Hotel / Accomodations -The Golden Nugget, which is a downtown hotel-casino (5 minutes from the strip). It is rated a Four Star Hotel by the Mobil Travel Guide and rated a 4 diamond hotel by the AAA Travel Guide. We arrived late Saturday night, so we were upgraded to a suite for the night. The staff at the check-in counter could not be any nicer. In fact as I think back, the entire hotel and casino staff were extremely friendly and attentive. The Golden Nugget was recently renovated. The lavish décor of the hotel and the exceptionally clean rooms impressed us. As we walked to the brunch buffet in the morning we noticed a fine mist surrounded a glass-enclosed oasis. Inside the oasis was a decently sized pool and Jacuzzi. Roughly 100 lawn chairs available for sun bathers. We highly recommend staying at the Golden Nugget and will make it a point to stay there when we visit “sin city” again. One caution, be prepared for a higher bill at checkout because the City of Las Vegas charges an 11% room tax on all accommodations.
Buffet -Went to the Sunday brunch. Good Champaign flowing in and out of our glasses. A smaller buffet than the other reviewed buffets, but very nice. Omelets were made upon request. Typical breakfast foods were available: Eggs, bacon, Canadian bacon, sausage, French toast, as well as a fine assortment of juices. The lunch buffet consisted of turkey, prime rib, chicken, and many others. The Prime rib was some of the best I had at any of the buffets in Las Vegas. It melted in your mouth almost like butter. Service was thorough and courteous, and the prices were reasonable. Sunday Brunch served 8:00am to 10pm $10.95, Breakfast $5.75, Lunch $7.50, Dinner $10.25
Insiders Togel tip to buffets given by a fellow jury member: Buffets are typically more expensive as the day goes on. (Breakfast is usually cheaper than lunch, lunch is cheaper than dinner) (Example) If you enter a buffet at the end of breakfast, you get to have the lunch buffet at the price of breakfast.
Hand of Faith Gold Nugget – This Gold Nugget is the world’s largest, weighing in at over 61 pounds. It vaguely resembles a hand, and was found in 1980 by a man using a metal detector in Australia. Hand of Faith Gold Nugget
Attractions – Freemont St. Experience Walk outside of the downtown casinos and you’re greeted by a light and sound show called the Freemont Street Experience. It’s a 90 foot canope that spans four blocks. Nearly 2.1 million lights and 540,000 watts of sound are needed to produce this 6 minute show. Combined, it takes 8 million watts to make this show happen. All of the casino lights dim as music and overhead lights begin to fill the air. Computers help to generate themed shows as music plays in the background. Usually every hour on the hour 8:00pm-12:00am. Enjoy!
Review of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hard Rock Cafe Sign
Hotel / Accomodations -Overall, I really liked the Hard Rock. An excellent choice for the young at heart. The Room was spacious, and had an AWESOME view that overlooked their incredible pool as well as the entire Las Vegas Strip. The room, hallway, and casino were decorated with Rock Memorabilia from AC/DC to ZZ Top.
The room: It was a typical hotel room, with various rock related pictures where your might normally see cheesy paintings in other hotels. The view was great from our side, but obviously there is another side of the hotel, so when you make reservations, make sure you ask for a room overlooking the pool-side.
The Pool: The pool was incredible. They have a man made beach that slopes directly into the wrap around pool. They also have a water slide that tunnels through giant rocks and empties into the pool. It provided some unique fun for the kids and us.
Blackjack Strategy Card
Also, there is an area of swim-up Blackjack tables, a waterfall, and a separate pool for the kids.
The Casino: I think I can sum up the casino in one word. Small. It appears that the casino was more of an afterthought for this establishment – but we all know that is far from the truth. It did have all the usual comforts of a Las Vegas Casino: Blackjack, Pai Gow, Slots, Craps, SportsBook and when we arrived late Wednesday night it was relatively empty. BUT, when we returned late Friday night, it was a mob scene due to the popularity of the club and shows!
The Food: We ate at Mr. Lucky’s late on Wednesday night and again late Friday night.
Wednesday: The service was adequate and the food was tasty, but the table was dirty. After we got over that, (we never really got over that) we decided to order. I had the Fajita Salad, a Vanilla Shake, and the Fire grilled Chicken Nachos. The Shake was incredible. They used ice cream with real vanilla beans. The Chicken nachos were great. They had home-made chips and a spicy cheese sauce with just the right amount of chicken. The Fajita Salad was not so good. The meat had good flavor, and the salad was filling, but there was WAY too much cheese. Half my plate was covered in a mound of cheese – don’t get me wrong, I like cheese, but this was ridiculous.
Friday: Much busier than Wednesday night and we had to wait for a table, but it was also much cleaner. The service, again was adequate, and the food was tasty I had a Coke, a Bacon Cheese Burger, and the Fire Grilled Chicken Nachos (yes, they were that good). The Burger was good, but it was no Tavistock burger. (Tavistock is a country club in New Jersey, and by my accounts has the best Burger I have EVER had.)
P.S. This is said to be frequented by the late night crowd – particularly some night club dancers come here for after-hours.
