Monte Carlo anyone?

We are thinking about staying at the Monte Carlo when we head down in August. Previously we have stayed at Circus, Circus and Bally's. I love Bally's for the location but we have been offered a good rate at the MC. I'm looking for any imput that anyone could provide.

Thanks!!! :D

Great location.

The rooms were recently renovated – new beds, bedding, carpets, etc…

The least crowded casino on the Strip..

The casino is easy to navigate – it is a simple rectangle..

They have a food court – Golden Bagel, McDonalds, Sbarro, Nathan’s, and Hagh en Daz ice cream

Extremely convenient parking.. the easiest on the Strip, actually

They have an inexpensive Italian and Chinese restaurants.

You can walk from the elevator to the pool without going through the casino..

The pool area is one of the best in Las Vegas – a lazy river, a small wave pool, and a regular pool (pus a kiddy pool)…

The staff is friendly..

Oh… did I mention that they have a brewpub..

There is a CVS next door to it and a Walgreen’s across the street

On the other hand….

The elevators only have a control panel with floor buttons on just one side of the elevator (to the right or left of the entrance but not on both sides …)

We've stayed at the Monte Carlo before and I think it is one of the better values on The Strip. The only complaint I would have is that there aren't a lot of dining options. However, the meal we had at Blackstone's Steakhouse was one of the best meals we've had in LV. They also have a really good close up magician who performs in the lounge in the evenings.

Mark

That would be the Houdini lounge. I have never seen him.

Oh….

And, the Monte Carlo is home to Lance Burton. The tickets aren’t expensive and he puts on a great show. He is a magician.

I'd definitely give MC a try, especially if you're getting a good rate. We're going back next week for our third consecutive stay there. We've previously stayed at Bally's, Venetian, and Mandalay Bay but really enjoy MC for several reasons. First, it's a nice, clean, newer hotel that you can get for a reasonable price. We loved Bally's location, but the hotel seemed kind of run down and old to us. Second, we enjoy the casino - it's large, has good BJ rules, lower limits, it's well ventilated, and has good drink service. Third, it has a nice pool complex. Fourth, the location is great as well (especially now that the tram to Bellagio is up and running again). Fifth, the Brew Pub (good, reasonably priced food and they brew their own beer) and food court (great for quick, inexpensive meals. I just think you can't beat it for the price.

If you liked Bally's you should love Monte Carlo. The only thing you don't get is Paris next door but it is still within walking distance.

Monte Carlo is of course newer and larger. The rooms were all renovated last year, especially notable are the upgraded beds, very comfortable. The rooms while slightly smaller than Bally's are quite adequate and very nice for the price.

The pool is much better than Bally's. In addition to the pool & seperate jacuzzi there is also a small wavepool and a nice lazy river. Also in the pool area are tennis courts and they have a very large area away from the pools for sunbathing.

The restaurants have a decent selection, with Blackstones and Andres for finer dining. A noodle-type shop and a food court for casual meals. The coffee shop is average and the buffet is a good value fairly comparable to the one at Bally's.

They also have the Brewpub which is highly thought of.

The casino is very nice. Very high ceilings, great ventillation so it is never smokey (sometimes a problem at Bally's).
There are almost always a couple of $5 BJ tables during the week, and even sometimes $5 pai gow poker and LIR.

They have a poker room that caters to low limits, and a fairly nice race/sports book (not as big as Bally's).

When we were last there in October there were still 6 of the .25 9/6 JOB machines on the floor sprinkled thru the left side of the casino.

Monte Carlo is a very comfortable medium priced strip hotel, and we always consider it one of our options, in fact we will spend 3 nites there on our next trip.

Hope this is of some help, Ken.

If I can ask, when are you guys going? I am interested in the good rate that you have received. About 10 of us are going out during late, late July and early, early August. I've seen $69 and $79 for the weekday rates. We'll be heading down town to the Fitz over the weekend (free rooms). Thanks!

Thanks everyone for such great replies! This is my first time posting on the board and I can't believe the great response.

We will be going down to Vegas August 6 - 11th spending the Saturday night at the Las Vegas Club (rate $59) and Sunday thru Thursday at the Monte Carlo (rate $69). Right now we also have a room booked at Bally's 'cause we weren't too sure and they were giving us $89 a night. My husband is still holding out for an offer from Bally's.

Last time we had such a great time at the Barbary Coast we will miss having it right out our doors.

We love The MC, it's the only place we have stayed our last 4 visits and we are going again in 2 weeks for 5 nights. Granted we get them comped but if I didn't like the place I would not stay. We have never had time to use the pool but it looks great. The location of the MC is good also you can walk just about anywhere or catch a tram nearby.
Some have said the walls are thin and they can hear their neighbors but we have never had that problem. We like the casino size and the fact that it is never really crowed, it is bright and comfortable also. And we have done well on the machines there in the past.
Don't hesitate to stay here I think you would really like it.

I love the name Monte Carlo. I sounds exotic but I never went inside of it but I will next time I am in Vegas. :o

I think it is as elegant as The Bellagio, but way cheaper. Think about it. Picture both casions, both lobbys. Sure no blown glass ceiling, but the rest of it is about the same.

I think it is a great bargain. The best shoe bj game on the Strip too.

You will not regret a stay at the MC, especially at the rates you quoted.

I guess I will post the other side. I use to stay at the MC, had about 8 trips in a row there over 3 years or so, and each time the quality of staff and product dropped off a little bit. Now it might be that it was so high, that seeing it now you will not notice if you had not seen it before; however, I just got so fed up with the changes is gaming policies that I gave up and move to the Orleans. I was a RFB player there and walked away. The rooms are noisy, you can hear the room next to you flush, Stay on a low floor, I know that is an oxymoron in Vegas, but if you are there on a sat night, you can wait for a while for an elevator. Now, when I say stay on low floor, I mean in relation to the elevator bank, because floors 1-8 or so have 1 elevator and then 9-20 and so one. So in my opinion Floor 9 is better than 8 since it is the first stop. Double check the floor numbers though as I am not sure that 1-8 is the right grouping. The casino is small. I know that can be a plus, but sometime on F/Sat night they only have 1/2 the place open, thus making 50% packed when they could have 100% open with places to sit. As for food the steak house is great, if you have the means you will not be disappointed. It has a nice cheap food court and Lance Burton in my opinion is the best magician in Vegas, and I think I have seen them all. Its not a bad choice and I concede I am comparing what once was to what is.

It is a great place to stay!! wonderful service I recieved when I stayed there last year!!