Tropicana
3810 Las Vegas Boulevard South ,
At E Tropicana Ave,
Las Vegas
NV 89190
(739 2222)
www.tropicanalv.com
Location The "Trop" is located on the South Strip surprisingly enough at the junction with Tropicana Avenue; this junction is the busiest in Las Vegas and indeed the whole of the United States. There are bridges to MGM Grand and Excalibur so you can see it is really happening here. Being at the far south end of the Strip transfers from the airport are very quick.
Theme The Tropicana has the theme of a South Sea Island this theme is eminent around the fantastic pool but is not noticeable in the casino but raises its head again in the bedroom.
Attractions There is a small amusement arcade by the entrance to the swimming pool. The Tropicana used to house the "Casino Legends Hall of Fame" this was brilliant and it’s a travesty that it has been shut down. There is apparently a wildlife walk well we never saw it so it must be small. You get free magic shows and shows by the “birdman” outside the Trop. Inside the have the Titanic exhibition and BODIES the exhibition, displaying bodies made up from well erm dead people, there are admission charges for both of these.
Pool The pool is amazing a lagoon with little beaches, mountains, waterfalls and in the summer swim up blackjack. In season every Saturday night there is a Miss Hawaiian Tropic competition.
Shows and Entertainment Tropicana is home to the Folies Bergere based on the French music hall of the same name. This is a sexy but fun cabaret (late show topless) with a variety of acts, originally all the dancers came from France but now the Americans have learnt how to dance so use home grown talent. Dirk Arthur a magician performs his cunning tricks here and is now the only act on the Strip to use living big cats. There is also a comedy show and lounge.
Dining Our breakfast we had consisted of a couple of latte's e which was not bad and a doughnut the quality of the coffee was however surpassed buy the 20 minutes I had to queue to get it. There is no food court as such. We once had the misfortune of eating at the Tropicana buffet, B:$10.99, L:$11.99, D:$15.50 ad Champagne Sunday Brunch $16.25. This is by far the worst buffet I have eaten at anywhere the choice was small and the food had been kept warm for far too long. There was a 241 special on drinks we all drank soda’s (which were free) and still got brought two each time by a crazy waiter that took personal offence to you moving your glass, even to drink from! The Trop has an Italian, a deli , a 24 hour coffee shop and a lobster and steak restaurant after my experience of the buffet I will not be testing any of these
Gaming Cramped, noisy and smoky are the words best used to describe this casino to be fair though there are a great variety of machines and hundreds of nickel ones for cheapskates and low rollers like me. There are about a 45 or so cramped tables. Tropicana advertise having a $5 Blackjack table open all day every day its often only one and very busy $10 is more realistic minimum limit. The roof above the tables is glass looks old and is probably the most attractive feature of this casino. I had a craps lesson here that was both fun and informative, I must add that I did not nor feel that I was expected to bet even $1 of my money on their craps tables after my lesson and indeed I did not. They also have some deal where you pay $20 and get $40 worth of play on "special" machines if you don't win a jackpot they give you a "valuable" gift steer clear the machines are not as loose as normal machines and the gift is not worth $20.
Drinks service The Depends on the time of day there seemed to be a real shortage of cocktail waitresses in the day and early evening but after midnight they seem to be serving you non stop .
Overall This is the Strip's little secret; cheap rooms in the center of the strip. The Casino is loud and cramped; the rooms are large but tired. No complaints, as over all you are paying the same as you would at a Motel 6 but getting a full service resort in the heart of the Strip. Stay there whilst you still can as it may well be one of the next great casino's to be turned to a pile of dust.
Good points Great pool, good location and cheap
Bad points The rooms are miles from the check in desk and the casino is between you and the lifts. The Garden rooms are terrible and the casino very smoky.
Top Tips Even if you don’t join them elsewhere join the players club here you get all sorts of freebies that we take home as gifts. At the entrance to the casino by the MGM footbridge there is a big free slot machine you can have a go once a day and win prizes like packs of cards and free show tickets.
