Ayer's rock ripoff?
 

We are spending 2 nights at Ayer's Rock. Our travel agent has booked us into Sails in the Desert hotel at a cost of $500 (Canadian) per night. From what I can see, this is not a luxury hotel, so why the exorbitant rate? We are staying in some 5 star hotels elsewhere for less than that. Anyone have any thoughts?
BTW, breakfast is NOT included...

The RAC rates it at 5 stars. the current AUD rates are 442.00 for a standard room and 514 for a deluxe spa room. Maybe try for the Lost Camel (3.5 stars).

'fraid it's called "supply & demand", hacoah.
There are some less expensive options, but any way you cut it, accommodation at Yulara is not commensurate with the rest of Australia in terms of Quality:cost.

All accommodations at Uluru are expensive, as there are no other choices. The prices you are quoted sound unhappily accurate (http://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/sa...ink15/pricing/). Sails in the Desert claims to be a 5-star resort; We ate there once, but have never stayed (way too rich for my blood!) - it seems to be a luxury hotel to me.

The above Web site will give you your other choices.

Just another reason why some of us Aussies think its not a place to go - and to think that its not the largest Rock in Australia either.

It is overpriced there's no getting away from that, and the restaurants are a whole other source of disappointment (overpriced and stodgy was our experience), but I still think Uluru/Kata Tjuta is well worth at least a one to two day visit.

I found Uluru incredibly beautiful and part of its appeal for me was the really bizarre way it rises out of this very flat plain. Also it isn't the shape you expect around the base, it looks more like a Tee Vee Snack biscuit in aerial view, and when you walk around it there are lots of different facets for which the Anangu have very compelling explanations.

Time spent in the 'Red Centre' is well worth it - though I'm not sure Uluru is the main attraction! But it is the well known drawcard. All styles of accommodation are overpriced in comparison to the rest of the country. But I can see the point in keeping a tight rein on development, can't you?

The good thing is that there is a range of price levels, and if it is somewhere you want to go, but the aocommo is out of budget, then you could always stay at the cheaper end. It may not be what you are accustomed to but it's perfectly OK. I'd check out the Pioneer Lodge.

Happy travels.

Hacoah: I think one has to divorce the accommodation considerations from the Uluru/Ayers Rock/ Kata Juta experience.

There are lots of people visiting the area, but they mostly fall into these categories:

1. "Tick it off the 'done Australia' list".
2. "Too many flies, too expensive accommodation, where's the Starbucks?"
3. "Mmm .... let's learn something; could be a unique experience. Let's forget about the periphery & go with what is."

My guess is that we will probably all sleep in more good beds than bad; eat more than we need. I find that when I suspend as many expectations as I possibly can & "go with the flow" now & again ... the flow's pretty amazing.

We slept in sleeping bags on the ground (by choice - there were tents available) when I was there Easter 2006 ; I loved every nanosecond & would go back in a heartbeat.

Hacoah,

Everyone's absolutely correct in their assessments; basically they've "got you" because there's not that much accommodation to choose from so they can set their own rates.

For some of the accommodations, you'll get into your room and think "WHAT? I'm paying these prices for a Motel 6 experience?"

Sails, IMO, is NOT a 5-star resort and, frankly, according to industry buzz, it's been slipping badly. I'd avoid it. There was a suggestion for the Lost Camel, and you'll be fine there; Bokhara mentioned the Pioneer, just be careful you get the right room category and not the shared bunk bed experience.

Hope this is helpful,

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

If I went I would do what Bokara did and get a tent and sleeping bags. Having said that I still think that the north of the state in Kakadu, Mataranka, Lichfield and Katherine Gorge area is a far better deal and you do not have to stay in the particular area either. I have camped in Kakadu and it was great - same with Lichfield and the other areas.

It seems that your travel agent has booked you into the most expensive hotel in the area. We made our own booking through a website (and called for confirmation) at the Pioneer which, for their three day rate, was quite a bit cheaper. We then got upgraded to the Sails. Our room (in 2004) was not Motel 6 because it was spacious, nice bathroom fixtures, and lovely linens plus a peekaboo view of Uluru, but since we were hardly there, we really didn't need it. Find the cheapest place that has the basics that you need and you'll be fine. We loved the whole area there and wouldn't have missed it. We went in July and the weather was great and it had rained so everything was green and the wildflowers were blooming. We did some tours with the Aborigine company and the rangers and had an unforgettable experience.
Sally in Seattle

Thanks everyone for your input. I think I get the picture. Not sure what to do since I am ready to rough it but my wife is not.

Hacoah,

staying at the other resorts isn't really "roughing it" - they're just basic accommodations, clean, and really, as you're going to be out most of the day touring and seeing various things, what more do you need?

Sally may be right about your travel agent, I can't comment on that, but as a travel agent who's a Specialist in Australia, I can tell you that I wouldn't be putting my clients in Sails and I think you'd be disappointed in what you get for what you're paying for. Just my 2 cents. :)

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

We were there last November and stayed at Sails in the Desert because after I booked us at one of the lower range hotels, I saw a special for Sails that was less than what we were paying so I switched. Room was fine, down quilt was lovely, great lavender-scented bath products, however, other accommodations there looked fine, too (you can see them on their website).

From reading a number of more recent reviews of the resort, I would have to agree with Melodie, that Sails is slipping in terms of the general upkeep of the hotel. Some of this is probably due to the fact that all the hotels etc. in the resort area are operated by Voyages Resorts and with this type of monopoly, there is much less incentive to keep the quality at a good standard.

We visited Uluru about 7 years ago on a driving trip of western Austalia and at that time although expensive, we were very pleased with Sails and our overall experience. The hotel was well maintained and the quality was more than satisfactory in all areas and we felt that we received good value for our dollar.

You really should consider other accommodation options for your 2 night visit and possibly spend the savings on other activities. We did enjoy a helicopter ride of the area as it's always interesting to see various landscapes from the air.

Anything to do with Ayer's Rock is a rip-off. It's a lump of rock that isn't worth going a mile for let alone a thousand miles. Take a train in southern India and you'll see all the table mountains there that you want and some may even have similar silly superstitions attached to them by equally ignorant people.

The 2 nights we spent at the Ayres Rock resort was the only part of our Oz trip we regretted. So boring and expensive!

I would not let the fact that accommodations at Yulara are too expensive be the deterrent to visiting Uluru/Kata Tjuta. It is a special place worth visiting, both geologically and culturally.

If you learn anything about the aboriginal people of the Red Centre (or elsewhere, for that matter), you will find that they were/are members of a rich and complex ancient culture that survived successfully in a hostile environment for thousands of years.

I agree with ALF and others above. We had a wonderful guided drive around Uluru with 6 others, with several short hikes to the base of the mountain. The cultural center was very enlightening and educational. I think my wife enjoyed Kata Tjuta even more. The hike was terrific.

Maybe the accomodations are a little overpriced. I give them a little slack given the remoteness, logistical concerns, to say nothing of where do the workers come from/live.

Stayed at Sails on the Desert. We weren't in the room much. Arrived afternoon, sound of Silence dinner, morning Uluru guided tour, afternoon to Kata Tjuta til after dark, leave next day. Great two days!

And, Geez, kaneda, lighten up. Take a breath!

kaneda, Uluru is a World Heritage listed site - a monolith, not a table mountain, and why talk about Indian table mountains to anyone contemplating a vist to Australia? Your remark regarding the Aboriginal caretakers of this area is extremely insulting to them and I just hope none of them are reading this.

While the price is very high, there is some justification due to remoteness, logistics etc. All the staff must be housed by Voyager.

As a comparison, the Serena lodges in the Serengeti charge USD 490 per night in high season. Their labour costs would be 10% compared to Australia. I would say the standards are of a similar quality. The buffet dinner we had the Ngorongong crater was extremely mediocre.

Drop down to a lower budget facility but I would never describe Uluru as boring. The experience is very special. I didn't climb the rock due to cultural considerations but thoroughly enjoyed my walk around the base and watching sunset and sunrise.

I would rather drop down in accommodation standards and spend the money on the Sounds of Silence desert dinner.

Kaneda - get real!

Kaneda ... "silly ignorant people" make insulting & uninformed remarks about other people's culture, religious beliefs and sacred places.

Kaneda has posted "Like hundreds of thousands of English people (as opposed to British people) each year I didn't like what was happening to my country so left and now live in rural France."

Enough said.

We stayed at the Pioneer Hotel some years back, for aunt's 80th birthday, and it was fine. Pretty basic, cement block walls, but clean, good bedding, aircon. Stay and pay for Sails if you can afford it - otherwise go a bit down market. It's worth the trip.

Bokhara. If people are gullible enough to believe in things like religions and superstitions which are all without any evidence or truths, should we humour them? If someone is convinced that they are have a six foot invisible rabbit as a friend, am I offending them when I say that they do not?

Ignorance and superstition have only survived into the 21st century because people are afraid of facing reality.

mlgb. Ex-PM Tony B-liar divided Britain up into it's former 4 countries with all countries but England (which he hates) getting their own parliament. I come from England.

Maybe 600,000 immigrants enter Britain every year and almost all get British passports without any kind of checks. Many have little or no interest in Britain and are solely there as economic migrants. Some actively hate the country with 1 in 4 muslims supporting terrorists (official survey). I have no intention of being lumped in with them.

I have spent 34 years travelling the world so am not bothered what country I live in now.

don't leap to ridiculous conclusions, kaneda, I had utterly nothing to do with having yours or anyone else's posts censored. In fact, I did see your post accusing me of being a tree hugger, but it and ensuing posts were deleted by Fodors before I had a chance to reply. As this probably will be.

And don't accuse me of being PC - to me a good definition is "political correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority rapidly promoted by an unscrupulous media, which holds forth the proposition that is is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end".

You insulted the Mutitjulu Aboriginal people who, who God knows, have enough trouble on their own doorstep right now and that's why I objected to your post. Political correctness or "tree hugging" doesn't come into it.

Kaneda we could equally say to you that you all got the politicians that you deserved in England. It was Enoch Powell who told you all way back when what was going to happen but you went along your merry way and now you have what you obviously wanted. I note that you now live in rural France - a country who has far more Islamic followers than does the UK but you don't seem to mind them for some reason - perhaps it is not Muslims that you fear but change itself - it is a pity that travel did not broaden your mind but obviously had the effect of making you bitter and twisted.
As far as religions, faiths, Harvey the Rabbit or any other beliefs that people may wish to have I personally do not see the difference between those beliefs or that of yours in believing in the persecution of the "English" people by outsiders. Everyone is allowed to believe in what they want to - and that includes all races, faiths and white rabbits.

Mutijulu? I thought it was Anangu.

(Not-so-transparent attempt to reurn the thread to Uluru/Kata Tjuta)

We stayed at Sails just a few days ago, but only because I found an off-season rate of A$285 for a triple room. At regular rates, we would have stayed elsewhere. It is not 5* luxury, but the accommodations were generally fine. The room was spacious, beds comfortable, bath pretty nice, and we had a private terrace.

The real issue was service. As noted above, they have to bring in staff. While most of the staff members (almost all in their early 20s) were pleasant and seemed to be trying hard, many did not seem to be well trained, and our impression was that they were significantly understaffed in most areas. But, this is not unique to Sails.

That aside, we did enjoy our two-day visit to the area and don't regret the time/expense associated with visiting there. More on this when we post our trip report later in the week (still in Melbourne, traveling home tomorrow).

You're right Alf, Anangu or Pitjantjatjara are the people from the area - Mutitjulu is the name of the nearby Aboriginal community which I referred to.

Ah - thanks