Emma

We'll be taking a two-day side trip to Laughlin during our annual visit to Las Vegas in December. I have 2 questions:
Is this a good idea?
Can you suggest a good hotel?

John

Hi, Emma,
Laughlin is pretty different from LV - on the river, casinos with windows (!), somewhat lower stakes and slower than LV, enjoyable and worth a visit.
We've stayed at a couple of the hotels, not bad for the most part. See http://www.laughlinrooms.com/
Good luck!

judy

We went to Laughlin several years ago on a day trip (rental car). I didn't enjoy it very much and we haven't been back and don't plan to. On the other hand, some people really seem to enjoy it. When we were there, everyone talked about it being an RV haven, and there were lots of RV-ers. I wouldn't spend the night there and waste a day of my LV trip. Just my opinion...

Gina

Emma,
If you are used to Vegas, then Laughlin might be a bit of a let down, depending on what kind of atmosphere you like. As stated above, Laughlin has a much slower pace than LV. It is a very good place to stay if you have a boat, or watercraft to play around on the river, other than that, there is not much to do. We stayed at the Flamingo, and it was actually quite nice. The hotels are not attractions in and of themselves, as they are in Vegas. Some people say the food is beter in Laughlin, but I disagree. If you like slow, relaxing, and not much to do, then Laughlin would be a nice side trip. In December, however, it might be a little too cold to enjoy any outdoor activities, and that would make it even slower.

Steph

To decide where to stay in Laughlin, you might look into this site:

http://www.a2zlasvegas.com/hotels/rate-la.html

LVLarry

I have stayed over 200 nights at Laughlin over the past several years. Don't go there anymore. We had very good friends there which is one of the reasons for so many visits. We spent 90% of the time at the Flamingo Hilton and the rest at Harrah's. He was a manager at the Flamingo Hilton. They moved so we stopped going. BTW, if you do stay the night than stay at the Flamingo Hilton. It is by far the best hotel/casino in all aspects ( except for the diner, UGH ). Great location too.

We are regulars at Las Vegas and there is absolutely no comparison. Laughlin has very cheap accomodations. The casinos are OK but nothing too great. The river is nice. In my opinion, if you like Las Vegas than you will NOT like Laughlin. We find Laughlin very depressing especially when all of the snowbirds arrive in the winter. I would suggest that you take a free day trip down from Las Vegas. The Laughlin Flamingo Hilton sponsers some. There are absolutely no catches or obligations and you recieve a free buffet. Once in Laughlin, you are free to do as you wish. We went on one last October so we could collect our points at the Flamingo Hilton. It went directly to Laughlin via the shortest route. Avoid the ones that go by the dam and Arizona. Much longer trip. In any event this will be a very economical painless way to see Laughlin and decide if it warrants anymore attention. You can see what you need to in 5 hours. There are NO attractions at all other than the river. You can walk from the Flmaingo along the river walk and cover the whole area in a couple of hours.

JANICE

Emma,
We drove over for from the Grand Canyon for one night, stayed three instead. Yes, it's different from Vegas. We didn't mind. Food was good-Stayed at the Golden Nugget one night and Harrah's two nights. Both were nice. We will go back. Have a good trip.

Emily

My parents and my aunt and uncle (all in their mid-seventies) go to Laughlin quite a bit and enjoy it very much. But my mom always remarks, "It's really for the blue-haired set, dear."

Vicki

At the risk of offending, and I sure hope I don't, I am in my mid-40's and I felt like a child in Laughlin, as the crowd was much older than I. My husband and I much prefer Reno over LV or Laughlin, a more diversified crowd and quieter than the craziness of LV.