Got a good deal at the Rio

My travel plans change almost by the minute. I can spend weeks checking sources and making plans, only to find some unexpected good deal later.

This time I got two good deals:

6 nights at the Rio (May 9-15) for $300 + $36 tax (and no stinking resort fees!)
Round trip airfare Mexico City to Vegas for about $340 (last month the best stood at $640+)

I admit to having second thoughts about the Rio, as it is off Strip. I know there's a free shuttle to the Strip, but that ties you a bit to some else's schedule. Still, I just made a reservation and paid a refundable deposit. If I find a better deal prior to May 6 (there is a deadline for the deposit's refund), I may take it.

I like the Rio. I have stayed there my last two trips. I think it is the best place to stay with a car, because you can usually find surface parking very near to the entrance to the hotel. Your concerns about transportation are well-founded. I can't speak to the shuttle, but I can't say I saw it coming very frequently and there were often lineups at the the shuttle queue. Ironically, this trip I will be staying at the Palms which has probably the best parking layout of any casino near the strip, but won't have a car this time (hopefully...I'm trying to save $).
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If you walk out the BACK door of the Rio (by the Penn & Teller theater, in the convention section), through the back parking lot and out to Twain, you can duck under I-15 pretty easily and be right at the back entrances to Mirage and Caesars. This is not a bad walk at all. Most people don't realize how close it is as the crow flies to the strip.

I like the RIO. I just booked 5 days there for myself, May 23-28. I am taking the golf clubs this trip, first time playing golf in Vegas. I like the vibe in the casino. If you want to spend time out on the strip it is sort of inconvenient, but the Voodoo Bar and Steak Lounge offer some great views. The outdoor deck on top of the RIO is absolutely awesome (51st floor I believe).

My wife likes Paris, so we are headed there in Sept. Guess I should have invested in Southwest..... :(

I have stayed at the Rio many times. The shuttle service is extremely convenient. Worst case, it runs every half hour. You should not have any trepidation about it being off the strip. The rooms are large. The restaurants are pretty good, and don't seem as pricey as the strip hotels. The All American Bar & Grill is a good place for burgers, wings and beer. And I'm very enthusiastic about the cocktail waitress' uniforms! I'm a middle class suburban guy. Many of the strip hotels can be either too divey for me, or too pretentious. Rio is a good happy medium.

Quote: teddys

If you walk out the BACK door of the Rio (by the Penn & Teller theater, in the convention section), through the back parking lot and out to Twain, you can duck under I-15 pretty easily and be right at the back entrances to Mirage and Caesars. This is not a bad walk at all. Most people don't realize how close it is as the crow flies to the strip.

Thanks, I'll have to try this next time I'm there. I made the trek on foot once along Flamingo Ave., and its not something I'd want to do again.

Quote: PapaChubby

Thanks, I'll have to try this next time I'm there. I made the trek on foot once along Flamingo Ave., and its not something I'd want to do again.

My thanks, also. You can actually see the back entrance on Google Earth, then measure the distance.

In a straight line its about 600 meters. Following a more likely path, about 800.

I'm more concerned about my early rising habits, compounded by the 2 hour time difference. Some days in my first trip to Vegas I was up by 5:30 (ridiculous!) That's a long wait for the shuttle, which I think begins operations at 10, when most sane people begin to venture out.

I suppose there's also a bus stop nearby on Flamingo.

Between all three casinos Rio, Palms Casino , and Gold Coast I think there is plenty to do if you don't feel like walking or shuttling over to the strip. Ping Pang Pong wins a lot of awards for best Chinese Restaurant in Vegas (at Gold Coast).

From the far west side of Gold Coast (away from I15) go north for 3/4 mile and you will get to Chinatown.

Quote: Nareed

My thanks, also. You can actually see the back entrance on Google Earth, then measure the distance.

In a straight line its about 600 meters. Following a more likely path, about 800.

Hmmm.... Doesn't look like a bad walk at all.

Check it out. Unless I screwed up, we're talking about this yellow path. The green path is longer, and it's probably scarier with the traffic on Flamingo. Twain is just a trucker's access road.

Quote: Nareed

I'm more concerned about my early rising habits, compounded by the 2 hour time difference. Some days in my first trip to Vegas I was up by 5:30 (ridiculous!)

I have the same problem. I normally am in bed by 10:30, and wake up at 6:00. And NJ is a THREE hour difference. So I sleep on the plane, even if it's a daytime flight. Use a blindfold if necessary. It helps you stay up later that first night, and therefore wake up later the next morning.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Hmmm.... Doesn't look like a bad walk at all.

Check it out. Unless I screwed up, we're talking about this yellow path. The green path is longer, and it's probably scarier with the traffic on Flamingo. Twain is just a trucker's access road.

I assumed a similar path to your yellow, except I'm assuming the parking lot exit is a bit farther up Twain Ave. But then I'm used to diferent kinds of parking lots. But it's still only about 600 meters (just over half a kilometer), and easily done early in the morning

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I have the same problem. I normally am in bed by 10:30, and wake up at 6:00. And NJ is a THREE hour difference. So I sleep on the plane, even if it's a daytime flight. Use a blindfold if necessary. It helps you stay up later that first night, and therefore wake up later the next morning.

On my first trip to Vegas I would be dead tired by 9:30 and in bed not long after. I did better the seocnd time around, mostly by taking naps mid afternoon the first two days.

I do sleep on the plane, if possible the entire flight. This time, though, I'm flying out at 1:30 pm (Vegas time) and will be arriving around 5:30. If I can get 3 hours sleep on the plane, I should be ok. Oh, I don't use a blindfold, I take a window seat and draw the shade down. Usually that's enough. I also seat at the back for the engine noise, and wear foam earplugs.

Rick's Cabaret and Pussycat Lounge (all nude) are within walking distance.