Review: Australia Vacation, Sydney, Port Douglas, Hamilton Island, Aboriginal Culture, New Year's Eve Show

We would not make any restaurant reservations. Eating anything would have been better than most of the restaurant experiences we had. The waits were too long and the quality and variety of options left much to be desired. The New Years Experience would have been better from a local hotel room rather than the long walk and expensive, but limited viewing we had.

TRAVEL COMPANY COMMENTS: 

We are very pleased that this multi-family group appreciated our high level of service throughout the year-long booking process leading up to their Christmas & New Years adventure in Australia. The Aboriginal tour is one of our personal favorites, so we’re thrilled that the group found this to be a highlight of their trip to Australia! Privately guided experiences are particularly special at such a busy time of year, as it is easy to get lost in the masses otherwise.

We know that the group carefully selected the restaurants that they wanted to reserve, and we are sorry to hear that the dining experiences left a lot to be desired. The service standard in Australia is certainly different than what we are used to, which is only exacerbated by the fact that the restaurants are completely maxed out over the holiday period. Fortunately the private chef and in-house catering that we arranged for several days of their vacation worked very well for this group.

New Years in Sydney is a phenomenal experience, but certainly not without its challenges due to crowds, road closures, and high cost for accommodations and special New Years Eve events. Booking hotel rooms with a view of the Harbour over New Years Eve involves very strict booking and payment policies, which was not an option for this group due to their requirement for flexibility in the planning process, but their actual accommodation in an old Victorian-style house was perfect for their group size and boutique style. Their New Years Eve experience at the Sydney Opera House included a performance and fireworks viewing from the deck…as this is one of the most popular New Years Eve experiences, the viewing space is shared with a maxed out crowd of other New Years Eve revelers.