A family experience of Sydney to Great Barrier Reef We rated this trip based on the activities and the places we stayed, which were very good. However, after leaving Sydney where everything was wonderful, things went downhill. The problems were based around the misinformation given to providers of the shuttle services and using the cheapest form of transfer. This resulted in being taken to the wrong hotel, and time (hours) wasted when we should have been settled and enjoying our holiday together as a family. Rather than sitting back and relaxing we found the whole experience extremely disappointing and stressful. The rail journey was terrible, 2hrs 40 mins late then it broke down. Not your fault but according to locals this service is unreliable always late and prone to breakdowns. The seats were uncomfortable, carriage was stuffy, no interesting scenery, inability to call or use the internet, absolutely nothing special about this train. Again, a total waste of 14 hours on that day. Our only complaint about the accommodation is the Mantra where we went without hot water to our 3 rooms, not good after a day on the beach, and while our accommodation at Airlie Beach was good, we were more than 2 kilometers away from shops etc., and without a transport service. Luckily, I found the Whitsundays tours had a shuttle; it would make sense to include it. To void any more stressful situations we finally hired a car in Cairns for the rest of our trip. Using a more efficient shuttle service and the suggestions I have written in your 'Review Company' section would make the tour better and the costs would not be that much different as I have already checked it out..
Everyone at the tour operator was so helpful throughout the whole experience, all my questions were answered promptly and fully. I am looking forward to going on another trip with the tour operator soon!
Great weather and fantastic service The whole hot air balloon experience was great because the weather, the crew and the fantastic service were perfect. Our pilot (Andy) was very friendly and an amazing leader to show us the most attractive places in Melbourne from the sky. We took great pictures of the Rod Laver Arena, MCG stadium, F1 track, and the beautiful city of Melbourne. The experience didn't stop there as we're taken to have a delicious buffet breakfast with a wonderful view at the Sofitel Hotel. We highly recommend "Picture This Ballooning" for this experience because they arranged our early pickup, took care of us during the trip and finally dropped us off at our next destination.