I'm going to Green Valley Ranch. Opinions?

4 nights sun-thurs in early august.

Housemate and 2 kids (age 5 and 7?) are going, too. Last time I was in Vegas, I checked out the Red Rock, and it seemed as good a place as any to bring kids (movie theater, arcade, Kids Quest, food court, pool...). However, it's too expensive on the days we'll be in town, so we booked GVR instead. I've never been there and have very little experience with the Station casinos generally.

So, some questions - is it a good place for kids? Stuff for them to do there/nearby?

How is the gambling for non-slots players? Their VP pay tables look good. How are the table games? Comps? Hosts? Casino credit? They have very little info on their site.

Good restaurants inside, nearby? How's the buffet? Are cabanas expensive? How crowded is the pool on weekdays?

What's the percentage of kids/families/seniors generally?

We'll have cars, so driving around is not a problem.

 

I can vouch for the buffet and table games. The buffet is one of the best in Vegas for the price. Around $5 for breakfast with your comcard. The casino is nice. Not cramped very friendly dealers and $5 tables during the day. Well drinks served at the sports book while placing bets which I would.c
unt as a negative. Overall a beautiful property.

 

My room was nicely decorated.
The pool has a sandy end for young children -
very shallow.
Casino is relatively quiet.

 

There is a huge outdoor mall just a few steps out the door of GVR called the District. There are many restaurants, shops, bars, a Whole Foods supermarket, lots of things to look at. I highly recommend having barbecue at Lucille's there. The buffet inside GVR is great and there are lots of other good restaurants. I love staying at GVR!

 

We are returning to GVR for a second time this fall. Stayed there last year. We are not typical Vegas travellers, not big gamblers. I need serious down time and GVR gave me that last year.

The pool area has a sand beach end, the kids seemed to be having a blast there. The movie theater on site would be a plus for them.

I really enjoyed sitting by the pool in the spa area, it was so quiet zen -like.

The area attached to the Casino called The District is much more child -friendly than the strip and they often have events going on over the weekends. Here's the website: http://shopthedistrictgvr.com

Check out Lucille's for barbeque - it was great.

Just reread your post so I'll add, I believe the cabana rental is $150 / day, when we were there last June the pools through the week were not busy at all - we always had our choice of loungers. Only ate the buffet for breakfast (was included with the room) and it was good. There is a food court on site which had the usual pizza, sandwiches, chinese etc.

Oh yes, the valet service was excellent. We would phone from the room and the car was always there when we got to the front. Never a wait.

 

A very, very nice property... at least it was when I was there for a week, four years ago.

 

$25 per day resort amenity fee, plus tax.

Resort Amenity Fee of $24.99 per night (plus tax) includes:
Wired and Wireless High Speed In-Room Internet
Unlimited Local and 800 calls
Daily Local Newspaper
Fitness Center access
Shoe Shine Service
Airport Shuttle Service

So if you fly in on Southwest, just bring an extra bag filled with shoes and get 'em shined.

 

Thanks for all the responses!

Yeah, that resort fee is out of control! Along with the shoe shines, I'll make sure to download gigs of data on as many devices as possible while using one treadmill for each foot in the fitness center.

 

Looks like a great property for kids. We may have to book next time in LV. How far is it from the airport? Do people usually rely on rental cars to get around?

 

While streaming live your entire trip in high def

 

Went to a concert there last fall. I thought the property was gorgeous. I won a bit in the casino too, which for me is a rarity. It was a fun vibe all around and seemed like a place I wouldnt mind staying. Cab ride from the strip was $40 each way!!!

 

GVR kids

Had the best trip with four year old twins last month. The kids loved the sandy beach, was not overcrowded like Wet Republic ,with plenty of space to swim. The food from the pool was OK, but the trick is to get the cabana and order room service to the cabana, better than the buffet. Ran out of twin queens so had to upgrade to Excecutive suite, try to get that $50 fee waived. Rooms very clean and comfortable. Service from room service, valet, bellman to host was excellent. The gaming quality is very good, but not the fall down drunk party scene. The VP machines give you 100%payback, the blackjack/baccarat VIP is small, no food. The craps is quiet,but quality. They are one of the few places that will rate you on the passline with odds behind. Ate at the cafe mostly because if you show them your boarding pass you will go the front of the line without waiting. Had comps to eat at the other restauraunt but didn't have time. The movies are also supposed to very nice, but didn't have time for them either. Planning next trip for October. I'm not sure at what level you play, but if you need a host let us know.

 

I also recommend Lucille's - the food was very good.

Green Valley Ranch is not all that far from Boulder City/Hoover Dam so you can take a trip with the kids. You have to pass through Boulder City to get to Hoover Dam and it is a really tiny town with a main street area that has a lot of great places to eat and check out the shops. You can continue on to Hoover Dam and/or Lake Mead. You can take the tour of the Dam or at Lake Mead you can take an inexpensive ride on the Desert Princess:

http://www.lakemeadcruises.com/desertprincess.html

 

I'm a $25-$50 BJ player (2 to 4 hours of play time) with $1 light to moderate play on the slots. (1 to 2 hours of slot play time) Is it worth my effort to make a trip over there?

 

With that play you should check out GVR. Get a "boarding pass", get rated and you probably could get at a room comp and some food.

 

i love G.V.R. table games are good and the employees remember your name and are friendly
the buffet is o.k. , good value for the money , but try the "cafe" resturant next to the buffet .....very very very good .......
the casino is very clean and all emplyees are very nice
when i go back to las vegas in spring 2013 i will drive out to G.V.R. everyday for breakfast and gaming
i like to stay on the strip but love G.V.R.
damn , now i want to be there ......

 

Stayed at GVR a few weeks ago and was very pleased. Satyed on a stations comp offer and resort fee is waived, but you would have to pay for wifi or fitness center if you cared to use them.

Gambling offered a huge variety of slots including a new Elvis game near the buffet that many members of my family enjoyed playing. BJ rules were good and denominations from $5 up at most times.

We only had a chance to eat at the buffet since I received two with my offer. Decent selection. Hotel guests have a separate line for entry.

We also rented a cabana. $150 Sunday thru Thursday. Came with stocked fridge (bottled water, soda, energy drinks), pastry tray in the morning, fruit tray and salsa and chips in the afternoon. Hostess also came by with frozen grapes and frozen drink samples during the heat of the afternoon.

Call the valet and they'll have your car up front when needed.

Enjoyed our stay, would definitely go back.

 

I'm not sure what level I'll play at yet. It really depends on how much time I spend with friends and how much I spend gambling by myself. Usually $100-150/hand at blackjack.

 

The cabana sounds good. We'll probably do that on one or more days.

 

Tips

LLew,
At that level you should do the following,
1. Upgrade to executive suite, clerk may charge $50 extra up front, but your host can take it off at the end.
2. Ask to remove the $25 resort fee upon check out
3. Ask to have cabana comped on check out.
If you are really interested I can send you to a good host.