Springboard Vacations

Views are incredible! Dining room is a bit noisy - go to the upper deck to enjoy the quiet and exceptional views of the harbor!

Staff so helpful and accommodating. Views amazing. We were upgraded to a higher floor where the views were even more spectacular.

Great location. Helpful staff. Beautiful views.

Loved the one bedroom suite with washer/dryer. Having a simple and leisurely breakfast in our room was very enjoyable. Appreciated the complimentary cable car tickets and the walk through the botanical garden.

Great location, well appointed room, lovely restaurant for dinner and nice pool.

Lovely location but buildings and paths need maintenance. Our cabin was comfortable. They had a free laundry that was much appreciated. They were short staffed, so service was quite slow in both the restaurant for breakfast and the bistro. The formal dinner was delicious and we were well looked after.

Well appointed rooms. Lovely pool area with bar. Nice breakfast buffet. Close to waterfront and many eateries.

Great location. No elevator and USB plugs were not working. Plumbing needed updating.

Very spacious and well furnished. No telephones in rooms, no cold water in rooms - you need to go to the main restaurant to fill your bottles. Great food at the restaurant.

Dark and poorly appointed rooms with impractical set up and too much fabric to catch dust, thus making it difficult for someone with allergies. No space for modern clamshell luggage. The restaurant was great for breakfast but wasn’t open on the Holiday Monday, when we couldn’t find any restaurant in the area. We resorted to eating in their bar area but it did not have a comfortable eating area. Poor location. It is a long walk to find a good restaurant.

Spacious suite, beautiful buildings. The buffet breakfast was delicious and in a well maintained older building. Had a coin laundry on site that was very useful.

Wonderful location and beautiful amenities. Our cabin was spacious and very welcoming with included wine and spirits as well as snacks, coffee and teas. The dining room as well as the bistro offered exceptional food with excellent service. It was nice to be so close to a quiet beach.

Well appointed room although all glass walls can be problematic especially in the bathroom! The staff was very friendly and helpful. They dealt with issues very quickly. We were able to leave some of our luggage here for an extended period with no issues. Breakfast buffet was very good.

As we had been advised to arrive early, we were on site before the Sanctuary closed to the public, so enjoyed a stroll around the grounds ahead of the tour. Our very knowledgeable guide took us first to see the reptiles before they got too cold and hid. We then went to feed the Tasmanian wallabies, followed by birds, quolls, possums, Tasmanian devils, an echidna, a baby wombat, and Tasmanian bettongs. In most cases we did guided feeding, with appropriate warnings on how to present the foods. A highly enjoyable and educational outing!

Our driver/guide picked us up early, as he had received a different itinerary to ours, to start an hour earlier. We had visited some of the proposed sites with friends, so our guide adapted the itinerary to hit new (to us) places. We went to Arthur’s Seat high above the bay for an overview, and visited beach which featured “houses” that store supplies for their owners’ days at the beach. We had a delicious lunch in a converted General Store, and visited wineries in the afternoon. One activity we skipped was a visit to Moonlit Sanctuary, as we had already visited.

We were called the night before by the tour operator to warn of potential rough weather for the next morning. We proceeded with the tour, and were glad we did. The Sky Lounge is the reserved upper deck adjacent to the bridge, and the attentive crew saw to everyone’s needs. Welcome drinks were served as we departed, to head to the Lodge to pick up guests who had booked there. As we sailed south to reach open water, the captain repeated the warning that a gale was brewing on the east side of the peninsula. As we reached the strait, his decision was to divert away from Wineglass Bay and instead proceed to Ile des Phoques (Seal Island). On the way there, several guests felt queasy and were assisted by crew. At the island we saw fur seals and cormorants, but the real show was on the way back north, when a pod of dolphins swam alongside and cavorted in our wake. They were joined by gannets and albatrosses over the boat. We had lunch in a sheltered bay, with generous portions in individual meals, supplemented with lots of fresh oysters. For us, the rough weather wasn’t a deterrent, but there were several seasick guests. Not all expected that they could be seasick. However the crew assisted them all and maintained a pleasant atmosphere for the rest of us.

The roads in rural Tasmania were generally good, but services are sparse. The switchbacks ascending to Cradle Mountain park are narrow and require vigilance.

The car itself was fine, and gave us no problems. The only issues were with the personnel in the airport lots for pickup and drop off. In Hobart I was told to collect the keys in the parking lot from the attendant. She was nowhere to be seen, and my wife and I split up to look for her. This took more than 15 minutes. In Launceston, I saw an attendant across the lot as I pulled in, but by the time I parked she was gone. I took photos of the car for my records and dropped the keys in a return slot.

This tour starts from Downtown Melbourne, proceeds west to Colac (along the highway) then south to the southern end of the Great Ocean Road on the shipwreck coast. A lot of time is spent in the coach, with commentary by the driver, to prepare for the self-timed walks. He also introduced guests to the TimTam Slam at the first coffee break. This stretch of highway features some of the most iconic formations in Australia, the 12 Apostles, as well as Loch Ard gorge, Great Otway National Park, and the seaside towns that were heavily damaged by fire and floods in the 1980s. The Memorial Arch stands as a monument to the work of the Diggers who built the road in the 1930s.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the private tour very enjoyable.

Loved this experience. Meeting other guests. The meal was delicious and seeing the stars and the field of light magical.

Tide was high when we went out so not the best conditions to see the reef clearly.

Amazing experience! Highly recommend this. I wasn’t even sore the next day after riding the camel for an extended period of time. The staff was exceptional.

It was a rough sea day but the staff made the best of a rough situation. We really enjoyed it all.

Mini tour bus was uncomfortable with malfunctioning seatbelts. We enjoyed a more relaxed pa ce than on day one. Not enough time allotted for dinner before the ferry. Service was very slow at the restaurant that was recommended.

Very long time in the 4x4 cramped vehicle, (about 5 hours total travel time there and back) stopping to do all the hotel pick ups and then in Port Douglas where there should have been a restroom break. We enjoyed the tour once we got there.

Lovely slow paced private tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed our day, especially our time at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

Bus to ferry was very cramped for leg space and very long because of multiple pick up points. Ferry did not have breakfast foods available as the supplier had not delivered. We started our day very early and were quite hungry by lunch time. First day tour was in a more comfortable coach. Our accommodations at American River in the Mercure hotel was great. Older facility and the mattresses and rooms need updating but wonderful food and service. We really enjoyed our first day tour but were disappointed to spend so little time at the Animal sanctuary.

They would not allow us to check in early after arriving from a long international flight but when we were able to check in they upgraded us to room on a higher floor with a great view.

Room was fine but we had a long walk to our room from the registration desk with lots of luggage to carry.

Nice hotel with convenient location.

Nice hotel with good location. The upgraded us to an upper floor with a city view.

The view from our room was amazing. Breakfast was very good with lots of selection.

We had a one bedroom apartment that had a washer and dryer but it didn't feel like the room was very clean. I found trash in the area to make tea and coffee. It was a convenient location.

The registration area was very nice but the rooms could have been better. Also the landing outside our room was never sweep while we were there and had lots of leaves. There were no elevators and they put my 83 year old husband and myself on the second floor. We broke the handle on one suitcase trying to drag it up and down the stairs. Also we were told our room was not ready at the check in time.

Very nice hotel with a beautiful view from our room.

This was supposed to be a 4 star hotel but it could barely be called a 3 star at best. The carpet looked dirty, the bathroom needed an update, and you had an overall feeling it was not clean. We were suppose to have a harbor view but 90 percent of the time we were there it was blocked by cruise ships and we couldn't see anything. The one time for a few hours at night the cruise ships were gone it was a beautiful view of the harbor and opera house. The only thing good about the room.

Nice but a long day so I probably could have skipped.

Our guide Peter was very nice. Our tour information said we would have either morning or afternoon tea, but it didn't happen. The lunch that was included was very good at Akaroa. Harbor Cruise with George was nice. We saw hector dolphins, seals and albatroses.

It is a beautiful view from the top.

Enjoyed that you could experience the reef without getting wet.

Nice trip with beautiful views.

Maary our guide and driver was very good. We were supposed to have water and snacks and we did. We were supposed to get back at 6:30 but it was 7:30 before we reached.

Driver was not inside airport but texted where he was an parked so we didn't have to walk at all. He also helped with the luggage and was very friendly.

It was a long day. We were supposed to meet at a bus stop that was not marked. Picnic lunch was very bad. Nature cruise had nice views but only saw a few seals on a rock, no penquins, dolphins or any other animals that were mentioned we would see. Straight 4 hour drive back with one 15 minute stop for coffee.

Herman our guide was good. Enjoyed getting lots of views of Uluru.

Captain was very friendly and nice. We were told we would get tea or coffee and a cookie. We did not get that but were offered water or juice.

Was a nice tour but not anything special.

Guide was nice. We enjoyed Moonlit feeding the kangaroos and seeing the other animals. Penguin Plus was fun getting to see the penquin parade. Sad we couldn't take pictures, but were happy they had pictures and videos you could download. We were the only ones on the tour with dinner included. We were not told that it was an option to not have dinner included and would have liked to have had the option.

Was a fun day. Saw lots of places. Guides were good.

It was very beautiful and I would recommend.

Driver was nice enough. Tours alright especially for Lord of the Rings fans. Were not able to take pictures at the Waitomo caves which was a disappointment.

Worth a visit. We were not told that our tour of Te Puia was not within walking distance of our hotel and we had to figure out how to use uber (we are seniors and had not used before).

Very nice experience. Enjoyed the drinks and snacks while watching the show. Wish we had been allowed to take pictures or videos.

I didn't really feel that we saw much of Sydney.

Great tour would recommend.

I would recommend. Calmsley Hill Farms was great. Really enjoyed getting close with the animals. Beautiful lookouts. Lunch was alright not great. Tour said we would get wine or OJ in the afternoon but only wine was offered, so nothing for people who don't drink alcohol.