4-Day Coastal Loop Via Monkey Mia Wild Dolphins Kalbarri Pinnacles Perth Return

Reviews

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  SmilingKodiak 2

  23 Nov 2019

  I was disappointed that, in my view, the Autopia Tour website is misleading about the quality of this tour. It is a very basic, do-it-yourself, backpacker tour. With the meals, the guests are expected to help haul the food and equipment from the vehicle, set it up, help cook, and clean up afterward. I would have had no problem with that if that was how it was presented. But when told I will be provided breakfast, lunch and dinner, that isn’t what I expect. The standard of accommodation on the first and last nights was abominable. We paid for the “Private Twin/Double” upgrade, taking note that “Private ensuite facilities are not available at every property”. In fact, ensuite facilities are not available at any property this tour chooses to use. The first night was at a hostel which was simply filthy. The last night was a “farm stay” which, while cleaner, had rooms of a quality one would expect as a farm hand at harvest time, or perhaps a detention centre on Manus Island. The toilet facilities were a hundred meters from the rooms, up an unlit rocky, brush covered hill in a converted shipping container. Notably, the middle night stay at the RAC facility in Monkey Mia was quite decent. In considering this tour, be aware that there is a LOT of time spent in the bus, about seven hours a day. No complaint there; that is what I signed up for. In retrospect, it is trying to cram too much into too little time. The bus itself was a small 13-passenger van with 13 passengers. Generally, it was reasonably comfortable, although crowded. Oddly, despite operating in an environment where 40+ degree days are common, there were no curtains, leaving the passengers on the sunny side to bake. Our guide was cheerful and enthusiastic, making the best of all situations. She was also a very good, safe driver. It was, however, her first tour in WA, so she was not very knowledgeable about the locations we visited, and I think Autopia let her (and us) down in that she was not well briefed. This tour is new to Autopia’s offerings. As Autopia Tours has a very good reputation, I suspect they, too, would be disappointed by the quality of this tour. Perhaps they are fulfilling the accommodation contracts of a previous operator, and will upgrade from the dismal offerings we got – but that is just a guess on my part. Let’s hope so.

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  Jean T 5

  12 Apr 2019

  This was an amazing trip our guide was outstanding. Worth every penny. On the downside the accommodation was on a Dorm basis I would suggest upgrading this the third nights accommodation was like going back to the middle ages otherwise a fantastic trip made possible by the Guide Mick L totally amazing and great fun Thank you

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