Hotel

This thread is to be used to discuss hotel accommodations at Sahara.

I stayed three nights at the Sahara in September 2009.

When I got there, there were about 10 people ahead of me in line at the check-in counter, with only two people working. It took nearly half an hour to get checked in.

I go to my room, and in the hallway near the elevators, right smack in the middle of the hall, there is some sort of food item sitting on the carpet. It looked like a spoonful of mayo or dip or something.

OK. Things happen. No biggie. I mentioned it to a bell-hop. I did not expect him to clean it, but to pass the message along. That was around 3pm. It was still there the next morning at 7:30. When I returned that afternoon it was finally gone, but it make me wonder how often things get looked at, and how clean my room was.

I also went to the pool. Yeah, it has a tropical setting with all those palm trees, but because of them, as well as the walls surrounding the area, there wasn't much sun, and the pool water was freezing. I didn't really expect a heated pool, but you'd expect the water to at least be tolerable.

Additionally, there was a ton of leaves and grass clippings floating on top. To Sahara's credit, I mentioned it to another guest, and she said that it was windy that day. The prior day it was clean.

I stayed at the Sahara in May 2008.

I had no trouble at either check-in or check-out, however that has more to do with my travel style. I take the earliest possible flight coming in and the latest going back. So I checked in very early, around 9 am, when there's no line. I checked out early as well (I had seen long lines at 11 am and later), and placed my bags in storage. Getting them out at around 4 pm was quick.

I was given a room that was undergoing maintenance (two plumbers were replacing the toilet). The lady at the front desk changed me to another room and gave me a discount coupon for the buffet. I got a strip-view room, which was nice.

The room itself was clean and relatively spacious. The bathroom could use more illumination, but otherwise was fine. The TV's too small and old, but I don't watch much TV on vacation anyway. There's supposed to be internet access through the TV (with a wireless keyboard). I tried it but it only would display the hotel's internet log-in screen and some info on the hotel. Waste of time.

The casino feels cramped, but it's compact and you get through it quickly going to and from your room. The monorail station is not too far away, and there's hotel security personnel there at night (I must say I never felt unsafe anywhere in what I've seen of Vegas; but coming as I do from high-crime Mexico City that may not be saying much).

The location isn't that good, unless you are going to rely on the monorail for getting around. Overall I think the Deuce is better, along with a hotel closer to the center of the Strip. But there's nothing wrong with the Sahara.

The buffet is ok for the price and, at the time, you got a discount on dinner by showing your Sahara Club Card. You also get a free spin per day at one of two slots machines with the card. I won $10 in free play on my first spin, then nothing for the rest of my stay.

I just stayed at the Sahara on 11/17/09 and 11/18/09 during the G2E convention. All in all it's a low budget Hotel/Casino. It caters to an older, more nostalgic crowd and is pretty much out of the way of everything else.

The rooms were below average as compared to stip hotels. The look seemed dirty and my wife had a mini fit when she saw the wood headboard from an angle. Not a pleasent site. It's hard to complain too much when the rooms are free, but the Sahara and Circus Circus might be the two places that I would never pay for.

The food at the Cafe was decent. We had breakfast there twice and everything was fine. On par with a Denny's, but more expensive.

We played a few slots and I played some table games, but only to waste some time. If I was there for entertainment instead of work I'd just grab the tram and play somewhere else.

I'd give the Sahara 5 out of 10 stars.

Looks like 2 of the hotel towers are closing at least for the holidays:

http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/Sahara-closes-two-hotel-towers-due-to-low-demand-79308932.html

Hopefully the rest of the property does not follow. That part of the strip is already so empty with the Stardust and Frontier gone and their replacements mothballed.

I stayed at the Sahara a couple of times in 2004/2005, as well as in May of '09. My first stay was in an "upgraded" room in the Tunis tower overlooking the pool. It had been recently remodeled, was spacious and clean, and I had no complaints.

In my second stay I took run of the house, and ended up in a tiny room in the Tangiers tower looking out at the monorail walkway. It would not have surprised me if I had found brooms, mops and cases of toilet paper when I walked in. There could be no Julie Andrews "Sound of Music" moments in this room as your arms would have smashed into the walls.

My last stay was in the Tangiers tower, looking out the back of the hotel over the monorail walkway. As with the Wizards experience, even though this was an upgrade from the basic room it was pretty worn, but large. Unlike his comment:

Quote:

The mattress was so soft that I woke up at 2AM with my back in pain. I had to sleep on the floor the rest of the night, which fortunately there was ample space for.

my bed had the consistency of granite. Usually there is a foundation/boxspring and a mattress. There was just a single layer here, and I wonder if they just forgot the mattress portion.

Needless to say, there is a lot of variety in what you get here. If you are paying I'd suggest the modest upgrades are well worth the cost. (This is assuming that there is a choice. With the current tower closings the options may be more limited).

I play mostly VP and found the comps to be pretty good. I arrived in the evening and played mostly quarter and some .50 vp for 4-5 hours that night and then for a couple hours in the morning. I had earned enough to get the $6 "resort" fee taken off the bill, (see a host for that), breakfast at the Caravan Coffee House, and another $24 or so available. It didn't appear to me that it would be very difficult to earn a House of Lords dinner. With other promotions that were going on I earned an additional buffet comp, (which I couldn't use then, and with the buffet now closed I'll have to assume that promotion is no longer available). Since that stay I've been getting frequent free room and contest offers.

The hotel is somewhat isolated but the monorail makes access to other properties a lot easier. I was going to a major show at the convention center and unlike the stops to the south where it can be difficult to get on a train going north early in the morning, getting on at the Sahara is a breeze.

It certainly isn't for everyone, but if you are looking for inexpensive rooms, decent comps without excessive amounts of play, and don't mind using the monorail or your own car for transportation, it might just fit the bill.

I talked to a couple staying there tonight. They said that the buffet had not re-opened. Since they have closed Paco's, the Mexican restaurant, it sounds like the only dining options are extremely limited.

Caravan Cafe
Monday - Thursday: 7a.m. - 11p.m.
Friday - Sunday: 24 Hours

NASCAR Cafe:
Monday-Sunday: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

House of Lords steakhouse
Tuesday - Saturday: 5 p.m. - 11p.m.

It seems that they are in what one executive called Minimal Casino Mode where they've cut expenses to the bar bones.

Frankly with the new higher speed ACE bus rapid transit, I think that Fremont Street is preferable to northern strip (Stratosphere, Sahara, Palace Station, Circus Circus, and Riviera) for a budget vacation. Fremont street is about 20 minutes from Fashion Show Mall by bus now, and it is much easier to get to the outlet mall. With rooms at Golden Nugget starting at $39 you simply have more options downtown for less money.