5 stars for an Australian vacation amazingly planned by Samantha, Alejandra, and Lea!
Quick back story, our son decided last minute to study abroad in Sydney. As the saying goes, “fruit doesn’t fall from the tree”, so we too decided last minute to visit. I began researching and quickly became overwhelmed. As a referral from a friend, we tried kimkim. I went online, set a budget and filled out a questionnaire. The actual next day, I had a call with Samantha. Soon after, we had an itinerary...
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5 stars for an Australian vacation amazingly planned by Samantha, Alejandra, and Lea!
Quick back story, our son decided last minute to study abroad in Sydney. As the saying goes, “fruit doesn’t fall from the tree”, so we too decided last minute to visit. I began researching and quickly became overwhelmed. As a referral from a friend, we tried kimkim. I went online, set a budget and filled out a questionnaire. The actual next day, I had a call with Samantha. Soon after, we had an itinerary including airport transports, hotels, activities, flights, rental cars- you name it.
Once we arrived in Sydney, we were randomly selected for customs and were running behind- I had a missed call (had my phone on silent) and message from Alejandra that our driver was waiting for us. Because we went to Australia right after the busy season, a couple tours we had booked were canceled. Alejandra immediately had solutions and took care of the details for us. This service and care is priceless!
We toured Sydney, climbed the harbor bridge and had a delightful sunset cruise. The itinerary had built in time to meet up with our kids and see what life as a student in Sydney looks like.
My husband and I flew to Cairns, transferred to Port Douglas to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and visit the Daintree rainforest. The tours Samantha and Alejandra set up for us were out of this world and so memorable.
After Cairns, we flew to Brisbane and drove to Byron Bay to meet up with our kids for some much needed beaching (cocktails and wondering too).
If you are on the fence or overwhelmed like I was, reach out to kimkim. They will tailor your trip to you and will handle all of the little glitches that come along with great adventures. 5 stars- absolutely recommend!
Hotel Reviews
Our favorite! Walking distance from the heart of town and the beaches. Majorly updated to a cool, beachy vibe. Super comfortable and clean.
Authenticity & Character
Newly(not sure when it was renovated but seemed recent) renovated and perfect beach vibe
Location
A couple blocks from the heart of Byron Bay
Staff
Wonderfully welcoming and helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
So clean and super comfortable
Freestyle Resort Port Douglas
Port Douglas
When you meet the hotel host, you will understand why this hotel is great! She was the hostess with the mostess host with so many tips amd tricks, recommendations, amd perhaps the most friendly and helpful woman in all the land.
Authenticity & Character
Authentic and met all our needs
Location
Easily walkable to the Main Street and harbor
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very clean, rooms a bit dated but comfortable and lovely
Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour
Sydney
Located in Darling Harbor- perfectly central to the harbor and beautiful neighborhoods like Surry Hills. We limed (bikes) to Circular Quay and all through Sydney. The hotel was chic and had amazing breakfast, rooftop pool and bar.
Authenticity & Character
Updated but still charming
Staff
Friendly and helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Clean, updated
Local specialist: Samantha Slais
Vicky put together a busy and well-tailored two-week tour of Australian places for us. Small-group and private tours were first-rate, and her very detailed itinerary (59 pages!) offered many options for free time and dining.
The guidance we provided about preferences meant that our tour was geared to our interests very well. Any problems were due to miscalculation on our part: there was a LOT of walking on the tour and my husband had greater mobility limitations than we had expected....
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Vicky put together a busy and well-tailored two-week tour of Australian places for us. Small-group and private tours were first-rate, and her very detailed itinerary (59 pages!) offered many options for free time and dining.
The guidance we provided about preferences meant that our tour was geared to our interests very well. Any problems were due to miscalculation on our part: there was a LOT of walking on the tour and my husband had greater mobility limitations than we had expected. Generally, guides were extremely helpful in working around this and there was only one scheduled event that we had to cancel. We also tended to look for dining closer to hotels (and these were excellent).
Great guides included Helder in the Blue Mountains, Andy at Uluru, Errol on the Ocean Road from Melbourne and Jennifer in Hobart. Sue Ann at the Sydney Opera House was also wonderful. All the guides and tour companies showed good planning and a lot of expertise about their local areas and their history and wildlife.
Overall, our tour went very well and was extremely enjoyable.
Local specialist: Vicky Steinhardt
Ruth did a great job planning our trip, meeting all our expectations of excursions, hotels, tours etc. Byron Bay was an eco friendly special place to enjoy the beach, surfers, and the downtown area and the penguin excursion was definitely a favorite. Great job Ruth, thank you again!!!
Local specialist: Ruth Grau
Things that were amazing:
Hotels and flights were awesome. We appreciate the bump from economy on the flights and the hotels were very good.
The intimate tours of 8 or less on the tours are invaluable. Well done. The Golden Sands stay was exceptionally pleasant. A must for Cairns guests.
We found that 2 days in Ayers Rock (Uluru) would be sufficient. A must see, but with a trade off. The flies can be rather annoying and you can see the majority of what needs to be experienced in 2...
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Things that were amazing:
Hotels and flights were awesome. We appreciate the bump from economy on the flights and the hotels were very good.
The intimate tours of 8 or less on the tours are invaluable. Well done. The Golden Sands stay was exceptionally pleasant. A must for Cairns guests.
We found that 2 days in Ayers Rock (Uluru) would be sufficient. A must see, but with a trade off. The flies can be rather annoying and you can see the majority of what needs to be experienced in 2 days.
The Cableway and Train Ride are a must in Cairns.
Things that were not amazing:
Transfers/Transportation were not to our liking. Honestly as easy and wonderful that Uber/Lift are, I wouldn't put the time in to arrange them. (Unless you have guests unfamiliar or unwilling).
Sheila and I REALLY appreciate your business model and couldn't be happier with the experience.
Feel free to use this correspondence for reviews or advertising.
Ps my Facebook page is attached. You can view my posts and see all of our wonderful memories and adventures.
https://www.facebook.com/share/14fd5ksTU5i/
Hotel Reviews
Golden Sands Beachfront Apartment Resort
Yorkeys Knob
Best stay in Australia. Steps from the beach and the most amazing restaurant on site. Carl and Mandy were very nice and friendly.
Authenticity & Character
Great location
Desert Gardens Hotel
Yulara
One of the nicer places in the resort.
Mrs Banks Boutique Hotel
Paddington
Very nice place in Paddington area.
Activity Reviews
Wetlands, Waterfalls & Cableway Day Trip
Australia
Sydney Icons & Hideaways Lunch Cruise
Sydney
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Sydney Opera House Visit
Sydney
Local specialist: Samantha Slais