Loved the on-line KimKim platform and our local specialist
Australia
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Oct 23 - Nov 6, 2024
This was our first time using KimKim and appreciated the ease in which options were provided by the local specialist, Vicky, and how we were able to provide input. During our trip, we reference the on-line itinerary several times a day. Vicky was a joy to work with and was available seemly 24 hours a day. She made multiple changes to our plan and responded to questions very quickly.
Hotel Review
Nice boutique hotel and centrally located. However, the room we ended up getting was extremely small. Literally couldn't open up two suitcases at the same time.
Activity Reviews
The cruise was nice - food was decent. The duration of the cruise was perfect (not to long - my personal preference). The "sunset" part of the cruise didn't really exist -- the sun was still fairly high in the sky when the cruise ended.
This was one of our favorite activities during the trip. We asked for and got a private driver that was very friendly and knowledgable. The hike in the Blue Mountains was the best!
This was a great way to see a lot of Sydney in a short amount of time. The only complaint we had was that the final part of the tour was through a heavily congested (by pedestrians) trip on the boardwalk by the harbour. My wife and I both felt a little unsafe during this and I'm sure we totally annoyed numerous pedestrians. Probably could be easily solved by starting the tour earlier the morning.
Totally glad we did this tour - BUT felt a little unprepared for the skill level/fitness needed for the tour. I'm sure the "mountain biking" aspect of the tour was at the low end of average of skill/fitness for mountain bikers - but I felt a bit terrified during part of the tour (sharp rocks, narrow tracks, steep hills). I'm a semi-fit 60 year old that bikes quite a bit (albeit not mountain biking) and was pushed from a fitness perspective to complete the tour.
We saw dolphins (which was great!) though they were from quite a distance away. However, I was really looking forward to seeing the ship graveyard and picked this tour because of it. The tour guide decided to cut the ship graveyard from the tour - because he said we spent too much time looking for/viewing dolphins. We did have a nice trip through the mangroves. The tour guide was very monotone and did not speak very loudly. I'm sure most of the people on the tour gave up on trying to hear him - he seemed oblivious.
This was a big surprised - but we loved it. We never got the sense from reading the tour description that this was actually a tour of graffiti in alleys. Loved the artwork and the chance to see some sights you normally don't see walking through a big city.
Really have mixed feelings about this tour. We loved the sights. We had a private driver. The mini-van we were in was a bit run down. Both my wife and I had trouble hearing the driver due to the road noise from the van and the driver not speaking loud enough. The driver wouldn't stop talking even after we told him we couldn't hear him. We told him a couple times to save his voice and stop talking, but that didn't stop him. Since about 60% of this tour is driving, this became awkward at times.
One of our favorite activities on our trip to Australia. Both the railway and cableway were outstanding!
The boat ride was very rough and I learned that snorkeling isn't for me (neither of which is the fault of the tour operator). Many people we sea-sick for the entire cruise. We paid extra for the Gold Class VIP treatment with a private stateroom - and very happy we did this. The staff was wonderful. The food good.
Another highlight from the trip! We had a private driver who was very knowledgable. He actually walked with us on many parts of the tour which was nice. Never felt like his presence was intrusive. Newer mini-van. The only part of the day-long tour that was a bit of a dud was the one hour Crocodile Boat Tour. There were no crocodile sightings. The boat driver said that he had had several trips out with no crocodiles to be found. I don't think the other crocodile tour operators were having any better luck.