Travel Review: Luxury Australia Vacation, Cairns, Melbourne, Sydney, Port Douglas, Outback Safari, Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling

A am giving this travel company a 5 star rating - here's why.

I wanted to go to Australia to experience it as an adventure, NOT from a cabana as a lounge lizard numbed by boat drinks like other holidays we've taken. This travel agency made it so and exceed my every expectation.

Booking Experience

I used Zicasso and received responses for my 21 day trip that covered the Eastern portion of the Country South to North as well as the Australian Outback.  I discussed what I wanted with the agents and received two quotes for nearly identical itineraries.  Our travel agency's quote was a FULL 50% less than the competitor, needless to say I was happy and nervous at the same time.  I really researched the reviews and looked around other sources and from what I could see this company's rating was among the highest of all the competitors.   I was in constant communication with our agent, who was a native Aussie and in the end went with her as I felt she knew Australia much better than I could ever know it.

I WAS GLAD I DID!

The Trip

The experience was nothing short of Awesome from the moment we left LAX until we returned.  We had drivers waiting for us at every airport.  The hotels we stayed in where 4 star or better and were situated in the center of town so getting around by subway, trolley or walking was a breeze.   There was not one problem with check-in anywhere.  We really didn't have to pay any extra costs for the stuff we had pre-booked.

Every tour or excursion we took they picked us up where we were staying and were waiting for us.  We got VIP treatment at each; and I don't mean the service was VIP.  I mean we got extra rights and amenities such as special pictures, better food, and the best seats for things that offered more than one class.  Others where shelling out extra, but all that extra stuff was included.

In the end we definitely had the adventure of a life time.  From seeing Kangaroos in the wild (on the side of the road) to Koalas, ferry penguins, wild parrots just flying around camels, crocs and more.  We went on an Outback Safari and saw once in a life time sunrises at Uluru (Ayers Rock) where the sky filled with bright yellow and red to Kata Tjutu and Kings Canyon.  We saw wild Dingos, poisonous brown and taipan snakes and stars that filled the sky like I only ever saw in high-school science books.

We didn't rough it either.  One night in the middle of the Outback we were treated to an amazing  4 star dinner that started with kangaroo and crocodile horderves with fine champagne and wine.  A didgeridoo and aboriginal dance was provided for entertainment.  We were served filet minoin cooked to order, local vegetables, fish and chicken if you wanted it.  All served on open air tables with white table clothes and silver; simply amazing.  Afterward, we got the see the "Field of Lights".  [side note: I wish I did the Astronomy Event they had - people who did said it was amazing].

We also stayed in Port Douglas, an amazing up scale town in the North where we visited The Great Barrier Reef on a private island and saw sharks from the boat.  We snorkeled and saw incredible sea life and met so many very cool people.  We had access to two marine biologists who were on the trip with us and gave us tours and answered all our questions with passion.  The next day we got to go with a local Aboriginal guide, who was a real local.  I mean this guys and his family just drove up in their van and took us for a nature tour like they would for some relative they knew and wanted to show around.  It was not some commercial deal - it was really cool.  We even went to his house and had lunch.  He showed us all kinds of secluded places he hung out as a kid and took us to a beach where no one (other than us) could be seen for 10 miles North and South.  We walked out in the low tide and spear fished barefoot from the sand.  If you go you will love Port Douglas.

Besides the Outback we did the eastern cities, first Melbourne and lastly Sydney.  Both amazing places where we went wine tasting and surfing, drove to animal sanctuaries and art centers (I love street art).  If you go to Sydney you must see the "New Town" district.  It is an art community and very interesting as it is going through its gentrification and is loaded with very unique shops and restaurants; I would liken it to Echo Park in LA.  We did tour the Sydney Opera House which was cool, but the best thing was during the tour the guide mentioned that sometimes in the afternoon the promoters release the tickets they didn't give away.  As it so happened Josh Groban had 4 sold out shows that week.  I walked up to the box office and asked if they had any released tickets.  The lady said, you are in luck they just got released for tonight - long story short my wife and I sat 5th row center for box office price at a concert that had been sold out 9 months earlier.  If you can see a concert in the Sydney Opera House do it!  it is incredible.

There was a ton more things we did but I included some of the main ones.  I took over 2000 pictures and videos.  Be warned we often were up at 5:30 am each day and didn't get back until 8p at night lots of time, but we also had leisure days which we used to do our own thing.  My wife tracked our travels on her fitbit and we walked 5-12 miles a day.  But if I had to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat.

All that said, that is why I Booked with this company and why I love our agent.

Fred