Day 1 - 22 November 2020
We went to the airport nice an early as our flight is at 9am. On the way to the airport it was dead quite which was sad to see as so many people have been impacted by this pandemic 😥 Did our online check in with boarding passes on our phones but we were advised that we'd need to print one out from the kiosk along with the NT Border Entry Form.
For NSW resident you'd need to fill in the Border Entry Form 7 days prior, print it out and ONLY sign it in front of the officer when you arrive in Uluru airport. You also MUST be able to provide of your whereabouts in the last 28 days. This can be your internet banking, receipts, Facebook check in along with your ID.
Since we only had carry on, it was really quick to go through check in and security and we had a quick breakfast with a cheeky spicy bloody mary before our flight. Most people wore masks as well.
Once we landed, there was a long queue as the officers had to check our paperwork. It was about 30 minutes wait and a free shuttle by AATKing took us to our accommodation at Sails in the Desert. There are a few properties next to each other from 2-5 stars and apartment style. Ours is meant to be 5 stars but it felt like a 4 stars compared to other hotels in the world. Check in took another 20 minutes from the queue and check in time was at 3pm so we had time to have lunch beforehand. If you download their Ayers Rock Resort Planner (Android or Apple), you can also do a self check in but because this is our birthday and anniversary trip, I have requested an upgrade which we had to let them know in person. We were unlucky as we got a trainee who didn't really know what to do so we didn't get an upgrade booooo 😯
For lunch, we had the oxtail pappardelle, prawn paw paw salad and fish & prawn toast. They were alright.
We were lucky that we got an early check in by 1 hour and walking through the resort, it didn't feel like a 5 stars however when we got to our room, it was pretty nice and modern and that's all it matter. The room was massive with king bed, rain shower and a balcony. After freshen up, we checked out the Town Square which was literally 5 minutes walk from the resort. There were a few shops like cafe, diner, IGA, post office, souvenir, hair dresser and a bank. We were hoping to buy some alcohol but there was no liquor store😥
Got back to the resort, had some cocktail by the pool and an early dinner as we had to be ready for our Segway tour the next morning by 4.45am😱 We had their signature dish " Tomahawk 1kg" for dinner with their polenta. The meat was juicy and probably be enough for 3 adults.
Day 2 - 23 November 2020 ( 12th year anniversary)
It was a struggle waking up so early but due to the time difference 1.5 hr behind from Sydney, 4am was actually 5.30am so wasn't too too bad except I normally wake up at 9am lol🤣 Nick our Segway tour guide picked us up at 4.45am and only took 15 minutes to get to Uluru. When we got there, light breakfast was served which include some muffins, croissant, muesli, juice, tea and coffee. There was also a mobile toilet as well on sight. I bitched to our friends that I thought we were doing this tour at Uluru (Ayers Rock) and everyone was like, we are here and I said we're not cus this looked different. Turned out that we were at the back of Uluru lol 😅
We had 16 people in the group so we split into 8 and did some quick hiking for 30 minutes then another 30 minutes on how to use the Segway. We did Segway for 2 hours around Uluru which was a lot of fun. We stopped a few places along the way and got some photo done. Certain areas you are not allowed to take pictures as it's cultural insensitive so beware of that. The tour concluded by 10am so we had a quick nap and swim. At Sails in the Desert resort, there are 2 ways of getting your drinks. Pool bar or inside the restaurant. Pool bar opens at 11am - 3pm but they are under staff at the moment so this can take a bit of time to get your order. When we were there, they only assign 1 person who has only been working at the resort for 3 weeks doing breakfast and lunch waiting and one morning, he was told that he needs to work at the pool bar. Poor guy never bar tend in his life and didn't have any training so when I asked him to make my long island ice tea, he had to Google it. It turned out great so hats off to Stephen.
If the pool bar is busy with people lining up and you want your drinks and snacks, just go inside instead as there are more staffs there. I also got the bartender to make me a long island ice tea slushy! Perfect for the hot weather🌞😎
It took 15 minutes on the bus to get to the Field of Light and the good thing about the star pass is that you also get the following:
⏲Early entry
🌄Viewing platform
🥂Free flow drinks with alcohol
🍱Canape
The above goes for about 30-45 mins before sunset. We got picked up from our resort at 6.50pm and back at 9pm. Since the only 1 restaurant open until 10pm, for dinner either have an early one before you go or buy something from IGA to have it later if you want something light. Canape at the Field of Light wasn't that amazingly tasty but enough to just get you by.
Tips: To get a great photos of yourself with the lights, get another phones and use the flash light on your face while someone take photos for you so your face pop out 📸
Field of Light is one of the best experiences I have ever done and to get to do this on our 12 year anniversary with my partner and good friends just simply the joyful😍
Day 3 - 24 November 2020 ( Last day😭)
Today was our last day and it was another early morning start with a tour to check out Kata Tjuta. This again wasn't on my radar and turned out to be super amazing! I didn't realise how massive the rocks were. It was like a backdrop of a Hollywood movie. The sunrise was magnificent, especially when you can see both Kata Tjuta and Uluru from this viewing platform that our guide Dan took us to. We spent about 45 minutes here then headed to our next pit stop to have our breakfast which we also got to have raisin toast. There was also a drop down toilet which when I grabbed the tissue from the dispenser, there was a hand sized moth in there which I screamed like a little girl. Yes everyone heard my scream 😅 Our last stop was at Walpa Gorge which was a wind tunnel, part of Kata Tjuta. We did another 45 minutes hike then head back to the resort for our bus back to the airport by 10am.
At the airport, there was only 1 cafe which you can grab a quick bite and drink. You can also use your mobile boarding pass as well instead of printing it out. Flight home was 3.5 hour and the view from the plane was really cool.
