The Flamingo Casino Resort in Las Vegas

Need an affordable but still fabulous for your stay in Las Vegas? The Flamingo may be the answer. The Flamingo is a Hilton property located in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip. While some may say this older property is outdated and not as fancy as the other casino resorts on the strip, it is still a great place to stay.

The Flamingo's location really cannot be beat. It is in the middle of the strip, and many attractions are a short walk away. The resort itself as many restaurants and bars, but it is also right next door to two additional casinos (both are also owned by the Flamingo) with additional dining options. Bill's Gambling Hall has 24 hour restaurant and has 99 cent margaritas. O'Shea's has a food court with a Subway, a pizza place, pasta place and a Burger King.

The grounds of the resort are beautiful. There is a wildlife preserve filled with many interesting and unique animals, including flamingos of course. The pool is a wonderful place to hang out during the day. It does get crowded , so if you want chairs you better get their early. If the crowds and kids are not your thing, you can always opt for the "European Style pool." You need to be 21 or older to get in and there is a $10 charge for men. Women get in free. Drinks are cheaper at this pool, so the $10 fee (for guys) can usually be made up in drink savings.

The rooms are excellent. We had a standard room for our stay, but some of our friends had the deluxe rooms and they had no complaints about those either. Some of my roommates thought the water in the shower wasn't warm enough, but I didn't have a problem. The room was plenty big (although cramped quarters for four girls who didn't exactly pack light). We had a great view of the strip (Paris and the Bellagio) from our room. My only complaint was the housekeeping staff. On our second day we left the room early to sightsee. We put the "please make up our room early" sign out. When we returned to the room to get ready to go to the pool, the room was still not clean. However, we saw the housekeeping carts in the hall and figured we were next. An hour or so later I discovered the room was still a mess and the housekeeping carts were gone. I called housekeeping, and the woman told me that they had until 5:30 to clean all the rooms. I explained to her that the carts had been on our floor, but were now gone. Plus we had the please clean us early sign in plain sight. I left again to do more sight seeing, and when I returned and hour and a half later, the room was finally done. We did not have an issue with it for the rest of our stay, but it was a concern.

Price wise, The Flamingo was perfect. My advice is to book directly through the hotel and book as far in advance as you can. Prices jumped dramatically shortly after I booked our room, so you need to plan ahead! You can try to find better deals on the online travel sites. You may have some success, but the hotel does have some pretty decent specials. Plus reservations made through the hotel are refundable.