Visiting Uluru – also known as Ayers Rock — is a mesmerizing and unforgettable encounter, only made better by a luxury resort stay. Both quintessentially Australian and a unique, personal experience, this more than 300-million-year-old site on our Inspiring Australia tour will leave you longing to return Down Under. 

Your time in the Red Center will be enhanced by your stay at the award-winning, five-star Sails in the Desert Ayers Rock Resort. Among Uluru resorts, Sails in the Desert adds a dramatic and elegantly comfortable aspect to your visit to the red center of ustralia. 

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The Location 

Sails in the Desert is just a five-minute walk from Town Square. Here, you’ll find a post office supermarket and several casual dining options for your travel needs. But more importantly, Uluru and the domes of Kata Tjuta are 12 and 33 miles away, respectively. 

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Your Uluru Resort 

As you approach this Uluru luxury resort, staggered sweeping white sails let you know that you’re staying in an iconic setting. Inside, colorful carpets featuring modern indigenous colors and prints carry you through the hotel.  

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The rooms 

The Indigenous motif continues in the hotel’s 228 rooms. Your private retreat will soothe with natural tones and Indigenous artwork, artifacts and decorative accents depicting the local Anangu creation stories. Your balcony or patio invites you to take in the wonder of the desert, day or night. Terrace rooms offer a shaded oasis beneath the gum trees and the enchanting desert night sky. A decadent experience among Uluru hotels, the deluxe suite includes a separate living area, bedroom and multiple balconies as well as a spa bath and rainwater shower. 

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The spa 

For any guest seeking a bit of pampering, the onsite Red Ochre Spa is the perfect spot to rejuvenate your body and spirit after a day exploring Uluru. The newly upgraded rooms and facilities host a range of services that will surely tempt any guest of Australian luxury hotels. Power-boosting facials re-awaken the senses. Hands and feet massages provide focused attention. And massages offer a range of customized treatments including hand-picked essential oils blends to soothe the senses.  

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Cocktails and more 

Continue your pampering as you treat yourself to a refreshing cocktail infused with native ingredients or a light meal at Walpa Lobby Bar. The Pitjantjatjara name for wind, this casual setting is ideal for coffee, lunch, snacks or a pre-dinner drink or nightcap. The menu includes burgers, sandwiches, seafood and salads such as the Thai Papaya and Prawn or the Ancient Grains salad.  

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Local to international 

Savor local flavors with a modern twist at Ilkari Restaurant, named for the local Pitjantjatjara word for sky. Enjoy a buffet breakfast, complete with a customized dish from the egg and pancake live cooking station. As evening sets in, the buffet dinner tempts with salads, vegetables, antipasto, seafood, roasts and a grill selection highlighting Indigenous flavors. Enhance your meal with a regional wine. Then top it all off with a treat from the cascading chocolate fountain alongside an intercontinental selection of sweets.  

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Dining poolside 

You’ll surely work up an appetite after a cooling dip in the pool lined with lush gum trees. Pira Pool Bar, the name for the moon, is just the place to enjoy a casual bite or cocktail in your lounger. Dine on a selection of shared plates including oysters and scallops, tapas, desserts and handcrafted cocktails. 

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Indigenous flavors 

While staying at Sails in the Desert, don’t miss your opportunity to join in the complimentary Bush Food Experience. Located in the Arkani Theater, just a few minutes’ walk from your hotel, this 45-minute program will introduce you to the local bounty of the land. Learn about Australian and local bush tucker and how local Indigenous people hunted, gathered and prepared these foods. Then watch a cooking demonstration. 

An eye for art 

While stunning Uluru is just a short drive away, you don’t have to step outside your hotel to take in one-of-a-kind Indigenous art at the Mulgara Gallery. Located in the foyer, this airy space showcases Australian hand-crafted glassware, pottery, textiles, metal and leather work. Admire the glasswork of internationally renowned artist Chris Pantano. View the Central Desert dot painting from Papunya and Mt Allen, as well as colorful body art from Utopia. The gallery also displays artifacts including didgeridoos, rain sticks and other tribal instruments. A collection of Australian Opal and colored diamond jewelry dazzles with its inspiration drawn from the land and sea. 

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A grand scale 

From detailed dot paintings to iconic Uluru, Sails in the Desert acquaints you with sites from the small to the epic. On your Inspiring Australia journey, you’ll take a guided walk through the domes of Kata Tjuṯa Walpa Gorge where you’ll learn the cultural significance of Kata Tjuṯa’s ancient rocky domes. Then, bask in your first views of Uluru at sunset over sparkling wine and canapes. A memorable ending in a memorable place. 

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What other elegant hotels will you stay in with Luxury Gold? 

Passport and boarding pass? Check. But have you packed your flight skincare essentials? The right skincare routine before, during and after your flight – whether it’s one hour or 10 – will help you arrive refreshed at your destination. 

Before: flight skincare essentials 

Yes, you can nourish and nurture your skin before you take off. In fact, what you eat and drink before your flight matters as much as it does while you’re in the air. Be sure to drink a lot of water and avoid salty, heavy foods before you fly.  

To prepare for your in-flight skincare routine, remove your makeup before you fly. While oil or cream-based makeup sounds like it will keep your skin moisturized, it’s best to remove makeup entirely. A heavy made-up face will clog your pores. So, do a double cleanse by using a cleansing balm to remove your makeup followed by a gentle cleanser. If you choose to remove your makeup on the plane, use TSA-approved makeup remover wipes.  

During: flight skincare essentials   

Once you’re settled into your seat, begin your skincare routine. First, remember that even though you’re snug in your seat, the sun’s rays can still reach you, especially if you’re in the window seat. In fact, UV rays are more intense at higher altitudes and twice as high at 30,000 feet. So, take a moment to apply your favorite sunscreen. 

Why moisturize? 

Because cabin air is pressurized and has less humidity than outside, your skin will dry out faster. Without moisture, your skin may be dry and irritated even after you land. As a result, your skin may respond by producing more oil. The best way to combat dryness and oiliness is to apply serum and moisturizer. 

Serum and moisturizer 

Applying a serum skincare product after cleansing and before moisturizing will nourish your skin with a high concentration of powerful ingredients. Choose a serum with a high concentration of hyaluronic acid, an ingredient that helps to retain moisture. This will draw water from the air and lock in moisture before you apply your moisturizer. Applying a serum layer before an additional moisturizing layer will give you extra hydration, especially for those long-haul flights to dream destinations. When you select your moisturizer, you’ll also want to look for one that contains hyaluronic acid. 

Face masks 

A sheet mask or a clear, hydrating gel mask is the next best step to seal in your serum and moisturizer. If you choose a gel mask, apply it in layers to minimize any gloopiness. Look for bio-cellulose masks that can replenish your skin with nourishing ingredients. Once you’ve applied the mask of your choice, this is a great time to sleep and let those powerful ingredients work their magic. Make your skincare extra indulgent by applying a heavy-duty lip mask as a lip balm.  

Face oil 

If you opt not to use a gel mask, or feel self-conscious about wearing a sheet mask on your flight, use a nourishing face oil to moisturize your face, neck and lips. Oils including geranium, jojoba, or frankincense, contain omega fatty acids and vitamins that protect your skin from dehydration. Then, enhance the effects and give yourself a bit of self-care with a muscle-awakening facial massage. Use small circular movements and gently massage upwards. 

Extra flight skincare essentials 

Skin care doesn’t stop with what moisturizers you apply to your face. What you rest your head upon for a long, in-flight nap is just as important. Instead of leaning your head against the window or headrest (which can acquire bacteria), bring your own pillow. Airport gift shops usually carry U-shaped pillows in case you forget yours.  

Food and drink 

What you eat and drink is also just as important for your skin as what you put on it. Continue to hydrate with water and skip the alcohol to combat the dry cabin air. Plane food can be laden with salt and preservatives so you’re best to pack your own replenishing snacks. 

After you land: flight skincare essentials 

Keep up your excellent skin care after your flight to feel extra refreshed for your travels. When you arrive, wash your face and shower with lukewarm water, not hot water that can further dry out the skin. Then, apply moisturizer packed with hydrating ingredients like shea or cocoa butter on your face and body. 

Extra skincare and self-care 

Your skin care need not stop once you arrive at your destination. While you’ve surely packed your favorite products, Many Luxury Gold accommodations include an onsite spa for decadent and replenishing treatments. For example, Kallpa Spa at Tambo Del Inka in the Sacred Valley of Peru offers massages and facials based on traditional, healing Inca ingredients. Or, enjoy their heated indoor and outdoor pool or hydromassage pools.  Check out our six favorite spas around the world and where you can unwind with Luxury Gold. 

Where will you pamper yourself with Luxury Gold? 

Esteemed Peruvian artist Victor Delfin has been inspired by the unique heritage and people of his native Peru. From large scale sculptures to graphic, vibrant paintings, Delfin captures the events and emotions of Peruvians. We are fortunate that he opens his home and workshop to Luxury Gold guests as one of our VIP Experiences on our Grand South America and Treasures of the Incas tours.  

@victordelfin92

Victor Delfin’s house 

You’ll find Delfin’s Tudor-style home perched on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean. Here, giant waves add a dramatic background to the setting. While Delfin maintains residency, his home is also a contemporary art museum, artist studio and bed and breakfast called Second Home Peru. 

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Inside Delfin’s home

Approaching the home, gardens dotted with sculptures of angels, a bull, a horse tossing its mane and a lion creating a sense of wild movement and energy will impress you. Inside, Delfin’s home welcomes with warm wood trim, colorful stained glass and curio cabinets filled with sculptures. The second floor was once family rooms and galleries. Up one more level, a hidden spiral staircase leads to a tower studio overlooking the ocean where Delfin used to work. 

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Delfin’s presence 

Delfin’s touch is everywhere. For example, you can view the wrought-iron wood burning stove, hand-shaped light fixtures, leather chairs and even chess pieces he designed as well as the numerus boldly colored paintings that adorn the walls. 

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Over the years Delfin has expanded his property to include a new studio, cave gallery and a large swimming pool with a fountain shaped like a puma head. Before Delfin’s daughter converted the family rooms, gallery space, dark room and her father’s former studio into guest rooms in 2004, it was once a meeting place for Lima’s artists and activists.  

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Community and legacy 

Victor Delfin’s house is in the Barranco neighborhood known for its cafes and murals. The neighborhood is also a hub of creativity among the local writers, poets, musicians, photographers and other artists. In addition, politically, Delfin’s house was also a gathering space for dissidents from “La Resistencia Democrática,” a group who opposed then-president Alberto Fujimori in the late 1990s. Delfin played a role in organizing the marches and protests. As a result, his involvement in political causes is just as strong a contribution to Peru as his art.  

Victor Delfin’s art 

However, Victor Delfin’s art is his legacy. The pre-Inca Paracas culture inspired Delfin. Thus, his art has a boldly colorful yet mysterious and magical quality reminiscent of this disappeared nation. He works with a range of materials including wood, metal, canvas, polychrome acrylics and aluminum. But, many know Delfin for his large metal sculptures of birds, horses and other animals. For example, Delfin’s famed “El Beso” (The Kiss) sculpture sits in Lima’s Parque del Amor (Love Park). It has become a popular spot for couples to pose with the sculpture on romantic occasions.  

We connected with Delfin to learn more about his artwork and influences in his own words.  

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In Delfin’s words

Peru has certainly influenced my artwork. With roots as old as the Greek, Egyptian and African cultures, Peru has an exciting amount of history to discover and display. 

From its unique, pre-Columbian architecture to its music and folk crafts, it is full of surprises. Its natural beauty and heritage is inspirational, with the splendor of the Amazon, the powerful snow-capped mountains and, of course, the welcoming nature of its people. 

All my work is somehow based on my country, and I like to show this to Luxury Gold guests when they visit my workshop. My passion for creativity is kindled by my love for home. There’s little surprise that the place I feel most comfortable is right here (in a studio I designed, “my way,” to quote Sinatra). 

When Luxury Gold guests visit, they ask me about my favorite piece of artwork, and are surprised when I explain there is no favorite. As artists, everything we make, we make with a lot of enthusiasm and passion. We give the best of ourselves in the art that we create. 

Delfin’s passion

For artists, our creations are like our children, and we care for them with the same passion, whether one makes a painting, a sculpture or a jewel. 

I hope to pass along this passion for creativity, which nature gave me as a child and which was guided by the immense love of my parents, friends and mentors, and inspires me to take care of others. I feel obligated to be an activist for human rights, for the struggles of citizens to improve their quality of life. 

It’s my way of giving back to the people. After all, my inspiration is in the streets, in the towns, in the customs of the people and their ways of expressing themselves. 

What will you be inspired by in Peru?

Explore dining in Peru and our tours: Treasures of the Incas and Grand South America.