We arrived at the hotel mid afternoon and they had our room ready for us which was great!
We had a Rock Viwe Room which was lovley we could see the rock and it was nice to sit out on the balcony in the afternoon sun - the room was close to the road but there really isnt much traffic going past so no problems there.
There was a bug and mice problem - but you have to expect these sort of things when you are in the outback, there are just some things you cannot prevent (i guess being from Australia I know this - some other comments left were not the nicest but as I said going to the outback there will be creatures around that you have never seen). They do provide you with bug spray and as long as you lock up at night there shouldnt be any problems.
The staff were quiet helpful.
I have to say the food was very over priced, being from Sydney I have paid large food bills however the resataurants in Ayers Rock do charge alot more than I am used to. However being so remote they would need to pay larege sums to get the food in so it is all part of the experience.
A stay of 2 nights is more than enough to get in and see the rock and olgas, definetly do Sounds of Silence it is amazing!
There is also a little "town centre" with a supermarket, sovenier shops and a couple of other food places. They also have a "tours center" so if you need to reconfirm or book a tour they have a sort of shop set up with alot of the suppliers that operate out there.
All in all we had a good stay - I would definately recommend it as the Rock is spectacular!

Ayers Rock is a small place in a very large desert. There are very few hotels to pick from so we weren't sure what to expect when we got there. For being in the middle of the desert, this hotel was great! Room was a good size and the bathroom was actually quite large. This was one of the better hotels offered in Ayers Rock. All the hotels, stores and restaurants are owned by the same people and are built in a circle. From Desert Gardens you can walk to the city center where you can fine the grocery store, shops, restaurants and an atm. They also offer a free shuttle bus that takes you around the circle. It gets very hot and walking may not be the most ideal. The shuttle stops at each hotel as well as the city center.

Quite frankly, we didn't expect much when we had our travel agent book a room here since it's the Outback and there wasn't that wide a selection of hotels available. That being said, we were pleasantly surprised at this modern, sprawling hotel. The structures and grounds are well-maintained, the rooms are large and well-appointed, and the staff is both friendly and helpful. Perhaps it was because of the rains (it showered our first day and poured our second day), but we didn't have any problems with the insects that seem to be part of others' reviews.

The hotel is very close to the small town center which has a market and some shops. My recommendation is to do your shopping before you arrive or after you leave, because the selection of gifts is small and the prices are high compared to the other places we visited in Australia. Prices at the restaurants are high, as you'd imagine when you have a captive audience, but the food is decent. If you want to save money, buy sandwiches and other food from the IGA market and eat it in the town square.

If your expectations are moderate, considering that you're in the Outback, you'll find your experience here to be more than adequate for what is usually a short visit for most.

My 87 year old mother and I stayed at Desert Garden during our visit to Uluru November 2011 We stayed just one night. The rooms was perfectly adequate, especially since it’s in the outback! Our room was the furthest from the lobby which was difficult for my mother. It was quite warm (for us) and the walk back to the room was difficult for her. They had no way to accommodate her or others who had challenges walking or a lot to carry. Just a golf cart or two would have made her life (and mine!) better. The room, adequate, the room price, you’d never get away with it anywhere else. the food, just fine, surroundings, it’s the outback. Barren. All in all just fine.