• LV's McCarran International (LAS) is the 8th busiest Airport in the U.S. and number 23 in the world, with 41.7 million passengers
• 79 percent of McCarran's departures and 82 percent of arrivals are on time, the average departure delay is 52 minutes and arrival delay is 50 minutes, and cancellations are at 0.6 percent
• McCarran Airport is only two to four miles southwest of most Las Vegas Strip hotels
• Metered taxi fares to major hotels on the Strip cost approximately $15–$25. A consolidated car-rental center is three miles from the terminal and is accessed by shuttle bus. ScottyVegas always rents a car.
My buddy, let’s call him Paws, just got back from Vegas. Inspired by my post: Free Room Upgrade? Let me introduce you to “The $20 Trick” he decided to give the trick a try since he was going to be in town for four nights in a standard room.
Paws approached the Flamingo reservation desk and presented the twenty bucks sandwich style and inquired about an upgrade. The reservation host took the twenty, set it aside, and said she could accommodate his request. Everything went smooth.
As Paws approached his now “suite” upgrade he noticed a larger than normal door. He entered and was immediately hit with a strong cigarette smoke smell. He then noticed the large oversized bathroom door. Well needless to say it didn’t take long for Paws to realize he was in an OLD special needs accessibility suite. But now tired and hungry from the flight, he put down his luggage and headed for some food and drinks.
Several hours later Paws returns, now exhausted and buzzed, heads for bed. When he pulled back the covers he had the strange feeling that the linens on the bed weren’t changed from the previous occupier. But given his current condition Paws got in anyway. After laying there for a few minutes trying to get comfortable he felt something change. Paws reached down by his feet and extracted a dirty sock that wasn’t his! He immediately threw it across the room and promptly fell asleep, ahhhhh…….the miracle of alcohol
Besides the sock there was a host of other issues, mainly due to the fact that the room hasn’t been updated in decades. Regardless, the next morning Paws went down to complain and was quickly moved to another cruddy standard non-refurbished Flamingo room.
Lessons learned / Tip: Don’t stay at Flamingo and be aware the “Trick” may not always work in your favor.
FYI – The other sock was never found. (Not to imply that Paws was looking for it)
Leading up to our January 7 – 12, 2010 trip we received a post card in the mail for a free hotel stay in a deluxe room (Standard) at select Station Casino’s. After looking up reviews and locations we decided to take Stations up on their offer and selected Palace Station. We thought, what the heck, we’ll save money and besides we like trying new properties.
We arrived in Las Vegas late Thursday night, 1.5 hours later than planned due to Snow and de-icing out of Detroit Metro. We headed straight for Palace Station, of course taking Las Vegas Blvd even though there was a quicker route. Anyway, the Check-in process went very smooth and quick as the registration host was extremely friendly. The elevators were conveniently close by as we headed up to our room on the 27th floor. I joked to my wife as I noticed the 27th floor was the top, Penthouse baby here we come. When we got out of the elevator we noticed immediately how nice the hallway was, it was much nicer than expected.
2411 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89102 – (702) 367-2411
Our room 27-727 was just down the hall from the elevator. We opened the door and again were surprised, as we entered the small hallway to the main room. The room was very Large with a King size bed, end tables, Full size couch, Large coffee table, Table and chairs, and a huge entertainment center with attaching bookshelves which housed books and various knick knacks. However, a large plasma TV was the center of attention. There was also a bar like counter with a sink for convenience.
Moving on to the bathroom, it was huge! Large jet tub, glass shower, double sinks with granite countertops and vanity, and large surrounding mirrors. There was a small flat panel TV for your viewing pleasure while getting ready. The toilet was behind a separate door for privacy.
The entire suite was about 35 by 30 feet long with 12-15 foot ceilings. A window made up the entire wall over looking downtown Las Vegas with Circus Circus and the Stratosphere in plain sight. It was an awesome view in the morning as the mountains surrounded the city.
See for yourself, youtube.com video walkthrough:
Well after we put down our bags and looked around the room we were ready for something to eat so we headed downstairs. There is a Starbucks, Bakery, a restaurant, Subway and Buffet on the premises, unfortunately they were all closed. So we decided to head out for a quick bite since we were practically starved. Across the street were several restaurants, most were closed but two, a McDonalds and an In-n-Out Burger. I hate McDonalds but have heard many positive things about In-n-Out so we headed for the drive thru. In-n-Out lives up to its motto “Quality you can taste”. Prices were reasonable and the food was good.
After eating we headed back to play around for awhile. The casino was your average “locals” style casino with a variety of new and old slots machines. Table games had better than strip odds and low minimums with seating available. As typical with locals casino’s their video poker machines had better payouts too. There is also a small sports book on the property.
Regarding Drinks, overall waitress service was good with drink quality average.
Along with the free night offer was a buy one, get one free buffet coupon. So the next morning we headed to the buffet. Breakfast is regularly $6.99 each so for a mere seven bucks and some change we both ate. The Buffet was clean and inviting with ample selections to choose from though nothing to rave about. It most certainly was adequate and met its purpose of supplying us nourishment for the day.
Though I wouldn’t want to stay here for an entire Las Vegas trip, mainly because of its distance from the strip, I would definitely consider it again if arriving very late or other like reason.
Overall the room was clean (with exception to minor hard to reach areas) and comfortable. We were pleasantly surprised by our suite upgrade. Our morning buffet was good and so was the Starbucks coffee. Palace Station offers many slot and table games to choose from. Casino vibe was that of a typical locals style casino indicated by a mix of both locals and tourists. Hotel/Casino staff was friendly and accommodating. Therefore, I am giving Palace Station a rating of 3 out of 5 chips.
First a little history, the volcano at the Mirage first opened in 1989, then in 1996 water, lighting, and sound effects were added. Most recently the Volcano has gone through a complete redesign at a tune of 25 Million! It reopened in December of 2008.
The Volcano and accompanying lagoon has always been a popular attraction with tourists. And for good reason:
• It’s FREE
• It is located right on the strip in front of the Mirage
With this said there should be no reason why you wouldn’t check it out.
On our January, 2010 trip we were walking down the strip when we remembered that we haven’t seen the new redesigned volcano yet. We looked at the time; it was 8:32 so we had almost a half hour wait. Because it was our last full night in Vegas we questioned whether to wait and see it or not. Well we stayed and glad we did. Check out the video and see for yourself why:
Now the video can only show so much you really need to see and experience it for yourself. The music is powerful and timed perfectly with the erupting fireballs, some reaching 12 feet in the air, and the heat from the eruption can be felt against your skin. Since it was in the 40’s it felt good, probably not so much in the summer heat.
The Volcano erupts nightly every hour on the hour from dusk to 11 p.m.
Verdict: The Volcano is a worthwhile attraction and merits your valuable Vegas time. It’s Free and right on the strip so I am giving it 4 out of 5 chips!
ScottyVegas! 