The weather was a bit soul destroying, but our guide James kept us in high spirits. I can only imagine how beautiful this place would be in the summer time. At least with the 2 day tour, we had the luxury of waiting for gaps in the weather rather than getting soaked to the bone at each location. It was torrential. Bring a rain coat is my only advice.

My wife and I did this small group tour in Jan 23. The trip exceeded our expectations in every respect. Our guide, Pierre, was first class and went out of his way to ensure everybody had the best time. The accommodation was excellent, meals were great and the scenery was magnificent. It was very relaxing to sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery which seemed to get better and better. Finishing the tour with the Grampians was also wonderful and very relaxing. Pierre was an absolute gentleman and his knowledge of the area and its history was exceptional. Highly recommend this tour. It won’t disappoint.

We had an amazing time. The driver James was super lovely, well informed and made our tour a better experience all round. All the sights that we stopped at were amazing and had plenty of time to really enjoy each place, without feeling rushed. It also helped that we arrived at most stops and had them to ourselves.

My family and I loved this tour. Easy to book. Seamless pre-tour with the guide getting in direct contact a few days prior with helpful suggestions on what to pack etc. and we had his contact incase we needed to text him. So even before our trip, we were all ready and set. The tour was just what we had hoped for. We got to spend as much time as we wanted tat each location. As soon as we said we were bored with one location…..whooooosh we were whisked off to another. Breathtaking scenery. Brilliant tour. Private is definitely the way to go.

We had such a blast along the coast with James as our guide. He was always checking up on us, letting us know when the next good coffee place was coming up or the next (clean) restroom was (ps there’s some not so nice public rest rooms on the road so be warned). Plus a very safe driver. Before I go on, (and I do sometimes go on trust me!) I would just say anyone reading this who are thinking of doing the tour, they should really think about booking directly. We got a great offer and the direct communication we had upon booking was second to none - with recommendations of where to stay, what to wear, suggestions, tips, etc. This was really helpful for us in terms of preparing for the trip. He really knew the area and the traffic flow which made for a really comfortable tour. He also took us out to a quiet secluded area so we could try and spot some wild kangaroos. Low and behold we found a big male kangaroo (apparently called a buck) coming down the river for a drink (or perhaps something to eat) **SEE PHOTO!** The 1st day we stopped by Bells Beach. I have no interest in surfing, but it was great to watch the locals…..well……do what locals do I suppose. Great visit to a local chocolate shop. It had its own squat toilets - and standard ones to. And I’m sorry I’m trying not to turn this into a guide to the toilet stops on the great ocean road lol. Later in the afternoon we visited erskine falls (i think that is how you spell it anyway). Despite the heavy rain we encountered, this was still fun. Overnight stop was in Apollo Bay, which was really charming in a seaside kind of way. Accommodation you do have to book yourself, but we did follow advice from James about which hotel to book (he gave us some great options). The brew house was a great option for dinner. We tried their ‘Parma’. Apparently it what the locals normally eat if given the chance. Second day was just as good as the first, but completely differently scenery. Rainforest, farming country and rock formations were very much the order of the day. We stopped for lunch at the cutest little cafe before making our slow (but long) was back to Melbourne, thinking could we have had a better tour? Probably not, hence my title. Thanks for reading. Your are now excused ;)

We took a private tour with great ocean road explorer. Guide was good (so sorry I forgot name). We saw many things in the 12 hours. Many animals, such as koala and kangaroo. Beautiful sights. Especially 12 apostles. Beautiful. We ran on the beach. Ate the local foods. Very fun time.

We had really wanted to visit the Grampians but were struggling to find someone who get us out there, as we had a long lost relative we wanted to connect with. We took a tour which incorporated the great ocean road. It was a lot of driving, and perhaps I probably would have chosen to do it over 4 days, but sadly we didn’t quite have that extra time. The trip was very varied.

It was a very well executed tour. Guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Car was better than we were expecting. And the road is incredible. However I would have to rate at 3 stars as it was very annoying having to wear masks for the whole time in the vehicle (due to covid). I understand there is a pandemic on, but surely on a private tour this wasn’t necessary? The guide said it was the legal requirement, but to be honest, I think we had paid enough for the tour, to warrant deciding on whether we should have to wear them or not. I just think we need to move on with life and get back to normal. End of rant!

We were very happy with the services of great Ocean Road Explorer. I knew they would be good on the great Ocean Road, given that would seem to be their main market, but they still gave us an excellent tour to Phillip island as well. They were also quite flexible when we contacted them, as we wanted a ‘day off’ to explore Melbourne, so we did the tour to phillip island on the Monday, explored Melbourne by ourselves on Tuesday, and then went on the 2 day portion of the tour to the great Ocean Road on Wednesday and Thursday, which all worked out well. We also saved quite a bit of money by booking directly (via a combination of phone and email) which is always a nice little bonus.

Booked this private tour through our hotel concierge. He billed it as being a bit cheaper and more relaxed than other private tour operators in a non-branded car (I.e. not a flash Mercedes). But the car was extremely comfortable - I can’t imagine a Mercedes being any better, except for the image of people wanting other people to be see them stepping out of a Mercedes possibly. Yes those people really do exist! Instagram idiots I like to call them!! The car also had WiFi connectivity which was useful as my wife had to do some work on the road. It also had separate air controls which was handy as we were visiting during a very hot day. And our guide, well I’m not sure if anyone would have known the road any better to be honest given that he was a local.

We choose to do a 3 day private tour. I think the average person would be happy with 2 days, but we had extra activities that we wanted to do that we had read about (I.e. zip lining and horse riding) which Jamie fitted into our schedule seamlessly, with use of the extra 3rd day. Very good indeed.

We had travelled across multiple time zones to reach this destination. The Great Ocean Road was at the top of our list, so we wanted to get it right. We used this company based on a friends recommendation. Our guide Jamie, was a local, but also super professional, friendly and very knowledge of the area. In early stages of planning, we had initially thought of doing the drive ourselves, so I’m so glad my friend interrupted our plans when he did. There is absolutely no way we can have replicated the tour that we received. It was just incredible. Big thanks from the Bustos family (travelled 7/10/19)

We travelled as 2 couples. We took the 2 day option. On balance, we feel we made the right choice. 1 day would perhaps be a bit rushed whilst we just didn’t have the time for 3 days. Too much to see in Australia! We were kept busy on both days with a really good mix of sightseeing and wildlife. Jamie was our guide. He looked after us well. Gave us honest opinions of where to stay, where to eat, and took us to some of his favourite areas. I took some great photos. I wanted to include some with my review but I am a technophobe so sadly I’m not able to download them. The car was very comfortable. All in all, an excellent experience.

We had heard the great ocean road should be done over 2 days, but to put it simply, we didn’t have the time. With this private tour however, it went for slightly longer than some of the other (bus) tours and it felt like we really maximised our time at each stop. We are both quick at seeing what we want to see, and then moving onto the next sight. So this worked well, as our driver was always there ready to show us the next place. It also helped that we didn’t have to wait for 50 people to get on and off a bus at each stop. I can imagine that would become tiresome. As it was just my husband and I, we were out of the vehicle at the each sight within seconds of our arrival. Some stops we were only there for a matter of minutes, some stops a bit longer. Overall, if you can, I’d go for the 2 day option, but if you are really pushed for time, at least be safe in the knowledge that yes it is technically possible to get around and see everything in just the one day. Just expect to be very tired by the end, as it is a very long day.

We took private tour with Great Ocean Road Explorer company for 2 days. My friend also did this trip last year with the same company. That time she had Jamie as the driver and had a great time. This time, Jamie was already booked, so I was a bit sad to hear that. Instead we had different driver called Phil - we called him ‘Big Phil’. He was very kind and sweet and made our holiday on great Ocean Road very special. We enjoy our time. Thank you. Li & Bo