Accommodations

Choose from comfortable standard rooms with all the luxury extras or the more indulgent spa rooms with an open-air spa on the balcony. Sails in the Desert Hotel features 224 standard rooms; 6 deluxe spa rooms; 2 deluxe spa suites; wheelchair accessible rooms available upon request.

Sails in the Desert features a complimentary, self-serve guest laundry for exclusive use of Sails' guests.

Room features:

• Private bathrooms (bath and shower)
  
• King or queen size beds
  
• Private balcony or verandah
  
• Air-conditioning
  
• Heating
  
• Mini Bar
  
• Refrigerator
  
• Television
  
• ISD/STD phone
  
• In-house movies (charges apply)
  
• Hair Dryer
  
• Iron/ironing board
  
• Tea/coffee making facilities

Dining

The Centre's attractions are a feast for all the senses, your tastebuds no exception. From gourmet dining under a desert sky to grilling a barramundi steak on a cook-your-own barbecue, you'll discover that we've catered to every taste and budget. At Ayers Rock Resort, guests have more than ten dining options to select from, no matter which accommodation you've chosen.

An award-winning dining experience under the stars, Sounds of Silence is a truly unique event, offering the best of the Red Centre distilled into four unforgettable hours. Includes transfers, entertainment, canapes, beer, wines and non-alcoholic beverages, gourmet barbecue (vegetarian arrangements made with prior notice), scrumptious dessert, tea, coffee, port, star talk and stargazing. Departs daily, one hour before sunset, and bookings are recommended.

Kuniya Restaurant, Ayers Rock Resort's premier dining venue, offers an elegant, fine dining experience in a beautiful setting. Situated at the five-star Sails in the Desert Hotel, Kuniya incorporates a blend of traditional and contemporary ingredients, letting guests experience the tastes of indigenous foods within a sophisticated and varied menu. The restaurant's wine list reflects its Australian heritage and the service is both discerning and personalised.

Desert Gardens Hotel is home to the popular White Gums Restaurant which offers a sumptuous buffet for breakfast and dinner in an open and relaxed setting.

Enjoy al fresco dining at Rockpool, by the pool at Sails in the Desert Hotel. A tapas-style platter menu featuring Mediterranean and Asian influences.

Situated at Sails in the Desert Hotel, Winkiku serves a tantalising breakfast and seafood buffet dinner in a brasserie-style setting.

Located at the Desert Gardens Hotel, Arnguli Grill features an a la carte flame-grilled menu including steak and seafood, in relaxed surrounds.

Activities

Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park

The National Park has an area over 311,000 acres and comprises two main significant sites:

• Uluru (sometimes called Ayers Rock) - is one of the largest monoliths in the world. Made of arkosic sandstone, Uluru rises 348 metres above the desert floor and has a circumference of nine kilometres.
  
• Kata Tjuta, known also as The Olgas. Kata Tjuta is the Aboriginal name, which means "many heads'. It is a group of more than 30 rounded red domes rising from the desert floor. The tallest is said to be around 546 metres high. Kata Tjuta is about 30 kilometres west of Uluru.

Sunset and sunrise over Uluru and Kata Tjuta are spectacular, with the colours at both sites becoming more vibrant and even changing. Uluru and Kata Tjuta have significant meaning to Aboriginal people. They both form an important focus of their spiritual life.

It was not until 1979 that, in recognition of the existence of traditional Aboriginal owners of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, a national park was acknowledged. In 1983 Prime Minister Hawke announced the government's intention to grant ownership of the land back to the traditional owners. The agreement, however, required the traditional owners to lease the park to the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service for a period of 99 years.

Anangu life revolves around the Tjukurpa (sometimes wrongly referred to as the Dreamtime). To the Aboriginal people, this is the ancestral period of when the world was being formed.

The cultural landscapes of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park resonate with meaning. They contain creation stories and the associated knowledge of law, relationships, plants, and animals, all of which live in the shapes and features of the land.

Places where significant events in the Anangu story occurred are held as sacred sites. Anangu have the responsibility and obligation to care for the land in a proper way. As such, tourists are not permitted access to certain significant or sacred sites. Even inadvertent access to these can be sacrilegious.

At Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park some areas are fenced off and sometimes photography is restricted to ensure that visitors do not inadvertently contravene Tjukurpa restrictions.

Can I Climb Uluru?

Aboriginal traditional owners would prefer visitors to not climb Uluru. There are two reasons for this:

• Firstly, the path of the climb is associated with important Mala ceremonies. Aboriginal people believe that during the time when the world was being formed, the Uluru climb was the traditional route taken by Mala men when they arrived at Uluru. Because of this spiritual significance, they prefer that - out of education and understanding - you choose to respect their law and culture by not climbing.
  
• Secondly, Anangu have a duty to safeguard visitors to their land. They feel great sadness if visitors to their land are killed or injured. As such, traditional owners would prefer that as guests to their land, visitors will respect Anangu Law and culture by not climbing.

Awards

Sails in the Desert Hotel has recently won a Brolga Award for "Luxury Accommodation".

Local Area

Sails in the Desert is the ultimate in 5-star comfort at Ayers Rock Resort.

Named after the soaring white sails that crown its roof, this is Ayers Rock Resort's premier hotel. Exquisitely furnished and designed, the interior decor focuses on Aboriginal heritage and culture, with a gallery in the lobby and significant artworks featured throughout the public areas and in the private rooms.

Slip into comfort and luxury right in the heart of the Central Australian Outback at Sails in the Desert Hotel. Relax in spacious, airy, beautifully appointed rooms, enjoy a cocktail in the lovely grounds, or sit back and relax under the magnificent white sails.

The Hotel also features the acclaimed Mulgara Gallery, the lively, brasserie-style Winkiku Restaurant, relaxed cuisine by the pool at Rockpool, and the signature restaurant of Ayers Rock Resort, Kuniya Restaurant.

Satellite image    Street map    Hybrid

Pricing and Special Offers

Please contact our travel specialists for pricing and the latest specials available.

Reviews

Been to this resort? Login and share your experiences.


Industry experts login here to post a review. Don't have a login yet? Email us at with your credentials and references to obtain a login.