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Reviews of Desert Gardens Hotel

3 out of 5
Desert Gardens Hotel
1 Yulara Drive, Yulara, NT

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 83 out of 164 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 59 out of 164 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 16 out of 164 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 164 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 164 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Hollee

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Amenities
The Desert Garden Hotel itself was clean and well kept, the staff was great. I was not prepared for the Uluru experience in general. One day in the area is adequate - taking in the two National Parks (we went to Uluru, which was beautiful). In hind sight we would have rented a car early on - there were none available when we were there, this left us with the hop on hop off bus, which was handy, but spendy for what you get. It was that or take tours out to the park which were very expensive. Uluru is the closest park, and is 12 km away, so you need some form of transportation to do what there is to do out there - explore the parks. The flies were abundant and annoying - many tourists wearing the net fly hats. Overall, I’m glad to have seen Uluru and taken some time to learn some of the background - the cultural center is great at the park - but as far as vacationing in the area (1) 1-2 days plenty in my opinion, (2) I felt constrained in regards to method of transportation- all expensive (3) flies are unpleasant
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Natalie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Staff were very helpful and approachable but the facilities were a little tired
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Roberta

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service
The property was conveniently located and rooms are nice. There is no hairdryer in the room but if you call reception one will be brought to your room. Laundry facilities could use more machines and better dryers. A reservation system for using the machines would be welcome. Toilet bowl in bath was very stained. As two women in their 70's, we would have appreciated a room on first floor appreciated as carrying bags upstairs would have been difficult had it not been for a staff member who saw us and offered to carry our bags up the stairs. Service in hotel restaurant was slow. Food was average. Barramundi was overcooked. Squid and coconut prawns were good.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Bonnie

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely hotel, friendly staff, spacious and clean room with nice view from patio.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

JOCELYNE ALTAREJOS

The toilet could do with more of cleaning as it’s stained so a bit disgusting.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024

6/10 Okay

Robert

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Functionally adequate, A bit tired, needs a revamp. Reminded me of a '60's motel with reasonable public areas. Captive market hence premium prices for food etc. It's a place to sleep after doing the rocks camels and walks which is what you're here for really. Ice cold swimming pool was surprisingly pleasant. Good selection of aboriginal art, tools etc. Overall _ "functionally adequate"
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

6/10 Okay

Natsumi

Travelled with family
Disliked: Staff & service
The staff at restaurant Mangala offered us that they can charge the amount to my room account and we agreed to do so. Also, I advised him once again upon exiting the restaurant just in case to change it to my room. However, he (or other male staff) called my family’s room to come immediately back to the restaurant to pay. I was taking a shower at that moment so it took some time for myself to call them back (I do apologize for the delay and for my non-English speaking family couldn’t explain properly). He called us again and again and when finally I answer the phone, his words were: “Are you coming? We cannot close the cashier!!” It’s not the words a professional hotelier uses to guests no matter what happened. Also it’s not guests’ business that they cannot close the cashier and, in the first place, isn’t it the male colleague’s fault that he forgot to change the amont to room?? In the last evening, the entire family was disappointed and promised we would never recommend this property to friends. To note, the receptionist suggested me upon checkout to send a copy of my bill by email but I have not received it yet in the past 10 hours.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

FRANK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Lubomír

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Super
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Paul

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Given the isolated location and harsh environment, the Ayers Rock Resort provides a remarkable service and somewhat of an oasis. However, if the Resort was on the coast near major cities, it might only merit a 3 star rating based on an initial impression of the buildings and design which looks a bit dated in places. We stayed in a unit with two double beds and it was clean and everything was functional. Nice that staff come in daily to give a quick service and replace towels etc. The air con worked well. Downsides were lack of storage for unpacking clothes, and little equipment for eating in room. We used the pool each day and it was very clean. The grounds and garden areas surrounding the hotel are worth a walk round, with many mature trees and range of shrubs and plants. Dined in Mangata - first night disjointed service, second night flawless and also a great breakfast. Staff in Resort mainly very nice and the courtesy bus system from and to the airport is well managed.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Kylie

Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Qiwen

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Darin

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great rooms and exceptional staff at Desert Gardens. Our stay was relaxing and fun. Special thanks to Bill the barman, always smiling and happy to serve us. Can't fault this trip.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

6/10 Okay

Weiren

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Staff service is uneven. Two were helpful but two others didn't and couldn't help. Dirty bathroom and smelly shower curtain which I asked 4 times before it was changed while the tub remained dirty. It's also overpriced. It's close to the tourist center, a positive.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

sanjay

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

david

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lianne

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent, staff were so friendly and happ. The room was perfect and we loved our view. A fantastic place to stay
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nicholas

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Chris

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Venkatarao

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The best one in the desert.
This is a great hotel in Uluru. Everything is so good. Airport shuttle is complimentary. Rooms are spacious and very clean. The housekeeping staff are excellent. It was very hot during our stay, but these ladies were bringing us the things we needed right away. The rooms are scattered around the hotel grounds. Ask for a room closer to the reception in hot summer days. Otherwise any room is fine. All rooms have beautiful views. You can see birds, small desert creatures roaming around in the early morning hours. Dining room has several options. There’s a market and little shopping area with 3 restaurants in 5 min walk.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Karl

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Reported several issues with our room with both reception staff and housekeeping; inclusive of shower gel and hand soup dispensers left empty for 2 consecutive days and not corrected. A very noisy A/C unit in the ceiling that was not addressed and an overflowing ashtray in the communal smoking area not emptied for 3 days. This was disappointing that this issues were raised and never resolved.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

James

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Sarah

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely property in ayers rock with nice gardens to walk through to get to your room. Room wasnt what I expected as expected a view of ayers rock but got a road view instead. Beds comfortable,good air con. Cleanliness could have been improved in the bathroom in the room and the public toilets in reception were always dirty. Good shuttle service to and from airport and around resort. For price we paid we found it to be poor value for money but I guess thats what you have to expect in such a resort.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

John

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The property was great and met our expectations. However there are a couple of things that could be done to make it better: 1) there was no gymnasium on the whole resort. I find that staggering at this day and age that a resort would not have a gym or fitness area. 2) The pool at desert gardens only had a few umbrellas which meant most of the guests are forced to sit or lie in the sun....yet the whole resort has these beautiful permanent sail/shade structures around it. Why not put these over the seated pool surround areas as well. 3) Outside each room (we were in 726) on the patio area, the divide between each room's patio was a steel plate with big round holes throughout it which meant that the guests in the next room were completely visible should they also sit on their patio and their conversation completely hearable. The patio's should be much more private
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

carol

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
everything is centrally located. they have a shuttle bus if you can't walk far. several choices for dining. camel farm was fun to visit
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

Christopher

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Room was clean and well presented, though the rooms were a little tired.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rebekah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highly recommend!
Very nice hotel in the desert Outback resort complex. Large rooms, porch, many restaurants in the complex and some shops. Free laundry facilities which was a nice perk!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

maria alessandra

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
The staff was totally unhelpful The information provided was weak The deal has not been respected
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Takanori

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

giorgio

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great vacation, wonderful staff, very clean and room was updated. Food is expensive in all the restaurants Hop off bus a must if you did not rent a car
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Christine

Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Marina

Travelled with family, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
We had a great stay at desert gardens but would have preferred an interconnecting room with our teenage children
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Peter

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice tea in the rooms. Area around the pool was quite slippery. Nearby shops all shut at 5 so we missed out on some souvenir shopping as were were exploring the area all day. Tours picked up from the hotel were very convenient and well run.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Schandel

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Highly recommended
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very pleasant 3-night stay. Staff very helpful and pleasant. Talks given at the resort were excellent. Very well organized sightseeing trips.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jacqueline Margaret

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We totally enjoyed our stay, quiet,comfortable beds, lovely showers. Rooms could do with a toaster and a few plates and cutlery. Would definitely stay again. Ohhh and nice cappuccino's and alcoholic ginger beer after a hot day out hiking.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Travelled with partner
This hotel is very well maintained. The gardens are beautiful and everything is kept spotless.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Kamal

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Could have lifts.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Ken

Travelled with partner
Liked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Property appears to be recently renovated and was very pleasant
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Ped

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Stacy

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The location can’t be beat. Easy transport from the airport. Room was nice and clean. The bathroom could use a refresh. Buffet breakfast was ok, not great.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Susan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful site ,established planting and trees and room opens out onto natural desert gardens.Very friendly and helpful hotel staff
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jane

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I particularly loved the gardens. Visiting in Spring meant that there was an array of beautiful desert flowers & I didn’t need to leave the hotel to be wowed by the variety & uniqueness of so many species. There’s a lovely ambience at Desert Gardens
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nigel

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I thought the service in the restaurant was excellent and the staff responded to every request so well. I didnt like the way carparking is set up and it would good if the service road could be used for room pick up and drop off bags.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

carla

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything went very smoothly, and everyone was extremely helpful.
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Mitch

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Average but no better. The whole place is hideously expensive and in no way is a value. You can either pay about 3X for food in a restaurant or go to the grocery store and buy picnic items to eat in your room. There is NOTHING within hours of this resort do you have no options. The A/C is poor in the room as well. They call you and they’ll tell you if they don’t have the key in their hands prior to 11:00am sharp -that’s another $50 fee. As I told the kind lady, I have been to the seven continents and this place is the most money grabbing place I have come across. Ayer’s Rock and central Australia is a great place to see…once - just get ready to feel a bit robbed at the end due to the cost of this “resort”.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Heather

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I liked the free shuttle to and from the resort and airport. I liked the walking trails around the property. The resort was clean and quiet.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023