Kimkim Trip Reviews for Australia

As an avid traveler, I spent some time trying to find a travel agent that would be able to plan the type of trip I wanted for my first trip
Down Under. Vicky worked with me consistently throughout the planning process. She was absolutely amazing with answering my questions, providing suggestions, and even helping with one of the tours that cancelled last minute. She was super considerate of our priorities and even was thinking of switching something to make sure my mother was happy during the trip. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Vicki and would highly recommend her plan your trip to Australia.

Vicky from Kimkim helped us setup the graduation trip of a lifetime. We had a fantastic time going from Sydney to the Hamilton Islands to Cairns and finally the Daintree Forest. The entire family really enjoyed the experience. Vicky worked with us to find the right places and she really helped with some amazing excursions and tours. Too many to name but Naomi who did the all day Sydney tour was great as well as Blue Mountain and Hunter Valley. Snorkeling and scuba diving on Great Barrier Reef in the Hamilton Islands and Cairns was something we all wanted to do and met every expectation and the some. The Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree Forest was also as an experience to remember and one of the nicest places we've ever stayed and the tour from Grant was a real trip. The entire family will remember this trip for a long time. One more shoutout to Vicky from kimkim who went above and beyond before and during the trip.

Hotel Review

Silky Oaks Lodge

Finlayvale

One of the best hotels we've stayed at. The place was just simply the best. The views, the resort, the furnishings, the staff and service, the food......Everything was great. I would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Cabins nested in the jungle next to a river

Location

The Daintree.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Sydney Full Day Tour Including Sydney Opera House, Bondi and Manly

Sydney

Naomi gave us a great tour. Really enjoyable and memorable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From the first suggested itinerary all the way through to the final trip, Vicky and KimKim were wonderful to work with. In general, I love to plan and coordinate all of our family vacations; however, Australia was a daunting project given the size and logistics of what we hoped to see. I spoke with a number of agencies but felt that Vicky's vision best matched our travel style, and she happily incorporated any of the new ideas I threw into the mix. Communication was always prompt, friendly, and helpful.

Right before our travel, I asked if it would be possible to incorporate a surprise birthday cake after our full day excursion & Vicky and the hotel came through with the most beautiful cake, decorations, and a bottle of wine! It was the perfect icing to the day. Thanks Vicky for making our family trip a huge success!

Liz Neal was our specialist for this trip and she did an amazing job, especially given the relatively little time she had to make so many arrangements. I believe we started communication around the second week of March for a trip that would start middle of June. And though she was focused on the Australia part of our trip she also helped us in getting to Singapore from Perth, and then from Singapore home four days later. During the arrangements we spoke live a couple of times and had lots of chats back and forth through the KimKim communication portal, which was very handy. And Liz was incredibly responsive and adaptive to a couple of unexpected changes we had to make to our itinerary.

I am blessed to have a wonderful daughter who loves to travel. Our flights to Australia and from Singapore were long, but seemed to go by fast because I knew she was really appreciating all that we were doing together. And Liz has kids too, so I appreciated her consideration of an adult and youth traveling together. There are so many highlights from our trip it's hard to know where to begin. I had been to Sydney before for business, so I sort of knew my way around, but like the entire trip, having transportation to and from the airport to our hotels was incredibly convenient.

And when we arrived at the hotel, Liz had sent us a packet containing a convenient little booklet of our whole itinerary, along with information guides of the different places we were going. I used these a lot, so that was a nice bonus. Of course, Liz had already provided digital versions of our flight and trip itineraries but it was still nice to have a convenient little booklet I could carry with me and refer to a lot.

Liz booked us on the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb at sunset, which was stunning. Our guide, Meg, was enthusiastic and very considerate of all the members in our team. This was definitely a highlight of our trip. We got awesome pictures, and we had plenty of time that day and the next to walk around and even take a ferry to Manly. We were then picked up and taken to the airport for our flight to Cairns. By the way, all of the drivers were very personable, and gave us advice on other things to do during our stays.

For the snorkeling of the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns, we had an incredible time, and really appreciated how close our hotel was to the marina and the nice restaurants. We snorkeled at three locations, the guides were awesome, and my daughter was beating me into the water each time.  We felt very comfortable with our surroundings and even swam off in different directions. We have both SCUBA dived as well and really didn't think there was much of an advantage to diving in such a relatively shallow are. The food on board was wonderful and we had incredible weather. In fact, we had great weather the whole trip. I really think visiting Australia, especially the northern part, in the winter, is the best way to go. The water at the Reef was warm.

After Cairns, we flew to Darwin. Oh, by the way, it was very thoughtful that a credit for food and drink was arranged for our domestic flights in Australia. It was nice to have a sandwich and drink during those flights. Darwin was another great place for us to visit and our day trip to Kakadu and Litchfield were incredible. At Kakadu, seeing the rock paintings, doing the Yellow River boat tour (so many crocodiles!) and then we took a flying tour of the whole park, which was an extra option, but incredibly worth it. The wetlands, rock formations and even the uranium mine, were all very interesting to see from the air, much of which you couldn't access by land.

The next day's Litchfield experience was a smaller tour, involving a lot of swimming at springs and waterfalls. Our group got to know one another very well and everyone was especially impressed with my daughter's songwriting and performing experience. We must of played her songs from YouTube several times! And this reminds me that during our whole trip my daughter was included in everything and made to feel very welcome. That's wonderful for the father of a teenager to see.

So eachj days of our trip involved vastly different activities, and going on to Broome was no exception. SO far in our trip we had one night in Sydney, two in Cairns, three in Darwin, and then two nights in Broome. Our first evening involved a sunset cruise that included wonderful appetizers and a swim behind the boat in a large net. This was wonderful, the water perfect. The next day we were up really early to fly out to the Horizontal Falls in a seaplane. This is a must-do! We had an incredible time. After our water landing, we taxied over to a pontoon hotel where we swam next to sharks, and a wonderful breakfast and then went in boats to see the Falls up close. After that we flew back but went a little bit different way so we could see some other interesting coastal features. Then that evening, we did a one-hour sunset camel ride. I recommend Red Sunset Camels. They are the best!

Finally, we flew to Perth for two nights and did the Hop On Hop Off bus tour around the city. We hadn't made any plans for our visit but knew that the bus was a great way to see the city and useful as a taxi service for getting around. We ended up touring the Bell Tower (you get to ring the bells!) and the Perth Mint, where you get to see an actual liquid gold pour. After that we walked all the way around King's Park, which was beautiful, much of it along the water. Our hotel was a convenient walk to the marina where we could start our tour.

After Perth, we left for Singapore, which was recommended by Liz as a better way to go, rather than trying to visit Singapore before Australia, especially with flying into Sydney. So, this was a fantastic trip for us, creating memories we will always treasure. If I return to Australia again, or perhaps New Zealand, I will want to use Liz Neal and KimKim for all my travel arrangements. They know what they're doing!

Thank you.

- M Zumwalt

We had the best trip and are so grateful to Vicky for helping us plan our itinerary! From the start, Vicky was very communicative and responsive to our questions and concerns. She provided great advice along the way, especially as we decided between excursions and activities to add to our trip.

We really enjoyed the excursions Vicky chose. There was a focus on choosing day trips with smaller groups of people, which meant we had a more personalized experience on our journeys. All of the trips chosen for us were led by amazing guides who ensured we had great experiences.

All of our travel information was shared ahead of time and we had no problems at all in any airport or with any of our tour companies. Our only regret is not having more time to explore!

We would definitely recommend using KimKim to plan your vacation!

Hotel Review

Laneways by Ovolo

Melbourne

This hotel was great- it was a perfect landing pad for us. We were out and about most of the time, but we had a lot of space to ourselves and found ourselves right in the middle of a lot of great restaurants, coffee shops, and points of interest. The staff was so lovely.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's central to so many great restaurants and destinations. Extremely easy to maneuver the city by foot.

Staff

Chris welcomed us in after our 14-hour flight and helped us check in early so we could settle in. When she found out it was our honeymoon trip, we came back to the room to a complimentary bottle of champagne and some candies! Everybody was so lovely and we really appreciated how much they cared for us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Great Ocean Road Scenic Tour

Melbourne

We really appreciated the small group size for this trip. We felt our guide was really knowledgeable about the area and we were given a good amount of time to visit each location. Along the way, we saw kangaroos from afar and also spotted some koalas in various areas! It was really exciting to see and a really nice day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our original tour company cancelled our May tour. I searched for a tour company who wouldn't cancel. It was important for us to take the tour in May because I had two special tours I set up that needed to be at the end of May. That's when I found the KimKim company. Just imagine, a company who hires tour advisors from the very country you want to see,

We couldn't have asked for a better Tour Advisor than Gary. He planned everything we asked; and then some. He went out of his way to make sure our experience was smooth and memorable. The hotels and tours were outstanding! He was with us until the day we left.

When we decided to take a few tours on our own, he called the places, set up the tours, and then made sure we knew how to get there, without us even asking for help. He even set up hotels and air fare on a trip I had set up at the end of our original tour.

Whale Sharks usually start visiting Western Australia in May. I wanted to see them. It wasn't part of the original tour. Gary set up our flights to and from Western Australia. He didn't have to do that, but he did. Everything was perfect.

Gary is an excellent tour advisor. I would recommend him to anyone, If you want the tour of a lifetime in Australia, call KimKim and tell them you want Gary, you will have the best vacation ever!!

AMAZING trip of a Lifetime!
Working with Vicky was a pleasure. I was going to Australia to see birds. That was my #1 priority. Because of that I did some reaserch first. Vicky took my suggestions and augmented them with great options. In the end my birding tour with Del Richards (Fine Feather Tours) was perfect! Since we were near the Great Barrier Reef we HAD to go snorkling we also wanted a mountain bike ride. Vicky found us the most amazing tours! We went snorkling with a small family owned business ABC Snorkel Charters. They had prescription goggles to use and wetsuites. The team was so knowledgable and friendly. She found us Biked tours for mountain biking, e had Glen as our guide. He was all in for biking and birding!!!!! all 3 tours were really good! we stayed at the Silkari Lagoons for part of the time. It was an apartment with laundry and a kitchen! And Finaly - Fancy at the Thala Nature Reserve - WOW! what an amazing beautiful place! We had breakfast and dinner included so did not have to worry about anything!

Hotel Reviews

Silkari Lagoons Port Douglas

Port Douglas

This was a lovely hotel. We stayed in an apartment so had access to laundry and a kitchen. Very conviently located in Port Douglas. Silkari does not have restraunt - But they partner with the Ramada next door with discounts at dinner and breakfast! Very comfortable, I would stay there again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the main road to all the food and activitys

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thala Beach Nature Reserve

Oak Beach

BEAUTIFUL place to stay! It is out of the way and in its own space. They have a great restaurant with yummy dinners and breakfast! The rooms are individual cabins in the rainforest which was really wonderful and private. So relaxing and comfortable. They have miles of trails/tracks on the reserve. You want to be sure to have a day to just stay on the property!

Authenticity & Character

Location

So Great - It is out of the way and private

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bump Track Port Douglas - Mountain Biking

Port Douglas

What a BLAST! We had Glen to guide us for the day. We had a great time. We choose a long ride (40km) so I loved having an electric bike. My husband used a standard bike and was soo happy with the ride. We went through many ecosystems, the differences were really neat. Glen even humored us and we did birding and biking. woo hoo. The equiptment was all in top shape. The logistics were well thought out. We all earned our beer on the beach at the end!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ABC Snorkel Charters Port Douglas Snorkelling max 12 passengers

Port Douglas

LOVED LOVED LOVED This day! Everything about ABC Snorkel Charters was amazing. The crew were very professional and knowledgeable. They had Prescription Goggles!!!!! That is a HUGE game changer! They also fed us snacks and lunch. Every step of the way we were asked if we had questions or concerns. They always want us to be comfortable and safe. Best of all their knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef. We were taken to the most incredible places and saw the most beautiful reef and fish! This IS the company to go with to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef!!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Bird Safari

Port Douglas

What a great day! Spending the day with Del and birding was so much fun. We were near the end of our trip so had seen quite a lot of different species. Even so Del got me 22 lifers and 75 species for the day! Just WOW! He knows where specific species like to be. When we found a bird, he made sure we were standing in the right place to get some pretty amazing shots. Del is incredibly knowledgeably, super friendly and so interesting. I highly recommend Fine Feather Tours with Del.

Quality of Experience

Del knows the are and and environments different species live in

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Always felt safe with Del driving

Transport

Daintree Afternoon and Nocturnal Tour (ex Port Douglas)

Australia

Northern Australia is really cool. We started our afternoon adventure

What a wonderful trip! It was everything we could have asked for, and Asko was amazing at helping us plan every detail. He was so communicative before, during, and after our honeymoon; we were in great hands and didn't have to worry about a thing!

I would definitely recommend KimKim to travelers and am sure to use it again.

Our trip to Australia can be described in one word, exceptional! We have traveled with many companies like Tauck, Gate1, Viking, Oceania, Arctic Adventures, etc. This trip and its format is my favorite to date. It starts with the best travel agent or as Kim Kim calls it, Local Specialist we have ever had in 30 plus years of booking trips. Not only was she organized and communicative, she also very helpful and caring. She developed the perfect itinerary for us and our desires. Everything from Wine tours in the Barossa Valley and Ybarra to dinner under the stars in Uluru. We participated in feeding nocturnal animals at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and then received an extra gift of seeing the Aurora Australis!!! We took fast rib boats around the tallest sea walls in the southern hemisphere and snorkeled out on the Great Barrier Reef. Simply amazing. Being the shoulder season, the majority of our small group tours ended up being private tours which was an added bonus. Our accommodations on the trip were fun eclectic places that were all perfectly situated to be within convenient walking distance to everything you would want to see including a perfect view of Sydney Opera House from our hotel window, amazing. Speaking of amazing, we planned our trip 7 months in advance and everything went off perfectly from the drivers picking us up and dropping us off at the airport to all our tours, there was never a hiccup and everyone was on time, truly mindboggling!! Without a doubt, Paula will be my first call when I head back to the Southern Hemesphere because even with 23 days in country it was only a taste and I want more!!

Hotel Reviews

Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge

American River

Our stay at the Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge was fantastic. The location was beautiful, especially being right down on the water. The natural beauty of the surroundings really added to the charm of the place. It was a memorable part of our trip, and the lodge itself was very comfortable and welcoming.

Adabco Boutique Hotel

Adelaide

I stayed at the Adabco Boutique Hotel in Adelaide for a total of four nights, split over two stays. The hotel was perfectly situated, making it really convenient for exploring the city. The accommodations were top-notch, exactly what we asked for in terms of comfort and amenities. Everything was clean and well-maintained, and we felt very comfortable during our stay. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend it.

Laneways by Ovolo

Melbourne

We absolutely loved our stay at Laneways by Ovolo in Melbourne. The hotel was super hip and had a really cool vibe. Plus, it was right in the middle of Chinatown, so there was so much to explore right at our doorstep. The location was perfect for immersing ourselves in the local culture and enjoying all the vibrant activities around. This place really stood out as a highlight of our trip.

Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel

Port Douglas

Our stay at the Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel was amazing. The hotel was beautiful and it really felt like a luxurious retreat. The location was ideal, close to the beach and other attractions. The accommodations exceeded our expectations and contributed to making this part of the trip truly special.

Freycinet Lodge

Coles Bay

Our stay at Freycinet Lodge was spectacular. The lodge was beautiful and the surroundings were stunning. It was a perfect place to relax and take in the natural beauty of Tasmania. This was definitely one of the standout accommodations of our trip, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane Anzac Square

Brisbane

The Adina Apartment Hotel in Brisbane was more of a standard hotel, but it was very nice and comfortable. What made it exceptional was its location. It was perfectly situated for easy access to the main highways, which was very convenient as I was driving in Brisbane. The ease of getting around from the hotel made it a great choice for our stay.

Lenna of Hobart

Battery Point

We stayed at the Lenna of Hobart for a few nights, and it was perfectly located. It was literally around the corner from the huge Saturday market and lots of restaurants and things to do, all within very easy walking distance. The convenience and comfort of this hotel made our stay in Hobart very enjoyable.

Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney MGallery

The Rocks, Sydney NSW

Our stay at the Harbour Rocks Hotel in Sydney was incredible, especially because we could see the Opera House from our window. The location was excellent, making it really easy to walk around and see everything the city has to offer. The convenience and the view made our stay in Sydney truly memorable.

Location

Activity Reviews

Full Day Uncork the Barossa Valley

Adelaide

Tom our guide was super friendly and informative and took us to the smaller boutique wineries in the area which we prefer. We also had one of the best meals of our entire trip at Vino Lokal, wow!

Quality of Experience

Food

Vino Lokal was one of the best meals we had in Australia

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tom was funny and informative. He had a great sense of humor when I would talk too long with staff and he was worried we would miss our next appointment.

Transport

New Mercedes van

Full-Day Great Barrier Reef & Coral Cays Boat Tour

Port Douglas

Very professional company and guides. Modern ship and great food. Definitely a must if you are in Port Douglas

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Night at Field of Light

Uluru

Absolutely magical experience under the stars in Uluru. Great food and lecture about the southern night sky. Incredible art installation in the middle of nowhere.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour of the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary & Tasmanian Devils

Hobart

How often does one get to feed a Tasmanian Devil and see the oldest Cockatoo in the world at 109 years old? In addition we got to pet a Wombat and feed many other nocturnal animals. An added bonus we got to see the Aurora Australis!

3 Hour Wilderness Cruise

Australia

Absolutely spectacular scenery and plus it was exhilarating on fast rib boats.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Taste of Chinatown - Evening

Sydney

So much fun and delicious too! Went into places I may have passed by and was given absolutely amazing food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Conner Outback 4WD Adventure

Uluru

Incredible and humbling to see the vastness of the outback on a 1.25 million acre cattle station. Fascinating to hear how it all started and how the manage cattle out here.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Australia is a wide country and we had the perfect itineary charted out thanks to Paula from kimkim. We are from India and the response time was seamless and she really helped us narrow in on best experiences that will suit our family. I will highly recommend kimkim tours for a perfect holiday!

The whole trip was exceptional from the beginning to end!
Paula really took the time to understand how we wanted to spend our two weeks in Australia and she nailed it.
We started in Melbourne and had a fantastic guide (Bronson) who took us down the Great Ocean Road. He provided a lot of historical information and was super fun and easy going too!
We then went to the Healesville Animal Sanctuary the next day which was equally wonderful. We saw so many amazing animals and the guide, Steffi was extremely knowledgeable and kind. I will post some of the amazing pics!
We then headed to Uluru which was my favorite part of the whole trip. I could not get enough of the endless gorgeous night sky with the stars that went on forever. I will post those pics too.
The Field of Lights was well worth it so I highly recommend doing that. The tour the next morning was phenomenal. I was in Uluru for my birthday and I couldn’t have asked for a better memory. You have to take the time to visit this special place in the Outback.
The next day we were off to Cairns. This was another incredibly beautiful destination where we were able to enjoy a great amount of time in the water. Paula set us up to go snorkeling and diving for the day and it was a lot of fun. Make sure you pack some motion, sickness meds because the water is pretty rough. The day after the great barrier reef, we went to the Daintree rainforest, which was also pretty spectacular. We took a tour and our guide was a sweet older man by the name of Daniel and it was a very long day. There was a lot of sleeping on the van and the day was rainy so it wasn’t my favorite of the trip after we headed to Sydney, which was my second favorite destination. In Sydney, we did a wine tour one day where we hit three different wineries, which were wonderful and then the next day we did a blue Mountain tour, which was pretty spectacular. Our guide for the Blue Mountain tour was named Matthew and he was exceptional. He knew the history so well and was able to convey so much information in that short period of time . I highly recommend the Blue Mountain tour when in Sydney. The next favorite part of the trip for me was the Sydney Harbor cruise. We had no idea what to expect and it truly exceeded our expectations. The views were absolutely stunning and the restaurant we went to for dinner was incredible. The boat crew was wonderful and we were served champagne and wine and hors d’oeuvres. That were truly spectacular, the views of the opera house and the Sydney Harbour Bridge were absolutely breathtaking especially at night with all the lovely lights. It is a must do activity in Sydney. The restaurants in Sydney were also quite extraordinary. We had some of the best food that we’ve ever had in the world in Sydney. we went to an Italian restaurant named Alfredo’s and had one of the best Italian meals of our lives and we had gone to Italy two years ago and had pretty spectacular food there. The other restaurant that we really enjoyed was Mu Mu 4 You. This was a combination of Malaysian Singaporean in Indonesian St., Food and simply delicious. And then on our last night, we went to a restaurant called Boop and Tone, which was also spectacular.
We could not have had a better trip and are so grateful to Paula and Kim Kim for making all the arrangements.

We had an amazing and magical vacation to Australia. Since it was our first time visiting, we really wanted to optimize our time there. Paula was so helpful and made our trip so amazing. Some highlights included the Great Ocean Road trip out of Melbourne where our guide Bronson was so fun and engaging. Loved visiting the Healsville sanctuary where we were able to feed the loveliest kangaroo named Flo- our guide Stephie was so passionate about the animals. Cairns was such a fun beach town and we had an amazing time snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t skip Uluru at sunrise and sunset- the Field of Lights were amazing and we were able to see the most gorgeous night sky. Sydney has some of the best food and night life. We loved taking the ferry to Manly Beach. The private dinner cruise around the Sydney Harbour may have been my favorite experience.

When you go on a trip to a faraway place it is great to be able to have someone working close to the locale to put together various tours, tickets, lodging, transportation options and a well thought out agenda that meets your needs. Even more important, especially when there are so many different vendors and moving pieces, is that when something goes wrong - and inevitably something *will* go wrong - there is someone who is quick, responsive, kind, caring and capable to manage things and smooth out those bumps. This was very much the case working with Vicky on our Australia trip. We were traveling with a diverse group of 4 people: myself, my wife, our 28yo son who is on the autistic spectrum and my 85yo mother who is 85yo! We were travelling to Oz for our niece's wedding and wanted to work up a tour of major attractions on the East Coast around that given that once you're there, you had best stick around and check out the wonders of the place. Vicky worked with us to build up a trip plan with sufficient activity for our son, sufficient rest days for my mother and sufficient highlights for us all to remember. She connected us with private and small group tours all with excellent guides and she set up comfortable accommodations throughout. She was also mindful of our budgetary limitations and worked with us once we arrived to tweak, adjust and troubleshoot as necessary. The bumps were few but when they happened, they were quickly resolved, and the entire trip has provided a lifetime of memories for us all. I found kimkim/vio through an internet search and Vicky through random assignment, but I do feel like I won the lottery on the whole experience.

We had a fantastic summer vacation to Aus - covering Sydney, Cairns and Melbourne.

Paula from Kim Kim was exceptional in helping our family chart out an iterenery and gave us suggestions and inputs to mix it up for the whole family as it was our first trip to Australia and we did not want to miss anything big in these cities.

Our hotels, local guides for all our daily trips were super nice and well experienced about the places and local details to make each day memorable for us. I would highly recomend Paula and Kim Kim for anyone to plan your next holiday and i am sure we will go back to them whenever we can.

Deepak

Hotel Reviews

Vibe Hotel

Sydney

Centrally located in Sydney

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the Sydney Harbour and centrally located in the CBD area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bay Village Tropical Retreat & Apartments

Cairns, QLD

Centrally located, Clean, friendly staff. However a bit outdated in terms of modern amenities - like good Wifi / Power outlets in the room. No elevator in the property to move heavy luggage.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Batman's Hill On Collins

Melbourne, VIC

Centrally located in CBD area of Melbourne. Cross to the tram lines. Very close to the South Cross Railway station as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sydney Opera House Tour

Sydney

Must do if your in Sydney first time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Harbor Experience Cruise

Sydney

A quick way to experience the Sydney Opera house, Downtown Buildings, Harbour Bridge for some awesome photos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Climb the Harbor Bridge

Sydney

Must do activity in Sydney if your on your first trip and have a few hours. The views of the city were amazing. The briefing and start of activity takes some time but later you realise that for the safety of everyone it was needed. You can pick the day time or night time climb depending on weather and how you want to see the views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Blue Mountains Deluxe Day

Sydney

This was a laid back trip to view the Blue Mountain and the amazing views with some small walks / hikes that you can do. Not a packed agenda .

Quality of Experience

Food

The Lunch at Boiler House was a very good meal.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Silverswift Cruise - Snorkel Great Barrier Reef

Australia

Super day trip to either Snorkel or go Diving to experience the GBR. Worth the day for the amazing views.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff on the boat were extremely good, equipment was top notch.

Transport

Full-Day Daintree Rainforest Tour & 4WD Adventure

Cairns

A good day trip to experience the Tropical forrests of Cairns. Walks, views and some sighting of the birds and crocs in the area was a nice touch. The trip was a easy day trip for those to like nature.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Great Ocean Road Trip

Melbourne

Amazing drive on the Ocean Road. Quant small towns to stop for views and food made up for a good day spent outdoors.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our Guide Fred from Oceana Tours was outstanding and made the long drive so much fun by sharing his own experiences and wit.

Transport

Full Day Puffing Billy Steam Train and Australian Wildlife -

Melbourne

Was a fun trip for kids. The Puffing train ride had good views and worth it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I'm not usually the “book through a tour” type but this was my first time traveling to the other side of the world and I didn’t want to leave things to my planning chances. It was a gamble and I am so glad I took it! From the initial planning phases everything was a breeze. Vicky mapped everything out according to our budget and preferences and tweaked everything we wanted to fully customize the trip to our desire. She was fully available during the trip providing updates on your changes and even making changes we requested during the trip.

Our tours were all exceptional and we experienced so much more by utilizing this service than I could’ve dreamed of planning myself! Each tour guide was unique and offered so much information and knowledge on the different days. We were the lone hikers in Sydney which was a nice break and allowed us to take in the scenes quietly. Queenstown was breathtaking and the LOTR tour was actually a way more fun experience than expected (and was a good mix of film stuff and non film stuff for those of us who aren’t die hards). Who knew I’d like NZ wines so much too? Cairns was a different vibe and completely different climate but it was nice to be tropical! And I’m so glad I worked with Vicky on the ordering of that piece of the tour for that reason!

I only wish I could’ve stayed another week to see even more. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you Vicky & the Kimkim team.

Hotel Review

Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort

Cairns

The Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort was fine but not my favorite. The hotel felt a bit rundown, possibly because we had just come from a really nice place in New Zealand. However, the bed was comfortable, the staff was great, and the breakfast was wonderful. The comparison with our previous hotel might have affected my impression, but overall, it was an okay stay.

Activity Reviews

Seastar Luxury Outer Great Barrier Reef Island and Reef Tour from Cairns

Cairns

The reef excursion was incredible! We first took a boat ride for about an hour and a half to our snorkeling site. We had two hours to explore the first reef, followed by lunch, and then another two hours at a different location. The snorkeling was fantastic; we saw a variety of fish and coral, including clownfish, which reminded me of Finding Nemo. The instructors were helpful and pointed out interesting marine life. It was a memorable and breathtaking experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lord of Rings Full-Day Tour around Queenstown Lakes by 4WD

Queenstown (NZ)

The Lord of the Rings tour was a highlight, even though we aren't huge fans of the movies. The morning was just my husband and me with the driver, focusing more on sightseeing than just the film locations. It was great to see the beautiful scenery. In the afternoon, we joined others for some exciting off-roading, driving through rivers and off the beaten path. It was a fascinating experience and enjoyable even for those who aren't die-hard fans of the series.

During the trip we had to making some changes and Vicky was readily available and putting the effort forth that created an amazing experience with little hiccups. She was extremely attentive to changes, and ensured that we were abelk to complete everything we wanted to do at all the different locations we went to thorughout the tirp. There was maintenance on one of the items that caused her to have to reorganize our trip pretty last minute. She did amazing handling these changes!

She managed to fit everything we wanted to do and add suggestions for us in a 12 day trip to Australia which was already amazing and allowed us to enjoy our trip stress free!

Hotel Reviews

Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa

Port Douglas

Off the beaten path, really good for someone seeking a quiet vacation full of poolside relaxing. The hotel was amazing, the room was bueatiful and guest service was amazing. However the breakfast was the same everyday, and for us it was a bit to far off the path.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rhapsody Resort

Surfers Paradise

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Premium Guided Dive Trip - Outer Great Barrier Reef

Port Douglas

The dive instructor only handles small dive groups of around 4 people max, it ended up being just myself and partner on our introductory dive. It was phenomnial and everyone was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vicky was amazing before and during the trip. I have worked with many travel agents in the past, but she was by far the most responsive and attentive agent I have used. All of our questions were answered quickly and comprehensively, which led to a very relaxing trip very far from home. We both felt very safe and secure knowing that if anything went wrong, vicky would have been there to help immediately. I have recommended her to a few of my friends and family because she was amazing.

Hotel Reviews

Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa

Port Douglas

We had a very nice room that had a private pool. Food was difficult to come by at the resort and transfers are needed to and from port douglas since it is too far to walk (~3 miles). Staff was great, spa was relaxing

Authenticity & Character

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Emporium Hotel South Bank

South Brisbane

Super luxurious hotel close to brisbanes central business district. Very beautiful area to walk around with a lot of good diverse food options. The spa was AMAZING, and definitely better after a long plane ride. 10 times out of 10 I would stay in this hotel right when I land in australia. The rooftop restaurant was good, but a little expensive for the portions they give you. Drinks are their bread and butter there, made very strong.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rhapsody Resort

Surfers Paradise

Very good location in relation to the boardwalk. We spent a lot of time riding the electric bikes and there was a station right outside the hotel so we could ride up and down the boardwalk easy. A fair amount of construction around the building, which should clear up eventually. The sheets were alright, could be a little more comfortable, but the view was amazing. Theres a convenience store connected to the hotel at ground level which had lots of options for food we liked.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Brisbane River Cruise

Brisbane

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great Barrier Reef Sailing and Snorkeling Cruise from Port Douglas

Port Douglas

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Croc Express to Australia Zoo

Gold Coast

Loved the australia zoo, ride there was a little bit long though. About 3 hours there and back from the gold coast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Premium Guided Dive Trip - Outer Great Barrier Reef

Port Douglas

Absolutely breathtaking. Our guide was super attentive and made sure myself and my fiancé understood the trip and how to dive. It was her first time diving and she ended up loving it. The guide was awesome

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I would absolutely recommend to friends kimkim to help plan their trips. Paula was an amazing resource and helped us tremendously in navigating all of the areas we wanted to see while in Australia. Her planning helped us be stress free and helped make this a great experience for us. All aspects of the itinerary worked as planned (car services; tours; hotel check ins; etc). Highly recommend using Kimkim when you are trying to plan a trip for 3 weeks in a place you have never been.

Local specialist: Paula was excellent. She researched and provided us with all our requests for the perfect Australian vacation. I was especially impressed with all the transfers that were organized. Not one driver was late and they were very professional. The assistance she provided with reserving our flights while in Australia was also awesome. Paula even answered some of our questions during our trip which was super helpful.

Trip highlights:
The Great Ocean Road tour was fantastic. Our guide was Bronson and he was well versed on the local history, culture, wildlife, etc.

The LimoCentral driver that took us to Yarra Valley was great. He was very flexible as we asked him to make an extra stop at a winery.

Uluru A Night at Field of Light was fantastic!!!! So amazing to wander through the outback amongst the art display.
I wished I had more time to hike around Ayers Rock.

Cairns- The Reef Magic was really neat and one/two dives was excellent. The currents were really strong for the second dive and almost every person in our party got sick during the trip. Should recommend to use a scopolamine patch or meclizine for motion sickness prevention.

The Daintree River Cruise was so interesting. Learning about crocodiles in the wild was so unreal.

The Blue Mountain Tour was great and led my Matt. He was so well informed and all his knowledge really added to the experience. Sadly, it was foggy that day, but Matt made the time enjoyable.

The best experience we had was the Sydney Harbor Cruise. What an amazing way to close out two weeks (despite it raining all the days we were in Sydney).

Considerations for others using Kimkim:
Make sure you give specifics to the trip planner. They cannot read your mind and ask questions once tours get scheduled. One example of something that would have been nice would have been to have more private tours just with our group. We did not think to ask for that and planner would not have known.

Laundry- would have been nice to know that we would have laundry facilities at most of our accommodations. I would have packed less clothes. We had laundry facilities at 3 or 4 accommodations. I am not complaining because it was a pleasant surprise to see the laundry facilities.

Overall, the Kimkim experience was excellent and I look forward to using Kimkim on future trips.

Hotel Reviews

Clarion Suites Gateway

Melbourne

Was centrally located and we had a fantastic view from our room of the river. They have an amazing fire show every night that was cool to watch from our balcony. Our room had a washer/dryer. We had 3 people, and the laundry was not available in the rooms for 2 guests. We arrived very early and the front desk was helpful in keeping our bags and taking them to our rooms when we arrived once the room was ready.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near good restaurants and a good view

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Desert Garden Hotel

Uluru

They have free laundry facilities which was helpful. walking distance to a grocery store and easy to get around the are from the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mantra Esplanade

Cairns

Location was perfect and walking distance to anything we needed. The staff was nice and let us know to become a member of the hotel chain and we would receive a complementary breakfast. The day we left our flight our ride was at noon and checkout was at 10AM. We were not able to have a late checkout because it was Labor Day,

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

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Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney

Sydney

This was a very nice hotel. The rooms were impeccable. They had showers and a separate bathe which was nice. The wifi was did not reach our room which was one complaint we had. We also had a bad experience at the Brooksy. The manager on site ran after us because he thought we walked our bill. This was not the case. He realized his error but it was very off putting. The bar tender at the Silo made up for him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Great Ocean Road Trip

Melbourne

Bronson was a great tour guide. The lunch at Apollo Bay was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Would have been nice if they could have picked us up at our hotel

Private VIP Healsville Sanctuary Tour

Melbourne

Steph was a fantastic guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Night at Field of Light

Uluru

A must do experience in Uluru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Outer Reef + 2 Certified Dives (all equipment included)

Australia

The Reef Magic was super neat. Had many different activities at one area. The marine biologists also gave talks which was super interesting. Also enjoyed the didgeridoo performance and experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Blue Mountains Deluxe Day

Sydney

Matt was great. Enjoyed driving around to all the sights. The lunch was good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first time using a travel agent. It was definitely worth it! Gary helped us identify the best cities to visit, mapped out the right amount of time to spend in each place, gave us ideas for activities, and booked it all. There were a few times where our tours canceled ahead of time, but Gary found alternatives and reorganized our itinerary so we could still see what we came for.

It was especially nice having all of our airport and tour transfers organized for us. We just had to show up at the right place and time and everything else was taken care of. We didn't have any last minute tour cancelations or hiccups, so we didn't need to contact Gary while on our trip. However, it was nice to have his contact information if something did come up!

Activity Reviews

The Taste of Sydney

Sydney

We really liked our tour guide and the variety of food. However, this tour turned into being more of an alcohol tour than a food tour. It was still a good time, but not what we were expecting!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to the Great Barrier Reef

Australia

This was our favorite trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The boat was very nice and wasn't a huge boat with tons of people. The staff was very kind. We loved our dive master for our certified scuba dives. There was also an optional session about the underwater wildlife during the boat ride back and that was a pleasant surprise!

Pick up your rental car at the Airport

Australia

The instructions for finding our rental car were a little confusing. However, we figured out after asking around.

Blue Mountains Deluxe Day Tour Experience

Sydney

We loved our tour guide for this trip! We also decided to switch from the restaurant lunch to the hiking option (with a packed lunch). It was a beautiful day and we didn't want to miss an opportunity to explore.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Whitehaven Beach Big Island Day Tour

Airlie Beach

We got unlucky with a rainy day that never let up. It was cold and wet so we didn't get to enjoy the beach. The day trip would have been 5 stars had the weather been better.

One Day Daintree, Cape Tribulation & Bloomfield Tour

Australia

We probably could have skipped this tour given we had already seen the rainforest on other day trips. It was cool to say we saw the Daintree Rainforest, but it was quite similar to other experiences we had earlier on our trip. If this was the only rainforest visit we had, it would have been 4 stars.

Full Day Great Barrier Reef Adventure

Australia

The docked pontoon was an interesting experience, but the trip felt very commercialized. The boat staff was trying to sell everyone on buying upgrades, accessories, photos, etc. The boat was really big and had a ton of people on it. The scuba diving was rushed. It felt like they were trying to churn through dives to make the most money. We still loved seeing the Great Barrier Reef, but the tour service wasn't as good as our other experience.

Classic Kuranda Tour

Australia

Barron Falls was one of our favorite parts of our whole trip! Definitely worth visiting. The SkyRail and train were great experiences. We could have gone without visiting the town of Kuranda and the Rainforestation. We had seen a lot of Australia's wildlife on a previous tour, so there wasn't much more to see a Rainforestation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Drop Off Your Rental Car at the Airport

Australia

Super easy and quick. No issues!

BridgeClimb Summit - Twilight

Australia

I was expecting the bridge climb to be more physically strenuous and scary, but it was actually pretty easy. I loved that we went for sunset!