Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

MID-STRIP 93
or by swift train, and, thanks to those nice new rooms, you’ve got someplace
pleasant to return to.
Bally’s has the usual range of dining choices and is justly renowned for its
Sterling Sunday Brunch (p. 167). The casino is large, well lit, and colorful, and
there’s also a headliner showroom and the splashy Jubilee! revue (p. 251).
3645 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (at Flamingo Rd.), Las Vegas, NV 89109.& 800/634-3434 or 702/739-4111. Fax 702/
967-3890. www.ballyslv.com. 2,814 units. $69 and up double, $35–$60 more concierge floor (including breakfast);
$300 and up suite. Extra person $30. Children under 18 stay free in parent’s room. AE, DC, MC, V. Free
self- and valet parking. Amenities: Casino; showrooms; 14 restaurants; outdoor pool; 8 night-lit tennis courts;
health club and spa; video arcade; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; shopping arcade;
24-hr. room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; executive-level rooms. In room: A/C, TV
w/pay movies, iron and board.
The Flamingo Las Vegas The Flamingo is the Strip’s senior citizen, boasting
a colorful history. It’s changed a great deal since Bugsy Siegel opened his
105-room oasis “in the middle of nowhere” in 1946. It was so luxurious for its
time that even the janitors wore tuxedos. Jimmy Durante was the opening headliner,
and the wealthy and famous flocked to the tropical paradise of swaying
palms, lagoons, and waterfalls. A fresh, new look, enhanced by a recent $130
million renovation and expansion, has made Siegel’s “real class joint” better than
ever—including making it somewhat easier to reach the outside world, which in
the past was often difficult. As we write this, several of the restaurants in the
front of the building are being taken out and replaced by singer Jimmy Buffett’s
Margaritaville nightclub, with a Baywatch-themed nightclub going in by the
pool. So let’s see how these additions continue to keep the old girl going.
Rooms occupy six towers and are variously decorated. Some are done up in
soft blues and peach, and enhanced by pretty fabrics, light painted-wood furnishings,
and watercolors of tropical scenes, lending a resort look. Others use
soft earth tones, forest green, or coral. The Flamingo’s Paradise Garden Buffet
(p. 169) is a decent choice. There are also several bars, plus a huge casino and
the Second City Improv production show (p. 254).
For those planning some leisure time outside the casino, The Flamingo’s
exceptional pool area, spa, and tennis courts are a big draw. Five gorgeous swimming
pools, two whirlpools, water slides, and a kiddie pool are located in a
15-acre Caribbean landscape amid lagoons, meandering streams, fountains,
waterfalls, a rose garden, and islands of live flamingos and African penguins.
Ponds have ducks, swans, and koi, and a grove of 2,000 palms graces an expanse
of lawn. Although the water can be a little chilly, kids should be able to spend
hours in the pool area.
A health club ($20 fee per day) offers a variety of Universal weight machines,
treadmills, stair machines, free weights, sauna, steam, a TV lounge, and hot and
cold whirlpools. Exercise tapes are available, and spa services include massage,
soap rub, salt glow, tanning beds, and oxygen pep-up.
3555 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (between Sands Ave. and Flamingo Rd.), Las Vegas, NV 89109. & 800/732-2111 or
702/733-3111. Fax 702/733-3353. www.flamingolv.com. 3,999 units. $69–$299 double; $250–$580 suite. Extra
person $20. Children under 18 stay free in parent’s room. Inquire about packages and timeshare suites. AE, DC,
DISC, MC, V. Free self- and valet parking. Amenities: Casino; showrooms; 11 restaurants; 5 outdoor pools; 4
night-lit tennis courts; health club and spa; small video arcade; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; shopping
arcade; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking
rooms; executive-level rooms. In room: A/C, TV w/pay movies, dataport, hair dryer, iron and board, safe.
Harrah’s Las Vegas Here’s another property that is doing its best to keep
up with the pace in Vegas, to no great success. Though parts of Harrah’s benefited
from a reworking of the place a few years ago, the rest of it evokes old