dkw

I have found what I believe are the best prices available for Ayers Rock at www.asiahotels.com. Sails in the Desert is $334 USD per night, Desert Gardens is $281 USD per night, Lost Camel or Outback Pioneer (hotel room, not dorm) are $253 USD per night.

My Husband and I will be there for 2 nights in September. I am a 4-5* kind of gal, but try not to spend more than $250 USD per room night on vacation. Obviously not possible here!!!

Does anyone have any good or bad comments about any of these accomodations? Is Sails really worth $80 more per night than Lost Camel.

I have looked at old threads and I'm still confused. Any guidance, comments or assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

DKW

mpoll

I'm sure you would get much cheaper rates elsewhere. I just did a quick search at www.needitnow.com and got Sails in the Desert $A313 ($US235), Desert Gardens $A240 ($US180) and the Lost camel or Outback Pioneer $A172 ($US129). This is a last minute booking site, but shows there are much better deals available.

Miranda

I stayed at Sails and to be honest, I am not sure it was worth the extra money. The Sails pool was closed for renovation so was unusable (this was last summer). And while the restaurant was quite good (though expensive), we could have eaten at the restaurant without being hotel guests. I will say that our room was huge and nice, with a fancy bathroom. The room even had a distant view of the rock, which I did not expect. But we spent almost no time in the room anyway. If I had to do it again, I'd probably stay at the second or third most expensive hotel, not Sails. As you probably know, all the hotels are located in the same general area. If you think you will want to dine at Sails, you might think about choosing whichever cheaper hotel is closest to it.

Paul_S

Simple answer is no the Sails is not worth the money. I remeber staying there when the price was $80.00 per night and they through in a free 6 pack of Budweiser and that was when it was The Sheraton. To ask A$522 per night for two people is outrageous in my view.

If you want an alternative to staying at Ayres Rock but still enjoy 5 star comfort you could fly into Alice Springs, stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and take a day tour down to the Rock. Room rates at the crowne start at A$101 per room per night.

The link for the Crowne is:

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hd/ASPBD

Cheers

Paul_S

Paul_S

Hi dkw,

Another place that offers good accommodation is the Lassetters Casino in Alice Springs. Their website is:

http://www.lhc.com.au/lasseters_online_booking.html

Cheers

Paul_S

dkw

Thanks for the responses.

We will arriving in Alice Springs via the Ghan train...spending one night at the Crowne Plaza then driving to Ayers Rock Spending two nights and flying to Cairns from there. We decided to spend two nights because of all the activities we are interested in.

I am really uncomfortable with waiting till 2 weeks before arrival to book. Any other suggestions for me?

Based on your great comments I have eliminated Sails in the Desert. I am leaning towards Lost Camel...has any one stayed there?

Thanks again for your great suggestions, I look forward to any more that might help me make my decision!!

Thanks,

DKW

Peteralan

Hi dkw...while you are there think seriously about doing the dinner under the stars tour . It is really lovely and you will be surprised at the number of stars that you never knew were up there! A clear night will give you an experience to remember ...I still think back on it fondly .We don't see the heavens so clearly in Sydney!Cheers!

dkw

We will be most assuredly doing the Sounds of Silence dinner. I've heard and read great things about it. Our other night we are going to try the BBQ at the Outback Pioneer. The BBQ sounds like a great opportunity to meet and mingle with others.

Any other experiences we shouldn't miss?

Thanks Again

DKW