Description: I stayed here for two nights right at the beginning of my trip...so to be honest I was a bit jet lagged and not yet adjusted to the time zone.

I took a shuttle from the airport and it was about 9pm when I arrived at the hotel. The reception desk is right at the main door so you don't have to fight through the casino to get there. The lady on the desk was pleasant and was helpful as I had two different bookings for rooms, one for each night, and so she arranged for me to stay just in the one room. But this was Labor Day weekend so the next statement didn't thrill me...a smoking room...but to be honest I was too tired to care. She said she could change me the next day but I said let me try it for the night and then I would decide.

So the lifts to the hotel rooms - you walk through one corner of the casino and past TGIF restaurant. There was a security guard checking room keys...but he wasn't always there. Got out of the lift on the 9th floor- look right and the hotel hasn't been updated...but look left and its been renovated. So I got one of the renovated rooms. I was pleasantly surprised as when I got in the room I wouldn't have know it was a smoking room if I hadn't been told, which is pretty good.

The room was pretty pleasant...low lighting levels was an issue as coming into the room the light switch at the door only controlled a dim wall light at the opposite corner of the room...but with all the table lamps on it was just about okay as long as you aren't planning to do some serious work. The furniture is all dark wood finished.

To be honest after over 20 hours of travelling all I wanted was a hot shower and to climb into bed. There was just a shower in the room but a nice large shower head and good water pressure and plenty of hot water. Wasn't especially fond of the sliding door on the bathroom...not an issue as I wasn't sharing the room...but it wasn't the easiest to close and raised privacy thoughts for me. But the bathroom did have a small window that did open which I liked. The bed was so soft and comfy.

Gold Coast does charge a small resort fee of three dollars a day when I was there...but they claimed one of the benefits of this was the coffee maker in the room. And since a lot of the casino hotels don't have coffee makers in there rooms...I think I can accept the cost just to be able to make coffee in my room. Though ultimately I can't understand why these resort fees aren't just in the room price as they are not voluntary. But I didn't really like the fact the coffee maker was in the bathroom..oh well I still enjoyed the coffee in my room.

I felt the room was quite noisy - the AC unit in the room was bad enough but was supplemented by more AC units on the roof that the room overlooked as well. I could however see the Palms and the back of the strip.

The casino isn't too big...its fairly easy to keep your bearings. The shop on site has reasonable prices...not supermarket prices but reasonable given its in the hotel.

There are a few food options. But getting up at some silly hour of the morning due to the time change the only option was TGIF's...so the first morning I tried the night owl menu...there were a few breakfast items, the second morning I waited until the breakfast menu. But ultimately I wasn't thrilled by breakfast either morning. Did try the coffee shop in the afternoon...it serves Starbucks coffee...managed to make me a nice latte...but the food options there didn't look appetizing at all. There is also a chinese restaurant and a noodle bar but I never got the chance to sample either. The buffet I was dragged to...mmm...it wasn't terrible...but it reminded me of the college cafeteria, with a few options of what to eat...some stuff better than others...but nothing excellent...but most of it edible in some way. It doesn't really have much atmosphere either. But it was fairly cheap...so you get what you pay for...

This is off the strip...and it does have a shuttle to a strip hotel (can't remember which one)...but it runs only between 9am and midnight. As I was up so early I was heading over hours before this so took a taxi, and then couldn't remember which hotel it left from on the Strip on the way back. But one of my travelling companions noted that it was better to walk across to the Rio as it had a better shuttle service, and the Rio is right next door to Gold Coast.

So...its off strip...I liked the size...not too big...great bowling lanes upstairs (with some amazing graveyard deals to bowl!)...its not young and trendy...it was perfect for sleeping and trying to get over jet lag as it wasn't as overwhelming as the Strip. As I'm not a huge Vegas fan its unlikely that I'll be back...and to be honest if I was I would stay in a non-gaming hotel...but its not that I'd this place was bad or good...it was just average...okay...not exciting...just fine.


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