Australia in 9 days/Sydney and Carins.
Australia | Apr 8 - Apr 16, 2023

R
Robyn C.
Johnstown, PA | Reviewed on Apr 17, 2023

My 17 year old son and I went to Australia for a belated Birthday trip. We only planned the trip 8 weeks prior to going and Gary was very thorough and helped guide our short trip. We did a half day Sydney tour, a full day tour out to the Blue Mountains (with a hike and botanical gardens stop) flew to Carins and did a full day Great Barrier Reef snorkeling trip and a few days there and ended with a day at Cogee and a day at Bondi Beach. All of the tours and our transportation to and from the hotels and airports went perfectly, our rental car on Carins also was also easy to rent and return. The hotels Gary booked were fine, especially Mantra Amphora in Palm Cove. (highly recommend) Our final hotel in Cogee, Adina Apartments, was very small and had canceled our reservation at check in. We had to call Gary and he answered immediately and took care of the problem which was not his fault, and he made sure Adina checked us in and gave us our room as originally planned. We were very pleased with Gary and his prompt response to all of our questions. If I could give any future travelers advice I would say be very specific about what you want to do, the type of accommodations you expect and the bed sizes and if you prefer large or small group tours. The more specific you are the more tailored your adventure will be. The cost was reasonable for all that we did. We will us Kikiman again!

Hotel Reviews
Mantra Amphora
Palm Cove

Great hotel complete with separate bedroom, spacious bathroom, balcony and living/kitchen area. Very clean and lovely grounds.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Near the beach
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Adina Apartment Hotel Coogee
Coogee
Authenticity & Character
No character
Location
Staff
Weren't very friendly at check in
Cleanliness & Comfort
Clean but cramped
Holiday Inn Darling Harbour, an IHG Hotel
Haymarket

The hotel is clean and the room is a normal size for a city. We had a terrible view of an alley and brick wall and couldn't take advantage of the free breakfast because we were scheduled for tours before the restaurant opened.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Sunlover Reef Cruises Pontoon - Moore Reef
Sunlover Reef Cruises Pontoon - Moore Reef
Australia

The staff were great but it was very crowded and the lunch not very good.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Half Day Panoramic Sydney Sights
Half Day Panoramic Sydney Sights
Sydney
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Pick up your rental car at Cairns for your trip to Undara
Pick up your rental car at Cairns for your trip to Undara
Canberra
Quality of Experience
L
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Blue Mountains Hike the World Heritage
Blue Mountains Hike the World Heritage
Sydney
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Gary Topic