On the fence: Plaza vs California (niceness, price, resort fee)

I need to book 3 nights downtown and can't pull the trigger. My tendency is toward the Plaza, rooms are nice from what I've seen, wouldn't mind checking out the new pool. Downsides would be the smell (the rooms/hallways had an odor last time I visited a friend there).

Have also heard good things about the California, like the idea of saving $ by BYOB to the pool (how much are beers at the pool at Plaza?), and while I don't mind somewhat of a crowd and eye candy, I'm not into the loud obnoxious bros pool party thing.

Room rates and resort fees are somewhat of an issue I suppose, but not huge.

Can anyone offer some wisdom, or suggestions on other places?

 

The Cal pool may be under renovation right now. Not sure, that is what I heard. The pool at the Cal is also considered "substandard", just a pool with no amenities whatsoever except for towels and chairs. that said I don't mind the pool because it isn't crowded most of the time. To get into the pool you need to use your room key card for entry. You can also BYOB but I'm not sure what the policy is. Don't expect to find a lot of eye candy at the Cal pool. The Plaza pool was recently renovated so could be busy for the summer and you may find a lot of eye candy there but the place may be very crowded for your stay.

Some things about the rooms. The rooms at the Cal all contain a fridge and a wall safe that you can store your small things (probably won't fit a standard sized laptop). The west tower rooms contain a totally enclosed bathroom (including vanity area, shower and tub). I like that because you have total privacy and the noise will remain in the bathroom. Plaza bathrooms are 2 areas, one with a door containing the tub and toilet and the outside area which contains the vanity. This could get noisy for others in the room, if you use a hair dryer it is like you are next to that person so you may not be able to sleep if someone is using the hair dryer. The safes at the plaza are newer and digital so you can set it yourself (the safe in the Cal is just a key locking type, you keep the key and will pay if you lose it). The furnishings at the Cal is older while the Plaza furnishings are nice (glass table I think) and newer.


The plaza has a resort fee so when you price check make sure you include the resort fee when comparing nightly rates for the two places.

The Cal IMHO has a better gaming atmosphere and with the connection to MSS you have easy options to go between the 2 casinos if you aren't lucky in one.

It all comes down to what you want. The Cal is more for the older "Hawaii" type people while the plaza is trying to be more for the "younger" crowd.

 

Just an idea if you are looking to save money... Stay at the Cal, and use the pool at the Downtown Grand for free. Beers are $6-$7

 

Can anyone just walk in off the street and use the Downtown Grand pool?

 

The cal has no resort fee, the plaza does(it's pretty big too). The cal west rooms are nice IMO, and the whole casino vibe is better than the often empty feeling at the plaza.

 

If you are into sports at all the Plaza sportsbook is by far the best downtown. Also the TV's in the rooms have about 40 more channels than the Boyd Tv's. I also really enjoy the bands that play close to the tables so you can hear them while you play. I have stayed at the Plaza a bunch and the old perfumey smell seems to no longer exist.

 

https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/index.php?threads/downtown-grand-and-free-pool.131885/

 

I'm glad I don't have to decide! I get free room offers at MSS, but if I had to pay, it would likely come down to cost differences.

I've stayed at both places many times, but not at the Plaza since the rooms were renovated. I know I've been disappointed with the casino the few times I've wandered in (and right back out), but am probably due for another look.

 

Forgot to mention the tv channels. the Plaza has directTV or something so they have a lot of channels available, including free channels for the "mature" audience. The cal only has the standard 20 or so channels on their TV. I got hooked when I was at the Plaza, watched more TV than I normally do since I could watch the girls gone wild (milder) videos. The Plaza channels are also HD so the picture is clearer.

 

On the hotel front, if you get free rooms at both places, or if you have to pay but the prices are the same (resort fees included), then Plaza is the clear winner, period..
On the casino and comp front, California is the winner.