Pullman Hotels in Yulara

The temperature was 45C when we arrived, but the bright, airy entrance to Sails in the Desert provided welcome relief as we entered the air-conditioned foyer with its stylish boutique, restaurant and reception desk. The greeting was friendly, efficient and helpful, with guidance to our ground level room across the lawn and just beyond the large pool. Our room was modern, large and comfortable with plenty of storage space. The bathroom, too, was large, with plenty of counter space and a good size shower, although yet another in which the door, glass panel and shower floor angle were set in a way that causes water to run all over the bathroom floor. The pool area offered tables and chairs with umbrellas as well as plenty of sunbeds. We were surprised to see no shaded area of the pool itself, but shade could be found on some of the sunbeds under the trees surrounding the adjacent lawn. Sails in the Desert is just one of several accommodation options to suit different needs and budgets in the Ayers Rock Resort. We explored some of the others and, perhaps because we were there out of season (late February), the lack of people or signs of activity made them look less attractive than they might have done at other times. Nevertheless, we were glad we had chosen Sails in the Desert which appeared more upscale than the others. By the way, there are no other accommodation options within reasonable driving distance of Uluru, so unless you drive 400+ kms from Alice Springs, you must choose from one of the Ayers Rock Resort options. That is no bad thing because it is a very pleasant, well-kept complex and only a few minutes drive from the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park entrance. We chose to economise on dining, buying some basic items from the small supermarket within the complex and enjoying casual meals at the Geckos Café and Kulata Academy Café, where in-training indigenous staff were doing a great job serving tasty food with a smile.