Great Service for a Complex Trip
Australia
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Jul 13 - Jul 27, 2024
Amazing 5-star service for a complicated and ever-changing itinerary. My wife and I have traveled throughout our 50-year+ marriage on all continents, and this was the best service ever. All of the suggested tours were exactly what we wanted, and the ample free time allowed for shopping and local experiences. Highlights of the trip were Blue Mountain tour and going to the opera in Sydney, evening barbecue and astronomy talk at Ayers Rock, and at Cairns, Kuranda tour, Sunlovers reef experience, Bayleaf Balinese restaurant, walks by moonlight on the Esplanade, best pub food ever at Paronella Park. Thank you for making our family trip the experience of a lifetime!
A few notes for future reference:
(1) The Harbour Rocks hotel in Sydney was ideally located for our activities, but the three-story venue had no elevator, and our rooms were on the third floor which presented a challenge for the elderly in our group.
(2) The Crystalbrook Flynn in Cairns was similarly a good location, and we loved the breakfast included, but unfortunately, we had an incident with bugs (roaches) in our bathroom which was never addressed. The room service was a little off at times, but addressed promptly when we notified staff.
(3) The Daintree tour was good, but we spent a long time on the bus picking up and returning passengers to their various hotels in Cairns and Port Arthur. If we had to do it again, we would opt for a private tour just for our family.
(4) The several cancellations of the local tours which required rescheduling was a little unnerving (we realize not kimkim's fault). We really did want to do those tours after they were presented and did not want to cancel them entirely. This resulted in stacking the tours together on a single day. This pretty much worked out except for the Sunrise and Sundown tours to Ayers Rock on the same day, which were originally scheduled on different days. Even the kids complained about that one. The evening tour was one of the highlights of our trip. We probably could have skipped the early morning tour.
Hotel Reviews
Great location, but no elevator for a 3-story hotel. The stair challenged should secure a room on the first floor.
Top class hotel with great food and shopping.
In great location near Esplanade, great free breakfast included, however insect problem in bathroom was not addressed.
Great hotel close to airport and free breakfast included.
Activity Reviews
Great overall view of the city.
Great tour of this area.
Viewing and food was great.
Good experience, but early morning with cold and wind. The gorge walk is challenging mainly due to the loose rubble you have to walk over - a barrier to some folks (us). The slope and distance would be no problem with a smoother route.
One of the highlights of our entire Australia trip.
Loved this visit with knowledgeable guide.
One of the highlights of our trip
If you are in Cairns, you have to actually go to the reef. Liked all the various activities you could do from the pontoon.
Shopped around tourist area, visited Armour Museum, Cairns Museum, Rusty's Markets, had amazing dinner at Bay Leaf Balinese restaurant, moonlight walk on Esplanade
Liked all the various activities on this tour but spent a lot of time on the bus picking up and letting off passengers.
Very interesting story of Paronella Park - glad we did it.
