5 Star Review from Dianne.
Had a wonderful time on our holiday. May weather in Tasmaina was a little cold in the mornings but we had lovely days with only one day of rain - but that was on a day of full travelling, so was ok. All accommodation and food was very good, only one older room which required a little updating but was nice and clean. Had a great bus driver Catch (Gary), never felt unsafe with his driving and we had many challenging roads very friendly to all passengers and helpful. Our tour director Daniel was also very good and he mixed well with fellow passengers and did have some lame jokes lol. Got to see some extra beautiful places not on tour which where on the way. Could have spent more time at Port Arthur. Bridestowe lavender estate was a little disappointing as wrong time of year for seeing the fields of lavender. Russell falls is a must see so wonderful. Extra tour at own cost to Bruny Island is well worth the cost $235 great whole day meals included. Franklin Gordon river cruise another great day very relaxing pace up the river some of the most beautiful scenery and great food onboard. Seeing the little penguins was worth the extra cost of $40 very cute. Beaconsfield mine was very interesting tour. Only disappointment were the bus seats which where not really suited for long touring, not much room for two people so was very uncomfortable for ten days on bus. Would highly recommend TravelMarvel and they have been very helpful in trying times with Covid always keeping us informed. Driver was at airport to pick us up on time. Had a lovely group of fellow travelers would recommend Tasmania as a great destination to go.
5 Star Review from JP & M.
We’re glad that we joined this tour. The tour director and driver were very nice and funny. The quality of hotels and included meals were excellent. We were fortunate with the weather except in Cradle Mountain. It was cold whole time but bearable. Our highlight of the tour was Port Arthur, Gordon river cruise, Russell falls and also some small towns where we stopped for a break were nice. In ten days trip we covered most of Tasmania. The fellow travelers were also lovely. We enjoyed very much. Finally thank you so much, Global Journeys, for organizing this wonderful trip.
4 Star Review from Ean & Joan.
This TravelMarvel tour was booked through Global Journeys, Noosa Heads; and was a trip that had been deferred due to COVID. The Kimberley itself is beautiful. Not much to see by coach and quite a lot of hours gazing out the window at termite mounds, red dirt and boab trees, but guide Wally and driver John made the trip a lot of fun with their knowledge of the geological history and people of the Kimberley, and with their constant anecdotes. The boat trips on the gorges and narration by local guides was fascinating. There are optional extras such as helicopter tours. The accommodation was better than expected, having regard to the remoteness of the towns and the COVID issues. All the included meals were very good. There were plenty of bathroom stops and even though some of the facilities were rudimentary, they were all clean. It was a fun trip. The ship part of the tour was excellent. We were aboard the Coral Adventurer which is part of the Coral Expeditions Fleet. Just under 100 passengers and about 35 crew. The passengers all got on well and the crew were fabulous. The ship is modern and 1st class. Beautiful staterooms, clean and modern facilities throughout with a very good dining area. There is plenty of food and the menu is set. So much of it is seafood and there is always 2 choices for each course. My small criticism of the food is that there was not much variety for those who don't eat seafood, and sometimes the meals were not as hot as they could have been. The servers and kitchen staff (as with the rest of the crew) were all very friendly and worked so hard to please. Every day on the ship was another adventure as we were put in the 2 tenders and taken to islands, waterfalls and other features. Each boat had an expert guide on board and their knowledge of the indigenous peoples, fauna, and flora was amazing. These 2 guides would also give lectures at night. We had the run of the ship and were permitted to enter the engine room and bridge (escorted). We wandered past the bridge one night and we were called in and sat in the captain's and chief mate's seats and shown how to sail the ship. Unfortunately, we had to disembark when our cruise ended. We originally booked the tour for travel in August 2020 but due to COVID we could not travel until May 2021. Global Journeys, Noosa Heads were very good. Their communication and attention to detail from when we first booked in 2019 to when we finished our tour was first class and we would have no hesitation in recommending them. We would not book another TravelMarvel tour. I found their communication was poor (even allowing for COVID), and they had never advised our coach guide (their employee) that we would have to have a COVID test three days prior to boarding the ship. He was surprised when we told him and he had to ring TravelMarvel for instructions. Even then we nearly missed out on our cruise because they stuffed that up as well. It was only by the grace of our guide and Sullivan Nicolaides in Darwin that we finally made it. All in all, a great tour.
4 Star Review from Lindsay.
Most enjoyable outback, outdoor experience. As an inexperienced tour traveller I found the single supplement punitive. The base cost, on the other hand, was quite good value. Travelling shortly after COVID restrictions were lifted meant accommodation services were lacking or accident prone - as might be expected. Vehicle supplied was of poor quality - especially considering the long distances involved and the quality of other tourist transport on the same roads. Good time of year to travel. Small group of similar demographic worked very well.
5 Star Review from Peter & Sue.
Tour group was excellent and well managed by Travelmarvel. What could have been frustrating was organised well with the way bus seat rotation was implemented - everyone was happy. We travelled over 4000km and had a good taste of the country and culture with excellent information, much of it humorous, from the tour leader. We would have enjoyed more photo opportunities but the roads just did not allow a large bus to park safely at times. For the length of the tour time spent in places was appropriate. Tour provided a great overview of NZ.
