HI - YHA Ayers Rock - Voyages Outback Pioneer Hotel & Lodge Hostel

Ayers Rock

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Address	Via Yulara Drive, Ayers Rock Northern Territory, Australia
Price	Price may vary by season - Check Current Prices by Date Here

Location/Contact

Details

This is a Hostelling International (HI) hostel. A membership card isn't required, but an extra fee will apply for non-members. You can get a membership card before your trip here.

Their Description

Features

Kitchen
BBQ
Food/Restaurant
Washing Machine (laundry)
Travel information provided
Bike Rental
Currency Exchange
Air Conditioning

The Hostelz.com Review

The YHA at Ayres Rock has the sort facilities you would expect from a good resort. It has three different dining options - a restaurant, a cook your own BBQ, and a kiosk selling burgers, etc. It also has a large open bar area with nightly entertainment with the resident singer. The YHA also has the only bottleshop in the Ayres Rock Resort.

There is a nice pool area and a TV lounge with internet terminals. You can also prepare your own meals in the well equipped kitchen. And there is a large modern shower block and a laundry for guests to use.

There are a range of accommodation options available. The dorms are modern and clean, but they are slightly cramped, with no storage facilities. You can, however, rent a locker near the reception area.

The YHA operates free transfers to the airport and also runs free shuttles to the other hotels in the Ayres Rock resort and the shopping precinct.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
December 2004

Ratings & Comments

3 Average from 3 Ratings

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We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.

Comment by DRW

May 2006

This place is way overpriced. I paid thirty-three bucks for a twenty-bed dorm, but they were clean, quiet, and not at all busy. My block was right next to the bathroom block, so I had no concerns here. I could see that it may be a bit of a walk for people further out. Toilets are sometimes cleaned more than twice a day. Put it in persepective, some hostels don't even clean once a day. The bathrooms are large and clean. The bar and bar-b-cue are also very expensive -- sixteen bucks for a burger to cook yourself. The kitchens and communal areas are also fine as well. Greyhound will drop you right off and pick you up at the doorstep, so no walking. There are no other options except camping for backpackers, so like it or lump it.

Comment by Tatyana

November 2005

We stayed at the budget option of the Ayers Rock Resort — the Outback Lodge! And it was simply terrible. The Ayers Rock Resort holds a monopoly in the area, so you are obliged to pick one of their five accommodation options. Therefore they can hike up prices as much as they want (we paid $82 for a "budget room" which we shared with two other people, and that had no en suite facilities!) and also as there is no other competition, they can afford to keep their standards low! The room we stayed in was more than just basic. It consisted of two bunk beds and that's it. Nothing else. It wasn't particularly clean either and when we discovered some miscellaneous stains on our sheets, it took the reception more than 30 minutes to get on the case! The bathroom/showers were a good walk from our room and were shared by other guests staying at one of the more up market "sister" hotels in the resort, who would just pop by for a drink or dinner. So the bathrooms would get absolutely disgusting by the end of the day. And they only clean toilets twice a day so you have to put up with all the dirt for hours at a time! Ayers Rock gets infested with flies in the Spring/Summer and so does the resort area, but management doesn't seem to care. There are no signs of combating them anywhere in the resort, even around the 5 star accommodation or the restaurant/bars areas. The "housekeeping" staff (as it is pretty much standard in Oz) are "gap" year students — i.e., 18 to 25 year olds who want to earn some cash while they tour the country and drink themselves silly in the meantime. So, although most were friendly, they couldn't care much about the job they do so don't expect any "real" service, i.e.: the rooms being cleaned to any acceptable standard, etc. In a nutshell, I wouldn't choose to stay here ever again. Not in the resort, let alone the so-called "Outback Lodge" itself. I'd rather camp in the Outback than pay some monopoly that amount of money they clearly don't deserve! And for the horrible, horrible service they provide!

Comment by Anonymous

October 2005

I really enjoyed my stay here. The staff were really helpful and the bathrooms and the kitchen were really clean. The bar serves cheap food throughout the day and at night there is a barbecue where you can buy your own meat and cook it yourself. There is also a free shuttle bus that runs to the small shopping center and to the airport. Greyhound buses also drop you off right at reception!

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