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March 2019 by Debbie Chapa
I went to AU in 2004 and had a fabulous time. I spent 3 weeks there, lovedevery minute.
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March 2019 by vivian chan
Back in 1999, we've used a local California travel agent to plan our first trip to Australia and it was an amazing trip for my husband and I. We always wanted to visit NZ but never made it there until 2 years ago. When I called the phone number on the booklet from 1999, Karen picked up the phone. Then I found out the California agent has retired and sold her business to Karen. Thank god Karen has kept the local phone number so that we could go on another fabulous trip. Karen did an excellent job. This year we wanted to bring our son to Great Barrier Reef so I contacted Karen again. We just came back from Australia and Fiji after a 2 week trip. Again, our third trip was great too. I am not going to get into all the details of our trip here. I've read a one star review on Google which really surprised me. Yes, Karen may repeat itineraries sometimes, after all she mainly handles just Australia and NZ areas. I never actually compared her cost to my cost if I had planned it myself. To be fair, I wouldn't be able to find all the personal small group tours even with the wonderful internet we've had today. And even if I could find them online, I would have to spend hours and hours to put together these trips myself. Working with Karen is basically stress free. You tell her what you like and she caters to your needs. The last 2 trips were planned in the last minute. I wouldn't have done it without Karen. We had a more luxury trip to NZ 2 years ago. I asked Karen to control the cost this time because my son was coming with us and he might not care for all the perks as much as I did anyway. Karen did it. It's a business for Karen and of course she has to make money too. Personal tours/excursions cost a lot more, plus all the pick ups and drop offs. They are not Uber drivers, they are very reliable, pick you up on time every time. I seriously double Karen would make 1/2 of what she charged. Talking about drivers, we found out later that Vlad, the gentleman who picked us up at Sydney airport this time was the same person who picked us up 20 years ago! When they work with the same people for 20 years, they must have done something right. We had couple issues during this trip and Karen was very quick to respond. I think she deserves 5 stars. I highly recommend her and Australia 2000 Travel!
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March 2019 by Pamela Day
Using the services of Australia 2000 Travel made what we had expected to a memorable trip into something so much more than that. We spent a month touring Australia and New Zealand and the entire month was completely stress-free. Before the trip we spoke at length with Karen about our interest and types of activities we like to participate in while traveling. Karen was able to put together a trip which was completely tailored to our interests. All the arrangements made for airport transfers, small and private guided tours and other activities went off without a hitch. The guides we had were all excellent. the Accommodations selected for us were well-located and perfect for our needs. We had all the convenience of a "group" tour without the frustration of having to deal with group scheduling and an itinerary designed for a group of diverse interests and physicality instead of for us personally. We have and will continue to recommend Australia 2000 Travel to anyone we know considering an Australia/New Zealand adventure.
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March 2019 by Pasha Sabouri
If I could give this Agency 0 stars I would. We paid for a 5 star vacation to Australia for almost three weeks almost $30,000 to be exact and were so disappointed on so many levels. Hotels that were completely unacceptable and outdated with blood on the sheets. Transports there were supposed to be luxury that were Kia vans. This trip was a nightmare from start to finish and it was so bad that we didn’t even want to deal with Karen who was our trip coordinator because every excuse that she could come up with was just ridiculous. Yes we are from the states and no we are not used to giant geckos sleeping above our heads in a room and yes that is something that should be told to you before you get to a resort. She skimmed on costs and pocketed a lot of money. When we broke down all of the costs from our trip it was about half what we paid her. Karen basically recycled the same trip and gives it to everyone no matter what they are paying for and pretends like she’s customized your itinerary. Did I mention that every luxury hotel room we went to had a kitchenette? Yeah not so luxury...also, the beds had been used so much they had indentations in them. If you would like to see pictures I have the whole trip documented. Feel free to ask and I will gladly share. What a disaster.
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March 2018 by Joseph Lint
Great experiences and great customer service! Loved Australia and New Zealand! Couldn't have done it without Karen!!
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March 2018 by Ruth Jones-Pfingst
This is the third time we have traveled with Karen as our invisible fairy godmother. She arranged everything beautifully, there were no problems anywhere, and we just floated along on the magic carpet she provided for us and enjoyed ourselves without having to concern ourselves with pesky details. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a teeny bit, but really, from our arrival this time in Adelaide to our departure from Sydney, most all of our needs were anticipated and met, and the tours, accommodations, and events she selected with our input were top notch. Our stay at the unique Prairie Hotel in the outback (note: amazing sunsets and stars) and our private tour of the Flinders Ranges were a revelation. Visiting the aptly named Kangaroo Island was a treat for our nature-loving selves; discovering Sydney and attending a spectacular opera performance outdoors, and visiting the excellent art museum, sated our cultural appetites. Sailing in Sydney Harbor was heaven. One can't go wrong asking Australia 2000 Travel to design your holiday!
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March 2018 by Dawn Minch
Thank you, Australia 2000. Our trip to Australia and wedding that was orchestrated by your team was everything we could have dreamed and more. From the moment we landed in Sydney, every detail of our travel was exquisite. The escort company that Australia 2000 selected, met us at the airport, took us on a tour of Sydney and transported us to airports, were professional, friendly and informative. The owner, Karen, made sure that our accommodations were top notch. Our hotel, Radisson Blue, was within walking distance of the Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens, the Rocks and so much more in Sydney. She extended our trip in Australia to include Tasmania, where we stayed at a transformed cannery, The Henry Jones, located on the bay in Hobart. The décor was old world charm with contemporary room accommodations. It was one of the many highlights of our visit to Australia.Karen knew that we have a passion for wine and opera and incorporated this into our vacation. She arranged a backstage tour of the Sydney Opera House and tickets to an outdoor stage performance of “Turandot”. The evening included dinner at the Platinum Club, a moving performance and fireworks during the opera. They were many more delightful experiences in Sydney but I must move on to Tasmania and share that portion of our trip also. This is where Karen and Australia 2000 fused our love of wine and our wedding into our trip.My husband and I had a fleeting thought of the possibility of eloping during our trip to Australia and shared this with Karen. From that thought a beautiful wedding was created and performed at a winery in Tasmania, Frogmore Creek, by a celebrant that was handpicked from many interviewed, Bridget. This was all accomplished by the expert minds at Australia 2000. The vineyard wedding was followed a 14-course luncheon at the winery. The next day we departed for our memorable rustic honeymoon on Maria Island, a beautiful National Park, for 4 days and 3 nights. I must explain that Maria Island has been reborn as a well-maintained haven for hikers and campers. Accessible only by boat, my husband and I comfortably experienced the wilds of Australia as we were chaperoned by guides that cooked, nursed and shared their knowledge of the island as we trekked across Maria. If you have ever heard the term or dreamed of “glamping” you must experience this part of our trip. Everything was 5-star from the guides, meals, rugged huts and evenings with candelabras and wine. By the way, we did “see the southern cross for the first time” while on the island! The boat picked us up after our last breakfast on Maria and whisked us off to the Hobart airport for a quick flight back to Sydney.We had one more night at the Radisson Blue and spent the evening relaxing and discussing how soon we could come back. We were saddened when our driver arrived at the hotel in the morning to take us to the airport and send us home. I will finish with, “of all trips we’ve ever taken, this trip of two weeks in Australia is the only one that we still remember every single moment”.Thank you, Karen and Australia 2000 team, for all the efforts that went into the arrangements and ensuring that every detail of our trip was 5-star plus.
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March 2018 by Donna Mann
When my husband and I decided to go to New Zealand and Australia to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, we turned to Karen and her team at Australia 2000 to help us plan it.At our first meeting, we talked to Karen about the places that interested us, the types of things we liked to do, and discussed our budget. Then Karen used her knowledge of the area and her extensive contacts to develop the itinerary and recommend hotels, tours and experiences for us.Karen chose a nice mix of B&B-type lodgings as well as traditional hotels. All were well located and offered excellent service and food. She also arranged transportation and a number of great excursions for us.We really appreciated Karen’s suggestions and her expertise. There is no way we could have put together this kind of trip on our own, and we would have missed some amazing experiences had we tried. Plus we met so many wonderful and interesting people along the way who not only helped us out, but also were excited to share the places they lived with us. Knowing there were local people we could call if we had any problems made us confident that we would enjoy our trip to the fullest. If you want a customized and personal vacation, turn to Karen and her team at Australia 2000. They won’t disappoint!
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April 2017 by Christopher M.
When my husband and I decided to go to New Zealand and Australia to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, we turned to Karen and her team at Australia 2000 to help us plan it. At our first meeting, we talked to Karen about the places that interested us, the types of things we liked to do, and discussed our budget. Then Karen used her knowledge of the area and her extensive contacts to develop the itinerary and recommend hotels, tours and experiences for us. Karen chose a nice mix of B&B-type lodgings as well as traditional hotels. All were well located and offered excellent service and food. She also arranged transportation and a number of great excursions for us. We really appreciated Karen's suggestions and her expertise. There is no way we could have put together this kind of trip on our own, and we would have missed some amazing experiences had we tried. Plus we met so many wonderful and interesting people along the way who not only helped us out, but also were excited to share the places they lived with us. Knowing there were local people we could call if we had any problems made us confident that we would enjoy our trip to the fullest. If you want a customized and personal vacation, turn to Karen and her team at Australia 2000. They won't disappoint!
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March 2017 by Heather Steel
I truly can't say enough good things about Karen! She planned our honeymoon/symbolic ceremony at the Four Seasons in Bora Bora perfectly. I think plan may be an understatement; she handled everything, down to the smallest detail. All we had to do was simply show up and have the time of our lives. I am an inexperienced traveler and definitely could not have done it with out her. I would highly, highly recommend Australia 2000 travel and Karen!
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April 2014 by C W.
Karen is AMAZING!!!! She planned our honeymoon to Australia and really has provided us with great service and an awesome vacation. She and her husband are from Australia so she knows the area very well AND she has a counterpart in Australia in case anything goes amiss!
