Rio

The Rio is a great place to stay in Las Vegas.  The all suite hotel/casino has several restaurants, a terrific buffet, a carnival and Penn and Teller.  My room, the last time I stayed, was in the Carnival tower.  The room featured a large wraparound sofa and television area with an adjoined bedroom (no walls between), a well appointed and large bathroom, and spectacular view of the strip.

The casino has essentially two portions: the traditional casino and the carnival.  The carnival portion features a large stage area where performers dance and a Mardi Gras style parade happens in the sky (complete with beads…) for free.  I am not quite sure of the exact show schedule, but chances are if you are visiting for a couple hours on the weekend you will get to see the performance.  

This is the home of the World Series of Poker in June/July every year.

Restaurants:

The Carnival World Buffet – Excellent – reviewed under the foods category

Gaylord Indian Cuisine – Good – We went for appetizers and drinks, everything we had was good

Voodoo Lounge – Located at the top of the Rio, the views of the strip are some of the best the town has to offer, there are several outdoor patios – Try What the Witch Doctor Ordered – if you arrive before the party crowd, you can usually visit the top without having to pay a cover charge – the view is worth the price of a drink

Hilton Las Vegas

If you are a convention attendee, this is the ultimate in convenience to the Las Vegas Convention Center.  There is an interior walkway as well as being one monorail stop away from the convention center.   I have not stayed at the property, but have heard good reviews.

The main part of the casino is old world Vegas with lots of shimmering glass and features.  There is a side part of the casino that is Star Trek themed.  A Star Trek museum, Star Trek amusement rides and Quarks Bar are featured in this portion of the casino.  

I have also not seen any of the entertainers on property. 

Restaurants:

Buffet – It has been a while since I last visited, but it was good and average priced for a strip buffet

Quarks – One of our favorite restaurants – I take everyone who visits to this restaurant. If you like onion rings you have to have the Tower of Betazed (it is a tour of onion rings with 3 dipping sauces).  There is a tower of shots if you are into that.  I highly recommend trying either the Warp Core Breach or the Borg Sphere.  Both drinks are served with smoking dry ice in a fishbowl and are great to share if you order the larger size.  – You can read more under the food category

Star Trek the Experience and Quarks will close at the Hilton in September 2008.  It will be greatly missed.

Quarks

Quarks – One of our favorite restaurants – I take everyone who visits to this restaurant. If you like onion rings you have to have the Tower of Betazed (it is a tour of onion rings with 3 dipping sauces).  There is a tower of shots if you are into that.  I highly recommend trying either the Warp Core Breach or the Borg Sphere.  Both drinks are served with smoking dry ice in a fishbowl and are great to share if you order the larger size. 

There restaurant has several televisions featuring episodes and movies from different Star Trek series.  If you are in the main dining room, you dine beneath a large model of the Enterprise.  There is also a Star Trek museum and Star trek rides.  During your dining experience you will encounter characters from various series as well.

Star Trek the Experience and Quarks will close at the Hilton in September 2008.  It will be greatly missed.

Fiesta Henderson

The Fiesta Henderson is less than fifteen minutes from the airport on 215.  It is mostly a locals casino.  There is a movie theatre, food court, bingo hall and a cheap and tasty buffet (I think the lunch is less than $8 and is not much more in the evening). – I will write a more in depth review later.

Green Valley Ranch

The Green Valley Ranch is located about 10 minutes from the airport in Green Valley/Henderson.

I have not stayed there, but have seen the inside of the rooms and would place them in the Marriott/Hilton category of hotel.  The room looked very nice and had a nicely equipped bar to make martinis. 

The pool area has a beach and the property has a spa that overlooks the pool area.  The property has a movie theatre as well.

Restaurants: China Spice was very good and moderately priced.  The Feast Buffet is very good, but slightly over priced (comparable with most strip buffet prices). 

There is a large outdoor shopping complex (The District) that contains many other restaurants.  There are often free concerts on the weekends.  The Elephant Bar is a good restaurant (somewhat like an Applebees) with a fairly extensive menu, King’s Fish House is also good, Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que has tasty ribs and Kennedy is very good (Kennedy is relatively pricey, they have the best Bread Pudding I have ever had.)  PF Changs and The Cheesecake Factory are walking distance from GVR.  If you have never eaten at The Cheesecake Factory you should give it a try.  They have a very comprehensive menu from a variety of cuisines.

The Plaza

The Plaza is located at the end of Freemont Street. The rooms are usually cheap and if you all you need is a place to sleep, this place makes a decent home base.  The rooms are equivalent to a Day’s Inn with no notable features.  I have stayed there a couple times when I have flown in on Saturdays (Saturdays are the most expensive night in Vegas, I moved to a nicer place when the price drops for Sunday or Monday nights.  Just as a side-note, Monday night seems to have the lowest hotel room prices).  The Plaza has a $7.77 buffet which is actually decent and the price can not be beat downtown.  The roof top pool area is also kind of neat view of Freemont Street.

Alexis Park

Very nice all suite complex with several pools and a restaurant.  It is a few blocks from the strip and walking distance to the Hard Rock Casino.  If you have a rental car this is a great place to stay.  The rate is very reasonable for the large room with a sitting area, refrigerator and bar.

Golden Nugget

This is the nicest place to stay on Fremont Street. They added a shark tank at the pool and the slide runs through it.  I am still working on my full review.

Getting Around Las Vegas

Vegas is a city built around tourism and conventions—It’s designed to help large amounts of people go to various locations with relative ease.  For example, after you’ve picked up your luggage at baggage claim at the airport, just head outside, go up to the booth and take a shuttle bus to your hotel (prices range from approximately $5-7 per person depending on where your hotel is).  If taking a shuttle bus isn’t your thing, you can always opt for a taxi, which will get you to your location a little bit faster but will cost you more money. Renting a car is another option.  You get the convenience of being able to go where and when you want (and you can’t beat the cost of parking, it’s free, just tip the valet $1)  While there are some fabulous and fun locations not on the strip, it is definitely possible to get around Las Vegas without a car—walking, trams, taxis, and limos—the possibilities are all out there.

The monorail runs from the MGM Grand to the Sahara.  There is a free shuttle from Harrahs to the Rio (across from the Palms).  There also might be a shuttle between Caesars and the Rio.  There is a free monorail from Excalibur – Luxor – Mandalay Bay and another from Treasure Island to the Mirage.  The Duece (two story bus) runs up and down the strip.  You can hop on the one heading away from the MGM Grand to go to downtown casinos.

Ba Ba Reba

Very good tapas restaurant located in front of the Showcase Mall (you have to exit the mall to Las Vegas BLVD).  They have well prices happy hour tapas and sangrias.