The casino and the public areas got the facelift several years ago but it’s aging gracefully. It has a more upscale feeling than Santa Fe of old, mimicking on many levels sister property Green Valley Ranch. Stonework, plants, iron fixtures, and lots of indirect lighting have added an intimate air to a space that used to be a riot of southwest kitsch.

The 2005 expansion added to the allure and enhanced the bargain aspect of staying here, with more casino space, a showroom/nightclub, an arcade, a Kids’ Quest day care center, a 16-screen movie theater, new restaurants, a poker room, and a totally renovated, state-of-the-art 60-lane bowling alley.

In late 2006 came a brand-new (and quite terrific I might add) buffet, a giant, technologically cutting edge sports book, a newer, bigger poker room, and more casino space. 2007 additions will include more new restaurants (including a branch of the famed Salt Lick Barbeque), an upscale new high-limit slot area, a completely revamping of the table games area, and more.

The casino is a large, rambling affair that has ticket-in-ticket-out slot technology and newer machines. I’ve done well at this casino in the past so that makes me predisposed to like it but of course that’s no guarantee you’ll hit the jackpot also. Historically, neighborhood casinos like this one tend to pay out better than those on The Strip and you may use your Station Casinos Boarding Pass, the players club that will reward you with comps and cash at all of the hotels in the corporate family.

There are plenty of gambling choices in that casino from penny machines to “how much per pull?” machines, all the major table games, and of course that gorgeous new sports book that combines both comfort and high-tech gloss in the latest execution of what Station Casinos has learned at all of their other hotels.

Around the edges of the casino are the entertainment and dining options including The Charcoal Room, an upscale steakhouse; a 24-hour café offering some amazing looking pastries; a food court; and others plus lounges, bars, the aforementioned movie theaters, and much more.

You don’t have to schlep through the casino to get to the rooms from the front desk – always a good thing. There are 214 rooms on five floors with simple but comfortable furnishings and just about all of the amenities most travelers need including irons and boards, hair dryers, in-room movies, high speed wired and wireless Internet, and room service. The bathrooms are postage stamp size so it’s not really the place for luxuriating in the tub but at prices this low you can roll around in all the cash you’re saving and get a similar effect.

Friendly service is a hallmark of the Station Casinos chain and it’s no different here at Santa Fe. Everyone we encountered had a smile and a hello, which may sound simple but considering the brusque manner we’ve encountered at other places in town it can make all the difference in how much you enjoy your trip.

All of these upgrades don’t cheap and that is reflected in the room rates, which have gone up to be sure. But staying here is still a crazy bargain compared to The Strip with rates during the week usually in the $49-$89 range and weekends in the $100-$150 neighborhood. Compared to the $200-$300 per night you’ll pay most weekends at most hotels on The Strip, you can understand why Santa Fe offers an attractive alternative.

Of course Santa Fe Station isn’t on The Strip, which is its primary stumbling block for the ordinary Vegas visitor. It’s located about 10 miles north of The Strip in a primarily residential and commercial area. That’s a 15 minute drive via the freeway if there is no traffic and double that if there is (and there usually is) so of course if you are serious about wanting to stay here a rental car is a must.

But even if you’re not staying at Santa Fe Station a visit to check out all of the other things the hotel has to offer may be worthwhile. Get away from The Strip and its high prices and sensory overload to grab a great meal, and do some laid-back gambling. True it’s not a volcano or a white tiger enclave but add it all up: clean, comfortable rooms at a fraction of the cost of Strip competitors; high quality, low-price restaurants; lots of entertainment diversions; a giant casino with all of the latest slots, video poker, and table games, all with lower limits; and incredibly friendly service. If all of those things sound more important to you than a volcano perhaps you should take a look at Santa Fe.

Highs: Rates, facilities, and service are all top notch.
Lows: Location is a bummer.
Location: 1 - Far north side of town puts you away from most action.
Price: 9 – Can be very inexpensive to stay here.
Value: 8 – A lot of entertainment for your dollar.
Rooms: 7 – Small-ish but nice and well-equipped.
Casino: 8 – Terrific with lots of options.
Amenities: 8 – Lots of stuff in you room.
Facilities: 9 – Plenty of things to do here.
Service: 10 – Excellent, efficient, and very friendly.
Fun: 8 – Easy to be entertained here.
Bonus: 8 – I love what they’ve done to the place.

Santa Fe Station
4949 N. Rancho Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89130
866-767-7771
website

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Question: I have heard to stay away from Vegas during large conventions if you are not a part of it. How many people must be attending a convention before it makes a large impact on other tourists?

Answer: Excellent question, Glenn, and the answer is one of my typical “it depends.”

First, before making Las Vegas vacation plans you want to log on to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority website at www.lvcva.com. They have a searchable convention and events calendar that will let you plug in dates and find out what conventions are in town and how many people are expected to attend each.

If you were take everything in a vacuum and discount anything else that might be going on I’d usually say around 30,000-40,000 convention attendees is the point where things start to get difficult for the average Vegas visitor if they want to be there at the same time.

Keep in mind that Vegas has more than 130,000 hotel rooms in the entire city and about 100,000 or so in the major casino hotels around town. So by the time you start filling up one-third of them with convention-goers, prices and availability are going to start getting tricky for the rest of us.

But you really can’t view this in a vacuum and there are a bunch of other factors to consider. If the convention is happening near any kind of holiday weekend or major event (Super Bowl for instance) you’ll often have even more problems since more people will bring spouses or significant others and make a mini-vacation out of it and stay longer.

Also, many conventions happen at the same time in different locations so be sure to look for all conventions happening during the date span you’re there. You may be lulled into a false sense of security by seeing projected attendance numbers for conventions in the 10,000 range but then get in trouble because there are five of them in town at the same time.

Finally, conventions can often have a heavier impact on certain hotels or certain locations than in others. Generally speaking the Las Vegas Hilton and The Venetian are most heavily impacted because they are the closest major hotels to the two big convention centers. Attendees spread out from there into other hotels on The Strip on Paradise Road and then to Downtown Las Vegas. The good news is you will rarely see the locals’ places like Red Rock Resort, Green Valley Ranch, Sunset Station, and others filled up with convention goers just because it isn’t terribly convenient to get to and from where they need to go.

Have a good time on your next Vegas trip!

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