Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

Nevada residents used to be able to swim for free, so we visited the Golden Nugget often. The little .99 shrimp cocktails are gone now. I asked a bartender about one, and he didn't know what I meant, even though he'd worked at the Nugget for 11 years. It was a shock, and time passes so fast. You never know when the people you love most won't be here, so make every second count. I have stayed at the rest, and I find the Nugget one of the best. Thank you, Golden Nugget, for 60 years of cherished memories. My daughter died since then, and I'm glad I spent a little extra to make her 21st birthday the best. I bought the Rush Tower Penthouse for her birthday 15 years ago. I'll never forget the amazing room, its high vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows, or the huge bathroom with two doors. There was a poolside bar, a cabana with a giant bed and misters, and a pool slide through the shark tank, something most people will never experience. The food is excellent and reasonably priced. Gaming is fun, with a good vibe, lots of machine payout noise, and people celebrating big wins.

This was meant to be a special anniversary trip where I planned to propose. After a great visit earlier in the year, I booked another week at the Golden Nugget. When I called back in September to check that the pool would be open, they said it would be, but when we arrived we found it closed for the entire week. Some kind of notice would've been nice, since we'd planned to spend a lot of downtime relaxing by the pool. The room toilet was also a problem all week. It took multiple flushes for anything to go down, and sometimes it couldn't even flush toilet paper in one go. My new fiance and I also hoped to work out together, but staff said she wasn't wearing proper gym clothes. She had her usual gym outfit, a tennis skirt with compression shorts underneath and a regular gym t-shirt. She didn't want to buy new clothes, especially when I saw other women exercising in short compression shorts and sports bras. How was that okay, but not a tennis skirt? I ended up working out alone. Housekeeping was nice, and our food reservations at the Nugget were very good. I'm not expecting anything to come of this, but I had to say something. A week that should've been memorable ended up being dragged down by a bad stay.

We stayed in the Rush tower and loved it. The rooms are large and renovated, with a couch area, a beautiful remodeled bathroom, and a mini fridge, which I love. A few more outlets would've helped, but the room still exceeded our expectations. The staff were friendly and accommodating, and the restaurants were great. We ate at the steak house and had appetizers from Chart house. Next time, we'll try the noodle house. If you're after a new Vegas adventure on Fremont, the location is hard to beat.

A dated hotel on Fremont Street, with a good choice of restaurants at fair prices. The spots near the casino floor are cheaper and more fast food, while the one farther away is quieter and more of a sit down place. The room was okay, but the single-glazed window and blind didn't block daylight, and you could hear busy Freemont street. They provide ear buds, but those don't stop the bass vibrating through the building on floor 18. The fire escapes aren't a route I'd use to walk downstairs, since the lower floors look like something from a zombie apocalypse. The location is handy for the Arts district, where food and drinks are well priced, and for the bus station.