Flamingo Hotel - Share your Experience
 

I'm wanting to go to Las Vegas. I'm considering the Flamingo because it's on the center of the strip. I know it's an older hotel, but if anyone has been to Flamingo recently, would you mind sharing me your experience?

Otherwise, my 2nd choice is MGM Grand.

Thanks in advance,
Liz

We'll be staying at the Flamingo next weekend (1/21-1/23) and, although I've stayed there before it was years ago. We usually stay at Paris or Aladdin, etc so I'll let you know how it is when we return!

Just retruned from Vegas, we did not stay at The Flamingo, but we visited the casino. We walked around the grounds and played for a bit. It is an older property, but none of the original Flamingo is standing. It was demolished about 10 years ago and the "new" Flamingo was built. That being said, it was very hard to believe as it looks like they demolished a historicalsite hotel and built a tired looking one in tis place. The casino has low ceilings, which makes it noisy. Its dirty and cheezy.....remember the old fashioned pressed foil ashtrays??? they are alive and well at the Flamingo, along with worn chairs, formica and the like. I was surprised to learn that it ws rebuilt 10 or so years ago as it looks very 70's kitch...and not in a cool retro way either. I have not seen the rooms, so I cannot say. The pool areas were very pretty and well kept in a very gren lush area. It is not a pool like you would expect in the other hotels....more like an old Miami beach kinda pool.

IMHO, there are so many great deals in Vegas in other hotels mid strip that are cleaner and have better up keep. The Bellagio runs specials of $159.00 per night for a fountain view room. I do not know your budget, but you can shop around on the different hotels webistes or www.vegas.com. The Bellagio is usually the most expensive hotel per night on the strip, but you can get some great deals in other nicer hotels.
The MGM would be my choice between the 2. Make sure you sign up for your players club card ASAP - not only will you get comps during your stay but you will save more $$ on future stays.

I agree, the location of The Flamingo is ideal. And the outside grounds are truly lovely - worth a visit even if you arent' staying there. But it is a bit threadbare and worn and dated. MGM is crowded, noisy, tacky and full of kids. I avoid it like the plague. Consider instead Treasure Island, Luxor and perhaps The Aladin which all can fall in the same price range. TI also has a mid-strip location, whereas Luxor and Aladin are closer to the end where MGM is.

I stayed at the Flamingo in Nov and thought it was just fine. I did not spend much time in the casino and do not really remember the decor but I do remember thinking it was nicer than some of the others I visited. My room was clean, comfortable, spacious and had a great view. Nothing luxurious but for $79 a great bargain. Location was very convenient.

When I go to LV, I prefer to stay at the Flamingo specifically for it's location - and the room rates in comparison to its location.

The rooms are fine - or at least the ones I've stayed in the last couple times I was there. They did not seem dated and certainly were not worn.

The casino isn't as glizty as some of the others, and the ceilings are low in comparison to many. I didn't think it was dirty, though. I don't really spend a whole lot of time in any one casino, though - so it didn't really bother me.

IMO, for the price, I really like the Flamingo.

The Alladin is much nearer mid-strip than the Luxor or MGM Grand.

If one compares the Flamingo to hotels in normal cities, it is fine. If one compares it to glitzy new properties, it does not stand out as the winner.

We stayed there 2 years ago. Room had view of parking garage - but so do rooms in many other hotels. check-in (on a Saturday in the summer) was fast, room was clean, moderate to large sized. Pool was outstanding. Grounds nice, especially the birds (penguins and flamingos).

To poster who said hotel was only 10 years old - are you postive about that. This hotel used to be Flamingo Hilton and is no longer affiliated with Hilton. About 5-10 years ago Hilton began building a new Hilton property behind this hotel - it is a time share and rental arrrangement. I don't think Flamingo Hotel is only 10 years old.

I just stayed at the Flamingo last weekend. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I had a large room with a king bed, a couch and a sitting chair. The room service was quick every day and the room was made and cleaned well. The only thing I didn't like was that they put plastic cups in the bathroom and also we had champagne brought up and it was in a plastic ice bucket. Oh well!

The casino is great- dealers are nice and we did quite well in the house.

I also visited the spa and it was adequate- I'd go again if staying there but it doesn't compare to the Paris spa or Canyon Ranch.

Many restaurant choices including a new Margaritaville for those so inclined.

Perfect location with a walkway to both Ceasars and Bally's. Also you can charge to your room and use your players card at any of the Bally's, Paris, Ceasars, Hilton and I think one other. Very handy.

12 pools, very lush surroundings, waterfalls, swim up bars, etc.

Any other q's??

Lizette

Unless you are willing to up-grade alot. The Flamingo is perfect, you can't beat the location, It still holds the record for nicest outdoor pool area and such, It has a wonderful spa, walking distance to some fun outdoor cafe's, Jimmy Buffets right there. the list goes on & on. Unless you a big wheel gabbler, I'm sure the low ceilings won't bother you.............HA
Alot of fun people without all the la-de-da attitude stay here.

I can't make a comparison room-wise, but I am a fan of the MGM. Huge...yes. I've stayed in the least expensive room (Emerald Tower) and a MUCH more expensive suite, and no matter what, I liked it!!! Well, OK, I liked the more expensive suite better.

I find the old casinos with the low ceilings (Flamingo, Harrah's, TI, Marage, etc) too confining. UGH!!!! Bright lights and low ceilings. But that's just my opinion!

Have fun. No matter what you decide, LV can be a lot of fun!

stayed there last april. paid a bit extra ($119) to reserve a guaranteed strip view. the hotel was totally full and this was worth the extra $20 or so dollars. i was on the 21st floor and the view was awsome. if the hotel's not busy, you'd probably get a view room just by asking.
the room was vey large, comfortable bed, everything was clean except the bathroom ceiling. i called the maid service and they were there within 10 minutes to wash it down. i'd stay there again. there is a restaurant by the pool doors that serves excellant pizza.

I was there for a week this past year and my room was great. Large, comfortable and clean with a view of the Bellagio fountains. I also enjoyed an excellent meal at the Italian restaurant on site. The coffee shop was fine for breakfasts.

The Flamingo is defintely older than 10 years. I stayed there 9 years ago when it was still a Hilton, and it was at least several years old at that point.

At that time Hilton had people selling the time share vacation village in the back. You could not walk anywhere in the hotel without being approached, which is a major hassle if you're staying there. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I've never stayed there since then.

I wasn't disappointed with the hotel itself. The grounds are beautiful, loved the flamingos.

We usually stay at the MGM Grand, because we love the river

I stayed there last year and paid only $55 in May. I asked for a room with a view since it was my daughter's 21st birthday and they gave us a room on the 20th floor with a great view of the Bellagio fountains. However, when we entered the room, we discovered it hadn't been cleaned yet. The view was awesome and I called down to see if it could be cleaned right away and they said it would be two hours. We had tickets for "O" within two hours and I told them there was no way we could go to the show without showering and changing. So the desk clerk told me to go to another room, on the 28th floor, and someone would meet us there. It was some type of special floor and we had a larger room, with king bed and sofa and chair overlooking the Mirage volcano. It was bright and cheery and REALLY nice. We also loved the pools and their nightly 2 for 1 drink specials there. I would not hesitate to stay there again - and again!

I feel the same as the last poster. I had the same experience aproximately 6 years ago and never went back. All restaurants were so crowded that we literally never ate there in 4 days- not what I wanted or lines way too long.

I would try the Alladin next time, if it occurs, just for a change and I have hear nothing but good so far. If I am there only 1 night I will do Priceline. So many people here prefer central Strip. I don't at all. I don't find the walks/transport all that bad. Nothing compared to a day at San Diego's Zoo.

One thing about that central strip part that no one has mentioned. What strikes me about what is happening in Vegas is that they are making beautiful things with terrible placements. I was shocked to see the Eiffel Tower tower up against a Walgreens. I know tacky is tacky and it's all a spoof. But now that middle part density is a turn off for me. The huge scale is what make things so unique. I remember how Caesar's looked as a placement when it opened. It wowed you then.

Best views are from TI at the curve, and from Orleans , Rio and others off the Strip. You can see the entire Strip / mountains.

Someone posted before I did and I meant the same as the time share poster. They actually called the room once and I was approached twice in leaving and once in buying tickets for a show. They were selling the timeshares behind the pools at that time.

Hello lizette. We had 2 rooms at the Flamingo last October. Both rooms were on the 10th floor, faced the pool area, had king-size beds, and a small desk with chair. Our rate was only $59 and we were only staying one night. Since it was the end of a long road trip, we were not looking for luxury, only a place for the night. This certainly fit the bill.

However, I must say that if you are going to be there for a longer period, you may want to make note that:
a) the music blaring from the pool area did not stop until 11 pm, and we could hear it quite well even on the 10th floor. A call to reception was useless. I guess we were the only ones who actually went to bed before 11.
b) the price of the breakfast buffet (can't remember what it actually is) is way too high for what you get. The food quality was poor and they only had one side open, even though the place was packed. So trying to get fresh fried eggs took about 15 minutes to get through the line.
c) the pool area, though lush and tropical, feels IMHO quite chopped up: a small pool here, small pool there, etc. Plus there weren't enough chairs to sit on, even though it was supposedly low season.
d) get explicit directions to your room. The place is HUGE and it's very easy to get lost. We went up the wrong elevator, had a heck of a time figuring out where to go. I'm sure it was made worse because my elderly parents were exhausted and just wanted to rest, but it was still quite a maze of corridors.

The check-in line was really long and slow. But on the positive side, they have these little ATM-like machines for self-check-in. Just use your credit card and it checks you in automatically, even gives you a key. There was no line for this. And you can check out from the television, so that's very handy.

The location is great. Would I stay there again? Probably not. There are too many other choices for me to return to a place that was mediocre, even though the price was reasonable.

Happy travels!

I stayed in the Flamingo only once -- on my first trip to Las Vegas in 1986. We stayed in the main tower which is the one that is there today (19 years later) and it was not new when we stayed there. I'm not sure what the thing about 10 years old refers to.