Desert Gardens Hotel — Hotel in Yulara

Things I should have known before I came here:||We all know the nature experiences are world class. Transportation is bus only and is very reliable and comfortable but that is it. There is nothing else. Screams the need for e-bikes or segways. So you can get around the resort because let me tell you, it is huge!||If you can’t eat the food in the restaurant because of diet, ill health, bad luck, you are going to starve. There is an IGA store that is stocked once a week. What it has is very good but being a million miles from everywhere, expect fresh items to run out very fast. ||Definitely pack and bring cutlery and crockery as there are none supplied in your room. The only takeaway cafe is in the town centre and you will freeze walking it back to your room in winter and melt in summer. This place screams out for an Uber service but so far only one cafe doing takeaway of a very limited menu mainly Italian.||Now this resort does have a restaurant and bar/bistro. They are the one and the same and if $72 is okay for a tiny steak, fill your boots.||My wife became ill and could not get to the restaurant. I saw soup on the menu so thought I would ask to take some to her. Flat no was the response. Spoke to reception- sorry not my problem was the attitude. I explained and pleaded but was told to buy a tin of soup at IGA.||Apparently it was a WHS decision. Really?! So ten minute walk in the dark and I do mean dark. Very unsettling. Purchase soup. Go to cafe and order a pizza for me. 45 minutes later and a piping hot pizza.||Ten minute walk to reception because they had agreed to see chef and borrow a plate and spoon for the soup. Then a map was provided and a thirty minute search commenced to find a room with a microwave at the other end of the hotel. Failed. Back to reception for more help. Pizza stone cold.||Receptionist agreed to show me the room. Turns out it was a laundry. That would have been handy to know. Heat the soup now how to carry eat accross the resort to our upstairs room on top of my pizza and groceries. No way to heat the pizza. I was not chasing another borrowed plate.||Made it. The trip to get a bowl of tinned souple for my ill wife - 2hrs. I kid you not.||No room service, no takeaway except from town, no transportation other than the shuttle that comes by every fifteen minutes.||Now the room. Bring a step ladder if you want to get in the tallest bath in Australia. Bring your own safety rails and slip mats. None provided.||Fortunately you can get a cup of tea as two teabags are provided. I have only been hear 24hrs so no idea if the room will be serviced. Check in is at 3pm and there were cleaners on the floor a few hours ago but we can step around the accumulating rubbish.||Don’t trip on the whole in the tub either. ||No lifts so pack light for the steps. Porters extremely helpful but clearly advice that room service was available was less than accurate. He was still insisting the hotel has a cafe but reception confirmed they did not.||All in all, food is your real issue. The expensive restaurants are empty and the one better priced cafe is full to overflowing. It is extremely challenging to find food as it runs out very quickly. Once you find some, it is not too bad but this is no 5 star qulity resort. My guess is 3 stars but it will drop quickly.||Ps. For those who say but you are in the outback….. you are right. If it runs out, that’s life. But if you are serving it and refuse to serve to a high paying client, that isn’t the outback. That is extremely poor leadership and supervision. Contingency...

We do NOT recommend Desert Gardens Hotel due to the staff's indifference towards guests, especially during peak season. The seasonal customer service staff particularly its Customer Service management seem to lack care and attention, which is quite disappointing and frantly rude and arrogant!

We had been eagerly anticipating our trip to Uluru for months, having planned it through Discover Australia for over six months. My husband arranged this special journey for my birthday, taking The Ghan from Adelaide to Alice Springs and then on to Uluru via McDonnell ranges.

We arrived yesterday and had to wait until late to get our room. Initially, I was pleased; the room appeared clean, with a terrace and a fairly modern bathroom. However, we soon realised we had been assigned the wrong room with two separate beds. When I contacted reception that evening and expressed our dissatisfaction to Tea, who first blamed Discover Australia for the mistake as we had booked via them for our whole entire trip, then she decided that she could change our room the next day after speaking to her manager Ronny! These seasonal workers lack the ability to care and do their jobs and serve customers!

After a night of uncomfortable sleep in a double bed for 2 people instead of the king-size bed we expected—especially since we paid an additional $800 for an upgrade over four nights—I was frustrated.

Today 11 Aug, at 2 PM, we finally received our "upgraded" room from the manager Ronny with a foul attitude. Upon entering, we discovered they had upgraded us to a “disabled room” there were no benches for our bathroom amenities as we had been moved to a special needs deluxe room. When I called to speak with the manager, he abruptly hung up on me. After calling back again, he informed me that we had paid for a "deluxe desert view room." So take the special needs room or lump it attitude!

After all we are only spending 4 nights in this horrible place! They couldn’t and wouldn’t give us a decent deluxe room as advertised $680 per night!

So instead of receiving a standard king bed with a garden view, we were placed in a room with two double beds and then moved to a “special needs” room. Despite paying an extra $200 per night for this upgrade, he showed little concern for our situation, leaving me disgusted with the behaviour of the management and staff.

The staff were aware that this was a birthday gift, as it was mentioned during the booking process, yet we were assigned a room with two separate beds meant for a couple on purpose!

I understand it’s peak season and Uluru is a popular destination, but rudeness and disrespect towards customers are unacceptable. With tours coming and going daily, surely they have a standard deluxe room available to offer.

So for $680 a night, one would expect better Customer Service particularly from management and you might want to consider staying at Sails instead, which offers a much nicer, recently built resort for $500 per night. It comes with better amenities and likely superior service! Plus, they will give you the room you have booked for and making sure you have a good birthday week.

Totally unprofessional, dysfunctional and disorganised blaming the agencies who bring the customers...

City: Ayers Rock Date: 29 Jan to 1 Feb 2025 Nights: 3 nights

This is a fantastic hotel located in the heart of the resort area. Overall, the service is exceptional, and we were fortunate to have a wonderful room with stunning views of Uluru. Our stay at the hotel couldn't have been better.

Location: Situated in the resort area, this is the first hotel of a collection of five resorts and apartments in the region. It is just a five-minute walk from the centre, where you can discover a variety of restaurants and shops.

Services / team: The team is exceptionally well-trained, both at the reception and in the restaurant. We experienced a high standard of service, and everyone contributed to making our stay truly enjoyable.

Check in process: The check-in and check-out process was exceptionally smooth. As one of the hotels included in the Jetstart package, the lobby can get quite busy when guests arrive simultaneously from the airport. However, the staff ensured that the check-in experience was efficient and seamless. Overall, it was a very positive experience.

Rooms: We are absolutely thrilled with our room! It is spacious and well-designed, featuring a balcony with a stunning view of Uluru. The atmosphere is wonderfully peaceful, and everything functions perfectly. Nice bed and very large bathroom and very good shower pressure.

Internet connection: the internet connection is good in all the communal areas of the hotel and also very fast in the room.

Views: absolutely amazing, beautiful view of Uluru as the rooms are situated in a great location.

Cleanliness: all the locations in the hotel are well maintained and clean at all times.

Pool: The pool is situated at the heart of the hotel, offering a spacious and impeccably maintained environment.

Others: A complimentary shuttle service operates every 20 minutes, providing convenient transportation to various restaurant areas and nearby hotels, making it easy for you to explore different dining options.

Highlights: We truly enjoyed the room, the stunning view, and the hotel's prime location. Everything functioned perfectly, and we had a wonderful time during our three-day stay.

Rate: We highly recommend this hotel and would love to return if the opportunity arises. It offers excellent value...