselves a walking day starting in Bondy beach and it was great !, in Cairns, we visited the beautiful tropical gardens, and finally in Melbourne, we loved the arcades walk with the guide (despite the rain) and the trip to Philip Island (it was so fantastic to see penguins and wallabies in their natural environment!). Australia was full of surprises even for people like us who live in an exotic country (Thailand) : seeing cacatoès, ibis, perrots and giant bats in the middle of a big city is really unusual ! We loved this mix of nature and modernity.

Hotel Review

PARKROYAL Darling Harbour

Sydney

good location close to Darling harbor and only 30 minutes walking to the Sydney opera. Comfort and very good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Unfortunately the hotel is stuck between a road bridge and a massive hotel so the view is really bad

Location

Close to public transportation and Sydney places to visit

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Full Day Blue Mountains Deluxe Day

Sydney

Very difficult to choose the best activity: blue mountains is finally our choice because of the stop to the farm so we could see koala, wallaby and kangaroo very close and then the fantastic views and water falls! It was a perfect day

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Two weeks in east Australia by Judie Yamamoto and Charley Mullally

Overall, our trip to Australia, arranged by Jasmine through KimKim, was excellent. The accommodations were comfortable and for the most part spacious, modern, and conveniently located, quite more luxurious than we’d expected on the “mid-level” plan we had requested. Transportation (airport and hotel ground pickups as well as our three flights in Australia) went very smoothly, spoiling us for the return home when we had to drive ourselves! And even though we were always based in the city centers, there were enough excursions into the countryside to provide both urban and rural experiences.

Our most memorable day was probably our trip to the Mornington Peninsula, made so by our driver/guide Juliet. She was absolutely delightful and clued us in on local specialties: where to eat in Sorrento, vanilla slices, a little known “secret” oceanside cliff walk in front of million dollar homes. The upbeat music she played enroute didn’t hurt the day, either.

Other highlights:
· Watching wild kangaroos and koalas at the Conservation Ecology Centre in Great Otway National Park (the B&B there looks worth coming back to spend a few days!);
· Views along the Great Ocean Road;
· Up close opportunities to see the remarkable beginnings of recovery from the extensive bush fires that had occurred only a short time before our visit.
· Sydney Harbor cruise and strolling through Sydney’s Chinatown (all those Asian restaurants!);
· Tour of Sydney Opera House followed by dinner and front row tickets for “Six!”
· Swimming in a mountain stream in the Daintree Rainforest

The major downside to our trip was that there wasn’t enough downtime – days with little or no planned activity. At age 78, both of us needed more time to kick back and relax, fewer early morning pickups, less bus travel. We didn’t know that when we OKed Jasmine’s arrangements, but we will be sure to be cognizant of it on our next journey.

I very much enjoyed the trip. I would have like to attend the Dinner in Forest with the aborigines but it wasn't an option. The only thing I didn't enjoy is the hotel in Cairns, it was a bit outdated and the bed was uncomfortable. Our Guide form Billy Tea safari was excellent and very knowledgeable.

I had an amazing adventure in Australia. The in-country agents that kimkim set me up with were overall very good. Initially, I had to review everything quite closely and we made changes to a number of things on the itinerary, such as choice of hotels or upgrades to the hotel rooms. If I hadn't been so engaged I don't think the trip would have been quite as fun and satisfying as it was.

Peggy was very responsive to my requests and added a few nice touches, like private limo airport transfers, which I really appreciated.

All my stops were incredibly satisfying. Sydney was terrific. I did the Bridge Climb (pay the premium for the twilight option as you get afternoon light, sunset and night views) which was really fun. Swissotel was a fine choice — very central and make sure you choose the Executive Lounge option (thanks Peggy!).

Really enjoyed Adelaide and the Mayfair Hotel. About as central to city center as it gets. Wine tour of Barossa Valley was excellent. My two days of touring on Kangaroo Island was wonderful. Kangaroos, wallabees, koalas, sea lions, seals, dolphins, and more! My Inn, Wanderer's Rest, was a little downscale from my other hotels, but the owners and food were lovely. Next time I might splurge on Southern Ocean Lodge.

Cairns was really fun. Peggy suggested the Riley Hotel, which was an excellent choice. Great view of the sea and right on the promenade. Day of snorkeling the reef and the Sky Rail to and train from Kuranda were real highlights. Make sure to do the Gold Service on the train. Well worth the few extra bucks.

Ended my trip with three days at Uluru. I broke the bank staying at Longitude 131, which is the safari-inspired hotel with magnificent views (the only hotel with good views) of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Food, room, everything was amazing. If you can afford to splurge when you visit Uluru, Longitude 131 is the only option, trust me.

In terms of negatives, I was concerned that when I called kimkim customer service about an issue, not only did no one pick up but there was no answering maching. Please upgrade!

Overall, I must give it a big thumbs up, as I had a truly wonderful trip. Having all of Peggy's logistical help was incredibly helpful.

Jasmine did a great job listening to me and booking everything. The trip to Australia was beyond my expectations. I definitely will use KimKim and the services provided for all my trips that I can! The value is amazing!

The entire team was great! Whenever we encountered any issues they were resolved very quickly. The paperwork was very thorough and made the driving experience go smoothly. We will definitely contact KimKim for travel in the future.

My Granddaughter and I had wonderful trip.Meeting first with Rogan Lind giving us an overview of what was planned was really helpful. All of the all of the hotels were perfect but the most perfect of all was the excursions we liked them all. Our favorites Sidney Opera House, The Great Barrier Reef, Penguin Parade,Kangaroos& Koalas in the wild. Trip guides were great especially Amy of Echiona Walkabout. I can't thank you enough for helping make this a memorable trip.

Jasmine was very responsive to ALL my questions!

The hotels she chose were exactly what we were looking for. We especially liked the Pullman in Cairns and the Montra Bond in Sydney. Get location and value.

All the tours were wonderful. Especially the 1/2 tour tour of Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef Day.

The only tour we did not like was the Daintree Rainforest. Had we known how long it was we would have opted to do something else. Driving for 5 hours in one day is too much. I think that tour they try to do too much. Long drives and then short stays at the venues.

Thank you very much!

We had an absolutely enchanting trip to Australia, thanks to Jasmine at Global Tour Specialists! She created a perfect itinerary for us that involved adventures like a rock hopping river hike to a day spent in the rainforest sampling ice cream and climbing above the tree line! We snorkeled at four sites along the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns to Port Douglas, cuddled koalas, and just had day after day of top notch adventure.

Travel was seamless and included transportation - which was a huge help since we’re used to driving on the other side of the road! We felt so relaxed and joyful, and grateful to have had Jasmine’s insight and good planning. We appreciated that there was a 24 hour phone number to contact in case of an emergency, and when we ran into minor issues, Jasmine and her team were so responsive.

This is not the type of vacation we usually take — it was a special occasion (our 10th wedding anniversary) and Jasmine did absolutely everything to ensure it was a special trip every day from beginning to end. Thank you so much! We had the adventure of a lifetime and would recommend KimKim and Jasmine at Global Tour Specialists in a heartbeat!

Had a wonderful time , missed flight due to weather and Kim Kim team was right on it . No way we could of experience all the things we did in a short time without their help. Would highly recommend !

Lisa and the kimkim team were tremendous to work with. Our 10 day journey around Australia was perfect, the kimkim business model works! Lisa built a detailed itinerary that was fantastic, memories for a lifetime.

Accommodations in Port Douglas wasn’t as good as expected. Staff was not as attentive and room location was not as good as others. Also hotel told us we would be charged for new towels to take to beach unless we laundered dirty ones. Also we asked for later 11am checkout and was told no. However when we left at 11:15 the room was still not occupied or staff cleaning it. Would have preferred a better hotel in the area.

We had a great time in Australia and everything went fine. Lisa with Kimkim did a great job and kept us well informed.