Two weeks in east Australia by Judie Yamamoto...
Australia | Feb 25 - Mar 8, 2020

C
Charles M.
Norton Shores, MI | Reviewed on Mar 11, 2020

Two weeks in east Australia by Judie Yamamoto and Charley Mullally

Overall, our trip to Australia, arranged by Jasmine through KimKim, was excellent. The accommodations were comfortable and for the most part spacious, modern, and conveniently located, quite more luxurious than we’d expected on the “mid-level” plan we had requested. Transportation (airport and hotel ground pickups as well as our three flights in Australia) went very smoothly, spoiling us for the return home when we had to drive ourselves! And even though we were always based in the city centers, there were enough excursions into the countryside to provide both urban and rural experiences.

Our most memorable day was probably our trip to the Mornington Peninsula, made so by our driver/guide Juliet. She was absolutely delightful and clued us in on local specialties: where to eat in Sorrento, vanilla slices, a little known “secret” oceanside cliff walk in front of million dollar homes. The upbeat music she played enroute didn’t hurt the day, either.

Other highlights:
· Watching wild kangaroos and koalas at the Conservation Ecology Centre in Great Otway National Park (the B&B there looks worth coming back to spend a few days!);
· Views along the Great Ocean Road;
· Up close opportunities to see the remarkable beginnings of recovery from the extensive bush fires that had occurred only a short time before our visit.
· Sydney Harbor cruise and strolling through Sydney’s Chinatown (all those Asian restaurants!);
· Tour of Sydney Opera House followed by dinner and front row tickets for “Six!”
· Swimming in a mountain stream in the Daintree Rainforest

The major downside to our trip was that there wasn’t enough downtime – days with little or no planned activity. At age 78, both of us needed more time to kick back and relax, fewer early morning pickups, less bus travel. We didn’t know that when we OKed Jasmine’s arrangements, but we will be sure to be cognizant of it on our next journey.

Local specialist: Jasmine Harvy
Jasmine
Jasmine Harvy
Local specialist in Gold Coast, Australia | Replied on Mar 12, 2020

Hi Charles & Judie,

Thank you for the review and I am so happy to hear that you both enjoyed your trip to Australia. I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the overall experience and I will be sure to pass on the feedback to Juliet in Melbourne.

I appreciate you letting me know about having more downtime. I will make sure in the future that I let the other travellers know of the early mornings and long travels.

Thank you for choosing KimKim for your travels and hopefully we can help you plan another trip!

Safe Travels,
Best Regards
Jasmine