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In Australia's Red Centre, the five star Sails in the Desert hotel beautifully contrasts Uluru's raw natural beauty with a decidedly luxurious outback holiday experience. Soaring white sails crown Ayers Rock Resort's Sails in the Desert hotel, shading 228 luxury five star rooms and suites. Discover the passion behind Aboriginal art at Sails in the Desert's Mulgara Gallery. Then be lulled into complete relaxation by one of the Red Ochre Spa's package treatments. Sails in the Desert hotel features an expansive gumtree lined heated swimming pool and a diversity of modern dining, bar and lounge options. Choose Sails in the Desert for an outback holiday with a unique style and modern luxury.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Accor Hotels.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Business
Languages Spoken
English, Chinese
Location
163 Yulara Drive Ayers Rock Resort, Yulara, Northern Territory 0872 Australia
Sails In The Desert
4,915 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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Sails in the Desert hotel is renowned for its inviting atmosphere and scenic views, with guests frequently praising its spacious and well-maintained rooms. While the hotel's amenities, including the pool and free shuttle, are often highlighted positively, opinions on the value proposition vary due to the higher price point. The staff's friendly service garners compliments, despite some reports of inconsistency.
Although the remote location enhances the uniqueness of the stay, it also presents some challenges. Travelers appreciate the hotel's overall cleanliness but have noted occasional lapses in housekeeping.
Location
Remote
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Well-appointed
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It’s been a few years since I last stayed at Sails. As Accor Gold, an early check in was kindly accommodated. We also received an upgrade to the next room category which provided a more spacious outdoor area.
Guest rooms are generally well maintained however there was a damp odour after the air fragrance from housekeeping service disappated. There were also quite a few cobwebs and a spider or two. Public areas are a little dated and the main toilets were not serviced regularly - dirty floor and discarded paper towels going unchecked for several hours.
The quality of food in the restaurant was good, however the menu was quite limited. Staff were friendly, however bar service was very slow - drinks often sitting at dispense for several minutes before being served. The restaurant closes at 2130 and the bar at 2200.
Tip - Accor Plus members get a discount of 50% on lunch and dinner (remember to mention when ordering).
No enquiry on check out on how the stay was. There definitely are some detractors but the location has limited accommodation options and Sails is the premium choice without opting for (far more expensive) luxury.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ayers Rock Resort Manager, Marketing at Sails In The Desert
Responded 30 Dec 2024
Thank you, nick164, for taking the time to share your detailed and honest feedback. We are pleased to hear you appreciated the early check-in, room upgrade, and the quality of the food in our restaurant. It is also great that our team’s friendliness stood out during your stay. We are sorry for the aspects of your visit that fell short, including the damp odour, housekeeping details, and the condition of some public areas. Your comments about bar service delays and restroom maintenance are especially valuable, and we will ensure these areas receive attention. Thank you for highlighting the Accor Plus dining discount—it’s a great tip for future guests. We truly value your candid review and will take your feedback onboard to improve our services. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future and provide a more seamless experience.
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We recently stayed in a superior room at Sails for 7 nights and had 3 other rooms for family booked for 5 nights. On arrival, check in took ages as everyone arrives on the bus from the airport at the same time. Only 2 people were on the desk which seemed poor given they would know how many people were coming in from the buses. All of the rooms are accessed via outdoor pathways and there was no offer of bags being taken to our rooms by the concierge. Even our 83 yr old Mum wasnt offered any assistance.
Be aware that should you encounter any wet days, as we did, the hotel is very open and flat so water pools everywhere and even the steps down from the 3 room levels are open to the elements.
Cleanliness and serviceability of our room was below average for the entire stay. Our room wasnt servied porperly once over our 7 nights and even though we raised this with reception it didnt get any better. Rubbish left in room, towels left on floor, bathroom consumables not replaced........even woken one morning prior to 8am with them wanting to service our rooom. Only one out of our 4 rooms we had booked ever received the advertised turn down service which was meant to be part of our booking.
The hotel has basically two food offerings. The main restaurant which offers buffet breakfast and buffet dinner as well as the Pool and bar menus which were the same. The buffet breakfast was included in our nightly room rate and was great, except for the coffee service which was very much hit or miss. The buffet dinner was also good but very limiting when you are staying multiple nights, it would be good to have more choice or a la carte offerings.
The reort pool is a lovey size and setting but is ironically the coldest pool I have EVER encountered. It was so disspointing not to be able to relax in the water, even though the days were around 30 degrees.
Overall and given that this is the premium priced hotel at Yulara we were expecting a lot more.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Bring your own pillow - not a single good one across the 4 rooms we booked
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ayers Rock Resort Manager, Marketing at Sails In The Desert
Responded 29 Oct 2024
Dear Madmotherwhoscraps, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at Sails. We are sorry that your stay did not meet your expectations, especially regarding the check-in process and room service. Your feedback about the staffing during peak arrivals is noted, and we will work to improve this aspect of our service. We also regret that the cleanliness and servicing of your room fell below our standards. We appreciate you bringing these issues to our attention, and we will address them with our housekeeping team to ensure improvements are made moving forward. Regarding the dining options, we are glad you enjoyed the buffet breakfast but understand that more variety is desired for longer stays. We are always looking to enhance our menu offerings, and your suggestions will be taken into consideration. Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding our pricing. We understand that it may seem higher than expected, but prices in remote areas often reflect the increased logistical costs associated with transport and supply. We acknowledge your concerns about the pool temperature and the overall accessibility during wet weather. Your comments are invaluable as we continuously seek to improve our facilities for all guests. Thank you again for your feedback. Best regards,
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A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveller reviews.
Sails in the Desert offers a luxurious stay with spacious rooms, plenty of storage for clothes, and large bathrooms. The grounds are beautifully maintained, and the open common spaces create a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. The staff was friendly and accommodating throughout our stay.
The pool was a nice place to cool off, but be sure to keep your belongings close—the ground around it gets extremely hot! We also couldn’t quite figure out when (or if) the pool bar was open. The breakfast buffet was acceptable, though nothing particularly special.
One great feature was the abundance of cold water stations, which were much appreciated in the heat. Overall, a comfortable and well-appointed stay, with just a few small areas for improvement!
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Maybe don’t go in the dead of summer. Make sure to book all of your activities in advance.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ayers Rock Resort Manager, Marketing at Sails In The Desert
Responded 4 days ago
Dear Jordan, Thank you for sharing your thoughtful review and we are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Sails in the Desert and appreciated the spacious rooms, well-maintained grounds, and welcoming atmosphere. It is also wonderful to know that our team made your stay enjoyable. We appreciate your feedback about the pool area and the pool bar hours—we will certainly review how we can improve clarity around this. We are also glad that the cold water stations were helpful during the heat! We are grateful for your balanced review. We hope to welcome you back for another comfortable and relaxing stay in the future. Best regards
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Worst Accor property ever. Reception staff don’t value the Accor Membership. Entire check in took 2 hours. On checking into the room there was a welcome note addressed to some Mr. Mark. What a joke.
Toilet in the room is permanently discoloured (pic attached) and looks disgusting and this is their Terrace room.
No Porter service is available at the hotel.
Reception people have no idea what tours are available. When you talk to the reception staff, they show you a QR code and ask you to go online and check.
Waited 50 mins for 2 meals and 1 child meal to arrive at the restaurant. Extra 10 mins for the condiments.
Reception staff has no idea what’s happening in the Hotel at New Year’s Eve.
Used plates are lying outside rooms for more than 12 hours and stinking. No one is picking the used room service plates. This is just on my way to the reception passing approx. 10-12 rooms.
Wi-Fi doesn’t work half the time and doesn’t allow you to connect. If you get connected, the speed is very slow. You are better working off your mobile phone hotspot.
House keeping cleaned the rooms and just rinsed the used mugs. Mugs were dirty when we planned to use with tea residue lining visible in the mugs.
Used wine glasses were not cleaned or replaced.
When this issue was discussed with the reception staff they said that they have made a note of it and will transfer the comments to the house keeping manager. The mugs were not replaced or new mugs were not provided. We had to clean the tea residue ourselves before using them. Luckily we had bottle cleaner and brush we use to clean our infants’s milk bottles.
And surprising it’s not even 24 hours since I arrived at the hotel.
Hotel is Very DIRTY.
This hotel is a joke and appears to be run by bunch of novices.
Staff are good but bad management. Management should probably go to Bali to learn about hospitality.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel itself is decent. Our room was clean and the bathroom was modern. It had a pool. There is no gym. It was a hike to get to our room and the one tiny lift was inconveniently located far from our room. They don’t replace the room amenities - so if you use the one sanitary bag or the 2 minuscule cotton balls or q-tips, you don’t get any replacements when they arrive the room. Very chintzy. The lady who checked us in was very unpleasant (she was not Australian, but had more of a Hispanic or Latin accent). The restaurants are overpriced and food isn’t spectacular or gourmet to justify the hefty price tag. We asked for an hour later checkout as our flight time changed to 2:20pm and were told it would cost $60 more for an hour! Ridiculous and obscene. We had already paid an overpriced $475 a night for quality that was definitely not 5 star. I couldn’t even get Accor points because I added my hotel when I booked the flight. Who even knew this qualified as booking through an agent? The entire place felt like a captive audience money grab. The hotel doesn’t even have luggage porters or room service. I can’t recommend this hotel, but again choices are limited since the 4 (or 5?) hotels are owned by the same group. There is no competition so you get high prices, crap service, stupid rules and mediocre food and they laugh because they got you! No other choices.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sails in the Desert is part of the Ayers Rock resort, which is the only game in town. Expect to pay 30%-100% above prices elsewhere for everything except (oddly?) the supermarket. The evening buffet dinner, for example, is an eye-watering 198 AUD for a couple. So: you have to box clever. The Uluru sunset and starlight dinner a stonking 600 (yes that’s six hundred) AUD for a couple.
How to deal with this?
Food: go large on the buffet breakfast: it’s 98 AUD for a couple but the quality is good and the variety generally good - if not quite five-star, it’s not far off (some questionable smoothies and no choice of omelette filling for example just pull it down). You won’t need more than a little fruit etc for lunch (supermarket, or maybe (ahem!) you carried a bit of banana bread away from breakfast). For supper go to Ghecko’s Café in the town square.
Then - swallow hard and fork out for one premium experience, such as the starlight dinner. It’s only once in your life, and you’ll never do it again.
Park access: buy the pass in advance: it’s valid three days but you can have a two day extension for free. To get to the park: hire car is best. The coach tours are very expensive and limit you to their timings. We used Dollar and had a 24 hour rental from the town square. 200 AUD.
A head-net is very useful - flies are persistent - take it if you have one.
On the advice of a park ranger did sunset from the end of the Mala walk - beautiful colours, close by the rock, and only five people there. We followed the same ranger’s advice and viewed sunrise from the _sunset_ car park - only the two of us and it was awesome with an unrestricted view to the rock. We saw a second sunset from the sunset coach park - crowded, and you are looking across the road so cars and coaches keep crossing the line of view to the rock. It was also a little cloudy that day which maybe gave us not so good light.
The resort pool is lovely - not too cold if you’re from the UK! One day it was somewhat dominated by boisterous unaccompanied (local staff?) children: a safety risk as well as detracting from the atmosphere. The resort don’t approve but were not proactive in removing them. It’s a safety and amenity issue.
This apart the resort staff were good: the room spotless (shout out to the cleaning team) and aircon effective.
I’d have appreciated more scientific info: geology, geography and history of the rock and the area You do get anthropological and mythological info - this is often quite repetitive. The resort activities were for me a bit meh, especially the didgeridoo “workshop”, but others loved them.
Summary: it’s a unique place to be but it’s not great value for money. Live with it. Suck it up! Enjoy your visit to this awesome place.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our family stated at the Sails in the Desert hotel in Yulara (Ayers Rock Resort) for three nights in early March. The complimentary shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel was welcomed after a long day of travel, The room was comfortable and the breakfast and dinner buffets were very good, with a nice selection of items. The take out breakfast we were given one morning for an early tour of Ayers Rock was not so great, however. In addition, while the hotel had a nice, free laundromat, the "wrinkle free" setting on the dryer gave us the most (and worst!) wrinkles we've ever seen on our clothes, including several "wrinkle free" shirts and pants. Oh well. All in all, however, we had a very nice stay and were very impressed with how friendly and helpful the hotel and restaurant staff were during our visit. Would definitely stay again!
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Voyages Travel Centre, General Manager at Sails In The Desert
Responded 13 May 2024
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback! We greatly appreciate your comments regarding your stay, both positive and constructive, which will be shared with the relevant teams as we continue to strive to improve the experience for our guests.
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This was my second visit to this hotel. The last time I visited was 18 years ago with my family, this time was a visit to Uluru with my husband.
Due to location there are limited hotel options but I had fond memories of this hotel from 18 years ago. Unfortunately I don’t think this hotel has kept up with the times. It was identical - it didn’t appear that anything had been upgraded or maintained since I last visited. I did think maybe touching up woodwork or replacing bathroom tiles that have discoloured over the years would be done, but it appeared not.
The room itself is suitable for guests needs and has everything you would need for a short stay.
We did take full advantage of the free laundrette- this was popular and very much welcomed by travellers! (2 washing machines and 2 tumble dryers with free washing powder!).
We did book the buffet dinner which we would not recommend, it’s definitely not worth the money and there are other dinner options just a small walk away.
Overall I would come back as it’s the best of the ones in a similar price range but it could be so much better!
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Booked 2 nights accommodation, including breakfast for a Superior Room with 2 Queen size beds for an average price of $1006/night. Used the resort website to book since it gave a better deal before the booking became non refundable. There is plenty info sent via email before we arrived. Efficient friendly informative check in. The main entry building is superb & this is where the various bars & restaurant are located. The resort is shaped like an L. Our room, no 229 was right in the corner up a level from ground. There are stairs & also the elevator located here. The resort is very well maintained with plenty of well kept shrubs. Our room, facing east, was spacious & cool with 2 comfortable queen size beds & assortment of pillows. 2 upright chairs & table & 1 easy chair. There is air con but we didn't need it. Instead there is a sliding door opening out to a spacious deep balcony, meaning that it shades the room, overlooking the resort. A fridge, complementary water & reusable water bottles (thank you), coffee, teas etc. No biscuits though. Wifi is excellent. The ensuite is spacious too with a walk in shower. Push buttons to choose type of shower head-bliss. Nice quality toilettries in pump action bottles. Breakfast was excellent with a superb choice of good quality food, & friendly helpful service set in attractive surroundings. Particularly enjoyed the freshly made omelet. The motel is well located to walk to the village square. There are various carparks you could use depending on your room's location. All staff we encountered were friendly & helpful. Our room was made up whilst we were away at breakfast. We enjoyed our 2 night stay.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This hotel has so much potential but let down by either lazy or poorly trained staff.
An Asian lady called us at the airport to tell us the room was ready so that was a nice gesture but also where the good service ended.
The lady who checked us in was obviously racist. Rude, abrupt and just gave us room keys while I saw her hand out the map of the hotel and other information to guests just before us. She had a strange accent and middle aged. The bus driver who took us to the hotel told us more of whats on offer than the staff at check in. In fact, no staff member mentioned anything about the free activities on offer. There is also nothing in the room on what the hotel offers. I have never seen a hotel not try to advertise their own amenities and services in a room.
The website hid all the menus to all the restaurants so we had no idea what to expect at other restaurants. The prices at the Walpa lobby bar are also excessive. $6.50 for a glass of coke and every single dish was around $30.
The only exception were the waiters and waitresses at the WALPA LOBBY BAR who were accomodating despite being run off their feet being understaffed.
The room was modern and clean but on some days, some items were not replaced so I had to call room service to bring up things like milk and vanity kits. The room attendant who made a random visit to refill the soap and shampoo left dirty boot prints on the bathroom tiles and carpet.
Never have I felt so let down by an experience at a hotel.
Tip: BYO drinks and snacks or go to IGA but don't expect a cheap snack at Sails. You will need to take the shuttle bus to another hotel (owned by the same company) if you want a cheaper meal - at the Outback Hotel.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:BYO drinks, snacks and alcohol or be prepared to get ripped off at Sails or IGA.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Voyages Travel Centre, General Manager at Sails In The Desert
Responded 9 Nov 2023
Thank you for bringing your experience to our attention, and we sincerely apologize for the disappointments you encountered during your stay. Your feedback is valuable, and we are actively addressing the issues raised, particularly in staff training and communication. We appreciate your positive mention of the waitstaff at our Walpa Lobby Bar and regret that other aspects fell short of your expectations. Rest assured, corrective actions are being taken to improve our service and amenities. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back for a more positive experience in the future.
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The shuttle buses are arranged by the accommodation…you just have to collect your bags ..go out the front of the airport and they are waiting…there are two buses ..just make sure you get on the one going to your resort..return transfers are also included.
Yes .You use the same pool and facilities.The apartments are separated by a wall.Private and well laid out.Outdoor setting out the front .We loved it.The restaurants and Red Ochre Spa are recommended
There are more places to choose from in the Yulara area.
PRICE RANGE
$434 - $520 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
sails in the desert ayers rock hotel yulara
LOCATION
AustraliaNorthern TerritoryRed CentreYulara
NUMBER OF ROOMS
232
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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