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 ˝ mile from The Strip) that you can visit regularly.

Terrible's isn't terrible at all.

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