Desert Gardens - A member of Novotel Hotels

When visiting Uluru and Kata Tjuta the Desert Gardens Hotel is a great place to stay. The hotel is 1st class with large rooms and many additional features in and around the hotel that add an extra level of comfort to the visitor. Great restaurants for both fine dining or a quick bite to eat after a big day out or just a relaxing drink after touring Uluru. Centrally located, the hotel is a short walk from all the Yulara town center, the other hotels and eateries.

We stayed in a standard room that we paid $500 per night in mid August. It was a small room, we had 2 x double beds as we were travelling with kids. They felt like double beds but am not sure. The beds were very comfortable. The bathroom was a bit to be desired, with a fair amount of mould in the shower (it had been cleaned but black lines were left) and dirty water marks were evident in the toilet. It is an expensive location to stay but don’t expect too much. The room was clean however and the bathroom was a good size. We dined in the restaurant that was part of the Desert Gardens Resort and it was very nice with good sized kids meals for $15 per head. Several of the staff were very helpful and knowledgeable but I found a few staff members not at all knowledgeable - ? Maybe were new?? On arrival the receptionist asked me to pay and I queried that I thought I had already paid. She told me numerous times I had not and that I needed to pay again. On review back at my room (after I had time to go through my credit card statement), I actually been debited twice previously ! The booking process was time consuming and frustrating that was reaffirmed at check in . Location good - 20 mins from Uluṟu and about 40 mins from Kata Tjuta .

Within the Ayers Rock Resort complex there are five lodging and/or hotels, of which one is the Desert Gardens. Clean and ongoing maintenance efforts certainly depict an active management approach. Upfront lodging costs are within reason, but meal and beverage prices are excessively high without being exceptional or perhaps worthy of the elevated costs. As well, although the music selection in dining and bar areas is not at the forefront of the ambiance, we questioned the rhythm of jazz funk style music which is not in line with the enjoy the silence spirit of the venue. May we also suggest that dining experience be a bit more organised. Note that it was impossible to book a reservation in the IILKARI restaurant for three consecutive evenings, as it was continuously booked at full capacity (we are not sure we can believe that). Finally, we were also very disappointed that there was no laundry service offered. There is a laundry room where you can do your own washing, but are not vacations meant to get away from household chores ?

Our room was very clean and comfortable and quiet. Staff are friendly and very helpful. The hotel is at the other end of the resort to the shops but still only a few minutes easy walk away. Bed and pillows were comfortable. Close to a good selection of eating options ranging from take away to white linen service.

While staying at the Desert Gardens Resort our vehicle was broken into, damaged and had items stolen. This, apparently, is “not an uncommon occurrence”. Even though it was parked within sight of the bus drop off in front of reception we were told this area is not covered by CCTV. The attending police suggested we ask the resort for secure parking in their compound for the rest of our stay as, with a broken rear side window, the vehicle could no longer be secured. “Sorry we can’t help you” was the response from the Resort. It would appear that the only thing the Resort has done to address a known issue is to erect signage absolving themselves of any responsibility. I’m sorry but for the price we paid for our stay this is not good enough.