Melbourne's Best Tours
Melbourne's Best Tours
4.5
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Looking for premium tours operating in Melbourne? Look no further that Melbourne’s Best Tours. We offer luxury small group tours which means you get the personalised service you deserve!With the largest range of small group tours available you will be looked after with the comfort, style and the attention to detail that makes us Melbourne’s Best Tours. With tours ranging from the City Sights to Great Ocean Road and everywhere between we have something for everyone. The smaller group size leads to a relaxed atmosphere allowing more interaction between all on board and allowing us to visit more destinations and spend more quality time in each place!Unlike many other small group operators all our vehicles are seat belt equipped to ensure the safety of our guests. Relax in style with our smaller coaches offering air-conditioning, comfortable reclining seats and tinted windows.Let our Melbournian tour guides show you the sights and experiences that make them so passionate about the city they call home!
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4.5
241 reviews
Excellent
170
Very good
47
Average
5
Poor
4
Terrible
15
RamPradhan
Mumbai, India24 contributions
July 2018 • Family
We took the Melbourne Best Day Tour to visit the 12 Apostles and the Great Ocean Road Trip. This tour stops on 5 different points along a route which is total of minimum 13 hour drive. Each of the 6 points are as follows:
1. 15 minute stop is for breakfast which is grossly insufficient since just getting down from the bus and visiting the toilet and grabbing a coffee is a minimum 25 min job. Especially since this route is frequented by lots of tourists.
2. 15 minute second stop at a beach front. This is enough to stretch your legs a bit.
3. Lunch stop for an hour. Which is again a touch and go.
4. 12 Apostles stop the main stop which needs at least 1.5 hours but the driver gave us just 40 min and threatened us that he will skip the next stop of the gorge if we dont comply.
5. Gorge stop which is also good but again only touch and go since the driver allows you only 40 min. Just walking to and fro to this spot from the bus takes away 25 min unless you are a good sprinter.
6. MacDonalds for a light snack which is again about 15 min.
This is a highly overrated road trip. Unless you drive your own vehicle. My sincere suggestion to all is that "Do not take this trip by a bus unless you are old and would just want to sit in the bus and peep out of the window"
Take a car on rent and drive. Keep at least 2 days for this trip and stay in some motels on the way. Surf a bit as there are fantastic surfing spots where you can try your hand at wave boarding.
To the bus operators my suggestion is that start the tour at 6 am instead of the 7.30 am so that your driver can reach back by 8.30 to Melbourne. You ruin the fun and the beauty of the drive by forcing your customers to return to the bus.
Ashley--The driver we got was RACIST. To begin with he picked us up at 8.15 am which was a full 45 min late giving us reasons that there was a Melbourne run because of which certain routes were closed and he got late. He refused to accept his responsibility. However, when my 9 yr old went to the toilet at the last moment the driver made a racist remark "All Indians are late". Just for the benefit of viewers, two other bus operators came on time (one was grey line and the second i dont quite remember right now. So the point being that if "Melbourne run" delayed this guy why did it now delay the Grey line bus ? Fair question ?
Earlier when the journey started he made a racist remark on the Chinese saying that "the chinese people come in hordes and cause delays in restaurants. He actually said "they (chinese) even walk into my bus". This sounded so bad as if the Chinese are some sort of dumb people who carelessly walk into his bus. But i let that comment go thinking that he may have shot his mouth off in jest. However, I really got incensed when he called "Indians as people who are always late" when funnily enough it was he who was 45 min late. When i confronted him that it was he who was late he literally threw his hands in the air and said "I am not responsible for that". This driver, Ashley also let a Colombian teenage girl into his bus who was supposed to go to another tour. Just for the information of all readers, the Australian bus tour operators have printed sheets mentioning names of tourists who are travelling with them. This driver Ashley not only not check this girls name but also then tells her "your bus (her bus was grey line) has left and you can either get down or take the ocean road trip" Poor girl had no option. I think this reflects how Melbourne best tours operates.
I told him that Best Melbourne tours did not even let us know that there was going to be a delay to that he replies saying "we did not have your phone number".
It certainly is a beautiful country but i never expected that in Australia one can make racist comments against Indians and Chinese. We as a family spent about 12 lacs on this tour and we travel all over the world but never experienced a racist organisation like the Melbourne Best Tours because i am sure this is not the first time this driver has behaved in this manner and an organisation that employs such people is either complicit or complacent. Shame on you Ashley !!!!!
If this was the US of A, Ashley you would have got sued in a court of law. This driver made these racist remarks in front of everyone on board and we completed the rest of the journey completely embarrassed. The driver went on mentioning about delays throughout the journey very shamelessly. I did not want to escalate matters because i was in a foreign land that too in the countryside with my family of young children and did not want trouble.
We did more than 15 tours and activities while in Australia. Every tour driver takes care to speak with all the passengers. This is how sweet they are !!. However, we were in for a shock on Melbourne Best tours as this driver Ashley was speaking to every one except the 2 Indian families on board. He even had lunch with the American and Canadian tourists.
This however, does not reflect on all Australians as they were simply fantastic, very sweet with a beautiful sense of humour.
1. 15 minute stop is for breakfast which is grossly insufficient since just getting down from the bus and visiting the toilet and grabbing a coffee is a minimum 25 min job. Especially since this route is frequented by lots of tourists.
2. 15 minute second stop at a beach front. This is enough to stretch your legs a bit.
3. Lunch stop for an hour. Which is again a touch and go.
4. 12 Apostles stop the main stop which needs at least 1.5 hours but the driver gave us just 40 min and threatened us that he will skip the next stop of the gorge if we dont comply.
5. Gorge stop which is also good but again only touch and go since the driver allows you only 40 min. Just walking to and fro to this spot from the bus takes away 25 min unless you are a good sprinter.
6. MacDonalds for a light snack which is again about 15 min.
This is a highly overrated road trip. Unless you drive your own vehicle. My sincere suggestion to all is that "Do not take this trip by a bus unless you are old and would just want to sit in the bus and peep out of the window"
Take a car on rent and drive. Keep at least 2 days for this trip and stay in some motels on the way. Surf a bit as there are fantastic surfing spots where you can try your hand at wave boarding.
To the bus operators my suggestion is that start the tour at 6 am instead of the 7.30 am so that your driver can reach back by 8.30 to Melbourne. You ruin the fun and the beauty of the drive by forcing your customers to return to the bus.
Ashley--The driver we got was RACIST. To begin with he picked us up at 8.15 am which was a full 45 min late giving us reasons that there was a Melbourne run because of which certain routes were closed and he got late. He refused to accept his responsibility. However, when my 9 yr old went to the toilet at the last moment the driver made a racist remark "All Indians are late". Just for the benefit of viewers, two other bus operators came on time (one was grey line and the second i dont quite remember right now. So the point being that if "Melbourne run" delayed this guy why did it now delay the Grey line bus ? Fair question ?
Earlier when the journey started he made a racist remark on the Chinese saying that "the chinese people come in hordes and cause delays in restaurants. He actually said "they (chinese) even walk into my bus". This sounded so bad as if the Chinese are some sort of dumb people who carelessly walk into his bus. But i let that comment go thinking that he may have shot his mouth off in jest. However, I really got incensed when he called "Indians as people who are always late" when funnily enough it was he who was 45 min late. When i confronted him that it was he who was late he literally threw his hands in the air and said "I am not responsible for that". This driver, Ashley also let a Colombian teenage girl into his bus who was supposed to go to another tour. Just for the information of all readers, the Australian bus tour operators have printed sheets mentioning names of tourists who are travelling with them. This driver Ashley not only not check this girls name but also then tells her "your bus (her bus was grey line) has left and you can either get down or take the ocean road trip" Poor girl had no option. I think this reflects how Melbourne best tours operates.
I told him that Best Melbourne tours did not even let us know that there was going to be a delay to that he replies saying "we did not have your phone number".
It certainly is a beautiful country but i never expected that in Australia one can make racist comments against Indians and Chinese. We as a family spent about 12 lacs on this tour and we travel all over the world but never experienced a racist organisation like the Melbourne Best Tours because i am sure this is not the first time this driver has behaved in this manner and an organisation that employs such people is either complicit or complacent. Shame on you Ashley !!!!!
If this was the US of A, Ashley you would have got sued in a court of law. This driver made these racist remarks in front of everyone on board and we completed the rest of the journey completely embarrassed. The driver went on mentioning about delays throughout the journey very shamelessly. I did not want to escalate matters because i was in a foreign land that too in the countryside with my family of young children and did not want trouble.
We did more than 15 tours and activities while in Australia. Every tour driver takes care to speak with all the passengers. This is how sweet they are !!. However, we were in for a shock on Melbourne Best tours as this driver Ashley was speaking to every one except the 2 Indian families on board. He even had lunch with the American and Canadian tourists.
This however, does not reflect on all Australians as they were simply fantastic, very sweet with a beautiful sense of humour.
Written 31 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian B
Auckland24 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
A really fabulous day tour on a small coach with an exceptionally good driver/guide who was very knowledgeable, charming and helpful.
There was lots of stops and time to take pictures which was very good as it was a long ride.
There was lots of stops and time to take pictures which was very good as it was a long ride.
Written 24 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Eileen,
Thank you for your review! It sounds like you had a lovely day out with us on the Great Ocean Road. Though it has taken us two years to reply to your review (due to in flood of positive experiences like your own!), we can assure you that our service has continued to be of the same excellent service that you received two years ago.
Written 28 November 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kelvin S
Hamilton, New Zealand20 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
A full day of activity. Easy to find location to meet the bus. The driver (John) was very knowledgeable about local history and events. He kept it interesting throughout the day. With only a small group it was pleasant to go to places that the big tours weren't going to. We visited 2 wineries and a chocolate factory in the Yarra Valley. Loved the boutique winery. Very informative presentation about their growing and manufacturing process. With lots of tasting thrown in.
Great lunch, albeit a bit rushed to enable us to make Puffing Billy. (But worth it) Fun ride along a historic track.
A great day with good company and an excellent driver/guide.
Great lunch, albeit a bit rushed to enable us to make Puffing Billy. (But worth it) Fun ride along a historic track.
A great day with good company and an excellent driver/guide.
Written 21 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
巧慧 劉
1 contribution
Sept 2023 • Friends
The bus driver was over-speeding to the opposite side for overtaking vehicles without following the rule. It almost hit my car. We were forced to drive to the shoulder within a short time, all of us were extremely shocked to this dangerous behavior.
This is definitely unsafe for customers on the bus and people who drive on the same path.
Please notify your drivers drive safely!
This is definitely unsafe for customers on the bus and people who drive on the same path.
Please notify your drivers drive safely!
Written 30 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elaine F
Sydney, Australia3 contributions
Aug 2011 • Solo
If you actually only want to get to the Great Ocean without the great customer service then this tour is for you. This Great Ocean Road tour was not great for me because of the poor performance of the bus driver that conducted the tours on 15 August 2011 (description of bus driver was overweight caucasian man, balding, in his late 50s) :
1. The bus driver (and apparently also the tour guide) was 20 minutes late. Although I received a call that the bus driver was running late, the bus driver did not apologise when he finally arrived at the front of my hotel.
2. The bus driver did not introduce himself when he arrived.
3. The bus driver was not approachable. He treated a couple of tourists on the bus harshly by singling them out just because they were late or because they were drinking coffee just before they boarded the bus. I know there were rules of eating on the bus and being late, however the bus driver could have handled this situation more diplomatically-instead he chose to deal with it in an aggressive way. Definitely not good customer service.
4. The bus driver, treated some tourists on-board with condescension. When he was bringing out our lunches, he belittled our table by teaching us how to open a tomato-sauce packet. The tourists on our table was from New Zealand and I had told him I was from Sydney Australia. I told him I knew how to open a tomato sauce packet, however he ignored this and continued to to explain the so-called-complicated methods of opening this tomato sauce packet.
5. Yes the bus driver did explain some history behind the Great Ocean Road while driving the bus, however this lacked insight and clear explanation. It was very brief as if he was reading from a book.
6. When the tourists that were late on the tour was dropped off to their hotel, the bus driver complained to the other passengers on board saying' I dont know why the French couple even went on the tour etc.' Its because they didnt hop off the bus at each stop. I believe it is up to each person whether they want to hop off the bus or not. It is their holiday and they paid for it and have no obligation to hop off the bus at every stop. By the bus driver complaining to the customers on board, I believe it is highly unprofessional, rude and inconsiderate.
The only good thing on this tour was that we saw the Great Ocean Road and The Apostles etc. But isnt that what we paid for? So Im guessing the $120 does not cover great customer service?
You may consider more training for this bus driver, Melbourne's Best Day Tours. I would suggest customer service training, inter-cultural communication skills training (as the tour would actually deal with people of different cultures-no surprise there) and training of good manners.
1. The bus driver (and apparently also the tour guide) was 20 minutes late. Although I received a call that the bus driver was running late, the bus driver did not apologise when he finally arrived at the front of my hotel.
2. The bus driver did not introduce himself when he arrived.
3. The bus driver was not approachable. He treated a couple of tourists on the bus harshly by singling them out just because they were late or because they were drinking coffee just before they boarded the bus. I know there were rules of eating on the bus and being late, however the bus driver could have handled this situation more diplomatically-instead he chose to deal with it in an aggressive way. Definitely not good customer service.
4. The bus driver, treated some tourists on-board with condescension. When he was bringing out our lunches, he belittled our table by teaching us how to open a tomato-sauce packet. The tourists on our table was from New Zealand and I had told him I was from Sydney Australia. I told him I knew how to open a tomato sauce packet, however he ignored this and continued to to explain the so-called-complicated methods of opening this tomato sauce packet.
5. Yes the bus driver did explain some history behind the Great Ocean Road while driving the bus, however this lacked insight and clear explanation. It was very brief as if he was reading from a book.
6. When the tourists that were late on the tour was dropped off to their hotel, the bus driver complained to the other passengers on board saying' I dont know why the French couple even went on the tour etc.' Its because they didnt hop off the bus at each stop. I believe it is up to each person whether they want to hop off the bus or not. It is their holiday and they paid for it and have no obligation to hop off the bus at every stop. By the bus driver complaining to the customers on board, I believe it is highly unprofessional, rude and inconsiderate.
The only good thing on this tour was that we saw the Great Ocean Road and The Apostles etc. But isnt that what we paid for? So Im guessing the $120 does not cover great customer service?
You may consider more training for this bus driver, Melbourne's Best Day Tours. I would suggest customer service training, inter-cultural communication skills training (as the tour would actually deal with people of different cultures-no surprise there) and training of good manners.
Written 20 August 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to post your review. While the review is very disappointing we are appreciative of the feedback which will help us to improve our product overall. Please accept our sincere apologies for our tour not meeting your expectations. We have taken the appropriate steps within the company and have addressed the complaint in detail with the driver involved who is very apologetic and ensures that this will never happen again. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss the matter further, we would be happy to talk to you!
Written 28 August 2011
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Linda C
Auckland, New Zealand5 contributions
Jan 2012 • Couples
The bus driver was arrogant and derogatory about Australian speed limits. He nearly killed us on the return journey by accelerating at 100K towards a truck which was turning right. He seemed to notice this at the last moment and narrowly missed it by swerving away from it. He received a call from the office after this incident so we think that someone on the bus phoned to complain. His driving was appalling and we spent the whole trip in terror. He overtook on blind corners, on double lines and drove far to close to vehicles in front of him. He made jokes in very bad taste about bad driving which was ironic considering his poor driving skills. He also told us about his wife's fear when in a car with him. He was a maniac behind the wheel and should not have a licence,. I spent most of the trip back with my eyes closed. Following the near miss, I had a near panic attack. We stopped for a toilet stop a little later and if I had got off the bus, I would never have got back on again. We were considering calling the police, the driving was so bad. The driver was above the speed limit nearly all the way. We had about an hour on the Great Ocean Road (which was amazing). The trip was not worth the money or the stress involved. We were meant to meet with friends after this trip at 5.30 pm but were too stressed. We went on a couple of other tours whilst in Melbourne which were brilliant but this one was terrifying and nearly killed us. We would NEVER travel with this company again.
Written 8 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We take any complaint very seriously especially concerning the safety and comfort of our guests. We would very much appreciate if we could get some more details about this matter. Once we have received information under what name and when you travelled we can then follow up and talk to the driver concerned. We would appreciate hearing from you soon - info@melbournetours.com.au
Written 21 February 2012
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SIU_HK
HONG KONG1 contribution
Feb 2013 • Family
Our family has been visited Australia and joined its local tours many times. This was my first time to join the Melbourne's Best Day Tours. We joined the Great Ocean Road on 15 Feb 2013 with the guide - Peter. I would fully agree with the comment written by Sally recently that the driving was like playing a roller coaster. Perhaps the on-time schedule was the most important mission for Peter. To have a holiday, you would not expect to be treated as unrespectable. For having lunch, we were commanded to show a pre-selected number label on the table for getting lunch. However, we only registered the preferred meal number to Peter verbally and missed his command for taking this number lable and therefore we were told to be our fault for not doing so. Then Peter went away. I asked Peter what we should do just a minute. He requested us to get back the number label from the tour bus by ourselves in order to get our lunch. Come on! I was very angry and what a big deal for missing this command. Was it not manageable without the number label? I suppose not if you are a professional guide. Actually, I could aslo manage. Another Chinese family was also blamed for having fruit in the tour bus. Peter told fruit was food so it was disallowable for eating. Even the guest expressed sorry for doing so, Peter continued to tell it was too late as the smell made people sick. It was embarrassed. Was it a tour service? At last, I did not see two way communication in this tour for bringing good experience to the tourists. We were always dropped off to the sightseeing points and listened his introudction in the bus. That's all.
Written 17 February 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Siu,
First of all I would like to thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns and share your disappointment regarding the Great Ocean Road tour you and your family joined back in February. At Melbourne's Best Tours we strive to deliver a premium and memorable tour experience to each and every guest. It's clear to me you didn't get the experience you were looking for when joining our Great Ocean Road tour and this obviously is very disappointing to hear.
Since you wrote your review I would like to point out certain things have changed at our company and one of the actions we've taken after reviewing all customer feedback on Trip Advisor is we have told Peter we will no longer use his services as a driver for Melbourne's Best Tours. We have appointed some new drivers, all of them have many years of experience and come highly recommended and Khalid, one of the long serving Melbourne Best Tour's drivers is guiding and mentoring these new drivers to ensure we deliver a quality experience on each and every tour we run.
Of course this doesn't help you and your family. Therefore I would like to ask you that if you would ever visit Melbourne again to contact us and we would like to offer you and your family a complinetary tour to a destination of your choice. I am convinced that you will have a much better experience so hopefully you will take me up on this offer.
Kind regards,
Hans Vanhoegaerden
General Manager Melbourne's Best Tours
Written 11 April 2013
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bethan C
Redhill, UK44 contributions
Jan 2014 • Couples
We did the ‘Great Ocean Road Day Tour’ and have to say that we have had a truly upsetting experience due to their awful customer service and blatant miss-advertising.
The day went OK, though we found the driver/tour guide a bit mundane, but it came to our attention that we missed out on two of the main activities listed in their brochure; the rain forest walk and Gibson Steps. We were absolutely gutted when we realised and went back to their office listed on their brochure the next day to raise our complaint. However, this office is just a hole in the wall with one person who was unable to help us and just told us to use the email route instead.
Our original email was ignored and they had to be chased. When we finally got a response we were made to believe that we were fabricators and were offered 20% off our next trip with them. As if we would ever use them again even if we did get the opportunity to return to Australia and further emails from us have just been ignored.
We were on the last day of our honeymoon and this tour company ruined it for us. We cannot look back on our memories of this day fondly and it is quite upsetting. I have never received such abysmal customer service before and I have used multiple tour companies over the years. Mistakes can be made, however being professional, having an efficient resolution and being empathetic towards one’s needs are crucial in making amends. This company clearly has lost its touch with understanding our situation as well as us.
I would strongly advise not to use this tour company. Instead I would suggest to consider hiring a car and doing this excursion at your own leisure. Something we wish we had done, as this experience has left an irretrievable mark.
The day went OK, though we found the driver/tour guide a bit mundane, but it came to our attention that we missed out on two of the main activities listed in their brochure; the rain forest walk and Gibson Steps. We were absolutely gutted when we realised and went back to their office listed on their brochure the next day to raise our complaint. However, this office is just a hole in the wall with one person who was unable to help us and just told us to use the email route instead.
Our original email was ignored and they had to be chased. When we finally got a response we were made to believe that we were fabricators and were offered 20% off our next trip with them. As if we would ever use them again even if we did get the opportunity to return to Australia and further emails from us have just been ignored.
We were on the last day of our honeymoon and this tour company ruined it for us. We cannot look back on our memories of this day fondly and it is quite upsetting. I have never received such abysmal customer service before and I have used multiple tour companies over the years. Mistakes can be made, however being professional, having an efficient resolution and being empathetic towards one’s needs are crucial in making amends. This company clearly has lost its touch with understanding our situation as well as us.
I would strongly advise not to use this tour company. Instead I would suggest to consider hiring a car and doing this excursion at your own leisure. Something we wish we had done, as this experience has left an irretrievable mark.
Written 19 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Bethan C,
We are very sorry that you did not have an enjoyable experience with us at Melbourne's Best. At Melbourne's Best we strive to deliver a premium experience. It is clear to me you did not get the experience you were looking forward to on the Great Ocean Road Tour.
At Melbourne's Best we take feedback seriously and endeavour to respond to emails as soon as possible. Thus, we checked to ensure this was no different in your case. We found that we had received your email on 29 Jan, and a reply was sent to you within two business days, on 31 Jan. Another email was sent to you on 2 Feb to let you know that we are in the midst of checking with the other 17 passengers to verify your feedback. On 4th Feb, we sent you our last reply with our findings in response to your feedback.
Once again, we apologise and we regret that you did not have a good trip.
Written 29 March 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kjringreen
Greenwich, CT7 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
My son and I took your Great Ocean Road tour on April 21st and had a dreadful experience. In fact, we grabbed the opportunity to return to the city when our bus experienced mechanical difficulties and a new bus arrived.
The bus driver, Peter, was extremely rude when we arrived back to the bus two minutes late (as I needed to duck into a pharmacy to address a medical issue). He argued about the accuracy of my watch, chastised us individually (as my son arrived back at the bus one minute prior to me) – and wouldn’t accept my son’s apology. He seemed to be attempting to humiliate us in front of the other passengers. And, while certainly knowledgeable, he seemed unable to distinguish between sights of interest and those that weren’t worth mentioning – so we listened to a constant stream of chatter – interspersed with tasteless jokes.
Thank goodness we had other very lovely tours in Sydney and Port Douglas, so clearly Melbourne's Best Day Tours was the exception, not the rule.
Avoid at all costs.
The bus driver, Peter, was extremely rude when we arrived back to the bus two minutes late (as I needed to duck into a pharmacy to address a medical issue). He argued about the accuracy of my watch, chastised us individually (as my son arrived back at the bus one minute prior to me) – and wouldn’t accept my son’s apology. He seemed to be attempting to humiliate us in front of the other passengers. And, while certainly knowledgeable, he seemed unable to distinguish between sights of interest and those that weren’t worth mentioning – so we listened to a constant stream of chatter – interspersed with tasteless jokes.
Thank goodness we had other very lovely tours in Sydney and Port Douglas, so clearly Melbourne's Best Day Tours was the exception, not the rule.
Avoid at all costs.
Written 14 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. We are very sorry that you did not enjoy the tour and that you did not get on with our driver on that day. The Great Ocean Road tour runs on a tight schedule so you can experience as many different highlights along the way. The Twelve Apostles are also a great distance away so we have to be mindful of the time. Our driver asked you to be on time more for the benefit and consideration of your co-travellers and if that request was received by you as offensive and rude then I can only apologise.
I am also very sorry that you did not enjoy the commentary and that you found the jokes tasteless – the driver has been with us a long time and the positive feedback we get outweighs by far the negative comments we have ever received. We followed up with our driver and he did not believe that he acted rudely or displayed offensive behaviour.
Once again, Melbourne's Best Tours apologises that you did not enjoy the tour on the day.
Written 24 May 2012
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
alexnraf
3 contributions
Jan 2012 • Friends
Driver drove toooooo fast. Dangerously fast for hours and hours down hair pin windy roads. There was no consideration for the passengers safety. Honestly didn't think we'd make it back alive.
Bus tour... basically it was a bus ride. and not pleasant at that. The coach is a stick shift.. so not a smooth ride. Second the over head compartment was broken so that the entire 10 hour trip we had loud banging above our heads.. which was accentuated with the high speeds he was driving at.. and over lots of bumps and turns.. so we were jostled and tossled in our seats for most of the trip we had to hold on to our seats and our seat belts so we were not thrown .. And yes we were wearing our seat belts. We passed THROUGH many beautiful sights, but at such high speeds we couldn't take a picture of things. I asked if he could slow down a bit, he said no he had a schedule. At the end of the day.. TOO LONG. TOO fast and TOO RUSHED>.. with just the prospect of sitting on a bus which we were thankful to get off of.
When we did reach the sites.. which were fantastic.. we were constantly rushed to get back on. You have barely enough time to walk to the desitnation before walking back. My senior mother had a difficult time walking fast enough to keep up for the drivers schedule. her feet swelled up from it. You need to walk very lively there and back if not sprint if you want to see the sites We drove through a lovely town which had a bizzare, and we were dropped off at the toilets. No chance to walk through and look at anything. We got to the koloa area.. only 15 mn to walk and look. it takes 5 minutes to walk there.. 5 minutes back and 5 minutes to view..... Forget just enjoying yourself... or purchasing a souvenir entire time was worrying about if he was going to be cross because you were a minute late. Driver spent his time rushing to get home. ...
Food provided.. indigestable. We should have taken a car and enjoyed ourselves. ..
Bus tour... basically it was a bus ride. and not pleasant at that. The coach is a stick shift.. so not a smooth ride. Second the over head compartment was broken so that the entire 10 hour trip we had loud banging above our heads.. which was accentuated with the high speeds he was driving at.. and over lots of bumps and turns.. so we were jostled and tossled in our seats for most of the trip we had to hold on to our seats and our seat belts so we were not thrown .. And yes we were wearing our seat belts. We passed THROUGH many beautiful sights, but at such high speeds we couldn't take a picture of things. I asked if he could slow down a bit, he said no he had a schedule. At the end of the day.. TOO LONG. TOO fast and TOO RUSHED>.. with just the prospect of sitting on a bus which we were thankful to get off of.
When we did reach the sites.. which were fantastic.. we were constantly rushed to get back on. You have barely enough time to walk to the desitnation before walking back. My senior mother had a difficult time walking fast enough to keep up for the drivers schedule. her feet swelled up from it. You need to walk very lively there and back if not sprint if you want to see the sites We drove through a lovely town which had a bizzare, and we were dropped off at the toilets. No chance to walk through and look at anything. We got to the koloa area.. only 15 mn to walk and look. it takes 5 minutes to walk there.. 5 minutes back and 5 minutes to view..... Forget just enjoying yourself... or purchasing a souvenir entire time was worrying about if he was going to be cross because you were a minute late. Driver spent his time rushing to get home. ...
Food provided.. indigestable. We should have taken a car and enjoyed ourselves. ..
Written 28 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for bringing your dissatisfaction with our company to my attention.
The driver concerned has been working with us for many years now and based on past performance and client response your complaint depicts a picture which is out of character. The driver logbook for the day shows the tour was conducted in the normal time frame with no indication of speeding or rushing at any venues or stops. Please consider that this tour is a Public Day tour which is based on the same itinerary and timing as most other Day Tour companies leaving from Melbourne. Photo stops are entertained as well as the usual stops at the highlights along the road. Running to a fixed itinerary means unfortunately there is no time to stop at markets on the way – to cater for personal preferences and interests we recommended to join a PRIVATE charter tour which is offered by our company as well. Public touring is a comprise and suits the vast majority of travellers and we sincerely regret that you did not enjoy the tour and that we have not met your expectations.
Our vehicles are not new (very similar to vehicles of other companies) but they are well maintained according to very strict accreditation standards. Unfortunately the driver was not approached about the noise in the head compartment which could have been easily fixed. A broom for keeping the carpet clean had been dislodged and created the banging noise.
The restaurant has been supplying our lunch for quite some time and the complaints are negligible in numbers. The driver was not aware of the “indigestible” food and we are sure that the problem could have been fixed there and then.
We have not received any other complaints from any of your co-travellers about this particular tour or the driver and we apologise sincerely that you were not happy.
Written 21 February 2012
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi,
We are interested in the Puffing Billy and wineries tour. May I know if all tickets and wine tasting fee included in the tour.
In addition is Yarra valley chocolaterie will be one of the stop and where will be the lunch stop.
Written 9 March 2017
sorry did only Great Ocean tour
so can't comment
but everything is there in their brochure and web page
Written 26 May 2017
Hello! I am visiting Melbourne on the 9th until the 11th of february and I am wondering if I shall book the daytrip (12 apostle) right at the federation square one day before. I would buy the ticket on the 9th and want to go the day after on the 10th. Is this too late, shall I book in advance? Or will there be free places when I book it just one day before right at the meeting point (Federation Square?
Thank you,
Julia
Written 20 January 2017
Hi there,
Just wondering how long one is sitting in the van during the day traveling and how long one actually gets to get out and walk about? I realize it's a long day--just don't want to get stuck just sitting all day. Thanks!
Written 2 November 2015

A Tripadvisor member
Sydney, Australia
It was a fairly rigid schedule, but that's the nature of guided tours, I suppose. The actual trip itself, although quite long, was well broken up with stops where you could get out, stretch your legs, take a few photos, etc. I must say I was really tired by the time we got back to Melbourne at about 7 pm, but I was prepared for that. After all, they did advertise it as a whole day trip.
Written 3 November 2015
Yen67
Singapore, Singapore
Hi Garvais
Can I check which tour agency did you use? do you mind if I ask for contact details? Do we book in advance?
Thanks '
Yen
Written 24 May 2015
why is it so difficult to book? I keep getting messages that I have to try again "later", when I do...same message
Written 22 December 2014
Can't really help sorry, as we used a Scoopon/Groupon voucher and booked about 2 months in advance.
Written 23 December 2014
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.