About Australia

Disappointed that we were not allowed 2 Be assigned seating on the first leg of our journey. Also disappointed that we could not get a representative to assign our Delta SkyMiles to the airline servicing our trip. We had to call up the airline ourselves and accomplished both actions. Finally, the last day of the trip, the penguin parade. was way too long. It started out at 10 in the morning ended up at midnight. Most of the day was fillers leading up to the parade at night. This day could be shortened and used for a different type of Excursion.

We were pleased with the services provided by About Australia. There were no glitches with flights, hotels, or excursions. Documents provided by About Australia were complete and informative. Any questions I had before our trip were promptly answered. Great trip!

About Australia is a great company to work with! I worked with Darin for our recent trip Jan - Feb. 2020. We also worked with Darin 3 1/2 years ago when we went to Australia and New Zealand. He covered every aspect of our trip 3 1/2 years ago. This most recent trip, we traveled with 2 other couples and Darin coordinated everything about the trip. Flights, excursions, hotels, etc. He worked tirelessly on everything. Great communication with all of us. He did an AMAZING job! I was very pleased. If we get a chance to go back, Darin will be the first I contact to book the trip!

Totally enjoyed the trip. The accommodations were all very nice, except the Melbourne stay. It was basically an extended stay accommodation with limited service and rooms scattered around the block. Not convenient, at all. And, it a sub par area of the city. The airfare and transfers were good with a few exceptions. A 5:00 AM (3:00 AM transfer) flight from Cannes and a 6 hour layover in Brisbane was poorly scheduled, when a 9:00 AM flight that would work was available was ridiculous. I had to handle the change myself and pay an additional $200 that About Australia could have avoided. And, the 5:30 transfer on the last day was crazy, which I changed to 8:30. Other than those issues, the accommodations, transfers, flights and events were very good.

Melanie Brown (our agent) was very helpful from the beginning!! The three locations (Brisband, Cairns, Sydney) truly provided a three different world experience of Australia!! Hotels were close to the sites that you really wanted to dive into at each destination. I want to and will book another Australia adventure using About Australia, and hoping to adventure over to New Zealand!! Excellent!!!

The trip I went on to Australia was everything they said it would be. My name was always on the list. The places we stayed were really nice! The excursions were there on time to pick us up and we even had added perks we didn't know about! My only problem was a few times I would reach out to About Australia and would not get any response back for days, sometimes I would have to call again to get my answer, this was before I left. I would recommend them, especially since I price I got was fantastic!

The whole process from initial contact with About Australia till the end of our trip went very well. We felt that we got good value for our purchase. We liked all of the hotels that were offered without an upgrade. The Mantra on View (Surfers Paradise) had a very good breakfast buffet for which we were given a 2/1 coupon each day. All the hotels were in excellent locations - close to beach and access to GBR tours. We arranged all of our tours once in Australia. There is a tour office in the building that the Pacific Hotel (Cairns) was in that arranged for our GBR tour (at a discount) and a private tour of back country and rain forest. Woolworths (grocery store) came in handy for snacks. We paid extra for extra leg room on the plane and felt it was worth the extra. The regular economy seats seemed pretty cramped. We had more leg room than premium economy which was twice what we paid. Food on the plane was pretty bad. Wished that I had bought sandwiches at airport to take on the plane. Although there was no beach at Cairns we enjoyed the lagoon (a man made pool with a sandy beach) that was within walking distance of the Pacific Hotel and it was open and free to the public. Only regret was not having more time in Sydney. With only one full day we took a city tour and toured the opera house. The cost to add two days and change our flight was too much, so we kept with the original itinerary. We took the ConXion transfer Brisbane to Gold Coast and back, arranged by AA. We missed the 8:15 shuttle and had to wait an hour for the next one to arrive. Took uber for other trips except the trip from Sydney hotel to airport, which we arranged at the hotel for $18AUD per person. All the people we dealt with at About Australia were very helpful in putting together this trip and always very fast to respond to many questions.

We were amazed with how everything was put together and executed. Everything came off without fail. All the transfers and tours were on time and many times earlier. We not hesitate to use About Australia again

Great hotels. Ideally located close to shops and restaurants. We were offered a great selection of optional excursions, which we loved. Our agent, Marissa, was great. When we had any questions prior to and after our return, she answered quickly and always to our satisfaction. Her customer service was outstanding. We would love to go back and see more of Australia.

First, I want to thank Katie Rowe for quickly and patiently answering my questions and concerns before we left and then with helping quickly with the few issues we had when on the way and in Australia. None of these issues had to do directly with About Australia, but rather with contracted companies: - American Airlines did not reserve the seats for us that we had on our itinerary tickets, and we were unable to check in online. The counter representative at Phoenix Sky Harbor did not answer our questions and was brusque, if not rude, when we expressed concern. However, when I expressed my concern to Katie she responded quickly and graciously upgraded our hotel in Cairns in compensation. - Weather prevented our Skyrail Rainforest Cableway trip on the Gulf Coast, but the company gave us paper work for a refund. Katie is helping us with that. - When we arrived at the ReefQuest - the boat to the Great Barrier Reef - neither our names nor those of the other two About Australia tourists we met - were on the manifest. The crew did some checking and told us that we had been directed to the wrong pier and were supposed to be on a sister boat. However, they let us come on board, and the day was FANTASTIC. The crew on this cruise was upbeat, helpful and fun. It was one of our best days. - When we arrived at the Sydney Airport from Cairns on Feb 12, we waited for the Ready2Go transport for 75 minutes before giving up and taking a taxi (We had to get to cruise reservation). Another couple at the stop said they had been waiting two hours! However, the ride back to the airport on Feb 16 arrived at our hotel right on time. A few recommendations: - You might consider adding more options to this tour. For example, we would have rather stayed in Brisbane than on the Gold Coast. We're seniors, so swimming and surfing are less attractive to us than museums and botanical gardens. (We did really enjoy Currumbin and Springbrook NP however.) - Our hotel in Cairns was great! (Thanks to the upgrade from Katie) Mantra on View in Gold Coast was physically in need of remodel, but the staff was excellent. In Sydney, the hotel - Breakfree on George - was a disappointment. It was a long way from the hub of activity and did not offer amenities like a restaurant or bar. Its saving grace was that the new lightrail stopped directly in front. If you offer hotel options, I was unaware. It would be nice to have this option in the future. A big thanks! We weren't sure what to expect in Australia, particularly because of the recent fires. What we discovered was an amazing, physically beautiful country and very friendly people. I appreciated not having to worry about finding hotels, and we really liked being picked up for activities at our hotel so that we didn't have to worry about a rental car and parking, especially in Sydney.

I'm guessing I was not the easiest client. I was coordinating my son diving in Australia, me touring New Zealand, and then meeting for an adventure. Everything Ana picked out for us was just amazing. She guided me though the whole planning process with great care and expertise. And then there were last minute changes due to mudslides in the western part of the South Island. Ana and team jumped into action and re-arranged - over the weekend!!- and even got us refunds. I am truly impressed with Ana, her team, and our entire experience. Bravo!

Overall, our experience was mediocre with this company. My traveling partner and myself were very clear on what we were looking for and feel as if the vacation was tailored to their needs (I.e. where they had hotel connections etc) rather than ours. For example, we were told ALL of Australia is on vacation and the nightlife out definitely be there. Most places were ghost towns and even the locals said it was their dead time to 'come back in their winter'. We enjoyed our trip because we made it the best we could with the LARGE investment but ultimately would have done several things differently.

From the moment I left LAX on February 2nd to the moment I flew from Brisbane on February 15th, my trip to Australia was nothing less than perfection. Darin was FABULOUS from the first time I talked to him I felt like I had a bond with a best friend. He answered all my "dumb" questions every time I called or sent him an email. The excursions he booked were excellent....I don't think I have a favorite because the entire trip was in my top three of all my vacations. I am planning on booking a trip to Australia and of course Darin from About Australia will be my travel guide.

Booking with About Australia was easy. I gave our agent our dates and what we wanted to do and she came back with an itinerary and price. We adjusted a couple items, she made the changes and we were ready to go. There were 2 small glitches while we were on the trip. One was a tour cancellation but they rebooked us to a free day and it actually worked out better. The other was the tour operator trying to pick us up from the wrong hotel, luckily we called them and they came over right away. As a suggestion for improvement, I wish that we could have had more visibility into the price breakdowns and choice of hotels. For example, our 2nd hotel was quite strange, we went up the elevator, then had to go down 10 steps to get to our room. Not easy with luggage. If we had a choice, we may have wanted to pay a little more for a better hotel. Overall, Koda got us what we asked for and worked with us to make it happen seamlessly and enjoyably.

The hotel at Gold Coast was great. Accommodations in Cairns were just so so. A pool was advertised but it was actually a block away at the mother hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, no one was there to check us in. Sydney hotel was also mediocre at best.

Ana did a great job with booking all flights, hotels and vouchers. They put together a complicated trip and made it look easy. We had very few mishaps except for the private car pick up in Melbourne from LA, which we could not locate our ride and the transportation company put the blame on us. Besides that we had a great trip and experience. I highly recommend using "About Australia" for your next trip to Australia.

We had a wonderful time in Australia, and were very impressed with the quality of the hotels and excursions, especially considering the amazingly low price we paid for the trip. All of the buses showed up on time and everything went as planned. We have been recommending About Australia to all our friends. Thank you!

Booking our trip to Australia with About Australia was the easiest thing I ever did. Marissa our agent customized the trip to fit our family needs and they took care of everything. If I ever had a question she answered it right away. We just had to show up on time to meet our shuttles. The views and tours were amazing and spectacular.

Excellent and friendly, helpful service. Ana "held my hand" every step of the way and was extremely helpful and responsive to all my questions and needs. I only wish we'd had one more day in Sydney and 1 less day in Cairns. Otherwise, everything was PERFECT (well, except for the screaming 4 year old kicking the back of my seat on the way home

The trip was absolutely amazing, the tours were fantastic and more than we expected. Would absolutely do it all again (Barrier Reef, Rainforest and Waterfall, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Sydney Harbor, Opera House, and Sydney Harbor Aquarium). So many experiences and memories ! Thank you About Australia! We have already recommended you to friends