Family hotels in Alice Springs: four stays compared

DoubleTree by Hilton Alice Springs is the best-rated of the four, 8.4 from 1,295 reviews, and the one I would choose for most families. It is within walking distance of town, which in Alice means fewer car trips in the heat, and it has an outdoor pool, two tennis courts and a 24-hour fitness centre, with the golf course next door. The airport is about 15 km away. Its rooms and suites have been renovated, and the tennis courts give older children something to do in the cool of the early evening.

Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters has the biggest review base, 2,041 at 8.3, and the only heated pool of the four, with a spa bath, plus rooms with a balcony or patio looking towards the MacDonnell Ranges. That heated pool is the reason to pick it for a June or July trip, when nights are cold. Two things to know: the hotel has a casino on site, which some parents would rather avoid, and it sits next to the convention centre and golf course, so expect to drive into the centre.

Alice On Todd Apartments is the self-catering choice, rated 8.2 from 337 reviews: every apartment has a kitchen or kitchenette, laundry facilities and a balcony or patio, and there is an outdoor pool. It sits a minute's walk from the Todd River, which is usually a dry sandy bed you can walk along, and it is the only stay of the four with pet-friendly options. The town centre is a short drive rather than a stroll. For a week-long stay with young children, cooking your own meals is a real advantage.

Quest Alice Springs is the most central of the apartment options, very close to the CBD, with serviced studios and apartments, an outdoor pool and an alfresco barbecue area, rated 8.2 from 321 reviews. It suits a family that wants to walk to Todd Mall for dinner and still have a kitchen for breakfast. The barbecue area is a good way to eat outside on warm evenings. With only 321 reviews it has the smallest track record here, but its score matches Alice On Todd. Parking is on site, useful for day trips to the West MacDonnell Ranges.

With three outdoor hotel pools out of four, the town's Aquatic and Leisure Centre is worth knowing. Indoors it has an eight-lane 25-metre heated pool and a 20-metre pool with a lazy river; outdoors there is a 50-metre pool, a splash pad and a learn-to-swim pool. Two water slides, a single and a double loop, run on summer weekends and public holidays. In winter, from May to August, opening hours change and the outdoor 50-metre pool can close for maintenance, so the indoor pools are the dependable option. Toddlers will get the most out of the splash pad.

The Alice Springs Desert Park is the outing I would never skip with children, and timing matters. The free-flying bird show in the Nature Theatre runs at 10.30am daily, with a second show at 3pm from March to October, and the gates close once it starts, so arrive early. The park opens from 7.30am, with last entry at 4.30pm. In summer I would go first thing in the morning, when animals are active and before the heat of the afternoon. From Crowne Plaza Lasseters the park is a short drive, and I would pair a morning visit with an afternoon at the hotel pool.