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| - I had a really great time here last week. We all came down from Vancouver for my buddy's bachelor party, and when we got to the hotel, they told us they had over-booked and we didn't have our rooms (which we had booked way in advance). They tried to offer us two other rooms, each with a single king-sized bed, but we're 7 guys and that wasn't going to work. So instead, they gave us a free upgrade to the penthouse suite!
It was like having our own luxury apartment in downtown Las Vegas. The suite had two bedrooms, two living rooms, and 6 bathrooms. It was like being a celebrity for a weekend.
The casino itself is great, very professional, but plenty of low-stakes tables and games for beginners. I don't really gamble, but there was a lot to see and do anyway. Also, if you are gambling, they bring you free drinks, so when I did try my luck at the tables, I tried to time it so that I would get a new drink for every $5 that I lost (this worked out pretty well).
The pool and the deck are pretty good, but be aware that there is no shade and it gets to about 100F by noon. Also, all of the deck chairs are taken or reserved by at least 10am so I'd advise getting there early. We ended up sitting in the VIP area (you need to spend at least $200 for the whole group, which actually wasn't that difficult), but even there, there isn't any shade. The shaded cabanas on the upper level start at $350 for the day (!).
Anyways, great hotel and casino, great staff. Excellent Vegas experience. Golden Nugget is not on "the strip"... it's on Fremont Street, which is the old strip in the downtown area. We checked out the strip and frankly I liked Fremont much better - way less pretentious, slightly cheaper, much safer, and it has a covered dome over the street with a pretty crazy light show.
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