Sean's tours have a justifiably high reputation and we had high expectations. We were not disappointed - far from it. In retrospect, our trip to the Margaret River region would have been much the poorer if we hadn't been able to take one of Sean's tours.

Sean is very much the tour and his personal touch makes the day a success. His knowledge and insights are interesting and he has great skill making sure everyone is well looked after.

We took the discovery tour and recommend it highly. The only reason we didn't book both tours was that, sadly, our time was restricted.

A friend of mine from the US was visiting Perth for the first time and was keen to go to Margaret River and experience the wine country. I decided to book us both on a tour and wanted a behind the scenes type tour as opposed to the usual just cellar doors experience. Due to the timing of our visit we booked the “Best of the Best Wine Tour” and settled into the very comfortable 4WD for the day’s touring. Unlike other tours Sean, our guide & owner of the tour company, only takes a max of 6 people for every tour, so it is really like seeing the countryside with friends more than a formal tour. We visited 3 wineries – an up and coming one, a small boutique type winery and a large very well known winery – Cape Mentelle. This was by far the most interesting of the visits as it included a walk through the winery, from the vineyard itself to the storage sheds and Julie from Cape Mentelle described many of the modern day wine making techniques. She also took us into a wine cellar where we sampled a degustation menu and learnt how to pair wine with food. For those of us who enjoy both wine and food, it was really interesting to learn how to really taste wine – like the pros – and to see the differences the right or the wrong wine makes to the taste of the food you pair it with. The tour also included a 4WD ride through the bush to the cliffs where we took a short walk on the “Cape to Cape” trail and enjoyed views of the water, saw snake tracks in the sand and sampled some local honey – a treat from Sean on the day. The key differences that this tour had over other more conventional tours were: a small tour group of up to 6, a view of the Margaret River Region that showed nature & its beauty as well as its influences on wine making in the region, the price point is definitely higher but good value for money if you only have a short time in the area and want a well rounded perspective that isn’t just the cellar door. Don’t get me wrong, we did have opportunities to buy wine too but it wasn’t the total focus of the tour nor was it something that was expected of guests of Sean. I would highly recommend the tour to anyone looking for a more holistic view of the Margaret River region, who wants to learn more about wine making in general and is interested in the pairing of wine with food. Sean is an informative, laid back guide with lots of tips, hints and suggestions from driving in the region to the best wines. Sean also took time to include viewings of wild kangaroos which was a highlight of the day for my friend who had only seen kangaroos previously in zoos.

Whilst luckily it was beautiful weather on the 2 days me and the husband spent with Sean, I think this statement quite nicely highlights the key to his company's success - Sean's flexible sense of humour and determination to please irrespective of potential obstacles.

Despite the recent fires, the regions tourist attractions have fortunately been largely unaffected - Sean tells us he lost equiptment and some of his favourite walks but has cleaverly re mastered his program to avoid the burnt areas of national park.

As a couple in our late 20s we were joined on both days by couples who love to travel - day 1 couples in their 60s and day 2 (winery tour day) couples our age. Both were great company, with many a tale spurred on by Sean's careful attention to ensuring all members of the group are kept engaged.

Apart from being flexible and having a host who is a natural people person, this company appears to have a genuine solid base of support from the community and it is these special relationships which produce such special experiences.

Tips: if you can, do both. Sean can adjust the program to avoid overlap as he did for us.

Even those with a little bit of wine knowledge would enjoy the wine experience day.

The trips are leisurely paced days, with a gentle paddle being the main energetic activity - dont expect hour long hikes - but luxuriously fabulous in that they shamelessly allow you to relax and be escorted in a rather fun 4x4 to some of the best bits of the region.

I understand there are whales to be seen in winter.... May be next time?

My wife and I booked both the discovery tour and the wine tour for consecutive days and found that Sean was a fantastic guide that really knows his stuff! From the exclusive visits to wineries that dont have a cellar door to the tracks he has trimmed back himself to allow access to the views from the cliffs it was a wonderful experience and one we could not recommend highly enough! If you only have one day in margaret river make sure you do one of these trips!