Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

88
CHAPTER 5 . WHERE TO STAY
Tips
Staying off the Strip
First-time visitors, and even second-timers, will prefer, as they should,
to stay on the Strip or Downtown, hang the cost (most of the time anyway).
But if you can’t get a room price to your liking, or you are a
three-peater (or more), you might want to consider some alternatives.
Each of the following is out of the way, relatively speaking, but each
makes up for it with rack rates you just aren’t going to get—well, not
that often—on the Strip. We’re talking as low as $49 a night. Maybe
lower. The rooms aren’t anything to write home about, which is why
we didn’t bother writing much about them, but they are clean, comfortable,
and sufficiently (in some cases) easy on the eyes. And several
of the hotels, particularly those that are part of the Station chain, have
so many extras to offer that they really could compete with some of the
big boys on the Strip. However, you trade away location; for the most
part, once you leave the hotel property, you enter a vast nothingness.
So what? Get in that rental car—or take the shuttle that many of the
hotels provide—and drive 15 minutes to the big boys’ free parking lots,
and use the money you saved to see O, or to eat at a fancy restaurant,
or to gamble. But hey, even gambling is cheaper out here in the vast
nothingness!
Northwest Las Vegas
JW Marriott , 221 N. Rampart, Las Vegas, NV 89128 (& 877/869-8777
or 702/869-8777), was the Resort at Summerlin but was recently
bought out by the Marriott chain. With a handsome Spanish
Mission–style building, fabulously landscaped grounds, and trickedout
rooms, this is much more of a true resort property than any Strip
destination. But then again, what you gain there you lose in location—with
traffic, it could take 40 minutes to get to the Strip.
Roman columns, pilasters, and pediments are common. Many rooms have fourposter
beds with mirrored ceilings. The newest rooms are handsome, if not as
giggle-inducingly overwhelming as the classic ones, and have floor-to-ceiling
windows that offer a hypnotizing panoramic view. You’ll likely enjoy a lavish
bathroom with marble floor, European fixtures, and oversize marble tubs (about
half are whirlpools). Some of the rooms have lavish tubs in the middle of the
room, which can be uncomfortable if you wish to shower and don’t want your
shower to turn into a spectator sport.
Caesars has a well-deserved reputation for superior in-house restaurants.
There are nine in the hotel, plus dining facilities in the Forum shopping area.
All are highly recommended. The hotel’s sushi restaurant, Hyakumi, is
described in chapter 6, as are the hotel’s food court and buffets. Restaurants in
the Forum Shops arcade include Spago, The Palm, and the Stage Deli—all discussed
in chapter 6. In the new Atlantis section, there is a Caviartorium—a
place to sample high-priced fish eggs, and a Cheesecake Factory. See also
Cleopatra’s Barge Nightclub on p. 268.