*Casino only review*
As we wander farther and farther from the strip in search of good video poker, we seem to be finding good surprises! Aliente Station would be one of those.
Yes, it's a bit of a drive if you're staying on the strip or downtown. Kind of a cool drive, although at one point I wondered if the GPS was wrong, as we seemed to be just left of nowhere. But eventually, there it was, rising out of the desert like a mirage.
Here's what we didn't expect: the place is beautiful, along the lines of Red Rock. I would not hesitate to stay here, and I'm really kind of a picky bitch about hotels.
So about 10 seconds after we sit down, a casino employee appears. "Are you Jeff?" she asks the man seated next to me, who happens to be my husband. Upon verification, she presents him with a birthday gift of a big cup filled with a t-shirt, dice, cards and a couple other little items that escape me now. Very nice touch, since it was, in fact, his birthday.
So, to end this meandering, seemingly pointless review, we had a good time at Aliente Station. It's clean and the buffet is identical to every other Station buffet, not great, not bad, decent. For us, what stood out was the GREAT video poker, which is what sent us there to begin with, and the very friendly employees.
It doesn't hurt that we left with a hell of a lot more cash than we walked in with, either.