OK, so a night in Tennant Creek was never going to be the highlight of our trip but it was a convenient stopping off point en route from Alice Springs to Darwin and needs must. We picked the Eldorado as the best of a bad bunch and I suppose on that score it probably delivered. However, it is a thoroughly depressing place. I understand there has been some upgrading going on and I think our room was one of the upgraded ones but nonetheless, there was this air of shabbiness and the brickwork walls make one think of Prisoner Cell Block H (and would not have been difficult to cover during the upgrade with some plaster...)

So, reception is open only limited hours. The restaurant currently appears to not be open at all. The rooms are large but cell-like due to the exposed brickwork. The bathroom is OK but the towel old and the toiletries cheap and the room does not smell exactly fresh. Tennant Creek is not the safest appearing town and there was no safe and the door handle did not look like it would deter even a hopeless thief. There is a flatscreen TV and DVD player, a fridge and tea and coffee making facilities. There is a boxy, old air-con unit. The bed was comfy and we had a reasonable night's sleep.

There was free wi-fi which was perhaps the best feature. The worst feature had to be that we were right next to the staff store so from early in the morning we were kept awake by staff collecting things and chatting.

All of this for the princely sum of $139 per night. I cannot imagine how it costs this much. I'd love to know as I can get fabulous accommodation where I live for this much and we spent far less on much nicer accommodation even on the same trip.

So, overall, I think it is possibly worth a 3 star but given that it made me feel depressed for a whole 24 hours of my holiday, I'm afraid it has to be a 2.

On a work trip internet access and some space to work is really helpful. Room is clean, reasonably spacious and there's a pool within easy reach. Downside is interconnecting door to adjacent room is not very sound proof. Luckily my collegue goes to bed reasonably early, but if you're a light sleeper maybe ask for a standalone room? Oh, but the clatter of the aircon might drown out next door's snooring! Rooms under rennovation, so flat screens and quiet AC on their way. Lots of parking space, especially for trailer etc. but a little way out of town. Cost about $120/night.

Stayed here twice May 2011 - once on the way to Alice Springs, and once on the way back a few days later.

Most of the rooms have been recently renovated, but it would appear that building standards in Tennant Creek are somewhat lower than elsewhere - that is to say, some things about the work were a little bit amateurish, but then again, you have to remember where you are, which is in the Outback.

The other motel of note in Tennant Creek is the Bluestone Motor Lodge which cost exactly the same @ $130 per night, but we selected Eldorado because of its free wireless internet in the rooms.

The room themselves were relatively roomy and clean. Cleanliness waned a bit in the bathrooms where the red dust of the Outback seems to have permanently lodged in the surface of the tiles, giving them a rusty hue.

Tennant Creek has a very large indigenous population which roam the streets at all hours, giving rise to security concerns. However, Eldorado is monitored around the clock by video cameras and we encountered no problems of that sort.

Despite the occasional drunken outburst by the natives mentioned above, generally the place fairly quiet, meaning that you can sleep pretty well.

Tennant Creek is really just an overnight stopover on the road between Alice Springs and Katherine. The main street looks fairly run down with many empty shops. The Eldorado Motor Inn is on the main street at the north end of town. Reviews suggest it is the best of a fairly average bunch of hotels in the town. We managed to book a deluxe room at standard room rate. The roomwas set back in a block well away from the road. So there was no road noise form passing road trains. The room was fairly spacious, clean, the bed comfortable, and well equiped with a fridge and tea/coffeee making facilities. The fridge was fairly decrepit, and the door came off just opening it. So it was not very good at keeping things cool. One plus was free wireless internet. Most hotels in the Northern Territory charge quite a lot for the internet and the performance is often quite slow. Overall it was an OK room for a 1 night stopover. There is not much reason to stay any longer in Tennant Creek.