Turns out they didn’t need my help.

The Golden Nugget has undergone a dramatic rejuvenation that has not only put it back on top of the Downtown Las Vegas hotel scene, but has turned it into a property that could compete on just about every level with the grand palaces on The Strip.

Virtually the entirety of the public areas of the hotel has gotten a facelift, from the front desk to the casino to the spa and beyond. New restaurants have been added, old ones have been remodeled, entertainment venues have been expanded, and a dramatic new pool area is officially one of the nicest (albeit smallest) in town.

The sometimes stark white and gold French Riviera feeling has been replaced by a richer color scheme of earth tones – deep browns, creamy whites, glowing oranges offset by vibrant splashes of green and red here and there. Although the footprint of the main floor is roughly the same, you really won’t recognize the place because the difference is just that dramatic with new carpets, wall-treatments, lighting fixtures, and more contributing to a sense of freshness and newness that you rarely see in Downtown Las Vegas.

The casino has received this treatment along with a revision of the layout of the gambling areas to give it a feeling of more space – something that was desperately needed considered how cramped the place felt before. New machines and tables combine with the new décor scheme to turn this into a genuinely enjoyable place in which to lose your life savings.

The showroom was gutted and redone, transforming a converted ballroom with uncomfortable banquet chairs into a full-blown theater with comfy seats and plenty of legroom. The spa was also overhauled with a light and bright look.

Since Landry’s is first and foremost a restaurant chain, it’s no great surprise that they added new eateries to the mix. The buffet has been completely redone (and is quite good), while new entries include their trademark Vic and Anthony’s, a lovely and intimate space serving up traditional steakhouse fare, and the Grotto, an Italian joint, open and airy to the new pool area.

That pool area is, by the way, the centerpiece of the transformation of The Golden Nugget. Surrounded by three sides on glass facing into the hotel, a recreation deck surrounds a deep (although not particularly large) pool, a giant aquarium, and a bar. Overlooking the whole thing is a second level with cabanas and the start of a water slide that actually passes through that giant aquarium on its way to splashdown.

The suites have gotten a much needed overhaul as well, but the standard rooms, which were redone just a few years ago, are pretty much the same. That’s not a bad thing since they are among the largest and most well-appointed in the area. The décor scheme is muted floral and light woods and comes with comfy beds and seating, high-speed Internet access, hair dryers, irons and boards, room service, televisions with in-room movies, and more. The bathrooms are small by just about any standard, but put them up next to what most have gotten used to on The Strip and they seem microscopic. But hey – if you’re spending that much time in the bathroom while you’re in Vegas something is wrong.

The Downtown area has always been known for having friendlier staff members and dealers than The Strip and that tradition continues here. Everyone I dealt with was cheerful, helpful, and efficient.

Despite all of the money thrown at the place, they are not apparently asking you to pay for it through increased room rates. You can still get a room here during the week for as low as $59 (although $89 is more common) and on the weekends for as low as $129. That’s a great bargain for a hotel as good as this one.

The Golden Nugget
129 E. Fremont St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
800-846-5336
website

Highs: One of the best hotels in Downtown Las Vegas
Lows: It’s Downtown.

Location: 6 – Downtown but right on the Fremont Street Experience
Price: 8 – The most expensive hotel in the neighborhood but still cheaper than most on The Strip
Value: 8 – You get a lot for what you pay
Rooms: 7 – Nicely decorated, most are quite roomy
Casino: 8 – One of the area’s best
Amenities: 8 – Rooms are very well equipped
Facilities: 8 – New pool area really adds to the mix
Service: 9 – Very good, very friendly
Fun: 8 – Nice hotel at nice rates – what’s not fun about that?
Bonus: 8 – A downtown classic

Vegas4Vistiors Score: 78

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Question: The last two times I was in Vegas I came down with colds either while I was there or immediately afterward. How can I avoid that on future trips?

Answer: Unless you want to encase yourself in plastic and not touch anything while you’re in town it’s very difficult to completely avoid the germs and bugs that are floating around Las Vegas. With thousands of people surrounding you at every turn, touching things right before you touch them (slot machines – I mean slot machines!), you are exposed to all different forms of nasty.

And it’s getting more serious. Local health officials are investigating yet another potential outbreak of the norovirus, a flu-like bug that is easily spread through surface contact and is most known for incapacitating entire cruise ships. These outbreaks are happening more and more often and there doesn’t seem to be anything anyone can do to stop them.

So how to protect yourself? Well, it helps if you are healthy to begin with. I know many of you head to Vegas as vacation after working yourselves to near exhaustion, but that’s not great for the old immune system. The more worn down you are the more susceptible you are to things.

And it doesn’t help much if all you do when you get to town is drink, over eat, and/or stay up all night. I know, glass houses. But if you are serious about not wanting to get sick, then maybe that ninth shot of tequila at five in the morning or that third trip to the all-you-can-eat crab leg buffet is not the best idea you’ve ever had in your entire life. During days and nights be sure you are drinking plenty of water (it’s the desert – hydrate!) and try to get at least a little bit of sleep.

Rooms are relatively safe – they do a pretty good job of disinfecting and sanitizing bathrooms and bedding. But they certainly don’t wipe down every single surface so you may want to bring along one of those packs of sanitizing wipes and maybe give a quick rub to the things you will be touching often in the room – the phone, the alarm clock, the TV remote, etc.

The casinos offer a different and quite unique problem. Literally hundreds of people may have had their grubby little hands on that slot machine you are sitting at since the last time it was cleaned and bugs like the norovirus can live on those surfaces for quite awhile. Ditto for doors, elevator buttons, cards, gaming chips, money, and even walls if you’re stumbling back to your room drunk (maybe it’s just me?). If you’re especially germ-phobic you may want to consider those sassy little gambling gloves they sell in many gift shops, although you may wind up looking a bit nuts.

A more reasonable approach is washing your hands often. You need breaks from your gambling fever anyway, so head to the nearest restroom every hour or two and give your hands a good scrubbing. Likewise, stop there before and after every meal and make it your first task when you get back to your room. Those little bottles of hand-sanitizer or hand wipes that you can use at regular intervals are good alternatives but not as good as hot water and soap.

This may not prevent all illnesses but it’s a good step in the right direction. Have fun and stay well!

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