First of all I should mention that this review is based on a holiday I took almost three years ago now. The holiday was meant as a cheap getaway with a mate, just to relax for a fortnight and enjoy all the pleasures LV had to offer (note to other half, we didn't take in all the pleasures!). The deal we found was unbeatable for the money - 2 weeks for £500pp. I would have liked to have stayed in the Bellagio or one of the other luxury complexes, but as I said the deal was too good to beat. If you're expecting Bellagio refinement, you'll be disappointed, but if you're a proper traveller looking for a comfortable and affordable stay, then the Best Western is it.
The Best Western Mardi Gras is located on Paradise, the main road that runs parallel to the strip. It's approx a 15/20 min walk for a young fit person to the crossroad at Wynn, Treasure Island and the big shopping mall shaped like a flying saucer. Alternatively you can catch a monorail shuttle from the LV Convention Centre which is a 5 minute walk along Paradise Road towards the Renaissance and Hilton hotels. I can't recommend enough buying the 3 day unlimited travel card for the monorail at a cost of $21 ('06 price). It will save you so much money in the long run, especially if you're considering taking taxi's. The gates are patrolled during the day by security but quite often at night are unattended, so single travellers and females might feel a little uncomfortable walking across the convention centre car park at night, back to the hotel. Please don't let this put you off, rather be cautious. Also, if someone approaches you while you're buying a ticket from the machines, offering to let you through the barriers for the 3 dollars it would usually cost for a one way ticket, be warned that if security catch you, you'll be in as much trouble as the 'tout'. Just so you know, the Convention Centre stop for the monorail also has a free wifi suite, so you can go and hook up while you have a coffee. The coffee costs however ;-)
Anyway, back to the hotel! It's worth remembering that the hotel offers a shuttle to the strip and airport at regular times (check with the front desk). It was free, although the rather butch lady driver did expect a tip from time to time (what American tourism's built on!!). She did give me some good advice while traveling with her though, if a woman comes up to you wearing clear i.e. transparant heals on her shoes, she most probably is a sex worker. Got me out a heap of trouble that one ;-)
The lobby of the hotel houses the 'Casino' which in reality is a few rows of fruit machines. I think you sometimes get non patrons coming in to play, some Mexican, there is a poor neighbourhood a few blocks away so be security minded when playing the machines and keep hold of belongings.
On the subject of security, the rooms in the hotel each have a safe, but you need to pay the front desk a deposit for the safe key. Rather frustratingly the first few nights they didn't have any spare keys and when they did finally have one, it didn't work!! Eventually though I managed to get hold of one. Very advisable to store your valuables in one as I said above there are some poor neighbourhoods near-ish.
The rooms are incredibly spacious and we were lucky enough to have a sort of kitchen area with fridge and sink and kettle. It would have been really handy if we had a microwave too, but it was still handy to have. If you're staying for more than a week and are on a bit of a budget, this next bit will save you a bundle of cash. There's a local supermarket a few blocks away near a large mall. Go left out of the hotel and down Paradise until you reach a gas station and then head left. I think it's called Vons and it's part of Safeway. You have to walk through a few neighbourhoods that we were advised to stay away from by the local Police (while we're talking of Police, don't try to hail a Taxi like you see in the films, it's not allowed in LV and especially frowned upon when said Taxi turns out to be a Police car), but during day time I never saw a soul walking around there. I would advise however to not walk around this area from 3pm onwards, when the schools are out or at dusk. The mall is worth paying a visit too as it has a lot of shops not featured on the strip and also more competitive prices.
If you sign up and pay for a clubcard type scheme at the supermarket, you'll be eligible for all the discounts, multibuys ect. We stocked up on cereal, banana's milk, yoghurt's, bread and water (which is very expensive in the hotel) so we could have cheap snacks in our room. Be warned that it's at least a 20/30 minute walk and if you buy a lot of stuff you will need to call a Taxi, which you can do from the front desk at the super market. Be sure that when you put the stuff in the boot or trunk, of the Taxi, he doesn't attempt to drive off when you get out. Be warned that some taxi drivers will try to sell you 'VIP' passes to some of the nightclubs. These are not VIP and will not let you gain entry for free. The drivers will expect you to pay for these tickets.
The maids are all Mexican and extremely poor. Some speak English and some don't. We had a lovely lady come in to do our rooms and she did an excellent job. Everyday I left a dollar bill on the pillow for her and at the end of the week she thanked me so much I almost had a little cry. A dollar will mean so much to them and it shows that you care - 75p folks, that's all it costs. And remember they're on less than the legal minimum wage.
The pool area is smallish and if you had a few families in it, would be too noisy and cramped, but pick the right time of day and it's really pleasant. Mid day is SCORCHING, so fair skin should cover up. If you get too hot then pop down to the bar for an Orange juice. There's also an ice machine next to the doors into the lobby/casino which can be handy.
We were booked into the hotel on room only basis so I can't comment on what the breakfasts were like. We did however have dinner in the restaurant/bar one evening which was ok, although I'm a vegetarian and found the choice very limited (everywhere was limited, not just here). I think I lived on SubWay for a good portion of the time.
Would I go back? Yes, absolutely. Unless the hotel has gone down since I last stayed, I would say that it's a fantastic base because it's away from the crowds, but not too far away. It's location is far enough back from the strip to give you a break from all of that. The local transport links are great and not overly expensive either. There's a lot to see and do in LV, don't forget Freemont or the Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam. Just for reference, avoid taking a flight over the Canyon, take a proper tour where you actually get to go on the canyon floor.
If you do decide to stay, be nice to the Mexican ladies!!!
