Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

108
CHAPTER 5 . WHERE TO STAY
a beauty that serves vast portions of Italian fare. Mr. Lucky’s 24/7 is the hotel’s
round-the-clock coffee shop, displaying rock memorabilia and old Las Vegas hotel
signs. And the Hard Rock Cafe (p. 131) is adjacent to the hotel.
Baby’s (p. 267) is the hot nightspot offering from L.A. club impresario Sean
MacPherson, but its velvet-rope policy may keep the likes of us out of there.
The casino itself has a playful decor but an unbelievable noise level. The Joint
(p. 258) is a major showroom that often hosts big-name rock musicians.
If you’ve ever dreamed of being in a beach party movie, or on the set of one
of those MTV summer beach-house shows, the reconstructed pool at the Hard
Rock is for you. Multiple pools are joined by a lazy river, and fringed in spots by
actual sand beaches. You won’t get much swimming done—the water is largely
so shallow that it won’t hit your knees—but there is swim-up blackjack (they
give you little plastic pouches to hold your money), and a stage that features live
music in the summer and is fronted by a sandy area, so you can make like
Frankie, Annette, and Erik Von Zipper and do the Watusi. Or just pose in a
thong bikini and new breasts. Whichever. On warm days and nights, this is the
hangout scene.
The newly refurbished spa is smaller than its Strip counterparts but is soothing
in its posh Space Age Zen way, and the health club is plenty large and well
equipped, offering a full complement of Cybex equipment, stair machines,
treadmills, massage, and steam rooms. There’s an $18 per day fee to use the
health-club facilities.
4455 Paradise Rd. (at Harmon Ave.), Las Vegas, NV 89109. & 800/473-ROCK (473-7625) or 702/693-5000.
Fax 702/693-5588. www.hardrockhotel.com. 657 units. Sun–Thurs $79 and up double, Fri–Sat $145 and up
double; from $250 suite. Extra person $35. Children under 13 stay free in parent’s room. AE, DC, MC, V. Free
self- and valet parking. Amenities: Casino; showroom; 6 restaurants; 2 outdoor pools with a lazy-river ride
and sandy beach bottom; small health club and spa; concierge; tour desk; 24-hr. room service; laundry and
dry-cleaning service; nonsmoking rooms; executive-level rooms. In room: A/C, TV w/pay movies, high-speed
Internet access (for a fee), dataport, irons and boards, hair dryer.
Las Vegas Hilton It’s easy for us to overlook this dinosaur—look, we even
called it a dinosaur. Totally unfair. It’s one of the last of the dying breed of old
Vegas hotels, but unlike many of its peers, it’s still offering fine accommodations
and even a bit more than that. Consider it even if you don’t fall into either of
those demographics, and don’t be put off by the distance from the Strip; the
Monorail will be stopping here once it opens, making access there easier than
ever. When you consider that on nights when you can’t touch a room on the
Strip for less than $175, the Hilton will put in you a nice room with plenty of
marble (including large bathtubs) and clean, well-maintained furnishings for a
decent price, then it seems silly to not make the Hilton a top choice more often.
The clientele mix is between the business travelers who know a good deal and
Trekkers lured in by the Spacequest Casino and Star Trek: The Experience. There
are quite a few terrific restaurants, plus the largest hotel convention and meeting
facilities in the world.
Those very same facilities, however, mean that even a small convention can
sometimes drive the prices up at odd times—then again, since conventions are
often booked for weekdays, that can also mean atypical drops in price on weekends.
Just call.
Note: As we went to press, the Hilton was for sale. Be aware that by the time
you read this, some of the information contained herein may have changed.
The Hilton has a strong showing of restaurants, including a Benihana and a
buffet that’s reviewed in chapter 6. Note: Children 12 and under can dine in any