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1st time staying at the Flamingo

Discussion in 'LV Strip Hotels' started by pruner, Nov 18, 2014.

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  1. pruner

    pruner Tourist

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    Annual golf trip planned for the last week in March. Best comps so far are at the Flamingo. What is the good and bad about the Flamingo ? Have never stayed there
     
  2. Mayoman

    Mayoman High-Roller

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    I like Flamingo. The casino has a great vibe to it. Lots of energy and fun. Rooms are clean, nothing special. Get a GO room if you can. It's not luxury, but it's fine.
     
  3. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

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    pruner....the NCAA games will be going on then so will see many basketball fans having a good time. Flamingo has a great location, especially with the Linq area open now. Walking distance to much on the strip. We are staying there for the 1st time for NYE week so will share some info in a TR in Jan.....
     
  4. LVfan

    LVfan Tourist

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    Our girls trip for the past 3 years and another upcoming one we stay at the Flamingo. Definitely the GO rooms for us. Love the location too. Check out the outdoor area with the flamingos.
     
  5. Yall

    Yall Low-Roller

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    I'll be staying there for the 4th or 5th time in a few weeks:

    The good;
    Location, location, location. The Flamingo to me, the the very definition of "center strip". And as mentioned with the addition of the Linq and the Cromwell reopening there are plenty of options in terms of food, gaming, and entertainment

    The breakfast buffet is good and reasonably priced.

    The wildlife habitat is a nice diversion.

    It has an interesting history as a strip property.

    In the summer the pool area is one of the better ones.

    The Bad;
    It's a CET property so you'll get gouged in resort fees.

    The gaming odds are not favorable (not uncommon on the strip, especially at CET properties)

    The rooms can be hit or miss.

    Bottom line, if location and price matter to you more than luxury, it's a solid pick.
     
  6. wishman35

    wishman35 VIP Whale

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    Definitely reserve the GO Room to not risk disappointment in the room. Prepare for fairly horrible elevators - this was the case back in late June. Food options are just not great. There are some quick eats which is fine - but you will go elsewhere for food. Casino has a fun retro feel to it and Margaritaville casino has a great feel to it. End of March will be borderline pool season, may or may not be warm enough - more than likely still early, but the pool is great when open.
     
  7. heatherlovesvegas

    heatherlovesvegas VIP Whale

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    What's bad? Food, there is zero good options in my opinion (most of them are borderline gross!), disgusting and dirty parking garage, slow and sometimes broken elevators, casino is old and ceilings are low, I never seem to find a good variety of games there.

    Good? - GO rooms are pretty nice, Donnie and Marie!, Location, Margaritaville Casino is pretty nice. Proximity to LINQ, Pool

    If I can say anything about Flamingo it's VERY VERY hit and miss. If you are just a group of dudes, I'm sure it'll be fine. If you are taking your wife/gf, I may reconsider.
     
  8. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    What do you mean fairly horrible elevators? I've stayed there several times in recent years and the elevators are much quicker to respond than at the old IP. I timed it last trip and the slowest was about 40 seconds from when I pressed the down button to when the elevator came. I'll report back on this after we stay there next month.

    I've only had ROTH type rooms, "Fab" is what I think they call them now. I've never had a bad room. I mean it's not the Waldorf by any means, but more like Hampton Inn, which is perfectly fine with me.

    As for food, the only places I've eaten there in recent years are the buffet, the coffee shop, and Margaritaville. All are perfectly fine, AFAIC. Seems like the buffet prices have gone up in recent years. The breakfast is very good. Nothing fancy, just the usual suspects for breakfast, but well prepared.

    The casino has taken a downturn in the last year or so, in my not so humble opinion, as have several other CET casinos. They ripped out many of the lower limit very fun machines and put in many of the newer so-called "penny" slots where the minimum spin is $.80 to $1 or so. Fortunately the Margaritaville Casino has several of the cheapskate slots that I like.

    Yeah, the parking garage is one of the worst on the Strip! :(
     
  9. Fligster

    Fligster VIP Whale

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    I've stayed at the flamingo 4-5 times in the past few years. Some thoughts:

    I hate the parking garage itself, although the rear entrance is convenient.
    I always get a GO room, they are basic but clean.
    Margharetaville Casino usually has 3:2 $10 blackjack early in the morning
    Location, Location, Location - Very quick to get from casino to strip
    I have never had a problem with early checkin. (11:30 am)
    Housekeeping times are hit or miss but usually pretty good
    Casino feels small, dark and a old
    Food court could be better; Johnny rockets is ok but Pizza place is expensive
    I would not recommend the Dinner Buffet
    I personally wouldn't recommend as a hotel for a once in a lifetime type trip, but it is fine for regular or semi-regular Vegas visitors.
     
  10. wanker751

    wanker751 Dutch Rudder Enthusiast

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    I had issues here, but also have a soft spot for it in my heart. If I could not get comped at "better" hotels I would give it a try again. I always make a stop here to play, I love old Vegas (even though I missed out on it) and it is a slice of old Vegas left on the strip. The pools are awesome and so are the grounds.

    Food wise, the buffet is only breakfast only.

    Location cannot be beat.
     
  11. Wezvidz

    Wezvidz High-Roller

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    After my last 3-4 trips being at PHo, I'm switching back to the Flamingo for a few nights in January. I found myself spending a lot of time at the TAG bar at the Linq and Caesers sportsbook bar, and the Flamingo is right there and a short walk. The casino always has a fun old school vibe. My solo trips just consist of quick eats and no formal dining (I find eating an annoyance that cuts into my drinking/gambling time) so having the food court right near the elevators to the rooms is nice. PHo only really had Earl (always long line it seems) or Pin Up Pizza.

    I still love the Bellagio/Cosmo/Aria/PHo area of the strip, so getting a 2 night offer from Cosmo made the decision easy. First half of trip will be north, 2nd half south, and a lot less walking.
     
  12. Jordan

    Jordan Caveman

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    DARK, really? WOW....IMO it's prolly one of the brightest casino's on the strip!

    - - - Updated - - -

    DARK, really? WOW....IMO it's prolly one of the brightest casino's on the strip!
     
  13. DonnyC

    DonnyC VIP Whale

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    We always stay at the Flamingo except once - I've been tempted to stay other places but can't pull my self to do it. (EDIT: we actually always spend our first nights on Freemont and then the Flamingo for the remaining).

    The more that I am thinking about this the more that I realize that what I just typed isn't correct.


    Our first trip we stayed at the Villa Roma on Convention Center drive - rooms were cheap (about the same price that I now get for a Flamingo room).

    The second trip we stayed at the then LVH (Hilton).

    Both of those times were a brothers trip and we were mid 20's, so walking everywhere wasn't an issue.

    From there we started doing the 1 night on Freemont/Flamingo stays. we have stayed in the Fab (when it was un-renovated), FAB renovated,Go Deluxe, Go Luxury rooms (multiple stays in some of those rooms).

    2 trips ago we stayed at Bally's - totally underwhelimg rooms, pool, casino.


    So we really like Flamingo...because that's the only hotel that I really have memories of. The pool is hard to beat (going in March...not sure if it would be open).


    I highly recommend Flamingo. I can't speak to food choices as we always eat all over. Maragritaville Casino is fun. the Party Pit is great and the opening of the Linq (whole area) makes the Flamingo a hard place to pass up. I'd still recommend the Go Room.
     
  14. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

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    Food option....gross? Buffet...breakfast only?? Wow....can't agree with those statements ..... We really like Margaritaville & Johnny Rockets. We've eaten breakfast at the buffet it is had a good selection and everything was fresh....not eaten lunch/dinner @ the buffet but have seen it open at those times so unless something as changed since late March....not correct.
     
  15. wanker751

    wanker751 Dutch Rudder Enthusiast

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    Sorry I was not clear, I meant that it is only good at Breakfast, it is but not great considering price and other options for other meals.
     
  16. Reeder1700

    Reeder1700 Tourist

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    I enjoy Flamingo. Great pool if you like to have fun without paying a fortune. Rooms are solid but not spectacular. Location is top notch! Restaurants are meh but so many options are available at nearby properties. All in all I recommend the flamingo unless you are looking for ultra luxury.
     
  17. Corinne

    Corinne Low-Roller

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    Definitely prefer the GO to the FAB rooms. Try the $20 trick. Got the GO room at check in for 17 nights for just the $20 total. Best win in Vegas for a long time.
     
  18. jgates8

    jgates8 VIP Whale

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    GChrome - I was trying to figure out where the 'dark' areas of the casino are too lol - sometimes it's so stinking bright in there it gives me a headache. I often go into the Margaritaville area just because it is a bit darker in there!!!!

    I'm not sure where this slow elevator stuff comes into play either. It's all dependent on the number of people using them. I have used all 3 banks of elevators (YES - THERE ARE 3!) - the spa elevators, the main elevators by check-in and the ones by the habitat. The busiest will be the main elevators as check-in normally always sends you to those. I think some people don't even realize there are ones down by the spa or by the habitat. I have also never encountered dirty elevators that haven't been cleaned in days (seen that comment a few times in the past) - if you go down early in the morning you will in fact run into some of them closed while they are being cleaned & mopped.

    There are numerous choices for food that I would now associate with Flamingo - if you walk 1 minute past the café, you will be in the Linq alley & 3 minutes past the cafe' you will be inside the Linq/Quad.
     
    Easter again..:
  19. DReynolds86

    DReynolds86 Let's Go Pens!

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    Nice casino, if a bit worn. Great pool area. Definitely get a GO room with a Strip View.
     
  20. Peachiekeehn

    Peachiekeehn High-Roller

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    You can get really good pizza (better than the place in the food court) at the little place right across from the habitat entrance by the café.
     
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