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My 6 nights downtown

Discussion in 'Downtown Hotels' started by JR Swift, Jan 21, 2014.

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  1. JR Swift

    JR Swift VIP Whale

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    Just got back from a 6 night visit to Vegas and spent all 6 nights downtown, staying at the Fremont. Just wanted to share a few impressions with the board.

    The WAX is a great deal if you are staying downtown. Just hard to swallow those $25 cab rides to and from the airport, If you aren't afraid to walk a block or two or three with your suitcase in tow, you can grab the bus and spend $2 instead. I always end up blowing enough money cabbing it around town as it is. This honestly makes downtown more appealing to me.

    The Fremont was fine as a base of operations. I would argue that it probably has the best location downtown (tied with 4 Queens) as there are 4 other casinos literally across the street from you. Quick walk to the Downtown Grand. Not really far from anywhere. Room was small but clean and the bed was comfortable. Not luxurious, not a great place for the wife or gf but I was solo so it was just good. Nice having a safe. Bathroom small but the shower was always hot. Elevator never a wait. No coffeemaker but Dunkin Donuts was close to the elevator and so I dealt with it. Didn't actually play there all that much. Picked up a hot dog a couple of times at the Lanai Express and it will fill you up for a few dollars. Had a room at the back so it was usually quiet enough though the shutters don't really keep the sun out in the morning. Would stay there again for the right price, which was why I stayed there this time.

    Kept finding myself drawn back to the Golden Gate in the evening. Maybe it was the friendly bartenders who never let my beer stay empty long or maybe it was the dancing girls/dealers who looked pretty good after a few of those beers. Not sure, but I like playing here.

    Both the remodeled D and the Downtown Grand are pretty nice places, maybe not "Golden Nugget" level but pretty good by downtown standards. Was good to see that something had finally moved into the old Lady Luck space.

    The whole area has improved a lot in recent years with additional bars and restaurants and nightlife options. That never-never land block between the canopy and the El Cortez is now pretty lively.

    Was good to see at least a little life at the Vegas Club. That being said, the Plaza just seems so sterile to me anymore. Stayed there a couple years back and the room remodel was nice enough. I used to really like playing here but didn't even bother this time around.

    Fremont Street Experience is still fun. Most every night, things were pretty lively. Since it was a three day weekend, it rocked pretty hard Friday-Sunday. The live bands are pretty entertaining after a few cocktails.

    Overall, I enjoyed it and would do it again. Still spent a fair amount of time on the Strip and even off strip a couple of days but the bus pass made it pretty easy to get to and fro. Have pretty much been an "off strip" guy the last several years and probably will be again if the price is right, but would not hesitate to recommend the downtown experience. It has gotten better over the last few years and it is good to see that it has.
     
  2. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    I'm glad those buses worked for you. Hopefully the Boyd casinos downtown won't really install a resort fee, but the words are there in the fine print booking, so you may have managed one of the last bookings free of fees.
     
  3. The Stig

    The Stig VIP Whale

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    I like the Golden Gate myself and can always be found there when I'm Downtown, the bar staff are great and there are some nice views while sitting at the bar :drooling:
     
  4. Jane42

    Jane42 Low-Roller

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    I have only been to Vegas twice and have stayed DT both times. I love the atmosphere and the fact that the casinos are so close together.

    I spent one night on the strip on my last visit. Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy, so I really did not get a chance to really explore. We had also bought a 24 hr bus pass, which in retrospect was not a good idea. I would have stayed longer and explored if we hadn't done that (and if my sister hadn't thrown her back out on the bus-poor kid!).

    Will try spending more time on the strip next visit, but planning on DT being my home base - I am comfortable there.
     
  5. bdlee73

    bdlee73 Tourist

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    Glad you enjoyed the stay! I arrive tomorrow for 2 nights at the GN. Would have stayed somewhere a bit cheaper but this Idaho boy is looking forward to a swim in the balmy 60 degree weather.
     
  6. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    I also just got back from vegas, right before MLK day. I rented a car for my whole 11 day stay. It came out to about $18 a day and I was glad as I used my car to drive around every day. Because there is no self parking at the Fremont I tend to shy away from staying there (or the GG). This time I split up my stay between MSS and the Cal and I thoroughly enjoyed staying there. The past few years I stayed at the El Cortez but never really liked staying there because I usually gamble at the boyd properties. With the added resort fees I may stay at the boyd hotels more even if they are a little more expensive than the EC (fees included).

    I did notice the belltrans shuttle waiting for customers a couple of times at the MSS so I hope that they improved their hotel pickup service.

    Unlike JR I did not like the "improvements" made to downtown. I walked to the El Cortez one evening and had to navigate my way around the rowdy crowd hanging out by insert coins and the clubs who were congregating on the sidewalk outside the clubs (not sure why they didn't go into the clubs instead of hanging outside the clubs).

    While I like looking at hot girls the GG really didn't lure me in. I did check out the crap tables but didn't play there because they looked cold. I visited the D and was assaulted by the loud music (note to self: bring along earplugs if I think I'm going to visit the D). The LVC was also busy at night but deserted during the day/slow parts of the day. As mentioned above, the improvements seem more oriented for the younger crowd so I really didn't enjoy those casinos, instead sticking with the Boyd casinos.

    The FSE needs to change up their shows as most of them have been around for years and IMHO have gotten tired and worn. There was a large amount of people on the FSE trying to get tips. I drove by the new container park but I was too busy to stop by.
     
  7. joshrocker

    joshrocker VIP Whale

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    Glad to hear you enjoyed downtown. Thanks for the quick report!

    These golden gate dealers. Are they that hot? and most importantly, does a blackjack pay 3/2?
     
  8. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    IMHO the girls are all right. on the tables with the female entertainers bj is probably 6/5, sorry.
     
  9. joshrocker

    joshrocker VIP Whale

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    That's what I feared. We had a lot of fun in Binion's "party pit" a few years ago. They paid 3/2 on BJ's during the day but changed it to 6/5 at night. All the other party pits in town seem to be 6/5.
     
  10. WWGB

    WWGB High-Roller

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    Perhaps they have changed it since then, but when I was there on December 15th and December 17th, Golden Gate paid 3:2 at night.
     
  11. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

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    GG Blackjack

    Last time I played there (October) the GG tables with the girls (some hot, some not so much) were 3:2. Not saying it hasn't changed, since there seems to be a trend for the worse.
     
  12. DonnyC

    DonnyC VIP Whale

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    Is slotzilla open?
     
  13. Fraggle

    Fraggle People Watcher

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    Not true. The table that is furthest back, pretty much in the new reno space, and faces the back entrance rather than parallel to the walls is 3:2 and gives you full view of all the girls. Usually a pretty hot dealer there too :0
     
  14. Robertintx

    Robertintx Low-Roller

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    It's very good to see a report on the Freemont.
    I'm staying there on my next trip and like you said it is close to
    everything and a good base. I'm also solo so a clean bed and
    hot shower is about all I need.
    Thanks again
    Robert
     
  15. Oxygenator

    Oxygenator Low-Roller

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    ALL blackjack at Golden Gate and the D is 3:2, hot dealer or not. In fact when Derek bought the Fitz and made it the D, one of the first things he did was get rid.of the lousy BJ the Fitz had and made it all 3:2.
     
  16. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    What's that you said about the D? Sorry I can't hear you over all the loud music (lol, kidding), I have a hard time trying to think with the loud music assaulting my brain, lol.

    You are correct, many of the casinos (like GG) still had 3:2 but you had to walk around to find that table(s) at most of the other casinos. Glad that Derek keeps with the 3:2 theme but many of the tables at the D and GG had $10 minimums compared to $5 tables at boyd properties, 4Q and EC (EC and fremont even had $3 tables even during the night/busy times but MSS had a $10 minimum crap table when they opened up all 3 tables).

    I did not see anyone on slotzilla though it seemed open (maybe too cold at night?).

    I do notice that the minimums go up when there are events going on, with the CES I noticed more casinos going to $10 minimum tables but when the CES ended they went back down to $5 minimums. It also seemed like the machines were tighter during the busy times, not sure if that was so but it felt that way.
     
  17. Iu25

    Iu25 High-Roller

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    Makiki, did you get that rental price in Vegas or did you drive in? That's a great price if in Vegas!
     
  18. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    got it on the web site (I checked with kayak daily) and I rented it from the airport rental facility.

    I just checked the rental prices the past few months and was lucky that they dropped it one day. I booked quickly because by the end of the day the price went back up. Saved me over $120 from my initial reservation so best to keep checking the rates and rebook when they go down.

    So funny, I am thinking about a June vegas trip. On the costco site I booked a car for a 6 night stay (before the end of last year) for only $119 but now the rates are over $220 for the same period. I don't have any airline reservations, nor hotel but I figured to get the rental since I don't have to pay anything upfront. I can always cancel if I don't go but at least I got a good rate.
     
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