Kimkim Trip Reviews for Australia

The trip was everything we hoped for. All booked tours , transfers and hotels were seamless. We were welcomed in both countries with a welcome package with all important information. When we needed to get in touch with agents both Paula and Sherri were helpful and timely with their responses.
We had friendly and Knowledgeable guides for each excursion. One who particularly stood out was our guide Dandy in Melbourne. He took us on the Great Ocean Road, entertained us and was attentive to the needs of everyone on the tour.
We could not be more thrilled with our experience.

Hotel Reviews

The Grace Hotel

Sydney, NSW

Beautifully located with Friendly and attentive taff. a mix of old and new.

Authenticity & Character

Historic charm well updated

Location

Central in the CBD. Easy walking distance to warf and central

Staff

very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mini bar replenished daily. Large room and nepresso

Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel

Port Douglas

In Port Douglas, the hotel was great! Our apartment was fantastic and the hotel offered free laundry services which was wonderful. The location was convenient and the breakfast, although not included, was amazing with people coming from outside just for it.

Vibe Hotel

Melbourne

The Vibe Hotel in Melbourne was a pleasant stay with a modern look and a great location. Laundry services were available, which was really helpful.

The Hermitage Hotel

Mount Cook Village

The Hermitage Hotel at Mount Cook was extraordinary and the highlight of our accommodations. It was a splurge but worth every penny for the breathtaking location. Note that it's a cashless hotel, something to be aware of if staying there.

Sudima Lake Rotorua

Rotorua

Sudima Lake Rotorua was disappointing due to the strong sulfur smell that woke us up at night. The hotel was under renovation, with construction noise all day. We received a complimentary drink, but it didn't quite compensate. The pool was closed, which was another letdown.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Rotorua to Auckland Hobbiton and Waitomo Tour

Rotorua

The Hobbiton tour was surprisingly enjoyable despite not being a huge fan of Lord of the Rings. We watched the movies before going and found the experience to be a lot of fun.

Big Sky Stargazing Adventure

New Zealand

Couldn't do the Big Sky Stargazing Adventure due to clouds, but the company was prompt with a refund. Appreciated their efficiency, showing great customer service.

Out of Laura, Queensland we arranged a 3 night bush camp rock art excursion with Jarramali Rock Art Tours & the owner Johnny. An aboriginal young man who shares his culture & some cave paintings with those interested in learning. Marty & I visited Carnarvon National Park & stayed at their Wilderness Lodge. Carnarvon Gorge is a steep, narrow gorge in a wet, dense forest. Fantastic hiking there. We also enjoyed visiting the Blue Mts., Mt.Grenfell Historic Site, out of Cobar, Gundabooka N.P., Mutawintji Cultural Tour out of Broken Hill, Grampians NP our of Murray Bridge, Cape Range NP out of Exmouth, a Turtle Ecotour in a glass bottom boat to see Green turtles, rays, coral reef, out of Coral Bay. Out of Denham we did a 4X4 tour to Francois Peron NP, & in Kalbarri we did several hikes in Kalbarri NP. Wonderful red rock gorge with the Murchison River running through it. The Kings Park & Botanical Gardens with an assortment of colorful Australian fauna/flowers to feast the eyes on. A must for any one visiting Perth. The hotels KimKim chose were near many of the places we wanted to visit & we did rent a car so we could go explore on our own. Tia at KimKim did a wonderful job working with us to make our 65 day Australian trip a trip of a lifetime.

Hotel Review

Kalbarri Edge Resort

Kalbarri

The Kalbarri Edge Resort was within 5 to 10 minutes walking distance to the waterfront to see the daily feeding of the Australian pelicans & lots of restaurants & take away foods to choose from. And a delicious ice cream place. The living room was very adequate size as was the kitchen & a separate bedroom.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arrive Cairns

Cairns

Easy small town to drive in especially if you are not use to driving on the left side of the road. Getting to & from the airport was also easy. Beautiful explanade to walk just a few blocks from our hotel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Liz did a wonderful job helping us with our delightful trip to see 4 very different regions of Australia. All of the accommodations and transfers as well as the air arrangements went off like clockwork. Using Liz and Kim Kim really helped us maximize our time and have us a great flavor of the places, people and foods of Australia. We will definitely be using KimKim and Liz for future trips. Next on our South Pacific bucket list: New Zealand!
Well done,
Tob and Penny Trickey

Paula was a huge help with the planning of our trip to Australia. We only had 2.5 weeks and were at a loss of where to go and what to see beyond Sydney. She helped us come up with a really nice itinerary to see as much of the culture and wildlife of Sydney, Outer brisbane and GBR. We loved sydney as a city...beautiful. We stayed out in the glass house mountains while in Brisbane region and loved our accommodations at the Crocodile Hunter lodge and all of the wildlife experiences if offered. Our time in Port Douglas was also lovely, with a few days out on the barrier reef. We combined stays at both hotels and Airbnb's. The only place we did not care for was our one night hotel in Brisbane...under construction and not clean. Aside from that, all were great, and we appreciated the help booking tours and adventures.

Hotel Reviews

PARKROYAL Darling Harbour

Sydney

we were just here for a quick overnight before our international flight early in the morning. We liked the location and ability to walk to many restaurants and sights.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

very nice room in a great location. updated bathrooms and comfortable beds

Mercure Brisbane Spring Hill (was Pacific Hotel Brisbane)

Spring Hill

hotel room was tired (in need of a refresh) and dirty, especially bathroom with a soiled toilet. Lots of construction and the location was average...not much near by. Would not recommend staying

Authenticity & Character

needs a complete update...carpets, beds, bathrooms etc. It was very dark and dingy

Location

There is a lot of building construction going on immediately outside the hotel

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean the bathrooms! Our toilet was very dirty and had not been cleaned after someone had used it and visibly had not felt well.

The Crocodile Hunter Lodge

Beerwah, Queensland

Authenticity & Character

attention to detail

Location

beautiful area

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Climb the Harbor Bridge

Sydney

we really liked this!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Blue Mountains Day Trip

Sydney

enjoyed the farm visit as this is where we spotted our first koalas and kangaroos. Learned a bit about the state/national rehab and breeding program of the koalas. The mountains are beautiful. This trip was primarily a drive and see with little opportunity to get out and explore. We would have loved an hour or so to do a hike. lunch was delicious.

Quality of Experience

beautiful scenery

Food

delicious lunch!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

if the drivers offered more information...meaning if information was volunteered. our guide was quite knowledgeable, but only if we asked the questions.

Transport

spacious and comfortable

Full Day Daintree Cape Tribulation (was & 4WD Bloomfield)

Australia

it was a long day and not much opportunity to get out and explore, with the exception of the boat tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Liz was terrific in planning our month long trip to Australia. Very knowledgeable with great local connections on the east coast and the more remote west coast. From big cities to remote national parks, all arrangements were flawless. Definitely recommend working with Liz.

Vicky helped my husband and I (and our 23 and 19 year old daughters) plan an incredible, once in a lifetime vacation! Not a single detail was overlooked. Every booking was confirmed and we had no hassles. And when we were delayed getting to Australia by 24 hours due to flight issues, Vicky helped rebook all plans we had for our missed day to a day we were able to add onto the end of our trip. This trip was perfection, thanks to Vicky!
We traveled to Sydney, Uluru, and Palm Cove, before heading back to Sydney. Our favorite days were exploring the Blue Mountains with Ben, staying at Longitude 131 with McKayla as our guide, and snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. We finished our vacation touring Sydney, again with Ben as our guide!
Thanks again for helping us plan our luxury vacation Vicky! It was exactly what we dreamed of!

Hotel Review

Longitude 131˚

Yulara

Luxury at its finest - we will never forget our nights spent in the Dune Pavilion at Longitude 131! We loved every minute of it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Such a unique way to experience The Outback!

Staff

McKayla was an incredible tour guide to Ayers Rock - she was so much fun! Edward was excellent with suggestions for the rest of our vacation!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Blue Mountains Full Day - Private Tour

Sydney

If you can have Ben as a tour guide, you will have the best time! Such beautiful scenery and a fun trip to a local zoo on the way there! Our first full day in Australia was so much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are very happy with kimkim's help on our recent Australia vacation. Connie was super helpful in helping me to arrange a fairly last-minute trip to Sydney and Melbourne. She is incredibly responsive and knowledgeable, and the tours she arranged were top notch! We enjoyed every aspect, including the Blue Mountains, Opera House, Great Ocean Road and wildlife park visits. While we had reasonably good insights into what Sydney might offer from my earlier visit some years ago, our tour guide Judy in Melbourne truly familiarized that wonderful city to us in a way that we would have missed had we just wandered about on our own.

Hotel Reviews

Furama Darling Harbour

Haymarket

Clean spacious rooms; wonderful breakfast, friendly helpful staff.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Batman's Hill On Collins

Melbourne, VIC

Very nice and clean accommodation. Our room was quite small and looked into a nearby wall, but we were mostly gone. The breakfast was quite good and friendly helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon Lanes & Arcades Walk

Melbourne

We had our guide Judy all to ourselves, and spent three hours getting to know wonderful Melbourne and her. It was like visiting with a local friend - we loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sydney Opera House Tour

Sydney

What a story! Our guide Michael was knowledgeable and an excellent presenter.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Blue Mountains Deluxe Day

Sydney

Karyn is super knowledgeable and made us feel extremely comfortable. Great stories about the mountains and the towns within them.

Quality of Experience

Food

Excellent lunch stop!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Great Ocean Road Trip

Melbourne

Well worth the time and money. The Great Ocean Road is awesome and our guide Bluey was very personable and entertaining! A few points for improvement for a kimkim customer: 1. Our pickup at the Great Southern Hotel was one of the very last meaning we had no choice but to be at the very back of the bus. We were concerned that the winding roads might be uncomfortable from there but that aspect turned out okay. 2. The meal stops were too rushed.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Phillip Island Penguin Parade Ultimate Eco Tour

Melbourne

We loved it. An easier pace than the Great Ocean Road and more relaxing stops, especially at the Wildlife Park. Graeme was another wonderful guide! Like the Great Ocean Road, our Great southern Hotel pickup spot was one of the last, so we did not sit together. But we were more up front on the single side, which was better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great Trip with no complaints. Really appreciated the hotel selection as well as the smaller more intimate tours. Especially enjoyed the Blue Mountains tour with the hike. The Go West tours out of Melbourne were also well led and fun. Would recommend the foodie tour of Melbourne too.

Everything was very well organized and took the hassles logistics out of your lap.

Would do again

Hotel Review

Crystalbrook Bailey

Cairns

Activity Reviews

Blue Mountains Wildlife Full-Day Sights and Hiking from Sydney

Sydney

Foodie Discovery Walking Tour

Melbourne

Great Ocean Road Scenic Tour

Melbourne

Kata Tjuta Sunrise and Valley of the Winds Half-Day Trip

Uluru

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My husband and I spent about 18 days in Australia, our first trip to this beautiful land. I feel I was so lucky to find Kimkim online and worked with Vicky who helped me planned everything, hotel, airfare, tours and suggestions of restaurants. From the time I was connected with Vicky to the end of our trip, Vicky was with us every step even though she's not with us physically. At the planning stage, she replied to my inquiries promptly; during the trip, she followed up to ensure our tours/check ins were smoothly. The day we left for Sydney to fly back to LA, she sent a farewell message. Other than being courteous and professional, what Vicky really impressed me is her ability of knowing customer's need by simply asking a few questions. I only told her our preference of activities and gave her the cities we would like to visit, Vicky designed a perfect itinerary within 24 hours. Everything she arranged for us, e.g. the hotels, the flight time btw places, the tour groups, seems to be exactly what we wanted. This is one of the best travel experience we had and I've got to give full credit to Vicky. Without her help, our trip would not be as memorable as it is. Thank you, Vicky!

Hotel Reviews

Hamilton Island Beach Club

Hamilton Island

This is one of the best hotels we've stayed. We have been pampered from the moment we landed at the Hamilton Island, the hotel staff greeted us at the airport and a porter (how amazing) picked up our luggage. We were served Champagne and a cold towel when we arrived in the lobby while the staff gave us a brief introduction of the hotel. Our room is upstairs with breathtaking ocean view. The infinity pool is right below our balcony but very quite. The room is well decorated, roomy, well equipped and clean. Bathroom has a nice modern tub and sizable shower room. Food in the hotel restaurant is surprisingly good, comparable to the fine dining restaurants we've been to. We had the breakfast delivered to our room two days in a row so we could enjoy the beautiful sunrise and serenity in the morning. Staff is very attentive. Shuttle service is very convenient to get around the island. We were in heaven.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to the One Tree Hill for amazing sunset, marina for tours and water activities. The hotel has its own beach which is very nice.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane

Brisbane

Right in the heart of Brisbane downtown, walk to all the nice restaurants, shops, South Bank, and shops. The apartment hotel is well equipped with washer/dryer, laundry detergent and full kitchen. Room is a bit of small but it's adequate.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful on giving us directions to wheresabout.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vibe Hotel

Melbourne

Nicely located in the heart of CBD.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff is professional and very friendly. We asked the staff to heat up some leftovers and they did for us happily. Breakfast is fresh in good quality.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet Chill and Grill

Australia

It is pure paradise. The lunch provided in White Haven is very good. Tour guide is knowledgeable. Boat transfers was efficient.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitsunday Islands and Heart Reef Scenic Flight - 70 minutes

Australia

Smooth ride to see the crown jewel of Great Barrier Reef, the heart shaped reef. It's about 1 hr heliride.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk + Hop on Hop off Shuttle

Australia

A bit underwhelmed. May be because of the winter, the mountain is not as green and waterfalls are ok. I would suggest to go to the Gold Coast instead.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Brisbane River Cruise

Brisbane

This is the best animal sanctuary among all the sanctuaries we visited in Sydney and Melbourne. Most of the Koala are awake!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Phillip Island Penguin Parade Small Group Eco Tour

Melbourne

This is the highlight of our entire trip. Those precious penguins are soooo cute. The coastline of the island is spectacular!

Quality of Experience

The Moonlit Sanctury is in no comparison to Lone Pine, Brisbane. I feel this visit is just to kill time for the penguin parade at night.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bus was a bit tight but it's ok.

Luxe Bus Great Ocean Road with Wildlife Wonders

Melbourne

Truly luxury bus tour. The Benz Sprinter has phone charger!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highly recommend an Australia/New Zealand trip planned by Vicky. It was our first time using kimkim and we experienced a 49-hour travel delay. Vicky was able to adapt our trip to fit in as much as possible with the delay and she had such a good attitude about it. Highlights included the Great Barrier Reef, Milford Sound in Queenstown, and all of the accommodations + transfers. We did not have ANY issues with anything Vicky planned and it was flawless! Thanks to Vicky, we will absolutely use kimkim again.

We had a fantastic trip to Cairns and Sydney. Vicky helped us set up a diving trip to Upolu Reef on Ocean Freedom which was fantastic. She also recommended other things to do in Cairns and we had fun exploring it on our own. Hartley’s Crocodile Park was another highlight. I was surprised by how much we learned! After Cairns we went to Sydney and I fell in love with this city! I highly recommend climbing the Harbour Bridge, though it is pretty pricey. The bike tour was also a great way to see the city. Our trip was great and the pace of it felt right too. I highly recommend Vicki to help you plan a fantastic trip to Australia!

Hotel Reviews

Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour

Sydney

Wow wow wow-loved this hotel. The location was perfect and the service was spectacular. The staff were so friendly and helpful and the views from our balcony were unbeatable!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Crystalbrook Riley

Cairns

Crystalbrook Riley was perfect for us. It was a high quality hotel that was close to the Esplanade, but not in the middle of all the action. It was nice to walk 5 minutes down the road away from the noise and chaos of the tourist area to have a more peaceful place to stay. The breakfast was fantastic and the pool was so fun with the white sand beach. I would definitely stay here again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sydney Bridge Climb Summit

Sydney

This is a must-do in my book for Sydney. The views were spectacular and our guide taught us so much. My only complaint is that for the exorbitant price they charge, they should give you the photos they take. Instead, they charge an extra $65 at the end. You aren’t allowed to bring your own camera or phone (which makes sense) so you are forced to pay the extra price at the end if you want a photo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ocean Freedom - Cruise to Outer Edge of Upolu Reef and Upolu Cay Reef (Departs from Cairns)

Australia

Great trip to to Upolu Reef. The staff aboard the boat was top notch and the diving/snorkeling was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Moore Reef and Fitzroy Island Full Day Tour

Cairns

We ended up having a full day at Fitzroy Island since they cancelled the Moore Reef part of our trip. It was a nice day but I think a half day would have been enough. We climbed to the summit of Fitzroy which was a nice way to get a good view. It took about 40 min to climb to the top, walking nonstop uphill. The snorkeling wasn’t great due to high winds and choppy waters, but that was just our luck for the day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Breakfast with the Koalas at Hartley's Crocodile Park

Australia

Our trip to Hartley’s Crocodile Park was very good. We learned a lot about crocs and the other animals and got to pet a koala and a wallaby and a snake. I’m not sure the breakfast with koalas was worth missing our awesome hotel breakfast for, but it was nice to pet a koala and ask questions from the naturalist who was there.

Bike Tour - Sydney Highlights

Sydney

Loved our bike trip through Sydney. Our guide Dylan was so knowledgeable and gave us great tips on what to see/do the following day when we had a free day to explore on our own. The biking is not strenuous at all and you stop often to learn about various sights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cairns Lagoon

Cairns

The Cairns Lagoon was closed for repairs for all of July so we didn’t get to experience it.

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

Pullman Sydney Airport

Mascot

Great hotel close to airport and free breakfast included.

Location

Close to airport

Cleanliness & Comfort

Expected cleanliness for upscale hotel.

Sails In The Desert

Yulara

Top class hotel with great food and shopping.

Location

In the middle of the tourist activity.

Crystalbrook Flynn

Cairns

In great location near Esplanade, great free breakfast included, however insect problem in bathroom was not addressed.

Location

Near Esplanade and all tourist attractions

Staff

Room service was spotty (getting 3 floor mats instead of hand towels), but corrected when asked

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exterminator should be called.

Harbour Rocks Hotel

The Rocks, Sydney NSW

Great location, but no elevator for a 3-story hotel. The stair challenged should secure a room on the first floor.

Location

In the middle of all the tourist activity.

Activity Reviews

Cairns Aquarium by Twilight Tour

Australia

Loved this visit with knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Lots of information about reef life

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide

Sydney Harbor All inclusive Dinner Cruise

Sydney

Viewing and food was great.

Quality of Experience

overall trip satisfaction

Food

excellent quality

Guides, Drivers and Staff

very friendly and helpful

Transport

harbour views

Blue Mountains Full Day - Private Tour

Sydney

Great tour of this area.

Quality of Experience

Flexible options - we really liked shopping in the village

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was flexible for our schedule.

Transport

Plenty of room

Halfday Sydney Private City Tour

Sydney

Great overall view of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledge of the city's history and inciteful remarks

Transport

Plenty of room

Uluru Sunrise (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta Half Day Trip

Uluru

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.

Uluru (Ayers Rock) Sunset + Outback Barbecue Dinner & Star Talk

Uluru

One of the highlights of our entire Australia trip.

Quality of Experience

Close up views and extended narratives about Ayers Rock. Note to staff at barbecue: you need more than two heaters for this time of year.

Food

Many choices and plenty.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly and helpful staff

Transport

Rides in and out worked fine.

Classic Kuranda

Cairns

One of the highlights of our trip

Quality of Experience

Liked all the animals and different activities

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff at site were knowledgeable and helpful

Transport

variety of transport modes added interest to the tour

Sunlover Reef Cruises Cairns Great Barrier Reef Experience (departs Cairns)

Australia

If you are in Cairns, you have to actually go to the reef. Liked all the various activities you could do from the pontoon.

Quality of Experience

Being up close and personal with the Reef

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Were helpful at all times

Transport

Not just a transport, but food and drink available

Free Day in Cairns

Cairns

Shopped around tourist area, visited Armour Museum, Cairns Museum, Rusty's Markets, had amazing dinner at Bay Leaf Balinese restaurant, moonlight walk on Esplanade

Quality of Experience

Loved all the shops and eating venues

Premium Daintree & Cape Tribulation Day Tour

Australia

Liked all the various activities on this tour but spent a lot of time on the bus picking up and letting off passengers.

Quality of Experience

We liked all the activities, especially the river tour looking for crocs

Food

Lunch had only three choices, chicken choice was not good

Guides, Drivers and Staff

all the staff professional and helpful

Transport

too much time on bus

Afternoon & Evening Tour of Paronella Park (departing Cairns)

Australia

Very interesting story of Paronella Park - glad we did it.

Quality of Experience

Loved the story of the founders of the park.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver, Man, was great and made the experience more enjoyable

Transport

Driver was knowledgeable and communicated well

Vicki , local specialist was great. We worked with her to plan a trip best for us. Vicki was easy to reach and very responsive We had some last minute changes and Vicki was right on to of it. The day trips that the local specialist found were perfect. We had 3 flights 3 cars and all went flawlessly. Could not have easily arranged without Local specialist. Especially the local specialist knew the distances so we were confident in logistics.

Fun accommodations. Manager was extremely helpful in our whitsunday accomodation. But highlight was last four days at Mai tai resort. Port douglas area. Andre owner was a delight. Lovely healthy breakfast. Great views. Impeccable as to cleanliness!!
Day trips with Nichols’s to Daintree forest and snorkel sail on Sailaway was exceptional

We recently had an amazing experience with Kimkim , specifically with the help of their local specialist, Asko, during our 5-day stay in Cairns, Australia. As a family with two kids, aged 10 and 6, we were looking for a tailored itinerary that would be enjoyable and manageable for all of us. Asko did a fantastic job of understanding our needs and preferences, ensuring that every aspect of our trip was well-suited for both adults and children.

From the moment we started planning, Asko was incredibly responsive and attentive. He provided us with a variety of options and took the time to explain each one. He made sure our itinerary included a mix of adventures according to my request like snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, visiting the Kuranda Village via the scenic railway, and exploring Daintree.

Asko's recommendations were spot-on, particularly for family-friendly attractions. He also arranged for convenient and comfortable transportation, which made our experience stress-free and enjoyable. His local knowledge was invaluable, and he even provided tips on what to pack and how to make the most of our time in each location.

Overall, our trip to Cairns was a memorable adventure, thanks to the expert planning and support from Asko and the Kimkim team. We would highly recommend their services to anyone looking for a well-organized and personalized travel experience, especially families with young children.

Hotel Review

Pacific Hotel Cairns

Cairns

Great location, close to the airport and close to where everything happens and the Marina wharf. Breakfast did not meet our expectations, same thing every day and not good quality.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

The Great Barrier Reef day trip

Cairns

Amazing experience would do it again

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!!