Melbourne, Uluru, Cairns and Sydney
Australia | Apr 28 - May 11, 2024

Jennifer
Jennifer D.
Ireland | Reviewed on May 22, 2024

Local specialist: Paula was excellent. She researched and provided us with all our requests for the perfect Australian vacation. I was especially impressed with all the transfers that were organized. Not one driver was late and they were very professional. The assistance she provided with reserving our flights while in Australia was also awesome. Paula even answered some of our questions during our trip which was super helpful.

Trip highlights:
The Great Ocean Road tour was fantastic. Our guide was Bronson and he was well versed on the local history, culture, wildlife, etc.

The LimoCentral driver that took us to Yarra Valley was great. He was very flexible as we asked him to make an extra stop at a winery.

Uluru A Night at Field of Light was fantastic!!!! So amazing to wander through the outback amongst the art display.
I wished I had more time to hike around Ayers Rock.

Cairns- The Reef Magic was really neat and one/two dives was excellent. The currents were really strong for the second dive and almost every person in our party got sick during the trip. Should recommend to use a scopolamine patch or meclizine for motion sickness prevention.

The Daintree River Cruise was so interesting. Learning about crocodiles in the wild was so unreal.

The Blue Mountain Tour was great and led my Matt. He was so well informed and all his knowledge really added to the experience. Sadly, it was foggy that day, but Matt made the time enjoyable.

The best experience we had was the Sydney Harbor Cruise. What an amazing way to close out two weeks (despite it raining all the days we were in Sydney).

Considerations for others using Kimkim:
Make sure you give specifics to the trip planner. They cannot read your mind and ask questions once tours get scheduled. One example of something that would have been nice would have been to have more private tours just with our group. We did not think to ask for that and planner would not have known.

Laundry- would have been nice to know that we would have laundry facilities at most of our accommodations. I would have packed less clothes. We had laundry facilities at 3 or 4 accommodations. I am not complaining because it was a pleasant surprise to see the laundry facilities.

Overall, the Kimkim experience was excellent and I look forward to using Kimkim on future trips.

Hotel Reviews
Clarion Suites Gateway
Melbourne

Was centrally located and we had a fantastic view from our room of the river. They have an amazing fire show every night that was cool to watch from our balcony. Our room had a washer/dryer. We had 3 people, and the laundry was not available in the rooms for 2 guests. We arrived very early and the front desk was helpful in keeping our bags and taking them to our rooms when we arrived once the room was ready.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Near good restaurants and a good view
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Desert Garden Hotel
Uluru

They have free laundry facilities which was helpful. walking distance to a grocery store and easy to get around the are from the hotel.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
We had ants in our bed and the staff quickly changed us to another room.
Mantra Esplanade
Cairns

Location was perfect and walking distance to anything we needed. The staff was nice and let us know to become a member of the hotel chain and we would receive a complementary breakfast. The day we left our flight our ride was at noon and checkout was at 10AM. We were not able to have a late checkout because it was Labor Day,

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney
Sydney

This was a very nice hotel. The rooms were impeccable. They had showers and a separate bathe which was nice. The wifi was did not reach our room which was one complaint we had. We also had a bad experience at the Brooksy. The manager on site ran after us because he thought we walked our bill. This was not the case. He realized his error but it was very off putting. The bar tender at the Silo made up for him.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Full-Day Great Ocean Road Trip
Full-Day Great Ocean Road Trip
Melbourne

Bronson was a great tour guide. The lunch at Apollo Bay was great.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Would have been nice if they could have picked us up at our hotel
Private VIP Healsville Sanctuary Tour
Private VIP Healsville Sanctuary Tour
Melbourne

Steph was a fantastic guide.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
A Night at Field of Light
A Night at Field of Light
Uluru

A must do experience in Uluru

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Full Day Outer Reef + 2 Certified Dives (all equipment included)
Full Day Outer Reef + 2 Certified Dives (all equipment included)
Australia

The Reef Magic was super neat. Had many different activities at one area. The marine biologists also gave talks which was super interesting. Also enjoyed the didgeridoo performance and experience.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Full Day Blue Mountains Deluxe Day
Full Day Blue Mountains Deluxe Day
Sydney

Matt was great. Enjoyed driving around to all the sights. The lunch was good.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Paula Adams
Paula
Paula Adams
Local specialist in California and Australia | Replied on May 23, 2024

G'day Jennifer,

WOW! Thank you so much for taking the time to write an excellent and very extensive review. I truly appreciate it. Providing us with detailed feedback about our service helps us design better itineraries for future clients. So, thank you! It truly makes me happy knowing that your vacation to my beautiful country of Australia was successful and wonderful memories were made.
Thank you again for trusting me in help plan your vacation and I look forward to planning your next trip to the South Pacific. Take care and keep in touch!

Cheers,
Paula