I'm the friend mentioned in landspeed's post above, and for the record the Ayers Rock hostel was only twelve pounds a night. I bested my record the following night by camping north of town, for nuthin'.

Good to know about the Berkeley, I'll have to check out the scene there as my girlfriend won't arrive until later in the week. And the rooftop pool sounds fabulous. But I think I'll go with Claridge's.