Printable hotel details

For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.


Yulara Drive, Yulara, Northern Territory
0872


Longitude 131° by Voyages

Red Centre, Australia [view map]

Style
Safari-style desert camp
Setting
Ayers Rock wilderness

Surrounded by rugged wilderness, the white-tented cabins of Voyages Longitude 131º stand in stark contrast to the red desert, and offer unbeatable Uluru views from the comfort of the bed.

Need to know

Red Centre hotels, Voyages Longitude 131°, need to know
Rooms
15 luxury tents.
Rates
Low season, AU$2,020; high season, AU$2,100, including taxes, all meals, most alcoholic and soft drinks, national park entry and tours of the area.
Check-out
10am. Check-in, 3pm.
Facilities
Boutique, guest lounge with library, flatscreen TV, DVD player and film selection, PC with web access, and telescopes for ogling Uluru. In rooms: Bose CD sound system with iPod dock, air-conditioning, soft-drink minibar.
Poolside
The curvy pool outside the Dune House is icy cold – although this can be off-putting in winter, in summer, it’s a deliciously surreal experience, floating on the cooling water in the searing desert heat.
Children
Over-12s are welcome, but extra beds are not available.
Eco-friendly
Showers are heated by solar power (there are no bath tubs), and reverse heater-air conditioning units reduce energy wastage.
Also
Two-night minimum stay.

In the know

Our favourite rooms
Longitude 131º’s tents are more luxury cabins draped in flowing white fabric than the canvas crash-pads the word suggests. Each is named after a celebrated Australian explorer or wilderness pioneer, and the walls are adorned with relevant memorabilia (cuttings, letters, sketches, etc). The tents are identical in terms of facilities but differ by location: 1 and 15 (aka ‘Sir Sidney Kidman and ‘Jane Webb’) are the most private as they’re set at either end of the resort, so very few people tend to wander past; 6, 7 and 8 (‘John Flynn’, ‘Ernest Giles’ and ‘William Christie Gosse’) have the most inspiring uninterrupted views of Uluru.
Packing tips
It can get chilly at night and in winter, so pack extra layers and warm headgear.
Also
Although there’s nothing to stop you climbing Uluru if you wish, it’s considered spiritually offensive to Aborigines and generally frowned upon by the hotel.

Food & drink

Red Centre hotels, Voyages Longitude 131°, food and drink
Hotel restaurant
The Dune House is Longitude’s reception, bar, lounge, library and restaurant. A daily changing Modern Australian menu is served at solid timber communal tables with distressed leather-backed chairs. Every other night, guests are whisked off to a secret location to dine alfresco at ‘Table 131’, with a three-course meal followed by a talk about the vast desert starscape and the opportunity to gaze through strategically sited telescopes.
Dress code
Cool and casual – just don’t wear white on account of the red desert dust.
Top table
Table 131 can be a spectacular experience, but, for an extra charge, you can also arrange to dine privately by the pool or atop a dune.
Last orders
Meal times are flexible, depending on the tours scheduled for the day.
Room service
Not available, although you may be able to dine in your room if you arrange it in advance.
Hotel bar
There’s a self-service bar at one end of the Dune House, where you’ll find a selection of wines, beers and spirits from which to help yourself. You can sink into one of the comfy couches and thumb through the intriguing Australian history books piled high on the upturned chests that serve as coffee tables.

Smithcard Smith card offer A Voyages 'Sounds of the Elements' CD

If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).

Not a member? Join now

Smith concierge

If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.

Longitude 131° by Voyages

Yulara Drive, Yulara, Northern Territory

Back to top

Longitude 131° by Voyages

Red Centre, Australia [view map]

Local restaurants

Dining alternatives are, unsurprisingly, rare in the desert, but if you make the trip into Yulara – the small resort town that serves as a base for Uluru visits, you’ll find a cluster of bars and eateries spread among the hotels of Voyages Ayers Rock Resort. The elegant Kuniya Restaurant at the Sails in the Desert hotel serves fine Modern Australian cuisine washed down with an excellent selection of native wines. Reservations are a must. Its sister restaurant, Winkiku offers a seafood buffet in a brasserie-style setting. White Gums in the Desert Gardens Hotel is a little more low key, and the neighbouring Arnguli Grill serves tasty flame-grilled seafood and steak.

Worth getting out of bed for

Longitude 131º is ideally placed for wilderness treks around the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Red Centre and a schedule of free adventure tours operates daily. Take a guided excursion to Uluru and Kantju Gorge to learn about the history and mythology of the two monoliths, catching incredible sunset views as you go, or – if you can face it ¬– tear yoruself out of bed at 5am to glimpse sunrise over Uluru and enjoy breakfast at its base. If you prefer your diversions less physically demanding, try an aboriginal dot-painting workshop with Anangu Tours, or book a helicopter, 4x4, Harley Davidson or camel ride around the area (all of which cost a bit extra).

Diary

January brings spectacular lightning displays as the clouds build with the threat of rain. June Mulga bushes come spectacularly into flower.

For a full list of bars and restaurants in Red Centre, click here



Back to top

©2009 Mr & Mrs Smith