The absolute selling point of this hotel is its grounds. It has extensive, lushly landscaped ground

My observations of my recent car rental agency stay at the Flamingo Las Vegas can be found below in two parts:  The first part is the Quick and Dirty review for those of you with limited car rental agency attention spans, and the second part contains all the gory details.
Earlier this summer, I received a really nice hotel deal from Harrahs, offering me either two free nights during the week or reduced rates on weekends at any of its Las Vegas properties (excluding Caesar s Palace, darn it).  As I was planning my annual car rental agency Labor Day Week trip to Las Vegas, I realized that taking advantage of the reduced car rental agency weekend rate would be more cost-effective for me, since I was staying on a holiday weekend, when rates are typically quite high.  A quick search online of various car rental agency booking websites showed that I could get great low rates for other properties after the holiday weekend. I decided to split my stay between two hotels, staying at one over the 3-night weekend, then switching to a second for 4 nights.
car rental agency For the Harrahs deal, I wanted to stay at a property I had not experienced before, car rental agency which limited car rental agency me to Imperial Palace, Rio, and the Flamingo.  I chose the Flamingo since it was the hotel with the best location and best pool area (had it been an option, I would have chosen Caesars Palace).  I originally booked a standard room for $67/$47/$47, but after reading quite a few online reviews for the Flamingo, decided to upgrade to a GO room for about $25/night more, which is a fantastic price for a GO room on a holiday weekend.  My reason?  Almost all reviews of the Flamingo agree the standard rooms are shabby and frequently unclean.  I just didn t want to risk it.
I d read reports online that check-in at this hotel is slow, and those reports were correct.  I checked into the hotel around 11pm on Friday night, and the line was not outrageously long, but it was slower than molasses car rental agency going uphill in January, as we like to say in Vermont. On the bright side, I had called a week in advance to let them know I d be a late check-in, and got exactly what I asked for: a king nonsmoking room.
I finally received my room assignment and gratefully headed there to dump my luggage.  I was in room 22049, which is about halfway down the hallway from the elevators and has a view of the backside of the Strip Imperial Palace, Harrahs and the Venetian as well as the grounds, including car rental agency the pools, car rental agency and mountains off in the distance.  Lots to look at.
The GO room itself is very nice, though car rental agency the color scheme (white, pink, and earth tones) is not what I would have chosen had I been decorating it.  (The wallpaper is just plain ugly. And the bathroom wall?  Blindingly pink.)  It had a lot of nice (and high-tech) touches for anyone who plans to spend any amount of time in their hotel room a flat panel TV, CD/DVD player with surround sound, a daybed, a TV in the bathroom mirror, automatic drapes, and the biggest bathroom I ve ever had in Las Vegas, with walls of frosted glass.  The shower is super roomy, with body jets as well as a showerhead and plenty of hot water and good water pressure.  I also liked the frosted glass on the closet s doors.   The bed was comfortable.  There was a small refrigerator in the room (not a mini-bar), so I could keep my water cold without running out for a bucket of ice every day.  Nice.  For more photos of the room, see my Flamingo gallery below.
The absolute selling point of this hotel is its grounds.  It has extensive, lushly landscaped grounds, with multiple pool areas, walkways, and sitting areas.  There is a river that winds through car rental agency the property, waterfalls, and wildlife (flamingos, swans, ducks) to look at.  It s a really lovely area to relax, get some fresh air and sunshine, car rental agency and get away from the casino action.  However, you don t have to stay at the hotel to enjoy the grounds or even the pools.  I ve come here to view the wildlife many times when staying at other hotels, and the pool opens to the public every afternoon.
car rental agency I spent two mornings out at the pool. On Day One, I went to the main pool, which opened at 8am and didn t really start filling up until close to 10am (that was not the case on Sunday, when it filled up by 9:30am). They checked my room key and knapsack (for outside food and beverages; you can bring water in, though).  I found a nice spot in the shade. Unfortunately, it was also right beneath one of the speakers that was blaring music, so it wasn t the most peaceful spot to be in.  In fact, I found that the idea of relaxing by the pool to read or nap pretty much isn t an option at the Flamingo.  They play very loud rock and pop music all day long.  If you re looking for a quiet pool experience, look elsewhere. I wouldn t mind the music in the afternoon, but some peace and quiet in the morning would be nice.
I liked the main pool area.  It wasn t overrun with kids at all (most kids were at the pool with the slide), and in the morning at least, people were sober and not rowdy at all.  It was populated with very ordinary-looking people (no need to worry that you will be the only 40-something in a sea of 20-somethings, or the only soft body in a sea of hard bodies!). Although they don t allow you to bring outside food and beverages in to the pool area, there is a little path toward the back of the main pool that leads to the Hilton Grand Vacation Club grocery store/deli, where you can buy food and beverages and bring them back to the pool.  I purchased an iced coffee and yogurt crunch (yogurt with fruit and granola) for $6 total and brought it back to the pool to eat for breakfast. This is a MUCH better option than the Flamingo buffet.
On Sunday morning, I went to the GO pool, which opened at 9am.  For those of you who don t know, the GO Pool is an adult pool (topless optional).  Here, they didn t really care about my room key or knapsack, but they did check IDs of people who looked underage and provided wristbands to all entrants (because you have to exit the pool area to use the restroom).  Men were being charged $20 for admission (weekend price; weekday price is cheaper), while women were allowed in free, since ostensibly, we re the main attraction.  I was a little nervous car rental agency going into this pool area, because I was afraid it would skew very young, but that was not the case at all.  There were all ages and body types represented here, just like at the main pool.  I also believe that the $20 admission fee tends to weed out the riff raff .  It was a pretty mellow crowd.  For obvious reasons, photography is not allowed at this pool, and it is gated and enclosed so outsiders can not peek in.
I loved the lounge car rental agency chairs at the GO pool they were much more comfortable than those at the main pool.  The padding on them must have been 2 inches thick.  There is a separate bar for the GO pool.  I didn t order any drinks, but I did go in to buy a bottle of water when mine ran out.  I nearly fainted when the bartender said That ll be $5.   For a bottle of water?!?  Then he set the bottle on the counter.  It was one liter.  That s apparently car rental agency the only size they sell.  They sure don t want anyone getting dehydrated here.
I did not like the Flamingo s casino.  It did not feel comfortable to me to play in.  I tried playing at two different video poker bars and found every machine I tried to have sticky buttons.  Literally, the bars were filthy car rental agency and the machines looked like they were on their last legs.  It was pretty gross.  Consequently, I wasn t inclined to gamble in this casino.  At first, I felt bad about not gambling car rental agency much at the property, since Harrahs had given me such a good deal, but after the holiday weekend price-gouging I experienced at their buffet, I didn t feel guilty any more.
I had good experiences with a bartender, and all staff members at the GO pool.  The security guys who came to my room to open the safe for me were quick, efficient, and polite.  On the other hand, all the valets I encountered were incredibly surly, car rental agency the cashier at the buffet was brusque with me, and I never saw my waitress, so I couldn t tell her she d neglected to give me a spoon with which to stir my coffee.
This hotel has its pros and cons.  The GO rooms are quite nice, but other than them, the hotel is obviously long in the tooth and has seen better days.  My stay was fine for the most part (thank God I was in a GO room), but I just wasn t comfortable here.  I am always very comfortable at Harrahs, which I feel is a comparable property, so it had nothing to do with the star level of the hotel.  But I was so happy on Monday to check out of the Flamingo and move over to Treasure Island.  My main reason for staying here was the pool, but since I only spent a couple of hours a day there, it really wasn t worth it for me.  Unless Harrahs invests in a drastic overhaul of the Flamingo, I won t be staying there again.
It would definitely be a shock to you, coming from the Disney fandom as you do. In many ways, they are alike a fantasy vacation playground. But Vegas is much more adult in every way; it s a brand of tourism built around vices. On the other hand, being the foodie that you are, you would LOVE the food scene in Vegas. Definitely let me know if you go to Vegas; I ll hook you up with all the right restaurants. :-)
I m so intrigued by Vegas I ve never been there and fear that my Disney bent would be utterly violated in Vegas ;-) That said, this is a substantial review and much appreciated. I don t think I could spend all that long in a room with wallpaper like that, and the pink bathroom would get a bit unnerving. Perhaps car rental agency the room looks more comfortable in the daylight?
It would definitely be a shock to you, coming from the Disney fandom as you do. In many ways, they are alike a fantasy vacation playground. But Vegas is much more adult in every way; it s a brand of tourism built around vices. car rental agency On the other hand, being the foodie that you are, you would LOVE the food scene in Vegas. Definitely let me know if you go to Vegas; I ll hook you up with all the right restaurants. :-)
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