12 Apostles,great Ocean Road Tour - Hotel Pickup & Free Entries

Very disappointing experience. I provided my hotel address when completing the booking form and understood that I would be picked up there. While waiting for the bus, I contacted the operator early on to let them know I was waiting at the address I had provided. I did not receive a response until I was told the bus would be leaving in five minutes from a location that was an 18-minute walk away. That left me no reasonable opportunity to get there. I missed the tour entirely, and my refund request was denied. They offered to reschedule, which was not possible because I was flying out the next day. Being charged for a service I never received, despite communicating while waiting, is unacceptable. The lack of timely communication and the handling of my refund request left me extremely disappointed. I would not book again.

Steve was great and did not rush us. Lucked out with weather and pix look like a screen saver. Found some koala. Had good food at George's.

The driver did not show up, nor did the company contacted us using any form of communication. It is a hotel pickup and no car showed up.

The whole experience felt relaxed and scenic. Guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about showing us the best of the Great Ocean Road. The pace was perfect—not too fast, not too slow.

We didn’t get to go on this trip as it was cancelled on us at the last minute. We had no communication from them until after 10 o’clock the night before via what’s app. I admit I had just gone to bed & got a fright when my phone rang & then I received messages about pick up time which was 45 minutes earlier than I had been advised 6:15am. I asked some questions about duration & drop off & was then advised they had cancelled the trip. They are now considering whether I will receive reimbursement.

我選擇飯店pick up，當天早上我在飯店門口等待，但我的導遊是在飯店對面的轉角打國際電話叫我過去，這部分如果是買網卡沒有當地電話聯絡方式的話可能會有點疑慮。 當天早上有兩個工作人員在車上，一個比較會跟大家講話，暫時稱呼他為導遊；一個不說話比較是司機的感覺。一開出市區，導遊就下車了，接下來全程都只剩下司機在車上，不僅每次集合時間說的不清不楚，沒有任何景點講解，也不會幫大家拍照，不會介紹有什麼食物推薦買，只會開車到某個點，車門打開，集合時間還要團員問老半天，完全就是一個司機。 另外，這個團雖然叫反向大洋路，但不會在大洋路地標上拍照，開大洋路的過程，司機也完全不會提醒或是找個咖啡廳停下來給大家駐足拍照，就真的是沿途風景而已。 建議可以參加其他旅行社的行程，沒有必要花差不多的錢參加只有司機的團。 I chose the hotel pick-up option. On the morning of the tour, I waited at the entrance of my hotel, but my guide was actually at the corner across the street making an international phone call to ask me to come over. If someone only purchases a SIM card without a local phone number, this situation could be quite concerning. That morning, there were two staff members on the vehicle. One was more talkative and interacted with everyone — I’ll temporarily refer to him as the guide. The other didn’t speak and seemed more like the driver. Once we left the city center, the guide got off the vehicle. For the rest of the trip, only the driver remained. Not only were the meeting times unclear each time, but there was also no introduction to any of the attractions, no help with taking photos, and no recommendations for food to try. He would simply drive to a location, open the door, and we had to repeatedly ask about the meeting time. He was purely just a driver. In addition, although this tour is called the “Reverse Great Ocean Road,” there was no photo stop at the Great Ocean Road sign. While driving along the Great Ocean Road, the driver did not make any reminders or stop at a café or designated viewpoint for photos. It was simply just passing scenery along the way. I would recommend choosing a different travel agency. There is no need to spend nearly the same amount of money on a tour that only provides a driver instead of a proper guided experience.

AVOID!!! The experience differed substantially from what was advertised in the tour description. While I was genuinely looking forward to this “boutique luxury” experience, several key elements were not delivered as promised. First, the tour was scheduled to start at 7:30 AM, yet we did not leave the city until close to 9:00 AM, significantly impacting the day’s itinerary. The transportation also did not reflect a luxury or boutique experience. We traveled in a local 10-seater cab where passengers sat facing backward toward each other, which made the long journey uncomfortable. The itinerary stated that the reverse route would allow us to beat the crowds; however, massive crowds were already present at the first major stops. Additionally, you will not have time to see all the places listed. The listing also referenced informative guides, but there was no guided experience provided, just a taxi driver; the driver simply transported us between locations. The driver was friendly enough though! Most concerning was discovering that other passengers paid approximately $45 for essentially the same tour, while I paid $162. Even the driver was surprised by how much I paid for. Given the significant gap between the advertised experience and what was delivered, this pricing feels unreasonable and misleading. Overall, the experience fell far short of expectations and of what was advertised.

There wasn't a lot of direction from our guide. I'm accustomed to a more 'hands on" approach from guides, but this tour was more "go do your thing" than much guidance. There was quite a bit of confusion with booking as well. Two separate groups were told online that they would be dropped off at their starting places (i.e. door to door transfer), but that is not the case. Our guide was nice, but I didn't feel very engaged.

Our guide was a great driver, but not a good guide. We booked this tour last minute and it was a bit expensive compared to some others, but then we did have the advantage of travelling with a smaller group. Know that it is a long day…about 12 hours, and you will feel sleepy so maybe carry a neck pillow, refreshments and some food (lunch is to be arranged by yourself). Loved apollo bay - def try the fish and chips and have them by the beach. We also stopped for pictures which was great, and were able to spot koalas and kangaroos

Amazing spots with a fantastic guide! Ray was our guide and made sure that we were able to see the wild koalas and kangaroos. The 12 Apostles were just amazing! What a great itinerary!!

Fantastic tour Ray was great. Got to see the kangaroos and places we visited were amazing. Food recommendations were good

Experienced driver Day tour was amazing planned according to our timing we are on time back we have been taken to extra secret stops as some of them are closed koalas, 🦘kangaroos were spotted wild and huge one we are lucky

Good and great drive driver was friendly in time helped us it was a great experience highly recommended driver was very generous

Drive was good all free entry and helicopter ride was great and great ocean scenic drive was spectacular with great views all day

Great experience free entry 10 hours full day low crowd reverse trip was well organised weather was sunny driver was friendly

Private Tour - free upgrade as no more passengers in our tour bus was tidy and comfortable experience was great well planned

Great ocean private was booked followed by city tour very comfortable vehicle and lunch spot was great excellent experience

Well planned we have arranged pickup from cruise on time pickup and drop us back we have a kid need more flexibility if required to come back early driver was on time and reached cruise on time between missed some spots but we have requested it 💯 recommended

had good experience during travel. reasonable price. Very good atmosphere and staff is welcoming. best if you go by group.

We had a great experience with AR Tours. Our tour guide was very well informed and planned our tour according to our need as we were travelling with a 3 year old kid. His car was big and spacious and was very comfortable fitted with a child seat. We stopped at the primary spots took photos. The tour was not rushed and spent enough time at each spot. We had good breakfast at a popular bakery and had a good lunch at a very popular Cafe at Apollo Bay. Overall a very good experience and would highly recommend AR Tours.

We booked a small group and had 45 people in a 53 seater bus. We did not do the National park walk or chocolate factory. We stopped many times for koalas and kangaroos which was not required. We also did other sites eg lighthouse and memorial to workers which were not included. We also booked pick up and drop off for convenience. They supplied an uber to get there but were not dropped home. Our driver was amazing. However, not the day we booked. Very disappointed in the day.

Wow, the Great Ocean Road trip exceeded all my expectations! The stunning ocean views, iconic landmarks like the Twelve Apostles, and charming coastal towns made for an unforgettable adventure. The scenery was breathtaking, and I felt like I was in awe every few minutes. If you're looking for a road trip that combines natural beauty, adventure, and relaxation, this is it. Can't wait to come back and explore more!