If you have been somewhat 'following' my Australia travel posts and you're pretty much lost now(thanks to me and my super slow updates, I'm sorry!), here's a quick recap! I visited 2 places in Australia back in winter 2017 - Melbourne & Uluru/Ayers Rock and my trip went like this: Melbourne>Uluru/Ayers Rock>Melbourne. This post is gonna be all about how I got to Ayers Rock from Melbourne + where I stayed/ate/did in Uluru/Ayers Rock etc so I hope you guys enjoy reading!
By the way, as this post is outdated and I'm only writing this so I could look back and reminisce my trip in the future, any prices mentioned in this post is most likely outdated. If you're planning a visit, please do your own research because my post can only be served as a rough guide haha.
To read my latest 'Australia travelogue' post before this, here's a quick link to it. For the rest of the posts in proper order, just scroll all the way down! :D
and that's our plane!
My visit was 2 years ago(hahaha) so I highly doubt any of these are still on the menu but from our visit I guess I could say the food tasted okay...so-so?? Portion sizes were fairly large and pricing wise was as expected from a touristy location with not many restaurant options available. You can also find their menu here. The crowd during lunch hours was still alright but you may want to show up a little earlier for dinner as the place could get pretty packed during the night.
I can't remember exactly but I think our room was on the top floor...?
Now to answer the million dollar question - "How much was it?" During our 2 nights stay at Sails in the Desert, we paid about $1.1k AUD(approx $550/night) for their Superior Room and because there's 4 of us, on top of the $1.1k, we added an extra bed for additional +-$35AUD/night?
I can't remember exact figures but that was the rough amount we paid for our stay 2 years ago haha. For their latest rates you can check online via the Ayers Rock Resort website/Agoda. Just a heads up, if you're thinking of booking this resort, remember to book early because their rooms do run out fast especially during peak travel season! We booked ours via Agoda and we also got free cancellation up until a little over a week before our visit so if you're unsure about your trip, you might want to look into this option!
Here's a brighter view of the room.
Some bathroom amenities
Some extra photos
Oh and here's the view from our balcony.
I've done it guys. I've seen and walked around the world's largest rock monolith!
Smile!
Happier?
Last photo featuring the sunset viewing area!
Apart from Ayers Wok, we also discovered that there's a small supermarket located somewhere within the Ayers Rock Resort Town Square and I highly recommend checking it out!! The supermarket has all the necessities you need and they also sell some salads for an affordable price(I hope they still sell em now)! The potato salad you see in this picture was really yummy(plus it had the 'late evening discount tag' on it) and I'd gladly pick that over the other restaurants we had during our stay haha!
I think the fried noodles tasted so-so? It's also probably because we're from a country where fried noodles are so common that our expectations were set a little too up there? I don't know but on a plus point, their portions were HUGE and I honestly think 2 can share a box.
Still think that under $10 potato salad was super good though!
To end the day here's the best 'starry night' photo I managed to capture. We were out in the desert and this is probably the only time I've been so far away from a city so the night sky I saw here was probably one of my favourite highlights from this trip, second to seeing Uluru up-close of course. My photo clearly did not do this beautiful night sky any justice so you'll have to see it for yourself!
Day 2 in Uluru/Ayers Rock.
Our day 2 at Uluru/Ayers Rock begun super early! We woke up at 4:30a.m. and had a bit of cup noodles for our breakfast(bought em at the mini supermarket). As soon as we were done eating, we drove straight to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in hopes that we'd make it in time to catch the sunrise!
My sunrise photos turned out more like silhouettes but they still look pretty neat right? Was waking up at 4:30 in the morning worth it? Yup. Definitely! I mean, you obviously want to make your trip worth it right?
Side track abit. We found this korean 'onion rings chips' at the supermarket the night before and it was addictive lol.
Did Candace drive an Outlander around the desert??? Obviously no hahahahaha.
So after our sunrise viewing session we actually went back to our hotel room to take a nap LOL. When we woke up it was about 1pm-ish and this was when we decided that we'd take a walk around Uluru but before that we stopped by Gecko's Cafe again for lunch first. Honestly, the only reason we ate here again was because the supermarket didn't have my potato salad in stock :c
While many would venture to Uluru attempting to climb it, there are also a few Uluru walking tracks for those whom would love to appreciate the rock without the whole extreme climbing factor. I can't remember which one we chose but if I did not recall wrongly, we went for the Mala Walk which features a 2km return distance that would take up approximately 1.5hrs to complete. Each walking track also has it's own 'difficulty level' but the Mala Walk we chose was one of the easiest Grade 1 walks suitable for everyone HAHA.
By the way, from 26th October onwards, visitors are no longer permitted to climb Uluru/Ayers Rock. I only found out about this while I was googling up all the necessary links while drafting this blog post. I believe I read that the climbing ban will come into effect officially starting 26th October 2019. If climbing Uluru is on your bucket list, and you're physically fit/healthy enough to do so, you might wanna start planning your trip there asap. Though reading the news report from ABC, it seems that the various factors leading to the ban includes safety as well as the cultural significance of Uluru/Ayers Rock to the Anangu people(rightful owners of Uluru).
But hey, with all that said, even if you can't climb Uluru, I still think Uluru is a place worth visiting. If you're there with a tour group, chances are you tour guide would take you guys for the Mala Walk. If you're there on your own like us, you can either do the Mala Walk on your own free and easy style or simply join the free ranger guided Mala Walk.
The free ranger guided excursion will be following the Mala walk along the base of Uluru. To take part in the free ranger guided excursion, you will have to gather at the Mala Walk carpark. Depending on when you're visiting Uluru, the departure time varies. From October-April, the walk is at 8AM. If you're there during May-Sep, the walk begins slightly later at 10AM.
Here's a funny story. We knew there was a free ranger guided tour but we what we didn't know was the time it was available. When we showed up there was this group of people with a tour guide so we automatically assumed that was the free ranger tour haha. So we kinda just followed along and it was only at the end of the walk when everyone was heading back to their tour bus only we found out we were following a private tour the whole time LOL. No one said anything or looked at us weirdly so I guess it's okay hahaha!
Some random shots captured during the Mala Walk!
After walking around the area to capture a few more photos, we went back to our hotel for a short while. Along the way back we stopped by the petrol station to pump some gas and buy some ice cream. This was the beautiful sunset sky we came back to.
So this was Day 2's dinner. Trust me, we checked for my potato salad again, no luck so we made do with some fried stuff from the petrol station and some Nissin instant noodles. Despite how it looks, these fried stuff really ain't that bad plus you get to save some money too.
Day 3 at Uluru/Ayers Rock - half day plan.
We will be checking out of our hotel on this day then catching a 12:30p.m. flight back to Melbourne. Before that, we needed something to eat. So happen it was a week before me and my sister's birthday and that was when my family decided 'ok, let's have some fancy hotel breakfast' as an early birthday celebration. So for breakfast we ate at Ilkari Restaurant which so happen to be located in our hotel itself, perfect. We were there for their breakfast buffet and this was what they had to offer(like 2 years ago hahaha).
Okay I think the food options have probably changed over the years but the eggs section probably wouldn't change that much...? If you're dining there and they still offer their 'Outback omelette', you have to try it! I love omelettes and the number 1 thing I look for in a hotel breakfast is the eggs counter LOL. Their outback omelette is basically an omelette but instead of the typical bell pepper/ham/tomato etc, their outback omelette is cooked with their local seasonal ingredients and I loved it! I think I had like 2 or 3!!
So...a quick review on my experience here(not sure bout their standards now, you might wanna check out tripadvisor for newer reviews)! During my visit, the service there was alright...? I think their pricing might seem a little steep to some considering they offer a slightlyyy smaller variety of food choices compared to other 5 star hotel breakfast buffets charging the same rates. Though personally if you ask me, I think their variety is more than sufficient and considering the fact that Ilkari is located in a hotel out in the desert, I think it's a very fair price(especially when the food from other restaurants don't taste good but are still charging around $18-$25 per plate excluding drinks) so if you were to ask me, I do recommend giving Ilkari's buffet a go if your budget allows it. If not, the supermarket is a good option to check out too if the other Ayers Rock Resort town square restaurants aren't to your liking.
After breakfast, we checked out, got our luggage, made our way to Uluru/Ayers Rock Airport, returned our rental car, and waited for our flight! The End.
And that is a wrap for my Uluru/Ayers Rock longggg awaited travelogue!! It's probably because I haven't wrote travel posts in so long, I lowkey feel so accomplished finishing this haha. As I finish writing this, my 3rd semester has officially begun and I can't wait to learn more in this term! Wish me luck and see you in my next post! 💖 As always, I'm more than happy to answer any questions you guys have so feel free to throw em at me!
Oh and last but not least, visit Uluru/Ayers Rock!
Thank you for reading! Ciao ciao!
- candy -
Quick links:
02. Experience Bella Apartment Hotel review (accommodation)
04. Loch Ard Motor Inn quick review (accommodation)
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