First time ever used a travel agent and we are so glad we did!
Australia | Mar 10 - Mar 21, 2025

D
David E.
Boston, MA | Reviewed on Mar 26, 2025

We have never used a travel agent before (we always self-organize) but the trip to Australia was a bit overwhelming considering how huge the country is (basically the size of the US) and didn't want to spread ourselves too thin while maximizing the must-do's. We filled out the kimkim form and specified our interests and types of accommodations and Liz Neal reached out to ask a few more questions within a few hours. Within a day or so, we had a rough itinerary proposal and Liz suggested a Zoom so we could talk through the proposal. On the call, we made a few adjustments and talked about flight logistics so that we weren't up at 4am or arriving at 11pm.

She sent over a finalized itinerary within a couple days of the Zoom call and the planning part was over in a flash. We had a deposit placed and then we just had to wait 6 months for the travel to start!

A few weeks before departure, we got the full PDF with 25 pages of logistics down to the minute (airport transfers, hotel pickups, phone numbers of everything, etc.) which provided great comfort and made for a smooth and clear travel experience.

There were some weather concerns (rain on the day of our snorkeling trip to the reef) a few days before departure so we emailed the local travel agent in Australia (Leslie Wong) and he was able to swap the days so that we could maximize the chance of good weather.

I want to call out how excellent Kangaroo Island is. It's private, isolated, and unspoiled. Sea Dragon is a great resort and the people there knew our names and were all excellent. If you can fit it into your itinerary for 3 nights, you will likely find it to be the highlight of the trip. We are so happy Liz added this to the trip and encouraged us to keep it at 3 nights even though we were considering cutting a day off.

We are a family of 4 (girl - 15, boy 13) that loves to be outdoors and not in museums which explains the activity choices.

Hotel Reviews
Sea Dragon Lodge
Willoughby South Australia

This was the highlight of the trip. The accommodations are luxurious and you do literally look out over the ocean like the pictures show from your room. The staff (Jane, Yasmine, Tomas, Paul and the others) are all such welcoming and positive people and made us not want to leave. Part of the Sea Dragon experience is the full day nature tour. I will say it's a lot of driving (the island takes about 90 minutes to get from east to west) but it's broken up nicely with a stop at a popular koala hangout spot (we saw about 10 in the trees), a brief stop to stretch your legs at a surfing beach, a stop at a natural arch where the seals come to rest, a lunch in a nice covered picnic area, and a stop at the sea lion sanctuary where we were just a few feet from sea lions. Some of the shorter activities are on-site (honey tasting and gin tasting) and the lighthouse is just a 20 minute walk away. The sheep shearing is a 20 minute drive. We didn't do the wine tasting trip or any of the other options due to lack of time but you could easily fill 3 days worth of time while still having some quiet time to just sit and look out at the water from your patio.

Authenticity & Character
There are probably a dozen cabin/suites on the property so it's small and quiet. The rooms are luxurious and spacious but not opulent.
Location
Right on the ocean with unspoiled views.
Staff
The staff adds to the experience with knowing your names within minutes of arrival and addressing you directly. Jane (the resort manager) is excellent and her team is professional and welcoming.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Villa San Michele
Port Douglas

We had a very spacious 2 bedroom apartment. It's right on the main drag but it's set back from the street (not that there's much road noise anyway) with a large courtyard flanked by two swimming pools. It's not your traditional hotel so you don't get daily cleaning service but that's fine. We had a kitchen so it let us buy some groceries at the local grocery store (a legit full sized grocery store is only a couple blocks away) and keep everyone fed and happy throughout our stay (4 nights). They provide beach towels that you can take to the beach or on your snorkeling trip so that's a nice minor extra. It's a short walk to the dock where the boats depart and all of the shopping and restaurants are within walking distance. The only area for improvement is that the room was rather dimly lit.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
I have nothing negative to say here -- we only talked to the staff upon checkin (they were very nice and welcoming) but we didn't see anyone else for the remainder of our stay (not a problem but it also means I can't really answer this question fully)
Cleanliness & Comfort
The room was a bit dim at night but otherwise perfectly fine and we'd stay here again
Clarion Suites Gateway
Melbourne

We somehow got upgraded to the penthouse suite which was certainly unexpected and gave us an amazing balcony with skyline views across the river that can't be matched. As you might expect, it was a cavernous "room" with three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and dining room. There may have been other rooms that were in there that we didn't find because it was so large :-) The staff was friendly and welcoming and the room was clean. However, even the penthouse suite was a bit tired (couches were a bit worn, carpet looked a bit dirty, and the soap dish in the shower and other fixtures were a little wobbly) and during certain times of the day, there were food smells in the hallway. There was nothing wrong with our stay and given its convenient location, we'd probably stay here again but it wasn't anything particularly remarkable.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Own Accommodations Arranged

We booked our own stay at A by Adina right in the center of the CBD because it was one of the few hotels that offered two bedroom suites and we had stayed in another Adina in Berlin and loved it. Liz wasn't able to book it so we booked it directly. We were very pleased with the room and it had everything we needed and expected. The washer/dryer was particularly helpful since we had rain on our second day in Sydney and needed to dry everything out upon return to the room. The bedrooms aren't terribly spacious but that's fine since there's a living room with a couch and table/chairs to let you spread out and catch up on reading and whatnot. We'd stay here again as the location was perfect for reaching all of the primary tourist spots with short walks. It was clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
No complaints about the staff -- the person that greeted us and the person that checked us in were both very nice but we didn't talk to anyone else while we were there (which is fine) so I can't say it's amazing.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Grand Kuranda Rainforest Day Trip
Grand Kuranda Rainforest Day Trip
Australia

This is the one activity that we might recommend against. It's a long day from pickup to dropoff. The day consists of 4 main parts: * Skyrail (cable car) over the rainforest canopy from sea level up into the hills -- lasts about an hour with two stops along the way to change cars and take a short nature walk between getting off and getting back on. The views are clear and 360 degree and you see the waterfall both from the cable car ride and at the second stop (boardwalk). * Walking around Kuranda Village at the top (tourist shops, mostly, and some food/ice cream options). In Kuranda Village is the butterfly sanctuary which is small but very nice (maybe 20-30 minutes total). * Transfer to Rainforestation Nature Park for a 3 hour visit. This was the part that we definitely wouldn't repeat. It was crowded and touristy and somewhat contrived. As you'll see we did a bunch of other activities on this trip where we saw kangaroo, koala, crocodile and wallabies in the wild so the confined spaces here weren't our cup of tea. The aboriginal presentation was with an audience of like 300 people and the duck tour was on a caravan with 3 other duck boats all packed full so you felt like you were in Epcot Center on an attraction rather than out in nature. * Return to Cairns via the Kuranda Scenic Railroad - the reason this was a let-down is that the only views are on the gorge side of the train so if you don't have a window seat on that side of the train, it's largely just a hot and slow 90 minute train ride without much to see.

Quality of Experience
A little too much like a theme park than a nature experience
Food
Lunch at Rainforestation was called "BBQ buffet" but I don't think there was anything barbecued there. The food was average and fine -- we didn't come here for the food.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
It was a little confusing how the day would run -- we were met at the Skyrail station by a Tropic Wings tour guide who handed us our badges and an outline of the day but we were then on our own until meeting him again in Kuranda Village to transport us to Rainforestation. And then he appeared again to take us back to the train station. We were comingled in with other tour operators so it wasn't always clear if we were in the right place.
Sydney Opera House Tour
Sydney Opera House Tour
Sydney

This is as expected. A lot of history (some interesting, some not so) and you get to enter each of the main performance halls. You can take pictures outside and in the hallways/corridors but not within the performance halls themselves (which is a little peculiar since these spaces see thousands of concert/theatre goers each year). It's only an hour long which is about right. The group size is about 30-40 people and you wear a headset so you can hear the guide regardless of how far behind you are. You probably should do this.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Mackay Coral Cay Great Barrier Reef Sail & Snorkel with Lunch
Mackay Coral Cay Great Barrier Reef Sail & Snorkel with Lunch
Port Douglas

The reef sail was via Sailaway and they are a professional outfit. The boat is huge and clean and very well equipped. There were 50 passengers on our trip and it didn't feel crowded. The crew aboard and in the office are all very pleasant and polite and welcoming. The boat is loaded with food so if you're the type that can eat while out on open water, you'll have plenty to snack on and eat during lunch. I'm not that adventurous so I could only eat with my eyes. It's a 2 hour sail from port to the first snorkel site so you'll spend some of that time just watching the horizon, some time learning about the biology of the reef from the marine biologist crew member, and some time getting fit for your stinger suit (full body suit to protect against jellyfish), flippers and snorkel/mask. Once you get to the dive site, you have about an hour in the water. We saw amazing coral and a sea turtle and a million fish. No sign of Nemo though. Definitely an experience you need to do once in your life. There was a medical emergency with one of the other passengers during the first snorkel (he ultimately appeared to be fine by the time we reached port) so we had to head back to port directly and didn't do the second dive. Sailaway handled the situation well and gave us a full refund (after first trying to rebook us on a new trip -- but it wouldn't have worked out due to our other activity schedule) so they should be commended for doing the right thing.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Afternoon/Evening Daintree Nature Tour ( Private)
Afternoon/Evening Daintree Nature Tour ( Private)
Port Douglas

We very much enjoyed this full day tour despite the fact that it varied from damp to sprinkles to showers to full on downpour throughout the day. Our tour guide (David) was very good and adjusted the commentary appropriately so the kids could participate. The day consisted of an hour drive from Port Douglas to the Daintree River where we stopped along the way to see a massive colony of fox bats hanging from the trees. The boat ride on the Daintree River started with an absolute downpour but it tapered off halfway through so that we could see a few mother crocodiles and some of their baby crocodiles along the shore. We then continued on into the rainforest and stopped at a boardwalk trail where we David talked about the different types of plants and trees. Dinner was at a lodging/restaurant venue within the park and was very good (kangaroo steak for some of us .. I can't remember what others ordered). We then did the nighttime tour along a different boardwalk where we saw spiders and other insects galore that were huge and not terribly visible during the day.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Nothing negative about David -- but it is a long day in the van so just keep that in mind
Kangaroo Island - 2 night experience  at Sea Dragon Lodge - second day
Kangaroo Island - 2 night experience at Sea Dragon Lodge - second day
Kangaroo Island

Our two days at Sea Dragon were awesome. I covered the nature tour (day 1) and the smaller activities (day 2) in the review of the accommodations so I won't repeat it here.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Bondi Beach Surf Lesson
Bondi Beach Surf Lesson
Sydney

Excellent experience. They get you suited up, give a briefing on how the time in the water is going to go, and out into the water you head. The waves on the day we were there were about 2-3 feet so we were able to mostly wade out to the starting point and still touch the bottom. They offer lessons to all levels of ability so even if you have surfed before (we had not), they can tailor the experience so you get something out of it. Super bedside manner by the instructor (Tom). I had no interest in ever surfing but it was great and both kids had a blast.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Full Day Phillip Island Penguin Experience - Private Tour
Full Day Phillip Island Penguin Experience - Private Tour
Australia

This is indeed a very unique experience. When darkness falls, dozens of little penguin come out of the ocean and march up the dunes to their boroughs. However, it's a long day to get here for what amounts to about 45-60 minutes of watching small groups of 5, 10 or 15 penguin exiting the ocean. We heard about how great this was from other tourists we saw on the trip and might have expected too much. I expected a swarm of hundreds to come pouring out all at once but it was just dribs and drabs. Also, it's absolutely a tourist attraction. There are probably 2000 people sitting on bleachers waiting for the penguins to emerge so it's not private or particularly special -- so that kind of detracts from the experience. Lastly, it's a solid 2 hours from downtown Melbourne so you're spending a lot of time in the car and getting back to your hotel late. Bert was our driver/guide and he was a great conversationalist so it made the time pass in the car pretty quickly. We unfortunately had rain pretty much throughout the day so we skipped a couple of the lookout points along the way since it was too cloudy to see much. We did get lucky and the rain cleared just at dark so we didn't have to sit wet puddles while waiting for the penguin.

Quality of Experience
Food
The "Italian" restaurant we stopped at for dinner wasn't particularly Italian and it seemed like the place that all tour operators stop at so it was filled solely with tourists fueling up before heading over to the penguin viewing area.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Bert was great. One note is that he didn't use his headset so people in the back had trouble hearing him. I was in the front seat so I didn't.
Transport
City Excursion by Bike
City Excursion by Bike
Sydney

Great overview of the city -- easy biking on mostly flat terrain. A few short stretches on roads but for the most part, you're on pedestrian/bicycle lanes. We had a rainy day so we ended up pretty wet but it was still interesting and the guide was very good to stop and explain what we were peddling past. There is one minor uphill stretch toward the end that some folks had trouble with but if you use a bike ever, you'll be fine. And toward the end, you'll need to walk your bike through the botanical garden (about a 10 or 15 minute walk) since you can't ride bikes in the gardens. The 2.5 hour trip is about the right amount of time to be on a bike.

Quality of Experience
My wife's bike had a problem where the seat wouldn't stay up so the guide swapped bikes with her. And another participant had a bike that didn't like to shift gears so I'd say the equipment condition wasn't perfect overall.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
David was our tour guide and he was great and spoke clearly and gave just about the right amount of information without it becoming overly tedious.
Summit at Night - Bridgeclimb
Summit at Night - Bridgeclimb
Sydney

What a ludicrous concept! Climbing a bridge with cars and trains whizzing under you. Never would that be permitted in the US! We had rain for the first part of our climb (they climb the bridge unless it's crazy wind or lightning) but then it stopped about halfway up, cleared and made for some great pictures with the tops of the buildings in eerie clouds. The actual time on the bridge is about 2.5 hours with the first 30 minutes being safety briefing and changing into the full set of gear (full jump suit, harness, audio rig, etc.). You do a mini practice climb indoors so you understand how the cable that you're going to be tethered to works on ladders and whatnot. The photo package was actually priced fairly -- all pictures that they take of you and your group are sold to you in digital format for $35 USD (50 AUD) per adult. So if you're a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids), it's $70 USD. That's fair enough considering how high some other attractions price their photos.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Nicki was our climb guide and she was great and made a ton of smalltalk with our kids which was nice.
Local specialist: Liz Neal
Liz
Liz Neal
Local specialist in Sydney-Auckland-Los Angeles | Replied on Mar 26, 2025

Dear David and family,
I am so glad you enjoyed your trip and thanks for the detailed feedback !
I am really glad you stayed 3 nights at KI and I actually copied and pasted your comments in an email to the owners of the lodge, they had mentioned to me what a lovely family I had sent them so reading your review will warm their hearts.

Thanks again for booking with us and please reach out any time we can help in the future !

Liz