| rev:text
| - Wow, this is some serious kitsch right here, ladies and gentlemen. This is the place you want to go if you want to experience old-school Vegas. It's dirty, gritty and utterly low-class. This is NOT shiny, sterile and plastic like the Strip. This is Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin-style Vegas. I kept expecting to see Italian guys with Uzis popping out from behind the door telling me to "fuhgeddaboudit" with the Godfather theme music playing in the background.
I loved it here.
We stayed in room #211 at the Golden Gate over the week of March 11th. For the most part, we enjoyed staying here, although there's always bad points wherever you go, so we'll just start with the not-so-good:
- The bathroom was definitely not a pleasant experience. The door kept hitting the toilet bowl and you couldn't get the door opened all the way. Not a huge negative, but it was kind of annoying after a while.
- It took some creative maneuvering to get the shower the way I wanted it. It definitely tends to run either so hot that your skin boils off, or so cold that you'll turn into an ice cube. Once you get used to it, though, you'll pull it off like a champ. My last shower was much better than my first.
- The tub didn't really drain properly. Kind of awkward to stand in a pool while you're showering. I was worried for a while that it wouldn't drain out before I'd finished. That needs to be taken care of, for sure.
- The casino was way... too... loud, even in (maybe even especially in) the mornings. Seriously, no one needs the music turned up to 11. We know we're in a casino, thanks.
- They need a bit more help with the valet parking. There was only one guy manning the window most of the time and they're way too busy for that.
- Limited selection of cable channels. News, sports and local stations is about all that's available.
- No free WiFi - it's 9.95 a day both here and at the D. Come on, you guys - I know your hotel's cheap, but charging for WiFi? Really?
- Self parking area closed off most of the time. Annoying, as I don't like anyone in my car.
There's good here, though!
- Great location. Right in the middle of the Fremont Street Experience, where most of the serious "partiers" show up. Of course, if that's not your thing, you'll hate it here. Make no mistake - this is a gritty, low-brow crowd.
- Reasonable prices. Even with the "resort fee" (which is totally STANDARD at vacation spots, the East Coast does it all the time), it was an absolute bargain. Is it the Hilton? No. Is it clean, comfortable and a good place to lay your head? Yes. If you want Wynn-level service - go to the Wynn.
- Casino is a bit loose with the $. You WILL win here if you persist.
- Great restaurant downstairs (Dupar's. See separate review).
- Friendly, helpful staff. Even the single valet was really pleasant, despite being hurried.
Really, the bathroom and the WiFi were the only negatives here for us, and for the deal we got, I can overlook it.
Our room overlooked the Plaza across the street, so the sound quality may be different elsewhere, but we never had an issue sleeping, even through the insanity on Fremont late at night.
Do be careful here, especially if you're female and single. As stated - this can be a pretty unsavory area, especially at night. I'm used to Baltimore's roughness, but most aren't conditioned. Plan and act accordingly.
We'd stay here again.
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