All aboard, next stop Sin City
Written: Jul 27 '07 (Updated Jul 27 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reasonable prices, secure safe environment, great gambling casino
Cons: Buffet..gaaggg. Smoke in casino and conference rooms, little entertainment
The Bottom Line: I love the Station, it is a great place to stay and gamble, but don't expect it to be the Mirage.
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| tucaman's Full Review: Palace Station Hotel & Casino |
Alright, before I start this review, it is best we set the ground rules. I am kind of cheap. Not Jackie Gleason cheap, but I struggle to spend money on selfish wasted things when I have a family to support. Going to Vegas for a trip is way high on my list of selfish wasted things; the problem is I really enjoy doing it…..occasionally
So, keep this in mind as you read my review. I know what I am looking for in my stay. You need to know what it is you are looking for before you start booking rooms.
Palace Station
The Palace Station is the quintessential hotel/casino of Las Vegas. I would define it as an in-between of the casinos of old and the new super-casinos. The Station is two blocks North of the “Strip” and smack dab in the center between all of the new casinos to the West and the old-town to the East. If you have a car, it is a I minute drive to the strip, and if you don’t, the Station has a free shuttle uptown.
Rooms
Rooms in the Station are in two distinct categories. There are the tower rooms and the courtyard rooms. The tower rooms are a larger, more expensive, and are in the middle of a remodel. They of course have a much nicer view of the area. The courtyard rooms are newly remodeled and very clean, comfortable, and there is no smoking in any of the courtyard rooms. They are however a little small. The courtyard is actually a separate building from the Casino and tower rooms. It is directly next to the larger building. It is quite secure and requires an active keycard to enter the building. There are two floors, but no elevator. If you are on the second floor be prepared to carry you bags up. The building is huge and depending on where your room is, you will do some walking to get there.
There are two pools surrounded by the courtyard buildings, very secure and can only be entered by those with access to the building.
At about any given time, you can get courtyard rooms for around $40. If you sign up for a “boarding pass” card and play in the casino a little, you will receive offers that include free nights and discounts for the courtyard rooms. I have stayed at the Station seven different times now. Twice I have been in the tower, the rest have been in the courtyard.
The cleaning and maintenance staffs are excellent. One time the hair dryer was not working in the room, and a replacement was brought up in moments. Another time the shower head was spraying in a weird way and was replaced within the hour. I have found all of the rooms in the tower and courtyard to be clean, well cared for, and a pleasure to stay in. These are not suites at the Mirage, but as I said, I like paying $40 for a room as opposed to $180 .
Casino
The casino at the Station is again kind of mid-range. It has many coin operated games with many of the new popular video penny games. All of the standards are there, nickel, quarter, dollar in many of the popular games. The slots seem fairly loose and I can usually play for several hours for a reasonable amount. If you are a drinker, the cocktail waitresses are quite efficient for the game floor and if you play right, you can loose less on the machines than you would have paid on drinks. The rewards card program is nice and you can earn points fast for discounts and offers. I am not a huge table gamer; a little blackjack is my main vice. The Station officer all of the standard games with low table minimums. One very nice thing about the Station is it is usually less crowded than some of the larger casinos. You rarely have to wait for a table or a machine and it is a little bit calmer atmosphere that some places in town.
On negative aspect of the Station casino is the smoke. The ventilation system is really bad and the smoke can be heavy.
Food
The Station has a Burger King, Subway, and Starbucks inside. They also have Chang’s Chinese, The Broiler, Oyster Bar, Pasta Palace, the Grand Café, and the Grand Buffet.
I can recommend Burger King, Subway, and Starbucks as meeting the quality of any of these chains elsewhere. The Grand Café is one of my favorites and offers many different “Café” style selection at very reasonable prices. I have not eaten at any of the others…other than the buffet.
The buffet…..sigh…..the buffet. This is going to be the part of the review that anyone connected with the Station is not going to like. The buffet is dreadful…mmmm, make that shockingly dreadful. In the past the food was mediocre at best with a limited selection. But, the first of the year the Station completed an extreme makeover of their buffet. I just came from there this week, and if, possible it was worse than before. Everything was overcooked. Pasta was gooey, meat was burned, and fried food was hard as a rock. Very little flavor and even the dessert items were dried out. The selection was still very limited and it did not seem as if ANYTHNG had changed from before. The price is reasonable, $8 with your boarding pass card, but for that price eat at Burger King and get something you can actually eat.
Staff
Everyone I met from the reservations staff, check in clerks, casino employees, and hotel staff were very friendly and helpful, everyone except – the stupid buffet people. It seems maybe the food quality is directly proportional to the food staff? It was like visiting a prison cafeteria. Those working with the food seemed put out to have to help anyone and generally seemed annoyed to be there.
Entertainment
The Station is a Casino/Hotel. There are no white tiger shows, volcanoes, or Pirates. If you are looking for a place to gamble, sleep safely, and shower, this is the place. Then go uptown and visit the pirates, tigers, and volcanoes. Jack’s Irish Pub is a great place to kick back and chill, and they have live bands on the weekends.
Meeting/Conferences
I was introduced to the Station be attending a conference several years ago. They have some great space and rooms for meetings. I don’t have any idea what the cost, scheduling, or arraignments consist of, but the company who’s training I attend holds at least a two week conference there each year. The only problem I have found is that the conference rooms are directly above the casino and the smoke can get pretty bad sometimes.
Conclusion
Well there you have it. I love the Station as a place to stay that is safe and secure, clean and pleasant, while as a very reasonable price. My wife and two teenage children just returned from a short trip where we stayed at the Station. We tripped up and down the strip, visited a few shows, and had a great trip. I dropped some money in several casinos, but eventually limited myself to the Station because I did better there, and it wasn’t so crowded.
If you are looking for a pleasant place to stay on a reasonable budget, the Station is the place for you. If you want to feel like a high roller in a super-casino, then by all means spend the money and do it.
I am planning a trip to California in December, I will make my reservations at the Station for the drive through when my rewards offer arrives.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tucaman
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Member: Brad
Location: Utah
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I'm here for the free Pepsi(it would have been beer but I'm in Utah)
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