Regarding the name, the hotel is a spin-off of the Terrible Herbst oil company, operator of convenience stores and gas stations across the west. Legend has it that founder Ed Herbst was so good at undercutting the prices and outdoing the service of his competitors that they constantly cursed his good name, and the "Terrible" moniker stuck, eventually becoming a part of the company’s formal title.

That service and cost philosophy seem to apply to their hotel ventures as well but I’ll come back to that in a bit.

All traces of the old Continental are gone, and the new buildings are light, bright, and airy. The casino, while small and densely packed with machines and tables, exudes a pleasant, if somewhat low-rent, atmosphere. There are worse places in town in which to lose your money. A 2006 expansion added a few extra-square feet of space but it’s still only a very compact 45,000 square-feet – about a third of what you’ll find at The Venetian.

They have a lot of slots, most of which are multi-denomination (meaning you can play anything from pennies to dollars on one machine) and offer the convenient ticket-in, ticket-out technology. There’s also plenty of video poker, table games (roulette, blackjack, and craps), keno, a really nice bingo hall (serving free refreshments to players), and a small race and sports book. They also have a generous players club that allows people to redeem points for everything from rooms to sodas in the convenience store.

Speaking of the convenience store, their gas station heritage comes in handy here with one of the best-stocked shops I’ve seen in any hotel. They’ve got all the sundry items you may need plus snacks, souvenirs, discount liquor and cigarettes, and a lot more.

The pool area sits in the center of the hotel, and it is lovely. It’s not overly large and there are no extras like say the wave pools or lazy river rides that you’ll find at some of the Strip monsters, but there is plenty of foliage for decoration and shade and a crystal clear pool so hey, who’s complaining?

There are a total of 325 rooms that come in two sections. The older rooms are in motel-style buildings dating back to the Continental era. A lot of money went into upgrading them and they come equipped with simple but fine furnishings, coffee makers, pay-per-view in-room movies, pay-per-use Nintendo, hair dryers, coffee makers, dataports (but no high-speed Internet), 24-hour room service, and alarm clocks plus newly added 42” plasma televisions. King rooms have an extra few feet of space with a coupe of chairs and a table while deluxe rooms are the same but with about 10 more feet of width. Suites add writing desks, living room furnishings, and more.

The newer rooms are found in a six-story tower added in 2006. There isn’t anything substantially different about the standard rooms found here than in the older portion of the building except they are, well, newer. Design and amenities are very similar.

However there are a bunch of Jacuzzi suites in the new tower that feature living rooms with a wet bar and comfortable furnishings, two bathrooms, and a whirlpool tub. First floor rooms facing the pool area have nice little patios for relaxing.

Be sure to peruse the little in-room magazine featuring pages of coupons for everything from free car washes to 2-for-1 meals.

In terms of meals you have several restaurant options both on site and in the immediate neighborhood.

One other important note for travelers is they also have regular airport and Strip shuttle service.

All of this sounds great and I could stop right there with a hearty recommendation but one of the biggest lures here has to be the price. I have seen mid-week rates starting at $49. That is not a typo. $49 for all of the stuff mentioned above is beyond "steal" territory and ventures into "grand theft." The only thing you have to remember is that sometimes a cheap room draws... well, let's just say that some of the people who stay here aren't as "well-heeled" as those that go to the Bellagio for instance.

But I’d recommend this hotel even if you couldn’t get in for that cheap – and during busier weeks and weekends you won’t. It’s a quiet, friendly little place, away from all the Vegas hubbub but close enough (about ½ mile from The Strip) that you can visit regularly.

Terrible’s isn’t terrible at all.

Terrible’s
4100 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
800-640-9777
website

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So Vegas is a bit of a wonderland for me, where steakhouses rule the roost even to a greater degree than buffets. Not every hotel has one of the latter but almost every hotel has a shrine to the cow. Of course, not all steakhouses are created equally and they have not been immune to the relentless upscale march of amenities and prices that have gripped the city for the last decade.

That’s why finding a place like Roberta’s is quite a delight. Not only do they give good cow, they do it in a classic atmosphere at almost ridiculously reasonable prices.

Located in the recently rejuvenated El Cortez in the Downtown area, Roberta’s is the antithesis of the trendy, expensive, and loud restaurants on The Strip. The room is casual and done with a light touch – none of the dark clubby stuff that mars many older steakhouse experiences. Landscape murals adorn the walls, overlooking furnishings in muted sunburst colors. It’s comfortable; sort of like slipping on a favorite pair of slippers.

The menu, for the most part, will not surprise you although there are a couple of unusual items alongside the traditional. For instance in the appetizer section they have shrimp cocktail and crab cakes but they also offer a half-rack of baby back ribs with Jack Daniels sauce. Interesting. Sides include vegetables, creamed corn, and macaroni and cheese. And in the entrée section, alongside the shrimp scampi, prime rib, porterhouse, New York strip, filet, and lobster you could opt for a full rack of those baby back ribs or herb-crusted lamb with mint-infused jus.

But really, the standards on the menu are exactly why people come here and focusing less on dramatic experimentation allows them to do the basics well.

We sampled the roast prime rib, the filet mignon, and the shrimp scampi and everyone at the table agreed that while it may not have been the absolute best versions of any of the above, they were very good and plates were wiped clean. The steaks are offered with a variety of “enhancements” including a green peppercorn sauce that was out of this world. All entrees come with a choice of rice, baked potato, or steak fries included in the prices.

And about those prices… Only five of the twelve entrees on the menu are over $20 and two of those five are the filet and porterhouse for $21. You can even get combos like the filet and crab legs for around $35. Our entire table did wine, soup and salad, entrees, and dessert for under $100.

So fine food at good prices, what else do you need? Well, one of the things that I would be remiss in not pointing out is the service. A hallmark of most Downtown properties is the friendly, almost familial vibe of the places and nowhere is that more evident than at the El Cortez where many employees have made lifelong careers. Our server was celebrating her sixteenth anniversary as an employee at the hotel and said she couldn’t imagine a better job. Her passion for what she did was obvious and made the experience of eating there all the more enjoyable.

Roberta’s
El Cortez
600 E. Fremont St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
702-385-5200
website

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Question: One of my regular readers, Stacey, sent me a bunch of questions this week and since they all, mostly, have short answers I thought I’d take care of them all at once in this week’s Q&A.

Answer: Q: What is your favorite hotel pool?
A: I’m not much of a sit around and lounge by the pool kind of guy, but if I was forced at gunpoint to do so I’d choose either the Red Rock Resort pool or the Green Valley Ranch pool, both of which are stunning, have beautiful views, and are much less crowded than Strip pools. If I had to pick one on The Strip, I’d say the Mirage for its luxurious landscaping.

Q. What is your favorite buffet?
A. I haven’t changed my opinion much from my Top 10 Buffet choices from 2006 so you can read that here.

Q. Where have you won the most “cashola” in one gambling session?
A. I’d have to say the winner is still The Venetian, where I walked into the casino with about $100 and walked out with over $5,000, mostly due to a $4,100 video poker win.

Q. At which hotels have you experienced the best customers service overall?
A. I have to give the nod to the Station hotels including Green Valley, Red Rock, Santa Fe Station, and the others in their chain. In general the employees are friendlier, more concerned about your happiness, and willing to go the extra mile that the gigantic hotels on The Strip just can’t compete with.

Q. Which hotel, in your opinion, has the most luxurious rooms available to the average Vegas vacationer?
A. I’m going to presume by average Vegas vacationer you mean someone who isn’t a high-roller and gets comped one of those ridiculous luxury penthouses. If what we’re talking about here is the most luxurious standard accommodations that any Average Joe off the street can rent if they are willing to pay for it I’d have to say it’s a toss-up between Wynn Las Vegas, Red Rock Resort, and the new GO rooms at The Flamingo.

Q. Are you single?
A. Yes.

It’s okay, everyone – Stacey has a husband and a daughter that just turned 21.

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