At the head of Fremont Street sits The Plaza, a high-rise Downtown fixture since the 1970s that will probably look familiar to anyone who has ever watched a Las Vegas themed movie. Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt (“The Mexican”), Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt (“Pay it Forward”), Rob Lowe and Molly Ringwald (“The Stand” – had to throw that one in), and many others have been filmed here, but despite its high profile location and star struck history, The Plaza has always been relegated to second, or even third tier status when considering a Downtown hotel. That’s too bad because while no one will ever mistake the rooms or casino for those in The Venetian, you also won’t mistake the bargain basement bill when you check out for the one you get at The Venetian.

The hotel could certainly use some freshening here and there. In places you’ll see some stains, some scuffs, and an overall shabbiness that may be disconcerting to anyone who is used to the spic and span of most places on The Strip. Let me be clear that it is absolutely nothing horrifying – but I noticed it during our visit and you need to know about it before you stay here.

But really, only the truly picky will be bothered by it especially since the rooms themselves are in much better shape, as is most of the rest of the hotel.

The main floor is mostly taken up by casino space of course. They have all of the latest slot and table games, most with very low limits so if gambling on a budget is important this should be on your list of options. There is no overreaching theme to the casino but it is brighter than most Downtown casinos and is laid out a little better also so those are definite pluses. Besides slots and table games they’ve also got a race and sports book, a card room (well, card corner really), bingo, keno, and players’ club.

There’s a food court, several restaurants, wedding chapels, and more scattered throughout the property.

For entertainment there’s a casino lounge with live entertainment plus a showroom that I absolutely loved for its straight out of 1973 décor. Seriously, it’s like Sinatra, or at the very least Joey Heatherton, should be taking the stage any minute.

For the kidlets or the kids at heart they can spend a little while in the small video arcade but they’ll probably have more fun at Jillian’s a couple of blocks away so give them a $20 and tell them to be careful crossing the street.

A large pool and recreation deck spans the roof between the two hotel towers. A pool is rare in Downtown Vegas and this is a pretty nice one with plenty of room beside it for lounging. Four tennis courts are adjacent (free for guests, equipment rental available) and a small fitness center (nautilus weights, a couple of treadmills) complete the recreation portion of the program.

The standard rooms are very standard but they are bright and very well tended, both big pluses in my book. They feature two queen beds or one king, a small television with limited cable (no in-room movies, etc.), data ports on the phones, and air conditioning. That’s about it. Some have hair dryers and irons and boards are available through housekeeping but creature comforts are limited.

The furnishings are older but as mentioned they are in really good shape, many coming from a very expensive hotel that was torn down a couple of years ago so it adds a nice air to an otherwise boring room.

If you can get one facing the Fremont Street Experience you absolutely should – the view is killer.

Now here’s where I get to the part where you’re going to want to pay attention (if you haven’t been already): the price. Their quoted rates are $40-50 midweek and $60-90 on the weekends but I’ve seen rates lower than that often. For instance, I saw a special on their website that offered rooms as low as $20 midweek! Come on! For $20 you’re lucky to get a warm spot on the concrete in the parking garage at most Vegas hotels. There are buffets that cost more than that. I can lose more than on a slot machine in under 20 seconds. You get the idea.

Even if you pay the standard rates, this is still a pretty good bargain for the location as long as you keep your expectations firmly in check. Bargains are getting harder and harder to find in Las Vegas.

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