PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Always the standout hotel in the Downtown area, a recent face-lift has made it more appealing than ever, so while it's not the cheapest accommodations, it is by far the nicest. A massive face-lift has made the place look terrific; a new color scheme has given it a rich, deep look that is most posh and fresh. Everything feels brighter, lighter, and more spacious. The re-do is a good complement of the best of old and new Vegas; new enough not to be dated, but still user friendly. The Golden Nugget opened in 1946 as the first building in Las Vegas constructed specifically for casino gambling. Steve Wynn, who is basically responsible for the "new" Vegas hotel look, took over the Golden Nugget as his first major project in Vegas in 1973. He gradually transformed the Old West/Victorian interiors (typical for Downtown) into something more high-rent and genuinely luxurious, especially for downtown Vegas. The sunny interior spaces are a welcome change from the Las Vegas tradition of dim artificial lighting. Don't forget their mascot (well, it ought to be): the world's largest gold nugget. The Hand of Faith nugget weighs in at 61 pounds, 11 ounces, and is on display for all to see. Deluxe rooms are done in pretty floral schemes, and are attractive and comfortable enough that you don't need to splash out on the more contemporary gold-club rooms. In the North Tower, the rooms are slightly larger than in the South (smaller than the newer Strip places but not at all "small"). You don't have to walk through the casino to get to your room, but you do have to walk a distance to get to the newly redone pool, a chic and snazzy highlight, complete with a water slide that goes right through a glass tunnel in the shark tank. And check out that underwater restaurant! The presence of the pool, and general overall quality, makes this the best hotel Downtown for families; the other Downtowners seem geared toward the much older set and/or the single-minded gambler set. The Golden Nugget Buffet is home to a fine Sunday brunch. Oh, and yes, there is a casino. Don't think they'd forget that! The Nugget's top-rated health club ($20 per day) offers a full line of Universal equipment, Lifecycles, stair machines, treadmills, rowing machines, free weights, steam sauna, and massage. Salon treatments include everything from leg waxing to seaweed-mask facials. Free Sebastian products are available for sprucing up afterward. The spa's opulent Palladian-mirrored foyer is modeled after a room in New York's Frick Museum.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Las Vegas 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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