Kimkim Trip Reviews for Australia

We were here for 5 nights, visiting the Great Barrier Reef and tours of the Daintree. It was an amazing time and nice to be in an apartment with the many amenities provided - washer/dryer, full and well stocked kitchen, a short walk to 4 Mile Beach, a bit longer walk to downtown Port Douglas, a private patio, 2 pools, housekeeping service. This would be a great place for a large family reunion. The only difficulty was the stair flights up to our 3rd floor place with heavy luggage, no elevators. Also , we arrived in the evening and there was no one on duty. We were left our key cards and very detailed directions to our room (and an upgrade), which was fine, just not what I expected. Staff during the day were very helpful and housekeeping was very friendly and helpful. I hope to go back!

This is a sprawling complex, probably the only place to stay on this section of the island. Rooms are a little worn but the location is stunning. They did a nice job with limited, kid-friendly food. The activities available there are plentiful and all our guides were wonderful. The dolphin feeding is very well run and such a unique experience. We loved our stay there - didn’t want to leave.

Great location, excellent service, clean rooms, comfy beds, beautiful views, great breakfast, stunning pool. Loved it all!

The Tangalooma and Moreton Island trip was a real treat, especially the unique activities like dolphin feeding and sand tobogganing. It was strenuous due to climbing sandhills, but so much fun and worth the effort. I highly recommend not missing out on this adventurous and delightful experience.

The Full Day Daintree Rainforest Tour was a truly immersive experience. The lush greenery and unique ecosystem were fascinating, and it was perfect for my granddaughter and me. While maybe less suitable for very small children, it's an activity that older kids and adults would definitely enjoy. I loved the tour, and the drive was worth it.

The Full Day Skyrail and Kuranda Rail trip was stunning, but I was disappointed to find out the train ride part wasn't included in our reservation. Thankfully, we managed to book it on-site, and it was worth it. The views were breathtaking, and it's an experience you wouldn't want to miss. Despite the hiccup in the booking, everything else was well-organized, and I'd recommend doing both the Skyrail and the train.

This is the best hotel I have ever stayed in, including USA hotels. It was very clean and quiet. The staff was always around to help.

This activity was one of the best parts of our trip! We thoroughly enjoyed getting to see the wallabies in their natural habitat and watching them come out over the sunrise. I would recommend any animal or nature lover to take this trip!

This was our favorite hotel. It was just across from the ocean and in walking distance to many wonderful restaurants and shops. The pool area was lovely, especially in the evening. Breakfast was wonderful, and we had free access to bikes to get to the area where we would take our snorkeling trip.

We enjoyed touring the area and the wineries and meeting some other guests. It was a nice wind down (or “wine down”) for the last day in Australia.

The road was so scenic and photos are amazing.

This tour was so much fun and we enjoyed the food treats. Our guide was exceptional and thorough.

Love the artwork everywhere! Guide was great!

This was one of our favorites. The guides were exceptional and we saw lots of beautiful creature and life under the sea.

Enjoyed the boat ride and seeing the crocodiles as well as the creeks

It was a bit longer than expected but we enjoyed the experience.

Finding our way to start was somewhat confusing, but that was because there had been adjusted, but it worked out fine.

Sunrise was spectacular, but chillier than expected. Breakfast was okay, but it was very windy and cool outside.

One of our favorites !

Weather did not cooperate so lots of clouds obscuring views, but the information was very good.

The guide was exceptional and the opera house was very beautiful, inside and out.

Lots of great information

A lovely hotel. Great food onsite, very cool swimming pools and so well located right on the esplanade in Cairns. Loved the family suite setup and nice small gym with Pilates machine. Overall a great stay

The resort is well located and the restaurants were amazing. Rooms are a bit basic but free laundry facilities were very appreciated. Running trails nearby and easy to arrange and pickup tours. Pools are available but unheated so we couldn’t use given time of year.

A nice hotel very well located in the theatre district. Great to have a “family suite” for kids to have own bedroom. The decor is very artistic but a bit dark. Also no hotel gym and limited room service.

What a spot! Right across the street from the beach but also close to town. So good to have our own space and laundry! Lovely pool and hot tub on site.

Breakfast here was incredible and location can’t be beat. A nice workout facility and comfy rooms. Very well located near sites and public transit hub and very walkable.

Our post sunrise walk was excellent- Andres was very knowledgeable and the sites were very interesting. Breakfast was just ok quality.

Overall good. A bit long between apps and dinner and drone show was very good but also just a bit long. Food was good.

Great outfit. Lovely horses. Beach was eroded due to a Cyclone so we rode through the tea forest. Was different and fun.

Vivid light festival was on and highly recommend! We went to see it all 3 nights we weee in Sydney. Would recommend folks in this time frame plan around this event and really engage it.

Top notch company. Kids and one parent really enjoyed snorkeling- equipment was great and they were easily self guided. Diving was outstanding. Great guide- very safe but laid back. We had a small group (guide plus 5 divers) which made for super dives. Very knowledgeable and equipment was excellent.

Great fun to do this and we lucked out with an amazing sunset. We were very fortunate to be near the front so we could chat with the guide which was a bonus.

Big highlight- do not miss if you visit Melbourne. We enjoyed our day getting to Philip Island but the Penguin sunset was amazing- truly unlike anything we have seen. It was cold and windy and no one complained. Once in a lifetime stuff to see these small animals leave the ocean to return home.

Highlight of Uluru visit. This 4 hour hike has some amazing vistas and was just challenging enough to work a sweat but still accessible for most folks.

A real highlight. The hike plus river drift was so fun and enjoyable for kids and adults alike. Our guide was very knowledgeable so we talked a lot about flora and fauna of the region

We ended up going to the Aquarium for the behind the scenes turtle hospital visit. Highly recommend. Really a treat to learn about turtles and rehabilitation

Lovely day visiting the farm to see Aussie animals and then to hike in the mountains. Hike was a lovely 1 hr hike that wasn’t too strenuous but had lovely sites including waterfalls.

Just a great day. Likes it so much kids went back for a 2nd day lesson. Both instructors were excellent- kids were up within 10min in the water (Dad was a bit slower but still got up first lesson). Equipment was great

Loved this activity and great way to kickoff Sydney. Fun guide, just enough info on the tour and amazing pics.

This was an excellent hotel in the middle of our trip that was beautiful, relaxing, and energizing for us. We loved being in front of a quiet bay and enjoyed lots of ocean time, which was much needed. It felt like we were on a Tahitian vacation right in Australia.

We enjoyed our tour group and guide. They were a wonderful group and we all enjoyed getting to know each other. The Daintree Tour was educational, relaxing, and interesting.

Completely fascinating! We loved it and was able to hear someone practicing the pipe organ while we toured the concert hall. We loved learning the history behind this gorgeous edifice. It is so stunning in person.

Really nice, modern design with plenty of space to have breakfast, a drink or just relax in the lobby. The rooms were comfortable and had everything you need.

The hotel could use some upgrading. The bed was comfortable, our view of the lake was nice. The amenities were fine, but you pay extra for everything.

We arrived late in the evening and the receptionist was helpful in directing us to restaurants nearby. The rooms are comfortable.

Definitely gets you a feel of the city! It's right in the middle of Chinatown, a bustling area with lots of shops and restaurants, and ambience. Close to transportation options.

We loved having a place to cook a meal ourselves. The pools were nice and private. Laundry was convenient. Location in the middle of town was very convenient.

Nice rooms and comfortable beds. Great amenities like laundry to free! Convenient to the whole resort. Pool was on the chilly side.

Good location for walking about Melbourne. Breakfast was varied and good! The rooms are small, but clean and comfortable beds.

We took the gondola ride at dusk and got to see the beautiful views as the sun set and stars came out - we also ended up signing up for the buffet as we were told it was the best buffet in town.

Visited four wineries and tried some tasty varieties. John was our guide - he was friendly (what would you expect from a Canadian - also made for an interesting discussion of the Stanley Cup playoffs just underway), knowledgeable, and made sure we stopped for some great sites for photos.

Dan was our guide and gave us the opportunity to experience just a hint of this Great Trail - it makes us think we really need to come back and do this whole trial! While this wasn't a Lord of the Rings tour - he pointed out some of the sites used for filming and explained how Queenstown has become a filmmakers - "go-to location". Wonderful tour and really funny conversation with Dan and Adrian - time as too short.

What a day - one of the real highlights of the trip. The day started out overcast but by the time we got to the Sound it was beautiful and clear (apparently not the usual experience for a place that measure rainfall in the 10+ meter/year). Again, we had very good guides from the driver (Chou) from Queenstown to the guide on the boat tour on the Sound. The scenery was truly amazing everywhere you looked! We were able to see dolphins and seals in the Sound.

Mt Terawana crater hike was a great experience - maybe almost half the fun what the wild ride in and out. The crater hike was amazing, terrific views, quite windy at the top and the path down to the crater bottom was unexpected but also quite fun. The guides here definitely patient with our group as some folks had a harder time, they informed us about the geology of the area, and always gave us time to remove the "gravel" from our boots.

The Cultural center for dinner and a Maori experience . We had listened to New Zealand history from the perspective of European-descendants and it was great to get some of this from the Maori perspective. Lots of food and an elaborate show after made for a great evening.

The Whirinaki forest walk was up next - this was very much one of the most memorable and enjoyable parts of the entire trip. Our guide Tom was perfect for us - full of information and pointed out all kinds of great things along the trail. His 30 years in conservation introduced us to so many amazing things about the New Zealand rain forest and the challenges that New Zealand is facing on the conservation front - just a truly amazing day.

The glow worm kayak tour was very fun and the glow worms were just amazing but mostly we were glad that we weren't the kayak that tipped over - the guide was great about helping everyone out and it was some considerable work The glow worms should not be missed if you're in New Zealand.

As Lord of the Rings/Hobbit fans, this was a truly enjoyable way to spend some time on a rainy day. This day almost didn't start off well as there was some confusion about the pickup location but luckily one of the van drivers spotted us and caught us up with the correct van for the trip to Hobbiton. Hobbiton was charming, even in pouring rain. The detail in the hobbit home that we could walk through. We could've spent a lot of time looking around.Lunch at the Green Dragon pavilion was delightful.

We had our formal Opera House tour next, and it was really a wonderful way to learn more about this extraordinary architectural achievement. Our guide was great. I can't remember the name, but he had recently won an employee photography contest. It is easy to see why a tour of the Opera House is a "don't miss" experience as the thought that went into each space (including the restrooms) is clearly evident. We spent some of our free time after this walking along the harbor to the botanical garden and you can take classic photos of the Opera House along the way.

Our tour of the Blue Mountains with Steve. He commented on how the traffic in the city was pretty minimal that morning - maybe because everyone was already on the way to the Blue Mountains. It was a holiday and quite crowded which decreased our enthusiasm as the short hikes felt a bit more like being in a queue. Nevertheless, there were some lovely sites, but living with mountains very near, we could definitely see the appeal of hiking out into the park to better enjoy nature.

The dinner and Harbor cruise - a beautiful evening with great views of the city, Harbor bridge, and Opera house. This cruise in the harbor made for a very pleasant evening - service was great - Philip had a hard time staying at the table as the sites along the harbor were better outside. Food was good. We did have to change this reservation so we didn't really have a window seat - part of the reason Philip kept going outside.

was Bondi Beach with James from the volunteer life savers group. Our beach day was windy and rainy so it was fun to hear about the history and just stroll along and see the sites. The weather was windy, so we didn't swim, but the walk was one fantastic view after another. The "city art" along the beach was everything from fun to amazing.

Wildlife Habitat private tour was lovely the way they made a natural habitat and the Lily was a great guide and made us very much feel like VIPs. It was wonderful to get a close up view of some of the beautiful birds, had another koala encounter (can't get enough of those), but also had encounters with a black cockatoo and a frogmouth.

Mossman Gorge Adventure with the walk and river float was a tremendous experience. Francisco was a great guide - he was fun on the river float - highlighting the plants that are trying to kill us and the beauty of the forest. The spiders were something else - amazing to see and the rainforest was amazing. The smoke ceremony with Tim was educational and a great way to start the forest walk. We stopped for lunch in a cute little town with good food and parrots all around us! They provided some snacks along the way for the hike.

Drive from Cairns airport to Port Douglas was scenic. Driver was not super talkative, but that's fine.

The Great Barrier Reef snorkeling adventure was an adventure! We had very choppy waters and it made for a rocky trip to and from the reef. The guides, especially Isaac, were accommodating and helpful. They knew I was not a strong swimmer, so they kept and eye on me and helped me out when I needed a boost. Seeing the reef was a highlight of the trip. Amazing to view it with my own eyes!

Early morning at the Field of Lights was spectacular! The glowing light of the rising sun, the beautiful lights stretching out in front of the amazing Uluru. Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. The guides were pleasant and provided coffee and treats as the sun came up.

The evening drone show was cancelled due to wind. But we did get a lovely wine and cheese basket and enjoyed a laser light show. The location is very nice and the staff gave great customer service.

Hike in Kata Tjuta also had stunning views and amazing conglomerate rock. We got great snacks to bring along and eat at the viewpoint. Our guide set the pace was a little too fast for me, we just didn't have enough time to look around, and really enjoy the views around us. There was a definite split in the group where the faster ones went ahead, waited for us, but then moved on as soon as we caught up. I'm not completely out of shape either. That made it a challenge, but the it was worth doing.

Sunset tour and BBQ with guide, Hayley was amazing. She was able to teach us about the Ananu people, and the stories they would share with us. The short walk to the watering hole was a highlight. Sunset vista was amazing. The BBQ was so nice, meeting people from all over the world. The food was great and plentiful.

The Great Ocean Tour with Terry, from Go West. We enjoyed the stops along the way and the scenery was stunning. We actually saw a koala in the wild, but not where we thought we would. The evening at Twelve Apostles was beautiful, with a sunset view and a quick trip down to the beach, it was amazing.

The Hidden Gems Arcades and Lanes tour was such fun! Fiona was a great guide, she knows so much about Melbourne that we learned a lot. It was also a great way to see parts of the city we might have missed if we hadn't done the tour. The chocolate was a nice treat along the way!

The Phillip Island Go West Tour with guide, Chris R. was fantastic! He was funny and personable with plenty of information on the area and animals. Our favorites were the Moonlit Sanctuary, petting the koala was well worth it! Phillip Island was beautiful - the Nobbies were truly beautiful and the penguins, so so cute. We hit it at molting season, so there weren't as many penguins coming in a night, but it was still amazing!

This hotel is a little older but a nice place to stay due to location and generous room size plus laundry machines in suite. This allowed us to clean up after our rainforest trekking and reef adventure. Very short walk to some great sites.

Conveniently located near Central station with access to the whole city. Beautiful parks near by and great dining options.

This was by far my favorite hotel of our trip. The breakfast is phenomenal for visitors from all over the world. The location is great, near theaters, shopping and great dining. Hotel is gorgeous, rooms are spacious and the roof top pool really was a great convenience to have traveling with children.

I would recommend this to any visitor to Melbourne. It was incredible and the wildlife in and around the park was so neat to see.

The reef was worth every second of the bumpy boat ride ( we had a bad weather day) not normally like that. We saw thousands of first and corals, giant clams and sea turtles. Breathtaking experience for the kids.

This was one of the most amazing experiences of our trip. Absolutely beautiful forest and wonderful guide Jordy.

Australia Zoo is a place I have wanted to see for decades. It did not disappoint. Beautiful spacious facility. Had a great time with a private guide for Mooloolaba area. Surf Club was a really great chance to learn more about local culture.

Visiting in winter it was cold and windy and many activities were initially canceled then resumed later in the day. Not much to see on the glass bottom boat maybe due to season… we ended up booking an ATV tour which was not planned but filled time.

Snorkling the Great Barrier Reef, another dream come true.

Our Guide Jazmin was the best. Patient, knowledgeable and lovely.

Have dome balloon many times before, but doing it oer Melbourne with such a good team of pilots was jsut amazing!

Very close to the beach Walking distance to the town center We had plenty of space

Great location Unique property taking a jelly factory & turning into a hotel

Views are incredible! Dining room is a bit noisy - go to the upper deck to enjoy the quiet and exceptional views of the harbor!

Well appointed room although all glass walls can be problematic especially in the bathroom! The staff was very friendly and helpful. They dealt with issues very quickly. We were able to leave some of our luggage here for an extended period with no issues. Breakfast buffet was very good.

Lovely location but buildings and paths need maintenance. Our cabin was comfortable. They had a free laundry that was much appreciated. They were short staffed, so service was quite slow in both the restaurant for breakfast and the bistro. The formal dinner was delicious and we were well looked after.

Wonderful location and beautiful amenities. Our cabin was spacious and very welcoming with included wine and spirits as well as snacks, coffee and teas. The dining room as well as the bistro offered exceptional food with excellent service. It was nice to be so close to a quiet beach.

Spacious suite, beautiful buildings. The buffet breakfast was delicious and in a well maintained older building. Had a coin laundry on site that was very useful.

Great location, well appointed room, lovely restaurant for dinner and nice pool.

Dark and poorly appointed rooms with impractical set up and too much fabric to catch dust, thus making it difficult for someone with allergies. No space for modern clamshell luggage. The restaurant was great for breakfast but wasn’t open on the Holiday Monday, when we couldn’t find any restaurant in the area. We resorted to eating in their bar area but it did not have a comfortable eating area. Poor location. It is a long walk to find a good restaurant.

Well appointed rooms. Lovely pool area with bar. Nice breakfast buffet. Close to waterfront and many eateries.

Very spacious and well furnished. No telephones in rooms, no cold water in rooms - you need to go to the main restaurant to fill your bottles. Great food at the restaurant.

Great location. No elevator and USB plugs were not working. Plumbing needed updating.

Our driver/guide picked us up early, as he had received a different itinerary to ours, to start an hour earlier. We had visited some of the proposed sites with friends, so our guide adapted the itinerary to hit new (to us) places. We went to Arthur’s Seat high above the bay for an overview, and visited beach which featured “houses” that store supplies for their owners’ days at the beach. We had a delicious lunch in a converted General Store, and visited wineries in the afternoon. One activity we skipped was a visit to Moonlit Sanctuary, as we had already visited.

This tour starts from Downtown Melbourne, proceeds west to Colac (along the highway) then south to the southern end of the Great Ocean Road on the shipwreck coast. A lot of time is spent in the coach, with commentary by the driver, to prepare for the self-timed walks. He also introduced guests to the TimTam Slam at the first coffee break. This stretch of highway features some of the most iconic formations in Australia, the 12 Apostles, as well as Loch Ard gorge, Great Otway National Park, and the seaside towns that were heavily damaged by fire and floods in the 1980s. The Memorial Arch stands as a monument to the work of the Diggers who built the road in the 1930s.

The car itself was fine, and gave us no problems. The only issues were with the personnel in the airport lots for pickup and drop off. In Hobart I was told to collect the keys in the parking lot from the attendant. She was nowhere to be seen, and my wife and I split up to look for her. This took more than 15 minutes. In Launceston, I saw an attendant across the lot as I pulled in, but by the time I parked she was gone. I took photos of the car for my records and dropped the keys in a return slot.

The roads in rural Tasmania were generally good, but services are sparse. The switchbacks ascending to Cradle Mountain park are narrow and require vigilance.

We were called the night before by the tour operator to warn of potential rough weather for the next morning. We proceeded with the tour, and were glad we did. The Sky Lounge is the reserved upper deck adjacent to the bridge, and the attentive crew saw to everyone’s needs. Welcome drinks were served as we departed, to head to the Lodge to pick up guests who had booked there. As we sailed south to reach open water, the captain repeated the warning that a gale was brewing on the east side of the peninsula. As we reached the strait, his decision was to divert away from Wineglass Bay and instead proceed to Ile des Phoques (Seal Island). On the way there, several guests felt queasy and were assisted by crew. At the island we saw fur seals and cormorants, but the real show was on the way back north, when a pod of dolphins swam alongside and cavorted in our wake. They were joined by gannets and albatrosses over the boat. We had lunch in a sheltered bay, with generous portions in individual meals, supplemented with lots of fresh oysters. For us, the rough weather wasn’t a deterrent, but there were several seasick guests. Not all expected that they could be seasick. However the crew assisted them all and maintained a pleasant atmosphere for the rest of us.

As we had been advised to arrive early, we were on site before the Sanctuary closed to the public, so enjoyed a stroll around the grounds ahead of the tour. Our very knowledgeable guide took us first to see the reptiles before they got too cold and hid. We then went to feed the Tasmanian wallabies, followed by birds, quolls, possums, Tasmanian devils, an echidna, a baby wombat, and Tasmanian bettongs. In most cases we did guided feeding, with appropriate warnings on how to present the foods. A highly enjoyable and educational outing!

Mini tour bus was uncomfortable with malfunctioning seatbelts. We enjoyed a more relaxed pa ce than on day one. Not enough time allotted for dinner before the ferry. Service was very slow at the restaurant that was recommended.

Bus to ferry was very cramped for leg space and very long because of multiple pick up points. Ferry did not have breakfast foods available as the supplier had not delivered. We started our day very early and were quite hungry by lunch time. First day tour was in a more comfortable coach. Our accommodations at American River in the Mercure hotel was great. Older facility and the mattresses and rooms need updating but wonderful food and service. We really enjoyed our first day tour but were disappointed to spend so little time at the Animal sanctuary.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the private tour very enjoyable.

Lovely slow paced private tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed our day, especially our time at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

Very long time in the 4x4 cramped vehicle, (about 5 hours total travel time there and back) stopping to do all the hotel pick ups and then in Port Douglas where there should have been a restroom break. We enjoyed the tour once we got there.

Tide was high when we went out so not the best conditions to see the reef clearly.

It was a rough sea day but the staff made the best of a rough situation. We really enjoyed it all.

Amazing experience! Highly recommend this. I wasn’t even sore the next day after riding the camel for an extended period of time. The staff was exceptional.

Loved this experience. Meeting other guests. The meal was delicious and seeing the stars and the field of light magical.

The Outback Hotel & Lodge in Uluru was rated as one of the lower options in the area, which didn't quite meet our expectations of a moderate accommodation. It was somewhat below what we imagined for this trip, considering the limited choices in Uluru.

Hotel Ibis World Square in Sydney had a great location, but unfortunately, it was situated right over a night club, which made it incredibly noisy until the early hours. This was not quite suitable for us as it affected our ability to rest. It was a bit disappointing given our expectations.

Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip. We went out on a catamaran, and the experience was absolutely superb. The underwater sights were breathtaking, and it was an unforgettable adventure. Five stars for this phenomenal experience!

The location of this hotel is perfect. There are shops and restaurants all around the hotel. There is a wonderful promenade to walk and see a lot of the shoreline. Our room had a beautiful view of the marina and it made it easy to get to our excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. The hotel had an amazing breakfast buffet included that we enjoyed every day.

The snorkeling trip to Michaelmas Cay was a highlight of our Australia getaway. The experience was amazing, and we truly enjoyed it. The vibrant marine life and the clear waters made it unforgettable. It was a well-organized and exciting excursion.