Amazing trip to Australia!
Australia
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Jul 7 - Jul 20, 2023
We had an amazing trip to Australia! This is a great way to go if you are unfamiliar with the area you are visiting. Ruth was so knowledgeable and was able to book us on some great tours that were tailored to our interests. She also set us up in apartment-type accommodations in central locations, which was so convenient for our family. Our itinerary was printed out and waiting for us at our first apartment, and it was so much less stressful having all our rides and tour details arranged and written out for us. We also appreciated the emergency numbers and local agents who could answer questions if needed. Thankfully everything went very smoothly. Would highly recommend!
Hotel Reviews
Great location. Tastefully decorated. Loved the large bathroom with laundry.
Updated rooms. Nice patio.
Great location. Pools were a bonus. Spacious rooms with nice balconies.
Activity Reviews
![Afternoon Taste of Sydney Private Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/c349c5b7a4800e90e78ec82ab6f45c71b653e5aa/original-9d181e9a31f0a0b07567cb3beac5f957.jpg)
Great history lessons and tour of significant areas of the city. Thought it could have included more ethnic foods and more of how the history related to the foods we were tasting.
![Sydney Guided Bike Tour - Shared Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/c52ad58b56bf4f652a22552881cbff9138ba5452/medium-1355c80d1ddf7b4f9b4e8117e79b3654.jpg)
Great way to cover a lot of ground and learn about the city. A bit difficult in crowded areas with a large group, especially when some members were less skilled in biking than others.
![Sydney Opera House Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/1180310f0077581d86f59f9c0e4463f1e365a20f/medium-9cb3ebf7ca3c3ef4144b80d8ad1339a5.jpg)
Awesome to see the inner workings of the Opera House.
![Full Day Blue Mountains Hike the World Heritage](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/5b367480b7f0a1e705ec5cff464d0a520da22b98/medium-fe658226df3ff3877262a37306ff8429.jpg)
Something for everyone on this tour. Animals at the farm, hiking in the mountains, and exploring the botanical garden - we enjoyed it all.
![A Night at Field of Light](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/e8ac85425f2a48239bd226e42e2e6142fe2df7c5/medium-2a5ecf6ebf3238952beeba78a72d8ae5.jpg)
Amazing Amazing Amazing! Cannot say enough about this experience. From the sunset appetizers to the elaborate dinner to the stars and moonlit walk through the lights. It was truly one of the best highlights of our 2 week Australian vacation.
![Morning Kata Tjuta Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/4d5361e6f5605c94533eae7ecfeeb84e7c547984/medium-e476b2b6ec60cbbf83bb8c194aa02132.jpg)
Beautiful views of the sunrise. Sylvia was fantastic! Enjoyed the hike into the Gorge and breakfast.
![Afternoon Uluru Sunset](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/77ab6de988cd7b33b5efc6f74231d3eab1be0fa4/medium-5d3f184ffc3e816775981727e3436323.jpg)
![Full Day Cruise - Snorkel Great Barrier Reef](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/d9ffec005f3f9ae4f0b15829e1fb2dd98edba33b/medium-471081d9a9f9cd6bcf9f1f517737b149.jpg)
Rough waters getting to and from the reef but the snorkeling was amazing. Beautiful fish and knowledgeable staff all contributed to making this a highlight of our vacation.
![Welcome to Cairns!](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/02e3f27bfdce106f173e6fb0c15264093fbc5acd/medium-b7e63aa17ddaccaef4cdffa293dcfdf3.jpg)
![Full Day Classic Kuranda](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/04b4f4243e4899bf4c5400505660648236703464/medium-e432228013de8b2684f51f63223206d6.jpg)
Loved the cable car ride and seeing the markets and learning more about the native people. Did not like having to ride a bus for an hour and half before we got to start our day (we were the first ones picked up and it took a long time to pick up people at 10+ stops). I would have like a smaller group pick-up (or have everyone meet in a central location?)
![Afternoon/Evening Adventure & Nocturnal Wildlife Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/328eba9945cfe662d0dd5b6cf88257f0243faefb/original-9120310c7de3023ef2219fc739d416b4.jpg)
Loved seeing rare animals - platypus and various kangaroos and opossums. Dinner was great too. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate but even in the rain, it was a fun adventure.
![Best of Melbourne by Bike](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/a5c863f9586e22b88b7cdee94a5c90cd8adbd938/original-52620e29e9990514fa9a64b139c0eb46.jpg)
Paul was a great guide and he tailored the tour to what we wanted to see. Loved that we stopped for coffee and a snack!
![Afternoon Melbourne Foodie Discovery Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/1d52e365a94681ea5e1c319dbff72853b8fbbfef/original-5d9ddc2d4ce0e0b6f2ea3051f1842287.jpg)
Great variety of food and loved that Monique related the history and architecture around us to the food we were tasting. Very fun and filling!
![Phillip Island Full day tour Moonlit Sanctuary + Penguin Plus](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/c6a6b226f7b826bd2b4454ecad3bbb229e981bb3/medium-a3e2836004cd55c25a3a2fb13306ebb5.jpg)
Very cool to see the island and its inhabitants.
![Depart Australia](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/2a2ace27b64fd48bd1357afe0949a8afa114a9f7/original-4634c089c5b0c8b65a7e22eba50a0249.jpg)
Left our hotel earlier than necessary. I understand you wanting to make sure we get to our flights on time but more than 2 hours on domestic and more than 3 hours international still left us with lots of downtime at the airports.
![Ruth](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/3fcd283f98dabd83a185e513a7b14573bfa4a739/thumb-abd1320ce9f28599a1d3c1e62930a3c7.jpg)
Thank you for your kind words Diane. I really enjoyed working with you to design your trip. I am so pleased that you enjoyed your time in Australia!