Vegas for All Types

Best Things Nearby:
The Strip is within walking distance, but not recommended. 1/4 mile the other way is the Hard Rock. Not too terribly far away is Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

Best Things About the Resort:
Proximity to the Strip, activities available, day trips available.

Resort Experience:
Staying in the Grand Desert was the best timeshare experience that our family has had. The one-bedroom deluxe that we stayed in was as big as our two-bedroom house. The amenities are outstanding, including the whirlpool bathtub.

But the best part about staying in the Grand Desert would be the Las Vegas Strip. Nothing in the world beats Sin City, and the Grand Desert (though not on the Strip) offers the best of Vegas. They offer a shuttle to and from the Rio and Harrah's, which allows you access to the Strip without the hassle of actually staying there. Though many will say that not having a casino in the hotel is a problem, I say that it is an attractive quality. If I wanted to stay in a casino hotel, I would, but I like having some peace and quiet as well as the excitement of Vegas.

Another benefit that the Grand Desert offers are day trips to the Grand Canyon, moonlight cruises on Lake Mead, and tours of the Hoover Dam. As always, there is too much to do and not enough time to do it, but they do try help you out.

I enjoyed their pool area because of their mister system. This is a huge benefit during the summertime when it's 100+ outside. The area is nice and big and only getting bigger.

MacGreggor's Market is small and expensive. I recommend that if you are staying for any period of time, you drive out to Vons off of Tropicana and buy groceries there.

The only problem is that their second tower is being constructed, but the noise is hardly noticeable, and as soon as the tower is done, more people will be able to have the thrill of staying in the best resort in Vegas.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Best Things Nearby:
Million Dollar Mile, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead.

Best Things About the Resort:
Good interior decoration; HUSH lounge on the 19th floor gives a 270 degree view of the Las Vegas Strip; it's the only timeshare on the Strip.

Resort Experience:
The rooms were a bit small for our tastes, but the room was nicely decorated. The television has an interactive menu with a link to the Aladdin Hotel and Casino; dining/shopping/entertainment/golf menu which gives numbers and discounts to a few of the shops and other interest in the area. They have internet in the room at $4.95 for 20 minutes.

The HUSH lounge of the 19th floor is incredible due to its 270 degree view of the Las Vegas Strip. The pool is on top of the Towers and is very nice.

However, there were no washer/dryer units in the rooms and many of the light switches were in odd places, including the lightswitch in the bathroom, which was hard to find in the middle of the night. Valet parking is definitely the way to go at Polo Towers because the self-parking lot is quite far away from the actual building.

The mandatory owner's update was very pushy and they didn't give us the entertainment package we had been promised when we booked the room.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Poor
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Fair
• Service: Good

The Cheesecake Factory is an excellent chain resturant that is a must stop for our family. There is normally not a long wait to eat because of the ample seating inside the resturant. They have a large option of food from pasta to pizza; hamburgers to steaks; soups to salads. The best part of their main course is the portions - they are big.

But obviously the best part of this restaurant is the cheesecake! The options are vast, I personnally recommend the Snickers Cheesecake, although my wife perfers the Oreo Cheesecake. Whatever you order I'm positive that you will enjoy it.

The Spice Market Buffet at the Aladdin Casino is big. There is a lot of variety from Chinese food to Turkish food. My wife enjoyed their pastas and their salad bar was quite large. I enjoyed their prime rib, however there was not a very good variety of American type food and the desserts weren't very good.

The service was decent for a buffet, but since you have to wait on them to get your drinks it can be hassle. We had our food for ten minutes before the server came back with our drinks.

This is a good buffet, but for $20 a plate, there are better buffets in Vegas to eat at.

This is the home of the Royal Flush. Rancho Fiesta is off the beaten path. It's a locals casino. They mostly have video poker machines and a ton of those. If you are a video poker player and are in Vegas to play video poker, this is the place to go.

I played the West Course which is where many PGA events have been played and it was difficult. I'm a 6 handicap and played the course very well. The greens are sloped and can make it difficult to sink putts, but the fairways were in perfect shape and the scenery couldn't be beat. I've played St. Andrews, the Royal Troon, and many a course in Florida, and I would rank this course up there in the difficulty of play. It was well-worth the money I paid.

Splash! was a very good variety show which included comedians, juggling acts, world class pairs ice skaters, great singers and dancers, four motorcycles inside a cage, and true Las Vegas Showgirls.

My wife and I went to the show after attending one of the local timeshare tours that gave us the tickets as a reward (about a $120 deal). We weren't sure what to expect -- we had heard there was ice skating, but that was about all. We were really impressed once the show began. The Showgirls were topless but it was done very tastefully -- however, this did make the show 18 years and older (which we didn't know before we went).

There were no drinks served inside the theaters, however you could bring your own from the casino so many people ran back to the bar to grab drinks before they came in. We sat in Section C in the middle of the floor; they try to squeeze as many people into a small table as possible, but we were still relatively comfortable in our seats.

The show was about an hour and a half and it will definitely keep you entertained because there is something for everyone.

My wife and I were looking to go see a comedy act (something we try to do everytime we are in Vegas) and decided to check out the Improv at Harrah's. We had thought about checking it out the last time we were in Vegas, but couldn't fit it in so we made sure to do it this time. I received a free show from Harrah's when I registered for my player's card and my wife went to 1/2 price tickets which is located between the M&M store and the Coca Cola store next to the MGM. This made our total admission to the show $15.

We had pretty good seats and ordered our drinks . . . it did take a long time to get our drinks from the understaffed waitressing staff, but the drinks were worth the wait.

The three comedians were extremely funny, especially Kivi Rogers and Jeff Capri (who was the MC for the event). The atmosphere was great and very receptive of the comedians.

This information is more for those of you have been to Vegas before, but want to avoid some headaches that Vegas can cause. First of all, I highly recommend having a car in Vegas, however I do not recommend driving on Las Vegas Blvd.

When driving in Vegas you want to use side streets, mainly because every side street leads to the Strip. My wife and I use Koval and Paradise to get around the Strip without actually having to get on the Strip. If you use Koval you can easily get to the parking areas of MGM, Alladin, Paris, Bally's, Harrah's, and the Venitian. If you want to get down to Ceaser's Palace, but want to avoid traffic, I recommend you take Koval to Flamingo, you'll still have to get on Vegas Blvd, but it's only for a short period to turn into Ceasers.

We use Paradise to get to the hotels farther down the Strip such as Sahara, Riveria, the Statosphere, and of course we use this to go down to Freemont Street. We have found this will get you there a lot faster than trying to fight with all of the cabs that are on Las Vegas Blvd.

Some other helpful advice: Vons is located off of Tropicana by UNLV. There is a Sonic (for those of you from the East) down off of Tropicana also. It's a little ways down the road, but for those of us who can't get in California it's a great treat.

Something for kids to do: Free circus at Circus Circus; M&M factory just outside of MGM; gamerooms in just about every Casino; NASCAR the Ride at Sahara's is a great buy.

How to get free stuff in Vegas? Do the timeshare tours! They take about two hours to do, but the rewards are great. If you do the Polo Towers tour from the Venitian they will give you $50 in gaming chips and an offer to get two shows for $10. If you do the Fairfield tour they'll give you $50 cash. It's an easy way to get free stuff while in Vegas. The Royal Casino and Hotel off of Convention Center Drive is another timeshare in which you can go through the tour and get free show tickets.

These are just some helpful hints. I've been to Vegas 11 times in two years; if you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them.