Las Vegas: Riviera Hotel & Casino

<sniff>.....Yes, it was awesome. Won a few bucks in there too. I still have one of those cheap white Stardust key chains hanging here in the office.

 

Stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton a couple weekends ago for $69 a night. With the room you got a $25 chip for the casino. It was only good for even-money bets, but better than nothing. Only thing I didn't like about it was the distance from other Strip hotels, but for a nice Hilton room you couldn't beat the price.

I'm going back in Dec. to see the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show and will probably just stay at the Mirage. With all the hotels and crowds in Vegas, there's a lot to be said for convienience.

 

Anybody have an experience with El Cortez downtown? Rates are cheap and hotels.com reviews were 85 percent positive. I've never stayed downtown but have always thought about it. If not there, I'm leaning toward the Sahara for the price.

 

Going to Vegas on Sunday and staying at the Imperial Palace for the third straight year. Never had a problem with the place, got a decent rate and it's in the middle of the strip.

And dieditor, Cirque du Soleil's "Love" is spectacular.

 

I'm a fan of the Sahara for a cheap place to stay when hanging out with friends. I wouldn't stay there with my wife--it's kind of old school, and the pool isn't that nice. Rooms are clean, tables have low minimums and the buffet is OK for breakfast and lunch. The slots seem fairly loose.

A bunch of us got food poisoning one night from the Riviera buffet, so that fell off my list.

If you're looking for a nicer place, my wife and I usually stay at the Rio. I used to be on their comp list, so that helped, but it's usually not a bad deal even if you have to pay. It's off the strip, but there are several good restaurants and a nice pool, so you don't feel you have to leave unless there's somewhere else you really want to go.

Circus sucks, unless you like hanging out with wannabe gangstas from Pacoima.

 

Your tolerence for the El C will likely correlate to your tolerance for "erratic" street life in the vicinity . . . it's a block further East than I'd choose to be, downtown. I leave the Saraha for others to judge, for it's just about the only old-school joint I've never stayed in.

 

A favorite of mine is the South Point - it's about three miles south of Mandalay Bay, but it's only a couple of years old so everything in the room's still nice. I've gotten some great deals on rooms there and it's easy to drive up to the center strip and do whatever interests you from there.

 

We were at the Rio for the WSOP, and I didn't like it very much.
If I weren't staying there for free, that would not be my choice.
Go to the Golden Nugget.

 

Rio's gone downhill markedly -- especially in the dining department -- since it was sold to the Harrah's slugs.

 

Their cable package was atrocious. I was there for 10 days. Some times you need to take a break from Vegas and veg out in the room. But there were almost no channels and the picture was fuzzy.
And they don't have free ethernet.

 

They don't want you to loll in the room. It's understandable. But agree, theirs is among the worst.

The Orleans, with all the horseracing feeds in the rooms, is marvelous.

 

I know they don't want me hanging out in the room, but some times I'm tired and hung over.
Anyway, I'll stay there again next year because the room's free, but if I'm picking a place I wouldn't choose the Rio.
And their poker room blows.
It's the home of the god-damn WSOP and the poker room sucks. Ridiculous.