All our guides were excellent. Really enjoyed...
Australia
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Aug 28 - Sep 20, 2026
All our guides were excellent. Really enjoyed the sailing cruise with David and the Barossa valley wine tour. Also the Phillips island penguins.
If I plan this trip again, I would make a few changes. I would still fly into Brisbane and stay three days and then go to Port Douglas. However, we ended up spending the night in Port Douglas, and then returning the next day to Cairns for a tour and then going back to Port Douglas again. There should be a better way to do this. Also, I would fly from Cairns to Adelaide and spend a couple of days there and then go to kangaroo Island. I would drive along the great ocean Road and spend time in some different cities. I would skip Melbourne and spend a few more days in Sydney. Also, when planning the wine tour, i would rather have gone to the white wine regions than the red wine ones.
Overall, the trip was amazing. We really enjoyed having the rental cars and being able to drive around and see stuff on our own. Somehow we missed part of the great ocean Road because we were following the GPS and not following signs for the great ocean Road. I think we would rather have stayed in Apollo Bay then Port Campbell although the apartment in Port Campbell was very nice. There’s not much in Port Campbell. We had a bad experience in robe, which is where I booked my own hotel that turned out to have mice. Never really saw anything in robe. I wish we’d had a little more time in Sydney.
Hotel Reviews
The Inchcolm had a lovely 2 bedroom suite with a sitting area and nice bathroom. The 2nd bedroom lacked a place to sit suitcases and a closet . The hotel had a nice small restaurant, a free continental breakfast and a free laundry . It was historically interesting because it had one spin a physicians office clinic and small hospital. The hotel is located close to the central train station but if one is walking, it can be difficult to get there because it’s a maze of little streets. Overall a charming little hotel.
Cute boutique hotel with apartment type rooms which included a kitchenette, spacious living area, private enclosed patio, bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom was rather small with just enough room to maneuver around the king sized bed. The bathroom was okay. The place was very clean and the grounds were quite lovely. Our room was on the first floor and there was a lovely patio with tables, chairs, grill, couches and even books right outside our door. The hotel also has an outdoor heated pool. the host was very friendly and was very helpful when our driver did not show up. The hotel is conveniently located at one end of Macrossan Street and about a five minute walk to 4 mile Beach.
Zagame’s house is an interesting boutique hotel close to the Royal Melbourne Institute of technology and the University of Adelaide and several hospitals. The decor is quite interesting, it has a wonderful coffee shop/restaurant where we had breakfast each day. The food was excellent. A wine bar and restaurant are also attached to the hotel but we did not have a chance to eat there, the only reason I did not give this hotel a five star rating is because the bathroom layout is so odd.
Modern decor. Clean. Nice bathroom and amenities. Comfortable double beds. Learning to use the iPad to control all the room features was a bit challenging.
Southern Ocean villas has an apartment style set up. Our villa had a first floor bedroom bathroom, full kitchen area, living room and dining room. Up some rather steep stairs was another bedroom, bathroom and some twin beds. There was also a washer and dryer on the first floor. The unit also had a patio, but it was a little too chilly to sit outside.The accommodations were clean and comfortable and very close to town.
Maybe my favorite of all the places we stayed. These are fully equipped 2 bedroom villas with an enclosed patio and a garage! Loved the garage as we could plug in our electric car at night. The patio was very nice but it was too cold to sit outside.
An interesting hotel and condo complex built from an old wool warehouse on Cowper’s Wharf. The rooms are spacious with 2 double beds and a very large screen TV. The bathroom even had a wonderful soaking tub in addition to the shower.
Activity Reviews
This was one of our best tours. Our guide, Derwin, was very friendly and informative. The Moonlight Sanctuary was nice and we were actually able to pet a koala. I loved seeing the penguins emerge from the water at dusk. When Derwin drove us around the penguin sanctuary, we were able to see the steep hills the penguins climb and see a couple in their burrows. Had dinner at a great Italian restaurant afterwards.
Port Campbell is along the Great ocean Road. We explored several locations including the 12 Appostles, the Grotto, London Bridge and others. The scenery is spectacular.
Enjoyed having a restful cruise around Sydney with my delightful guide, Karyn.
Really enjoyed this trip, especially the train ride.
The best part of this tour was seeing the crocodiles.
Lovely group tour with 6 people. Went to 3 small Barossa Valley wineries that mainly specialized in red wines. Had a delicious lunch and loved the opportunity to chat with people from Australia and Canada.
My daughter cancelled this as she’d overdone it on a ropes course at the zoo the day before.
This was a lovely, relaxing tour of Sydney harbor with another couple. The weather was beautiful, the boat was comfortable and David, our captain, was knowledgeable and entertaining.
Vey nice zoo about an hour from Brisbane. Lots to see . Well laid out with wide paths. Able to feed kangaroos and wallabies.loved seeing the animal hospital.
This experience was a bit much for me. I’m almost 80 and found the snorkeling very difficult despite having my own safety guide. The reef and fish are beautiful but I got seasick wallowing around in the swells.
Thank you so much for sharing your review, Liz! I'm thrilled that sailing with David, the Barossa wine tour and the freedom of your own rental cars made for such an amazing adventure. Every traveler has their own travel style, and I love hearing your ideas for next time, whether that's splitting nights between Cairns and Port Douglas, spending more time in Sydney vs Melbourne! Thank you!