More about The Lost Camel Hotel
Not a lot of choice
by leffe3 about Yularu Resort
Approx 22 kms from the rock and on the outskirts of the National Park is the tourist 'resort' of Yularu. It has been built specifically to accommodate the hordes of tourists that now descend on the Park.
The next accommodation is some 200kms away, so to come here you are basically a captive audience - and sadly the costs reflect this. Even taking into account its relatively isolated position, the prices charged are way over the top.
In spite of there being a choice of accomodation, the whole complex is owned by the same company:-
Sails In the Desert - by far the most expensive (A$450-550 per room - I kid you not!) is pretty luxurious but extraordinarily lacking in character or atmosphere.
Desert Garden (A$320-370 - the latter with views over the Rock). Chalets or small blocks, the deluxe rooms are huge with 2 double beds (the only real option if you don't mind sharing rooms but not beds). But again, a little like an airport waiting room in the public rooms, although nice pool
Outback Pioneer - (A$300) - this is the luxury end the rooms in this complex within the complex.If you want to pay these sort of prices, I'd go for Desert Gardens - this is the place with the most atmosphere re bars etc so can get a bit noisy!
The Lost Camel (A$170) is probably the nicest place, pretty funky (see annathrax's pages) but aimed at couples - one double bed only per room
Outback Pioneer Lodge (A$150/170) much more basic cabins with either shared or en suite facilities as well as. Also have dorm accommodation in small and large dorms (A$30-50)
There is also the camp site.
Its worth remembering that youhave access to all facilities throughout the complex - so you can use any of the pools where ever you are staying. The accommodation is fine, the prices not!
Quirky Expensive
by TripAdvisor Member Hawk0476
If you are staying at Ayres Rock Resort there are only a handful of hotels to choose from all run by the same company Voyagers.
With this in mind and the remoteness of location be prepared to pay over the odds for any of the hotels.
Once you have come to terms with the cost , I would recommend the Lost Camel . The rooms are quirky but clean and modern. The room are the sort of modern design that you will ever love or hate. The lost Camel has its own pool that again is modern but very welcoming in the blistering heat of the desert.
The resort is 15km from the Rock and 50km from the Olgas and is really your only choice.
Two recommendations - Hire a car so you can visit the sites at your own pace and probably save money, as the tours are very expensive.
Book the Sounds of Silence Dinner - great experience .
Exactly Right
by TripAdvisor Member JamesADB
As with other reviews all accommadation is expensive in this resort, this is simply a consequence of all the hotels being owned by the same company. Having said that my wife and I found the Lost Camel to be the perfect choice. A boutique type hotel with pleasant rooms, yes there is no TV as in an earlier review but that really should be bottom of your list when there are sunrises and sunsets to watch.
In addition there is a lovel pool area to relax and sooth your aching feet from all the walks. The staff were also extremely pleasant and helpful.
We met some people staying at other hotels and the Lost Camel certainly seemed the best in terms of room quality and overall value.
I would strongly recommend the Sounds of Silence dinner - candlelit sunset dinner, outstanding view of the stars (weather permitting). I would also suggest hiring a car rather than relying on tours. I was there in Dec 05 and many tours were not running due to lack of numbers so we had no alternative. Turned out to be ideal. We managed our own day, could stop and start for photos at will and avoided the most crowded sunrise and sunset spots at both Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
A very pleasant stay!
by TripAdvisor Member Shuntros
We stayed at The Lost Camel over Christmas 2005. The whole resort is owned by one company with a handful of hotels in the resort from the bare basic to the 5 star (NB. All of them well overpriced!). The Lost Camel is somewhere higher than the halfway mark on that scale I would say.
The staff were very polite and helpful, and upon discovering our aircon was faulty they had maintenance there in under 5 minutes and us subsequently moved to another room in under 20 (good job as it was 46 degrees outside!).
Pool was great, rooms were very modern and tasteful. The hotel has a small bar in reception serving coffees, beer, cocktails etc which was more than adequate. It however does not have its own restaurant, but as I mentioned, the whole resort is in fact one company so you can eat anywhere and bill it to your room. Plenty of places to choose from, mostly good, and ranging from rooburgers to fine dining.
The hotel is also ideally located next to the resort shopping centre where there is a supermarket, newsagent, post office etc etc...
Cosy but well planned rooms
by TripAdvisor Member Good Names All Gone!
The rooms at The Lost Camel are definitely small, but very well planned. Basically, the bed is more or less in the middle of the room with a sofa and wardrobe space around with sides, plus a fridge, small stereo and tea/coffee making facilities. Behind the headboard (with lighting and ample plugs) was the wash basin. Frosted glass doors on either side of the basin led to the toilet and shower.
The rooms are very compact but we found them to be okay for a couple of nights. OK, so we didn't bother to unpack everything or we would have found storage space a bit thin on the ground.
No restaurant in the hotel but you can eat in any of the hotels around the resort, or the cafe in the shopping centre (right next door). The swimming pool is a reasonable enough size and very welcome after doing the 10km base walk around the rock.
If all you want is somewhere clean and comfortable for a few nights, this is well worth considering.
Best of the bunch
by A TripAdvisor Member
Unfortunately the tour we were on did not give us much time in our hotel but we spoke to lots of people and it seemed like the lost camel was defintely one of the best hotels in Yulara. Other's in the more expensive hotels complained of no hot water, no rooms til 3pm (we got in the LC at 11am) and poor service.
The room was really funky although it had started to tire a little and could have done with a sprucing up, but great for the desert!
The whole resort was enjoyable really although others complained of feeling trapped there as you're in the middle of nowhere and can't get out unless you go on a tour. Facilities were great though - there was a bank, supermarket, plenty of food places and a few shops.
Cool oasis
by TripAdvisor Member Jockdoc
As previously stated, once you're resigned to the prices of the hotels at the resort, you'll find the Lost Camel to be a hip desert oasis. It was fun to go out on a tour and come back to cool off in the pool. The decor of the rooms was very modern although some of the wear and tear is beginning to show. Yes, there is no TV in the room but there is a large screen TV in the common area if you have to catch up on Ayer's Rock Resort. My recommendation is to look for deals on the internet (though that may mean staying 2-3 days). Sounds of Silence dinner is not to be missed if the weather is good. We were fortunate to get in on a clear day between rain and clouds. We also had fun riding the camels at sunset.
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