Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
more spacious than they are. Nothing groundbreaking, but the rooms are still
quite pretty and comfortable, costing between $69 and $89 when the crowds have
thinned, up to whatever the market may bear otherwise (which, in this case, seems
to be $138-$209 a night, occasionally up to $299). The pools are fine too; again,
there are better, much better in fact, but the pool area's large and has slides and
will suffice.
A tram connects TI with the Mirage next door; it's free and runs all hours.
Behind the pirate stage is a “Caribbean Village,” really an outdoor mall, with a
good number of fun window-shopping ops. Do I even need to mention that
there's a spa and a very large and well-stocked gym, or would you have guessed
that?
HOTELS ON THE NORTH STRIP
Take a good look at the North Strip when you visit, because in 5 years it will be
utterly transformed. That's not necessarily good news for budget travelers. Today,
the North Strip is home to such classic (and relatively affordable) casinos as the
Riviera, Circus Circus, and the Sahara; in between are budget motels, downscale
eateries, and fenced off lots where the rubble of recently imploded casinos still bil-
low with dust. But in the not-so-distant future, the Trumps of this world will be
moving in. I mean that literally: Donald Trump himself has a 1,282-condo tower
under construction here. Echelon Place with its four, count 'em four, luxury hotels
(plus two theaters and dozens of restaurants and shops) is slated to go up next to
Circus Circus. And Boyd gaming has announced plans for its $4 billion, 2,000-
room “Encore” project in this area, which will be a deluxe mix of accommodations
and retail venues. Prediction: Prices are going to rise, just as they have in the Center
Strip. The obscenely expensive Wynn Las Vegas and the Fashion Show Mall are
the North Strip's first examples of what the future will look (and cost) like.
So, if you want a taste of “classic Vegas,” you should bunk down in the North
Strip sooner rather than later. Yes, much of it is seedy and desperately in need of
an upgrade, but some will find charm in the area's unvarnished view of the '60s
and '70s. If you want the “Super Casino” experience, the free outdoor spectacles,
and ultragourmet eateries, move southward. If you're looking for a good deal on
the Strip, here's where you stay . . . at least for now.
$
The rock-bottom cheapest place you'll stay on the Strip, or anywhere in Las
Vegas for that matter, is the
Sin City Hostel
(1208 Las Vegas Blvd. S.;
%
702/
868-0222; www.sincityhostel.com; AE, DISC, MC, V),
whose lurid flame-colored
sign you may have noticed when cruising this end of the drag. From the outside it
looks like a pit, but inside . . . well, it's not plush, but it's not a dive either. Instead,
the young folks who stay here get a built-in social club, which not only gives trav-
elers a bed for the night, but arranges nightly Strip crawls for them, the princely
sum of $15 buying a seat in a stretch Hummer and entrance to a club. That tour
costs almost as much as a night's sleep here ($19 in a dorm room, divided by gen-
der; $37 in a private room with shared bath). The beds are very basic, simply a
rectangle of foam covered with plastic on a wooden board, but the hostel is kept
relatively clean and the desk staff is friendly and attentive. To discourage local
transients, the hostel requires that guests either show a foreign passport or a plane
ticket home, so if you're driving into town you'll probably have to stay elsewhere.
