It's interesting what draws you to a place. The weather, the people, the shopping or culture? I'm not sure what draws me to Alice, the August weather cold, the people extremely friendly or extremely unfriendly and the culture; depressing! Due to work committments, most of my time was spent in the town centre eating, drinking and admiring Aboriginal art with 2 exceptions; Glen Helen Gorge (amazing scenery, the helicopter trip is a must) and an Sunset Camel Ride with the delightful Marcus, Julianne and the cherubic Kit. The backdrop is stunning, reminding me much of the Flinders Ranges. Amazing sunrises, sunsets with clear skies and stars. Lunch at The Firkin & Hound is value for money. Lasseters is a fun place to stay minus children. The staff are very friendly and the rooms, clean and good value. The restaurant, like most of Alice is a little overpriced but intimate with quality food. A visit to Bojangles is a must but beware food is overpriced, overrated and staff can be downright rude. This seems to be a theme in Alice, perhaps due to the transient population/staff, service, courtesy, $ value and food quality doesn't appear to be high on most restaurants agenda. But, still I love Alice and all that it is!

When we first drove into Alice after spending time at Ayers Rock Resort, we both looked at each other and said "what have we done booking three nights at this place, it's a dump".

After settling in at our room at the hotel, we headed up to the Todd Mall and had a look around town. After speaking to a few of the locals, we found the best and cheapest place to eat was the Todd Tavern. This pub was quality!! Really cheap and you wouldn't find a better meal anywhere in Australia, the service was also exceptional - we ended up eating at the pub every night.

The 2 places you must go and see when staying in Alice are the Desert Park just out of town and the day-trip to Palm Valley. Both are worth every dollar spent. Alice itself grew on us after a day or two and the centre of town is actually quite a nice spot. The fringes of town are quite run down and the aborigines are everywhere drinking and hanging out. It is worth spending at least 2 or 3 days in the place as Palm Valley alone is a full day trip. Hope this helps your trip to Alice.

Had a great time. The Alice Apartments where we stayed were 1st rate.
Great to have a kitchen as part of the accomodation so we could do some of our own meals. The owners were extremely helpful and the rooms were very clean. Loved Standley Chasm, worth being there at midday to see the colours. The Royal Flying Doctor Service tour wasn't worth the money, $A6 and average in content. The video shown wasn't designed for cinema and the writing was at the bottom of the screen which was difficult for people to see through the heads of the audience in front of them. The 'guide' was bored and did the talk rushed. Even though she asked for questions if was obvious that she didn't really want any. She only answered one question then left the room. The museum was great but the tour was not worth the money charged. A disappointment. Had 2 meals out. One excellent and value for money at Oscars next to the cinema (we even went to the movies while in Alice Springs). The meal was excellent steaks and salad and wedges with a decadent dessert. Total with a couple of drinks (beer and champagne and cappucino coffee) was $A52 for 2 of us. We were full and the steaks were cooked just how we ordered.
Efficient and friendly staff. The other meal we had out was at the RSL and was not worth the money. 2 lamb cutlets and 4 pieces of char-grilled capsicum and 3 pieces of eggplant for $A14.50 each. Tasty but not filling or worth the money charged. We hired a car from Eurocar and that was extremely good value and was air-conditioned. We also flew on a discounted fair from Virgin Blue. Excellent deal as well. We did our own sight-seeing from the excellent brochures and maps available at the Alice Apartments (also air-conditioned). A good time was had and the time went too quickly. The weather was hot! 38 - 39 deg C and humid with rain on one afternoon. The Todd River even had water in it that day. Disconcerting were the aimless aborigines. We always knew when we were driving through their housing estates. A disgrace in how they wish to live. A social problem not easily addressed. We had a good time. We searched the internet to compare prices and see what attractions were available. We had a good time and saw many unique sights.

Toward the end of a 3-month tour of Australia, at a party hosted by Sydney friends with whom we were staying, someone asked me what might be our favorite place in Australia. I think I was as surprised as they to hear me respond with "Alice Springs."

To tell the truth, I was prepared to find it a dull and dirty place.
Quite to our surprise, we found it a beautiful small town with views from the local ANZAC Hill lookout reminding us of Sedona, Arizona: green trees everywhere in town with a backdrop of red sandstone hills.
There are many surprisingly good restaurants, a very attractive pedestrian shopping mall, and displays everywhere of the frontier history of the place. All of the attractions listed on this site are worthwhile. You won't find better buys on outback clothing, Aboriginal art, "country" music, etc. You must find a way to get away from the town on a clear night to look at the stars. I don't think the milky way can be seen as clearly anywhere else on earth.

Prepare yourselves for contact with the Aboriginals. They seem quite happy to live on a different planet than the majority population. They reject modernity and western education. Their long survival in a very arid "Red Center" for 40,000 years ingrained in them such a respect for water, even tiny seeps that keep thirst at bay, that they rarely bathe at all. Clothing is never laundered. Wastes good drinking water. They also have serious problems with alcohol, and nightime drunkeness causes hotels to warn guests against taking evening walks.

Suggest reading up on the place before visiting: Moon Handbooks Australia Handbook I found to be the most useful guide here and elsewhere in the country. Try to read the novel"A Town Called Alice" by Neville Shute (I think). Or rent the Video taped movie version to get an idea of the ambience in 1940. By all means, take a drive East and West along the front of the McDonald Range, ducking into the many canyons and gaps along the way. Alice often gets bypassed by air travelers who choose to fly right into the airport at Ayers Rock Resort. Big mistake to miss Alice.