Outback Hotel & Lodge - A member of ibis Styles 3.5 stars

Ecocertified

Booked this accommodation for three nights in September 2024 to coincide with some friends driving from Alice Springs to Yulara so we could stay in the same location. A slightly better price through the Qantas accommodation website than direct with the Ayers Rock Resort website. This was booked in advance which didn’t seem to make much difference to the cost – the booking was non-refundable and per night was $500.00 AUD, which equates to a five-star resort anywhere else but this is not five-star. The Yulara airport is basic with only a shop and café available once through security on departure. On arrival, it’s just the baggage claim hall. The advantage with the Ayers Rock Resort set up is that there is free bus transport from the airport to all the accommodation in the resort precinct. On arrival at the Outback Hotel and Lodge, the usual queues to check in. Check in was nothing special, the credit card machine at my check in counter wasn’t working so there was a bit of stuffing around to take the mandatory deposit for incidentals. Room key and map in hand, off to find my room. There’s no transfer to rooms and some rooms are a fair way from Reception. The advantage of a room further away is that there was no noise from the pub-style outdoor restaurant. Nice view out the back of the room to a viewing platform – where sunset views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta could be had. The room was pleasant, motel style, no cooking facilities, like a microwave, just a kettle, tea and instant coffee, none of which I touched. The fridge however was cold enough to freeze a drink and keep bottled water icy cold. Toiletries were the bulk type in pump bottles. There was open hanging space for clothes and a long bench in the open wardrobe for opening suitcases. There was an in room safe in one of the drawers and a flat screen TV with limited channels. Beds were very comfortable and the air conditioning was already on when entering the room. The weather was on the cooler side for central australia and there had been rain so there were a few wildflowers peeking through the red dirt. The options for dinner after a long day travelling were limited. The attached pub-style restaurant was a cook-your-own meat affair with a choice of salads. A row of BBQ hot plates were available to cook fish, chicken or meat – it was a hot and smoky affair – with a tendency to overcook anything to ensure that it was cooked through. Salads were nothing special. The BBQ was expensive for what it was. The campground is located next to the Outback Hotel so there’s an influx of those camping and the seating gets quite busy and the area is noisy. The only other on site option was a burger and pizza takeaway option located in the pub area. I didn’t eat there again. On (night 3) return to my room from the drone show and buffet dinner, there was no hot water in my room – I alerted 24-hour Reception – there was nothing they could do at that time of night and said they’d put it in the handover book. I was checking out the next day to catch my flight home so a bit concerned. No further update on the hot water situation, from the resort, I packed up and took my luggage to my friend’s room as we were driving out to Uluru early – I had a shower in their room – on return I checked out and complained about no hot water and with a flight later that day, had I not had my friend’s room to shower in, I would expect some sort of compensation. They granted a late check out in my room as the hot water had been fixed. Really should have moved me the night before. The Resort has a free hop on hop off shuttle bus that runs a continual loop most of the day and this takes you to the small Town Square where there is an IGA, souvenir shops and a booking office for tours, helicopter flights and rental cars etc. The IGA is well stocked but some items, as expected, were double the price of main city prices. The indigenous training café is an option for coffee (not to Melbourne standard but passable!), snacks and more substantial lunch items. There’s another café in the Town Square that does breakfast/brunch items and lunch. I paid for breakfast at the Outback Hotel and Lodge on one morning, it was around $37.00 AUD for the continental breakfast, which was substantial and excluded any hot items (additional cost) like scrambled eggs, etc. The choice in the continental breakfast had the usual suspects - cereal, there was bircher, assorted toppings, fresh fruit, a cold meat platter with advocado, pastry selection and bread for toasting along with the usual spreads – as well as filter coffee and tea. Barista style coffee was additional cost. We had a hire car so a couple of early starts to see Uluru at sunrise and a self-catered breakfast on those days and did the drone show and the Field of Light on other nights. We booked the Sails on the Desert buffet after the drone show as a treat on our last night together. It was $99.00AUD. At that price, no wonder the restaurant was a bit light on customers! All up, for the cost of accommodation, excluding any tours, air fares or food, I could have flown economy to Dubai and back! …. And ‘they’ wonder why Australians travel overseas and not within Australia – albeit, it’s a place to visit at least once as Uluru and Kata Tjuta are both spectacular Australian icons!

A full resort with shops, restaurants, bungalows etc. and a very rich buffet at supper where you can have a vegetarian option or several kinds of meats to grill yourself. Rooms were reasonably large and with very good beds and bathroom. The right basis for your visits to Uluru and Kings Canyon.

We had a two queen bed hotel room. There was a strong sewerage odour coming from the drain in our bathroom. Our fridge hadn't been emptied & contained food from the previous occupants. We used the communal kitchen to cook toast on one occasion. It was filthy & clearly hadn't been cleaned for some time. Appliances hadn't been wiped & the one toaster had a full crumb tray that potentially was a fire hazzard & definitely a source of food for insects etc which is a health hazzard. Ayers Rock Resort management need to address these areas of cleaning immediately. Most staff tried to assist us with any Enquiries etc but several spoke very limited English & just couldn't help. It is recommended that a minimum acceptable competency in English be required to work at such an iconic Australian Resort. The natural beauty of Uluru and Kata Tjuṯa is undeniable and we enjoyed our experiences of these immensely.

Ayers Rock Resort pwns all hotels here - still they dont make money enough for heating?!?? Is this a joke? It is 0 degree tonight no heating and no extra covers as everyone is hunting those so they dont freeze to death… and you pay for this “experience” Experience for sure I hope I survive without hospitalization.. people coughing everywhere after spending 1 night in this death trap —- Well as I learnt there is no heating in these rooms!!! and they rent it out without stating that on the website??? take a thermal blanket/sleeping bag!!!!!!! this is outrageous! we offer a ‘blanket’ a thin summer blanket for 0 degrees?????????????

A fantastic family holiday. Yes it’s a going to be expensive, but when you consider that everything that you are enjoying has to be transported in from over 2000km away then it really puts the cost into perspective. This is like an oasis in the desert, and we’re sad to have to head home tomorrow. We found the staff to be really nice and helpful, and our room was especially comfortable (and recently renovated I suspect?). The soap and shampoo was all in generously big bottles, instead of the usual tiny tubes, meaning we never ran out as a family of 4. Spending the whole day walking through Kata Tjuta or around Uluru and then returning to order a huge serving of food in the centre of the Outback was fantastic beyond words. Having an IGA/supermarket within the resort also provided a convenient and cheaper option for some meals, especially the ready made sandwiches which were perfect for taking on our daily activities in the National Park, away from the resort. Best to buy your sandwiches early the day before, as they’re very popular and sometimes we had to find alternatives. The Outback Bistro and live music is a fantastic feature of this side of the resort, because it provided an outdoor/covered eating experience with live music and a great atmosphere that we all enjoyed. The DIY BBQ Meats at the bistro was also a great feature, because we managed to try Camel sausages, Emu skewers along with Lamb chops along with the all you can eat salad bar (baked potatoes were a big hit). Overall, we had nothing but a great time here. No regrets at all.