Anyone who has driven in from Los Angeles will know this place. It’s just West of the freeway and used to look like a gold rush era mining building, primarily catering to locals in the casino and long-distance travelers in the hotel while everyone else hurried by to get to the “real” hotels. But a complete, top-to-bottom makeover has transformed this hotel into something worth stopping for.

The new look is that of an Adirondack lodge, complete with lots of exposed timbers, stone work, and bronzed iron lighting fixtures casting a warm amber glow everywhere. The effect is lovely and upscale yet accessible and friendly. It’s a comfy ski lodge with slot machines.

The casino is small by Las Vegas standards, with about 60,000-square-feet making it about half the size of places like The Venetian or Bellagio. But that’s still plenty big enough to offer lots of gambling options including more than 1,400 of the latest slots and video poker machines with ticket-in-ticket-out technology; plenty of table games like blackjack (single and double deck), craps, roulette, three-card poker, and more; a small but complete race and sports book; and a live keno lounge. If it sounds like they crammed a lot into a relatively small space you’re right so even though the ceilings are high and the ambience pleasant, it still feels a little tight in the personal space department.

Scattered around the edges of the casino are the hotel amenities.

Four restaurants offer a very decent variety including an upscale, award-winning steakhouse, a 24-hour café, an inexpensive buffet, and a lounge with simple bar food. The latter is branded with the imprint of Hootie and the Blowfish, the ‘90s band who have taken on a unique marketing partnership with the hotel involving occasional performances in the showroom.

Speaking of which, the Hideaway as it is called, is basically a converted ballroom with a big stage facing rows of banquet chairs. They host a full range of concerts and speaking engagements but don’t expect to see Maroon 5 here anytime soon. It’s mostly b-listers so give it five years when no one will remember who Maroon 5 are and then they’ll be playing here.

Oh, save your e-mails, it’s just a joke. Mostly.

There are two lounges. Hootie’s Shady Grove Lounge features billiards, foosball, big plasma TVs, and an actual Airstream trailer with a miniature bowling alley inside. The Mermaid Lounge is located next to a giant fish tank hosting a live show called Azure.

The tank is 117,000 gallons with more than 5,000 fish and live coral. You can even watch and ask questions of the people who feed the fish three times a day (check their website for details).

Another unique offering on the property is the mind-bogglingly huge Bass Pro Shop featuring every outdoorsy thing in the world including boats – yes boats. I’m sure you weren’t planning on buying a boat at a local casino when you come to Vegas but it’s comforting to know you have the option now. Camping gear, fishing equipment, hunting supplies, hiking gear, outdoor apparel, NASCAR clothing and memorabilia, a shooting range, an archery range, a kids arcade, a climbing wall, a 40,000 gallon aquarium, waterfalls, and lots of stuffed formerly living things cover every square inch of the two-level, 154,000-square-foot facility. If you’ve been paying attention you’ll note that’s roughly 2 ½ times the size of the casino.

Despite offering things that encourage people to actually kill off pieces of nature, the place is surprising eco-friendly, offering workshops and community events tied to preserving natural resources and educating adults and kids about the best ways to stay on good terms with Mother Nature.

Back in the hotel for guests there is a large outdoor pool and spa area (diminished only slightly by the nearby freeway noise) and a small fitness center.

The 300 rooms and suites have gotten the same makeover as the rest of the hotel. The rooms are real stunners now with big comfy beds and leather headboards, leather and suede love seats, a writing table and armoire, high-speed Internet, in-room pay-per-view movies, mini-bars, in-room safes, 24-hour room service, irons and boards, Bath and Body Works amenities, hair dryers, and much more. These rooms may not be as sumptuous as some of the Strip properties but they are nicer than anything you would expect at a hotel like this.

There are a couple of downsides. The bathrooms are small so be sure you’re on good terms with whoever you may be sharing it with and the walls are a bit thin so hope you don’t get a fighting couple staying next door like I did.

The staff was unfailingly friendly and accommodating, adding a great personal vibe to an already appealing hotel.

You get all this at prices substantially lower than what you’re going to pay on The Strip, conveniently located about five minutes away. Weekdays are usually in the $50 a night range and weekends around $100 (although like just about anywhere else, prices can go significantly higher during peak travel times).

The folks at the Silverton have done a great job of reinventing a run-of-the-mill roadside motel into a destination hotel of its own. It’s worth checking out on your next trip to Vegas.

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