Las Vegas' Monte Carlo

I've been to Vegas numerous times and Monte Carlo would not be my first choice of hotels. In fact, TravelMan stayed there for his bachelor party 16 years ago, so unless there had been a major reno, I wouldn't have given it the time of day. However, I was invited on a trip. And the lodging had already been arranged, so Monte Carlo it was.

The line for check-in was quite long and didn't seem to move quickly. The rooms are what I refer to as basic rooms...one king bed, a desk, and a bathroom area. The bathroom what was most aging about the room; although, the carpet in the room needed to be replaced. The bathroom needed a major update. Plus, the water pressure was not good for oh, “me of thick hair.” Parts of the bathroom felt very dirty, which I'm assuming were mold. Things like the light fixture being cracked and not repaired shouts to me, "We don't give TLC to our hotel rooms."  

Sink area in bathroom

Broken light in bathroom

However, the bed was comfortable and the room was reasonably quiet.

The pool was always very crowded. It was difficult to find a chair but we managed. It was difficult to get food and beverage service at the pool.  Additionally, you had to move your location a lot if you were hoping for sun.  This pool gets a lot of shade throughout the day.

View from my room -- it was considered a pool view.  As you can see a ton of shade at the pool.  This was around 8:30am...so the sun will move, but then the tall buildings on the other side quickly cause shade as the sun moves.

The hotel is certainly not a luxurious experience; yet, the location is somewhat good for the strip. If you can get a room for an affordable rate, then don't turn it away just based on it needed a renovation. Yet, be aware you are booking an average room that needs updating. As a little travel tip when booking, Monte Carlo is associated with the Hyatt. So if you have free rooms on your Hyatt account or points you want to spend, this is another reason to consider Monte Carlo.

The company I had with me on the trip made up for any deficiencies of the hotel.  We had a great trip.

TravelLady Rating: The Monte Carlo would not be my first choice of hotels in Las Vegas.  Yet, if the room were free or extremely discounted, I wouldn't say no.  Yet, I would know what to expect.

Embassy Suites - Deerfield Beach

Our family of four stayed at the Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach for New Year's Eve 2015. We had an ocean front room with a wrap around balcony (suite 404).

View from our room

This room could use some updating for sure. However, for us, it was nice to have a suite set up with two bathrooms, a king size bed in one room, and a pull out queen bed in the other. The view of the water was just beautiful.

For the facilities, I used the fitness center one morning. It is small; the equipment could be updated. Yet, the equipment I used was all in working condition. We enjoyed the pool. The bar had good service, and the towel supply was always in stock. If you follow my blog, then you know I believe that hotels should offer free internet. Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach does not. However, if you are a Hilton rewards member, then internet is included. We are not Hilton Reward members but had an easy fix. We went to the front desk, signed up, and had free internet within minutes for the duration of our stay.

The hotel was busy while we were there between it being New Year's Eve as well as the Orange Bowl for the college play-offs.  The staff didn't seem rattled by the crowd; they were pleasant and ready to help when needed. The breakfast buffet was crazy busy both days we were there, and the food was blah. We never attended the evening receptions that Embassy hosts. 

The beach is just outside the gate of the pool. It was easy to access. As someone who grew up in Florida, I am not a fan of “manmade/man-placed rocks” on the beach. I didn't ask, but they are probably there to help stop erosion. Beach chairs could be rented for $12/each per day. This is overpriced; bring your own chairs if possible. Something else that was overpriced was the parking. Consider this when booking.

TravelLady Rating: The location is great. If you are traveling with your family and want space in the hotel room, book a balcony, ocean-front room. Also, I used hotels.com when booking this room two days prior to arrival and got decent pricing.