VegasChatter

Room Reaction:

Sometimes when you have high expectations of a hotel, it’s devastating to open your room door and have them immediately quashed (we repeat, a-Caesars Palace-hem). How much nicer it is when it’s the other way round! We genuinely expected the absolute pits from Circus Circus, and in light of that, what we opened the door made us pretty speechless.

A new, clean, fluffy carpet that we had no qualms in trampling on, naked-footed. A proper high hotel bed (as opposed to the grotty cheap ones that sit so low in vegas) with – incredibly – the kind of smooth sheets we expect in a high class (ie not Vegas) four star hotel.

A – wait for it - flatscreen TV. Good lighting, better soundproofing. A marble desk with a lamp that had an electric socket in it. A bathroom with a marble top and a waffle – yes, waffle – shower curtain. We appeared to have fallen down the rabbit hole and into a decent hotel room. For which we had paid a grand total of $32.70 ($24.25 for the room, plus tax and resort fee). As we said, re-sult.

It was a disabled room, so the spyhole was low and the bathroom wasn’t as pretty as it could be with the rails and small counter. This could also be why there was no seat to go with the desk. But still. We were stoked. Stoked, we tell you!

Amenity Madness:

This is where we felt let down. A boring soap, shampoo and body lotion combo (the same nondescript brand as Excalibur uses). No minibar. No notepad. Not even a pen.

On the plus side, there was a fairly good and fairly priced room service selection, which, seeing as we’d been so pleased by the room, we took advantage of. Eggs Benedict were not amazing, but not the worst we’ve had – a solid average.

Internet Connect:

As we already told you WiFi was included in the resort fee of $4.95. It took a little while and two calls to get it to work, as it didn’t like our Mac, but once we were connected, it was an OK speed and connection (4 out of 5 bars). Major props for that.

What We Liked:

Pretty much all of the room – seeing as our expectations were so low, this was one of the nicest surprises we’ve had in our hotel life.

What We Didn’t Like:

The lack of chair to the desk, and although the rest of the room was spotless, the headboard had grease marks on it, which we preferred not to think about (his is a family hotel, after all). Although the bedsheets were lush, the blanket was straight out of a Motel 6. And it was a major struggle to get a late checkout of midday the next day (they offered us 11.30, instead of 11am - um thanks, but everyone checks out at 11.30am anyway so you're not exactly doing us no favors).

Bottom Line:

For $32.70 all in, this was definitely the best value we’ve had on the Strip (much as we loved our Trop room, it cost us $74 plus tax, once you factored in resort fee and internet access). Obviously we got our upgrade for free, but to do it at check in costs $20, whereas the Trop charges $30 more for its Paradise Tower rooms than its grotty ones, so this still works out cheaper.

Having said that, we're being so positive because when we’re staying in a hotel, our priority is the room. The casino at Circus Circus is still a hellhole. If you’re like us, and you have a car, you’re sorted – because the West Tower is right by the carpark entrance, so you can go from your ride to your room without setting foot in the skankfest. But if you want a hotel with a scene, or a hotel in a good position, then we can’t recommend it. This place is for sleeping only – but bloody hell, the sleep was good.

You’ll be pleased to know that Circus Circus started a 3 day room sale yesterday – book by tomorrow night, for dates up to next January, and rooms start at $24.25 (most weekdays in June and July are at that price). A West Tower room costs from $42.25 in the sale, which we reckon is still excellent value. Otherwise, risk a grotty room and fake an English accent and Impeccable British Manners(TM) at checkin. Click here to book.