Westin Casuarina Vegas

Room Quality:

Westin Casuarina Las Vegas makes a big stink (just not literally, unlike the big stink we make) about their "Heavenly Bed" and "heavenly this and that".   Well, the bed's nice, the sheets are nice enough that we sleep on the floor rather than muss 'em up.  The rooms are packed with upscale furnishings, including a flat-screen TV, mini-bar, in-room coffee maker, a nice desk, a couple of chairs, high-speed Internet for an additional fee and a hairdryer.  The bathrooms are a bit disappointing in size, but they have fancy shower-heads.  Heck, the rooms are sort of small, too.  Let's face it, this is an old Vegas hotel re-skinned and renamed a Westin.  If they were starting from scratch they'd have chosen a better infrastructure.  This hotel is completely non-smoking.  So steer clear if you like to puff away in your room.  You can still smoke in the casino, but not in any restaurants, lobbies or rooms.

Service Quality:

Very good. The Westin Casuarina Convention Center Hotel is an upscale business hotel, so it's got that old Desert Inn feel, where you can ask for things and they'll be taken care of.  For a price.  The swank lobby is a great place for a nap.

What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom:

Jackpot! Hydrating cream (don't drink it!), shampoo and separate conditioner, the grand prize of amenities the sewing kit, plus a swanky "vanity kit" full of cotton balls and Q-tips.  You should have seen us fighting over that.  There is a shoe shine mitt and very nice towels, although I think you're supposed to leave those.  At least, that's what the letter they sent said.

Clientele:

What clientele there is at Westin Casuarina Hotel and Casino Vegas, is generally middle-aged, quiet and dressed in business clothes.  They certainly dress nicer than we do.

How's the Pool?

Small with a hot-tub out on the second floor roof.  There are very nice furnishings, though.

Resort Fee:

$19.95 per night.  You get self-parking, access to the steam-room and sauna, pool access, fitness center access, boarding pass printing, incoming faxes, public notary, local calls and two bottles of water.

Is it Worth It?

If you're looking to avoid the Vegas life-style at all cost, then yeah, but if you actually want to have fun, try Planet Hollywood..

Table Games:

The usual suspects are lined up in this tiny, largely unused casino: blackjack, standard craps with lousy 2x odds, pricey roulette, Pai Gow and Three Card Poker.  Playing here is frequently a very solitary experience and is only possible from evening to bedtime.  Don't look for a game after breakfast at the Westin Casuarina Hotel and Casino Vegas.

Bet Minimums:

Most tables are $5 during the slow times (which appears to be always), craps can be $3.  We're not sure how long this will last, but last we played, the Westin Casuarina Vegas Hotel and Casino offered a weekday gambling "happy hour," (Mon-Thu 5-8 p.m.) during which you can play $3 craps and 25-cent roulette.

Machines:

They have a small selection of slots and a lousy choice in short-pay video poker. The place does not appear to be giving away the store in jackpots.

Cocktails?

Good cocktail service, let's give them credit for that.  Bad news is the place is too swanky to inspire you to become a drunken, slobbering lout.

Who Gets Comps?

The Westin Casuarina Hotel and Casino Vegas does have a slot club and it's not all that generous.  We'd know more but we can't stand the thought of actually playing in this snoozer casino long enough to find out.

Number of TVs:

Four TVs.  Well, that's what our scout reports, but our scouts are usually pretty blotto, so maybe they just had two and he had double-vision.

Number of Seats:

There are no seats so we recommend you sit on the floor.  This is not only more comfortable than standing, it serves as a silent protest against the anti-seating movement.

Number of Betting Windows:

Two, plus a self-serve kiosk.  As unfriendly loners, we enjoy those and  have had many spirited arguments with them.  There are eight screens displaying the odds.

Free Drinks?

There are free cocktails, but our scout was unable to get any details from the staff as to when you get them.

Snack Bar?

There's a Starbucks on the other side of the casino, and from our experience, a Starbucks across a casino is usually farther than the nearest one outside.

Other Notes:

This is yet another lonely Leroy's outpost intended not for enjoying sports, but simply for betting on them before you get the heck out of your boring hotel to go someplace more interesting.

Westin Casuarina Las Vegas Guest Rooms