The California is an easily overlooked Downtown property with a very specific niche market. Despite the name, The Cal, as it is affectionately known has a Hawaiian theme, going back to the days when Sam Boyd ran the joint and brought some of the flair from his favorite state to the Las Vegas desert. A marketing effort was born and today many of the people who stay here are from Hawaii.

The overlooked part comes mainly from location. Since it's not right on the Fremont Street Experience people tend to forget it's there, which is too bad because walk one block and you'll find a well-tended, unique property that can provide plenty of bargains in just about every category.

The casino is small but well laid out, with all the latest machines making their arrivals to keep the place up to date - more than 1,100 of them total. They also have all of the standard table games, a keno lounge, and a small sports book. It's all done in a very bold Hawaiian theme, at least in terms of the colors, but the overall affect is more subtle than you might expect. The atmosphere as a whole is quieter than at many casinos so this may be a good place to keep in mind if you need to gamble without all of the din usually associated with such a space.

There are two towers offering a total of 781 rooms. Those in the so-called "West Tower" were remodeled in 2005 and the rest are coming soon. The end result is a simple but nice accommodation with cozy furnishings, comfortable beds, and all of the basic amenities you could want (although fancier stuff like robes and high-speed Internet are not offered).

As far as décor it's more of the tropical motif but very, very subtle here - to the point that you kind of have to strain to see it, but that's ultimately a good thing as far as I'm concerned. So if what you wind up with is a bit on the bland side, it's better than garish colors keeping you awake all night. The new plantation shutters on the windows are a nice touch, similar to the very nice rooms at sister property Main Street Station just across the street.

The bathrooms are very small so I hope you're on good terms with whomever you are sharing your room with. But again, it's all a matter of proportional comparison. These are no smaller than what you'd expect at most chain motels but when you stack them next to the bathrooms at Strip resorts, which are often nicer than my apartment as a whole, these suffer a bit.

There are several restaurants on site including a 24-hour café, a pasta joint, an upscale (yet inexpensive) steak and seafood type establishment, and a snack bar but no buffet. That's okay, you can go across the street to Main Street Station for one of the best buffets in town. On your way, you can browse through the small "Bridge Shops," a handful of boutiques on the elevated walkway between the hotels that offers some Hawaiian food items and the local favorite, Ethel M. Chocolates among others. This is where you'll also find a small video arcade for the young ones to amuse themselves in.

There are only a few hotels in the Downtown area that have pools and The California is one of them. It's not much to get excited about - small and simple but adequate if what you need is a quick dip or a bake in the sun.

Service throughout the hotel is exceptionally friendly, a hallmark of most Downtown properties and especially the ones in the Boyd Gaming chain. It's quite a nice change of pace from the brusque attitude you get at the fancier joints.

The price is where you really start to get excited about staying here. I've seen room rates as low as $50 a night here, an almost crazy bargain when you consider that you're getting nice rooms, terrific service, and a good location with easy access to Downtown and the freeway to The Strip.

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