Pretty "Suite" Deal if it Isn't COMDEX Week
Written: Nov 21 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very large rooms
Cons: Not right on the strip, taxi to get anywhere
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| diverpam's Full Review: Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino |
I visited the Rio last week during the COMDEX convention. The price of a "suite" is normally $65. During COMDEX week, the price ranged from $170-240 per night. Yes, the cost of the room fluctuated almost daily. Unfortunately, the Rio is not the only hotel that takes advantage of the law of supply and demand. COMDEX week is rip-off week throughout Vegas.
I would have been thrilled to have such a nice, big room for $65 (and I did tell my husband we'd have to go there sometime on vacation).
I was on the ninth floor in the older part of the hotel. The Tower rooms are newer, but are also a lot farther away from the check-in area.
I arrived at the hotel after midnight and was exhausted. The front desk clerk took pity on my and put me in the closest non-smoking room I could get to. It was a thankfully short walk across the lobby to the elevators.
When I arrived at my room I was pleasantly surprised at its size. The room contained two queen beds, a desk and desk chair, as well as a sofa, chair, cocktail table and two end tables. There was ample open space in the large square room, even with all the furnishings. The television was 19 inches and sat on a tall pedestal next to the windows.
The outside wall was floor to ceiling windows. Had I been on a higher floor, facing in a different direction I would have had a spectacular view. (One of my traveling companions had such a view and made us all come upstairs to see for ourselves.)
The bathroom had a tub/shower and sink in an enclosed area with a door. There was a another sink in an outside vanity area, with large mirror and "Hollywood" style lighting. It also contained a small refrigerator and coffee maker.
There was an ironing board an iron, extra pillows and plenty of hangers in the closet. There was also a safe -- I had hoped it would be large enough to house a laptop computer, but it wasn't.
The bathroom also contained a pretty good supply of vanity items, two kinds of soap, lotion, shampoo, and shower cap.
The towels were okay, but not the big, fluffy kind I love. For $240 a night, I wanted big and fluffy!
The only two meals I ate in the hotel were buffets. One breakfast and one dinner.
The breakfast buffet contained a wide variety of breakfast meats, pastries, eggs and juices. The cheesecakes sat right across from my table in a glass case with a paper doily covering them. I would have gladly traded my scrambled eggs for a piece of cheesecake!
However, I did get my cheesecake wish at the Seafood Buffet. Don't get confused and go to the wrong buffet. The Seafood Buffet is in the tower end of the hotel. Go all the way through the casino from the check-in area, through the Masquerade Casino.
There lies a magnificent buffet, featuring lobster, crab legs, oysters, and clams. There was also clam chowder, prime rib, a variety of vegetables.
There was an area with oriental food, as well as one with Mexican food.
My friends told me about the dessert area -- with about 20 different desserts. I tried to stay away from it, but broke down and asked one of my friends to bring me a piece of cheesecake while he was up.
The cheesecake was delicious!
The margaritas was also outstanding -- and HUGE! Imagine taking a small goldfish bowl and putting it on top of a glass stem. Then filling the glass with wonderful frozen margaritas. I'd say it was about the equivalent of 3-4 "normal" margaritas. I drank on the killer margarita throughout the meal and still had about half a glass left.
When I asked the waiter for a to go cup to carry my margarita he told me they didn't have any. So, with my $12.95 half-empty margarita in hand (they give you the glass) I began my walk through the casino to lose what was left of my dwindling supply of nickels.
What an interesting conversation piece that margarita was! And it was good to the very last drop.
As my luck began to change for the better, I heard a strange noise from above me. I looked up and thought I saw Mardi Gras passing before my eyes -- suspended from the ceiling! There was a "ceiling show" going on, with beautifully decorated floating sliding suspended from the ceiling in tracks.
They paused, played music and threw beads to the gamblers below. Oh, well, at least I wouldn't go home empty-handed. I had six strands of Mardi Gras beads (it wasn't until later I realized they had tiny dice-shaped beads on some of them) and my giant margarita glass.
Overall, I was pleased with the hotel room, food, and variety of slot machines. Had I been paying $65 a night, I would have been even more pleased.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
diverpam
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 349 members
About Me:
~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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