Siena Mueller

First, we can tell you that our overall experience was excellent and the job you did was also great. We would like to break down each category and give you our feedback this way.

Flights: All flights within Australia were fine. There were no problems checking in and they all left and landed on time. Virgin Australia is a very basic airline. We had to ask for water on our flight from Cairns to Melbourne.

Accommodations:
The nicest place we stayed in was the Maq01 in Hobart. The room was spacious and very comfortable. Breakfast was excellent and the location was perfect. Our second best was the hotel we chose in Brisbane, the Treasury. That room was also spacious and we liked the old world charm. Location was ideal there too. The Floriana in Cairns was ok. It was north of town and we should have chosen the alternative that Siena mentioned in our video conference. However, everything worked out ok. The two hotels in Melbourne were inadequate. The rooms were small, especially the Standard X. There was barely enough room to open our suitcases and the locations were not great. 13 years ago, we stayed close to the river within walking distance of the tennis center and that was much better.

Transportation:
That was excellent. All of the pickups at airports and hotels were great and on time. There was water in the vehicles for us and the cars were all comfortable. The one exception was a confusion in Cairns on the 12th, the day we did the Michaelmas Cay Cruise. The instructions for pickup were confusing because it said hotel, then on the next line, 181 Esplanade. Our interpretation was that the pickup point was at our hotel because its address is 181 Esplanade but what it really meant was that the pickup was at the Hotel 181 Esplanade which was on the next street. We didn't know that that hotel even existed. We got it sorted out with a telephone call and we got to the boat on time. It was just a bit nerve wracking. There was no reason that the pickup couldn't have been in front of our hotel.

Tours and guides:
Overall, we felt that our private tours were far superior to the group tours. In Brisbane, our first tour was up to the Sunshine coast with Rashid. That was excellent and very enjoyable. Rashid was very pleasant and we interacted with him very well. The second tour was the Daintree Adventure from Cairns. It was a group tour and our guide was James Unfortunately, that was not as good. First, it was a large van not a 4wd vehicle, There were about 10 of us and James talked the whole way there and back, was hard to understand because of the speaker system on the van, and he repeated himself several times. The walk we did on the walkway to see Cassowaries (we didn't see any) was a bit disappointing. We felt that it was difficult to interact with the guide to appreciate the beauty of the sites.. The third tour to the Great Barrier reef was ok. We expected a lot of people on the boat so that was no surprise but the boat was overcrowded. They took us to an atoll where we started our snorkeling. The site was crowded with other boats and we had to swim out to the reefs which were about 100 meters from shore. The corals were beautiful but the fish viewing was disappointing. 13 years ago, we went on a ship and snorkeled from the ship not from shore and that was much better. The fish diversity then was also much better- the difference was probably the places they took us to. You should consider another boat option. The following private tour with Sean in Melbourne was good. We did a hike in Dandenong and went to the Yarra valley to do some wine tastings. It was a beautiful day and very enjoyable. In Hobart, we did three tours. The first to Freycinet and Wineglass bay with Alex was just ok. The walks we did there were very crowded and we hardly saw any wildlife. We felt that we were taken to all the sites that tourists are taken to and so it was far from ideal. The next tour on the boat for the gourmet seafood lunch cruise was outstanding. It was literally a seafood orgy and extremely enjoyable. The two guys on the boat (Jordy and Lawrence) were great. The food was exquisite and we loved it. The final day, we were picked up by Dave who took us to the Tasmanian wilderness where we did a 4 mile hike and saw three waterfalls. He then took us to an animal sanctuary where we saw Roos, devils, echidnas, an emu and other animals. We had a great time there as well. Finally, we should mention the Q train experience even though it was not part of the package with you. We first took a ferry across the bay and then boarded the Q train for a leisurely 3 hour ride and lunch. We enjoyed that as well and you should consider including it in your packages.

Thank you for organizing this wonderful trip.
Sue and Dan Simmons

What a relief it was to have someone or an agency helping us with the snafus that cropped up during the trip. KimKim was responsive, helpful, and exceeded my expectations in terms of rectifying issues

I am already in touch with KIMKIM about a trip to Egypt and Africa in May. Given my experience with Siena and the KIMKIM team for the trip to Australia, I know I will be in good hands on yet another continent.

Thank you SO much for all your excellent planning and responsiveness.

Sincerely,

Linnaea

Hotel Review

The Langham, Sydney

Sydney

Unfortunatley, we stayed at this over-priced hotel during a time it was undergoing dining room renovations. But, even with that, the hotel is EXTREMELY expensive. And I mean expensive. We paid $230.00 for an uncomfortable dinner in a bar that consisted of two sandwiches, a quesadilla, dinner salad, and dessert. No desert. Fortunately, the travel agency we worked with reimbursed us for some of that exorbitant cost. Breakfast is $30.00 a person. It is a VERY GOOD buffet breakfast, but pricey. It is not near any restaurants, so we used Uber Eats to have meals delivered. The hotel did its best to address our dissatisfaction by comping us with one free breakfast and a room "gift" of two bottles of sparkling water and apples... But, they were patient, kind, and opened doors for us. The room was beautiful, large, and the deep soaking bathtub divine.

Authenticity & Character

Since it is a five-star hotel, the accommodations were very nice.

Location

closer to easy access to restaurants

Staff

We were high-maintenance guests.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Other than the challenges in eating, the hotel was very clean, elegant, and comfortable. But, again, it is for rich folks...

Activity Reviews

Northern Beaches & Ku-ring-gai Chase Day Trip

Sydney

What was amazing about this excurion was the Ku-ring-gai Chase Forest trip. The trip to the beaches was okay, but with rain, the experiences were "dampened." But the forest? Beautiful. Unusual, Interesting insight into the Aboriginal people who once populated the land.

Sydney Opera House Visit

Sydney

The one hour tour covered a lot of territory about this incredible architectural and musical masterpiece.

Blue Mountains Day Trip

Sydney

The stop at the farm on the way to the mountains was fun. Not much food, just beverages and cookies, but the animals like goats, kangaroos, wombat and lizards. The mountains were beautiful! Sort of like a green Grand Canyon. The lunch was good.

Taronga Zoo Wild Australia Experience

Sydney

Our travel agency booked us for a two-hour private tour of the zoo. We didn't see much of the entire zoo, but what we did see was phenomenal. Experiences we simply cannot have in the United States. We got up close and personal with koala bears, Kangaroos, dingos, wallabies, and bilbies, as well as Penguins, exotic birds, capybaras, and baby meerkats. Our senior guide was passionate and interesting. We were thrilled with our experience.

Half Day Highlights of Sydney

Sydney

The driver did not take us back to our hotel as the reservations indicated....we had to spend $58.00 on a cab fare, for which our travel agency helped defray the cost. The tour itself was okay.