We flew roundtrip on Frontier Airlines - was very impressed with their brand new planes that included a TV in each seat back that was linked to Direct TV satellite. There is a charge for headphones to listen to the TV - well worth it, to make the plane ride go by quick! We did have to change planes in Denver, but in both directions the lay-over was less than an hour.

 

This was the 7th time that I have been to Las Vegas, and the first time that I have ever rented a car.  Mom and I had decided ahead of time that we wanted to venture a ways off the strip (Red Rock Canyon & Hoover Dam), and renting a car was the most economical way for us to do that.  We rented a car from Alamo.  We collected our luggage and found an Alamo bus waiting for us, and within minutes we were at the rental counter.  If you want to do some non-Strip sight-seeing I recommend renting a car.  You can do things on your own schedule, and it was nice to eat a few (cheap) meals off the strip!  I have heard many people complain about having a car in Las Vegas because of parking issues.  I did not have any problems - at our hotel they had a nice lot right in front of the main doors that always had a few spots open.  And as for the hotels/casinos located right on the strip, we just valet parked the car.  There is no charge - just give the valet guy a couple $$ tip.  It couldn't be anymore convenient - you drop your car at the front door, and when you are ready to leave, they bring your car right back to the front door!  Sometime this year (2004) the new monorail system will be ready for passengers (they were just testing it while we were there).  This will be very convenient!  They even have plans to extend it to the airport in the future.  What will all the cabbies do?!  I am going back to Las Vegas in April and will hopefully have some more information on the monorail when I return.

 

The newly opened Westin Casuarina, formerly the Maxim, is the newest hotel in Las Vegas.  Known for its luxurious accomodations, most notably its signature "Heavenly Bed" and "Heavenly Bath",  the upscale, 825-room resort is the first-ever Westin hotel in Las Vegas.  A $75 million vitual rebuild has created a brand-new, in demand destination, comlete with elegant casino, dining spots, meeting and convention facilities, a pool and cabanas, a luxurious spa and headline entertainment.  Each guest room and suite offers custom-designed, pillow-top mattresses, down blankets, and white duvet covers, fine linens, and five queen and king size pillows.  Each bathroom features a roomy, custom-designed shower with dual showerheads. (Where Las Vegas, January 2004)

 

This hotel worked out great for us.  It is located 1 block off the strip, but it's a short walk to a great 4-corners area of the strip (Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Blvd) - Ballys/Paris, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Barbary Coast/Flamingo Hilton. When the monorail is completed sometime this year - one of the stops will be right across the street at Ballys!

 

I LOVED that you didn't have to drag all your luggage through a huge casino to find the hotel check-in desk.  They had nice seperate entrance to the check-in desk and then a clear shot to the hotel elevators.  (I have stayed at hotels/casinos in Las Vegas where just getting to the check-in counter and then to the elevators is a 3-ring circus - trying to get your bags to fit between the slot machines!)  So this was a real treat for check-in to go so smoothly. 

 

Our room was clean and fresh and the heavnly beds were as plush as usual (you may have seen in one of my other trip reviews - we stayed at a Westin in Grand Cayman - where I initially fell in love with these beds).  There was a Starbucks located in the hotel - it was nice to just grab a quick tea/coffee and scone in the morning and get going, instead of waiting in a huge breakfast buffet line like I am used to doing in LV.  I don't need that much food in the morning!

 

They have a nice small parking lot right outside the hotel doors and they also have a nice attached parking garage that were very convenient for parking our rental car.

 

We are not big gamblers, but enjoyed the coziness of Westin's casino.  They had everything from black jack to penny slots - something for everyone.  It was easy to find each other in the casino - in some of those huge casinos it's so easy to get lost!

 

They have done a nice job with their small pool area - clean, contemporary and the cabanas where a great touch.  It was too cool while we were there to even think about getting wet, but we did see a number of people using the hot tub!  I personally love HUGE pool areas with lots of room to people watch, but I  will have to say they have done a good job with the room that they have for the pool area.