Located on the far north side of town, Aliante Station is the latest in the very successful chain of Station Casinos, which includes the aforementioned Red Rock and Green Valley plus Sunset Station, Texas Station, Boulder Station, Fiesta Henderson, and more. It falls somewhere in the upper middle of their "fanciness" spectrum but is on the lower end in terms of price.

The town of Scottsdale, Arizona keeps coming up in discussions of the overall design scheme. Think clean and simple lines, lots of earth tones, and extensive use of natural stone, wood, and fibers to give it a desert resort feel. Red Rock is a masterpiece of form and texture and Aliante has a similar vibe.

The hotel has 202 rooms ranging in size from 400 square feet to more than 1,000 for the luxury suites. Each room features a flat panel television in the bedroom and another embedded in the bathroom mirror, iPod docking station, CD player, high-speed Internet, minibar, and all of the usual amenities you find in Vegas rooms like hair dryers, irons and boards, and the like.

Rates are expected to start at around $59 a night, which is crazy cheap for a room of that size with that kind of appointments.

The casino features more than 2,500 slot machines, most multi-denomination (pennies and up) and many that are multi-function so you can play a bunch of different games without having to move. More than 40 table games run the gamut from blackjack to baccarat and a separate poker room featuring low buy-ins. A race and sports book completes the gaming offerings.

As usual for a Station property the place is packed with restaurants: MRKT is their signature steakhouse; Pips serves Italian fare; Camacho's Cantina has Mexican specialties; The Original Pancake House has your breakfasts covered; and TGI Friday's does, well, just about everything. There is also be an edition of their beloved Feast Buffet and a food court with a Capriotti's, Dunkin Donuts, Panda Express, and more.

Several bars and lounges are scattered around the property and although there is no formal nightclub the bar in the center of the casino will have entertainment and dancing.

For entertainment there's a 600-seat showroom, a 16-screen movie theater, and a small video game arcade. There is a large pool area but no spa so you'll have to massage yourself. Wait... that came out wrong.

Sounds fantastic, right? So what's the downside; the thing that will keep most Vegas visitors from ever visiting this particular hotel? The location.

Aliante Station is in North Las Vegas. To get there from The Strip you would hop on I-15 and go north about 13 miles to the I-215 Beltway, which for those in the know is the exit right before the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Then you take the beltway west about 8 or 9 miles to Aliante Parkway - the hotel is just off the freeway. Another option would be to take I-15 to I-95 near Downtown then take I-95 north to the beltway and go east several miles. There are surface street options as well that I won't bore you with here.

But the bottom line is that if there is no traffic the hotel is a solid 15-20 minute drive from The Strip. But of course there is ALWAYS traffic in Las Vegas so you can figure to double that on most days.

That's a barrier that most tourists won't be able to overcome. But those that do may find some rich rewards.