(Stream of consciousness warning... )

I was pleasantly surprised by Sails of the desert. At $450 a night it was somewhat overpriced, BUT the rooms seem to have been redone recently. We had a very large room with outdoor covered area and an additional sun deck. Again, surprisingly nice- I didnt feel totally screwed on the price.

Besides the over-priced-ness of 131, we wanted to avoid being herded around like sheeple. In speaking with them and looking at their offerings, it felt overpriced and narrow (it was not clear how much of the tours at 131 were private (ie only 131 guests) and which you would join other tour groups.) You can book the same camel tours directly.

Also, we had a rental car to do do some driving, and to head to Kings Canyon and the back way to Alice- BUT...you cannot park at 131. They require you to leave the car somewhere else and you can take the 131 shuttle to the car. Screw that! (That was when I actually cancelled my 131 booking.) Having a car frees you from having to shuffle on and off of ATKings buses with everyone else- for us it was an essential part of creating an experience that felt less 'crowded'. I know it may sound weird, but even if you are hiking with a pack of 50 people up ahead, when you get to the parking lot you get to your own car and do your own thing. A snack, drinks, swing by the Walpa Gorge walk before heading to blah blah. Having transport to sit and decompress with your partner and not sit on a bus with 50 yammering __________tourists was priceless. (Ive tactfully left that blank.... It was utterly shocking how much blabbering people do while sightseeing. At kings canyon, pre-dawn, we came upon 3 tatted& pierced gals with a cell phone that was playing electric dance music out loud from its unbelievably tinny speaker for them to 'enjoy'. I want to push them over. But i digress. )

So we created our own tours- sunset viewing (in the car park not the tour bus viewing area); a before dawn start to hike Kata Tjuta, valley of the winds loop before it got too hot (131 said they didnt offer that as an organized tour, but they might be able to have us join a bus to get out there); the next day a dawn helicopter flight over Uluru and Kata Tjuta- Truly amazing. Walking it, biking it, then taking it all in from the air was quite interesting. After the dawn helicopter we rented bikes at Uluru and biked it. Perfect way to cover distance AND give you the freedom to look and explore at will.

And with the $3000 you save on 131, you can do a lot of helicoptering!

The Harley ride is they drive, one person passengers. Not happening here.

Finally, Sails included breakfast. Lunches were odd as we were usually out right through until 1-2 when it got super hot. So lunch was a quick snack or salad, in the mid afternoon. Having to get back for a sit down lunch would have been constraining.

IMO- The dinner at Sounds of Silence was pretty average to fair. Edible, but really just institutional. I would not do it again- just do a stargazing hike with a guide that you can book at the visitor center and a MUCH better meal at any of the restaurants in town. (Plus sitting around with strangers discussing their respective cruising experiences and shopping plans for their vacation was excruciating.)

HTH

PS Assume you have reviewed some of the more recent Trip Advisor reviews? Purportedly Bailies have done a much better job recently. They are supposed to be upgrading the pool there and adding decks on the front of each tent- they wouldnt give me a straight answer on those upgrades.