Trip of a lifetime to Australia
Australia
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Nov 23 - Dec 6, 2024
Australia was AMAZING!! Liz helped with every aspect of our trip and making it customized to our needs. I will break down each section with my pros/cons for future planning help!
Sydney:
1. The harbour dinner cruise was a nice ease in to Sydney and an intimate setting. I will note we thought the dinner was on the cruise and not a ride to a restaurant on land so that was a bit of a surprise but nonetheless dinner was delicious.
2. Blue mountains hike was nice although wish there was more hiking. The tour had a mix of people hiking/people just going for the ride to the mountains and then having lunch while the others hiked. The tour seemed a bit more catered to the non-hikers and since we are quite active people more hiking would have been ideal. nonetheless the views during the hike were gorgeous and it was a nice day.
Cairns/port Douglas:
1. The calypso company was our preferred out of the two scuba/snorkel days we had (quicksilver was the other). Well organized trip.
2. Kuranda sky rail and train-Brett's outback tours was excellent. Brett was a great guide and we had a lovely day. Lots to do in the village of Kuranda and the views were great.
Hamilton Island:
This was our absolutely favorite stop. Hamilton Island is an absolutely special place. My husband and I had a great time with the cruise whitsundays charter for scuba/snorkel. Reef View hotel was superb. Clean, good free breakfast, and beautiful views.
Melbourne:
1. Phillip Island tour: We had a great day going here and seeing all the wildlife and the penguin parade. Tour guide was informative and efficient. I will say I would not recommend including dinner as the stop they chose wasnt great and there is alot in town you can choose from on your own.
2. Great Ocean Road: Again a great tour with Oceania tours. A long day but fully worth it. this tour group is great.
All hotels booked via Liz were great. Airport transfers were quick and on time.
Hotel Reviews
beautiful property with stunning, spacious villas. a bit bare bones in the rooms themselves i.e no room phones, not many outlets, but i think that's part of the charm. be prepared to walk or have a buggy/car as it is a large property. The front desk staff is absolutely amazing and accommodating. they provided excellent recommendations for local dining and excursions. unfortunately we had no hot water for 2 days due to a gas outage in the town but that was not their fault and they had the gas team come out as soon as it was up and running to get us our hot water again. property is about 2 miles from center of town but lots of shuttles.
great location to CBD. modern, clean room. included breakfast was a plus.
Not a complaint at all about this spot. Room was clean and spacious. beautiful views. central location. yummy included breakfast
Activity Reviews
Nice, intimate harbour cruise. the cruise takes you about 1 hr to a local spot on land for dinner, followed by a pre set dinner menu which was delicious and then a cruise back. definitely bring a jacket! crew on the boat was informative and very personable
we had a great time on this excursion. my husband and I both ended up with essentially private scuba/snorkel tours and my husband raved about his dive. there is alot to do on this tour with multiple options including scuba, snorkel, submersible viewing boat.
the little penguins are the best!! this was such a great experience. our guide stopped many times throughout our day to spot wildlife
nice day but not enough hiking. not a kimkim issue but the tour guide was not the friendliest
Bretts tours was great! he was super friendly, informative and it was a nice small group. the sky rail and train are a must do with great scenic views. the stop for a drink at a local spot in palm cove was a nice touch
our tour guide was amazing. sara was involved and informative. it is a long day but absolutely recommend
