I guess no one except me would chose the Pavillion rooms over the tower. I had that option as I had both the POV cabana coupon for $45 and the Pavillion ACG for $30. Maybe if I wanted a table for the computer.
Generally, I was content to save the money and I like the short walk outside to see the neon before I go to bed. I also like the ease of carrying in luggage from the car and parking right near the same elevator. Perhaps when I am coming on the bus again I'll change up. Certainly I'll use the POV sometime this year to see what the cabana rooms look like unless one of the other musketeers in my coupon group uses it.
I have stayed there often on my journeys to Vegas, usually to take advantage of the free shuttle back to the airport and always to see again the old downtown crowd at the live poker table.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday at the Golden Gate for $20 each booked directly on their web page.
GOLDEN GATE
I liked it. It is cozy and comfortable and still has a bathroom of old tile and faucets that reminds me of my youth. There is something to be said for that.
I arrived early and was very pleased with the manner in which I was greeted and treated. They had a room for me and there was no need to store my luggage.
I never like the parking here because it is valet only and I can't go to my car when I would like. But I was going to leave my car anyway and use the bus for travel until it was time to head out to the Boulder strip so I just left it.
I know the rooms are very small, but they are nicer than when I was here before the renovation. I was comfortable. The bathroom still looked like a bathroom from the 30's and I like that look. The walls were still too thin so that hall noise bled into my room as did the noise from the Freemont, but I did not expect to be in the room during those hours. I had forgotten to ask for quiet. If I were training the maids, I'd train them in using quieter voices. The shouting was unnecessary for communication and it woke me
Part of the renovation was a better television than I remember and a long cylinder pillow for propping in bed for reading. Also the clock was equipped with an ipod player. The electrical was better wired as well. What I missed was the removed table and chair as I brought my computer, so I took out a shelf from one of the cabinets and set that on the bed. A laptop set on top of a bed may over heat the computer.
I moved a large comfortable chair out for access to my new bed table and one of the legs slipped off. It was a poorly made chair.
I did not ask for it to be fixed, but just propped it up and left it.
I made the mistake of telling the cleaning person in the hallway that I would not require service the next day instead of calling. I was napping in the afternoon when they woke me up by a phone call to ask if I wanted service. The woman apologized. It is what they do if you don't make that perfectly clear, even if the do not disturb sign is on the door.
They don't have a green approach to towels. I did not need or order new towels, but they were put in a plastic bag and attached to my door knob. The second day I requested no towels.
So there were some minor annoyances, but overall I like this little place. I love coming off the elevator and going back in time a hundred years. I also loved the twenty a night weekend price I got right off their site. While I checked in some young couple came in looking for a room and were told that the hotel was totally booked.
The new easy chair for reading replaces the small table and chair in the older rooms.
I moved it and created a makeshift desk.
The bathroom was pretty much the same. I like these old faucets as they revive old memories
Old fashioned full power shower heads deliver some force of water. I am not sure in this age of green concerns that this is an advantage.
Radio complete with ipod player
The new look in lighting decor is more fifties than thirties.
hallway mirror for self portrait
The Golden Gate still gives a nice stationery
And thankfully, much of the beauty of wood grain is still in the remodeled roomsHere is a SEpt 2009 review of the Golden Gate and the area
I stayed at the Golden Gate 3 weeks ago. It was my first time staying downtown. I thought it was a great deal (I also paid $19.06). The rooms are clean and like everyone said, a bit on the small side. The beds are great, you get a nice LCD TV, a coffee maker, ice & vending machines on each floor, and you get Neutrogena toiletries. I would gladly take this room over the room we got at Hooters. You get this weird key/key card thing to open your door. You get the feeling that the room won't be that nice because the hallways are pretty plain and the doors are really small (I guess people were smaller when the hotel was built), but once you get into your room I think you'll be pleased. Oh, there's free WiFi. Actually there's a ton of it since the place is so small I also detected the signals from Golden Nugget, Vegas Club, and Plaza in addition to Golden Gate's own WiFi. You could also get the pay per use one from the gift shop next door if you really wanted. The staff is friendly. There are old photos everywhere. If you see one you like, you can order a print at the front desk.
I guess the cons are that because it is so small they need you to check out on time since they need to get your room ready for the next guests. Check out is at noon and I dawdled a little and had a knock at my door at 12:15. The incidental charges hold they put on my credit card was a little high. $149 for 2 nights even though I was only paying $19.06 a night. There's no room service or charging to the room so I guess the only way I could have used that was to make a bunch of phone calls or steal something.
Our rooms were second floor, facing the Fremont Street Experience. If you close the curtains the noise isn't as bad as you would imagine. On the other hand, if you want to watch the show, the windows do open. With the curtains closed, I could not hear the show over the TV or with music playing on my laptop. The only time I really got annoyed was one night when they decided to do sound checks at midnight (they were prepping the Christmas show). I guess you could ask for a room facing away from Fremont Street if you plan to sleep early.
I couldn't hit much on the newer video slots, but the older $1 reel slots were pretty good to me. There didn't seem to be much VP selection so I didn't really play as much VP as I usually do. They have an electronic sports betting machine hiding in the corner. The slot club was pretty good. I joined awhile ago to get the shrimp cocktail discount, but did not really put any points on it until this trip. There's not much they can comp since they just have the deli and the diner. You can redeem your points for freeplay, food, or some neat Golden Gate trinkets. A free shrimp cocktail coupon is really easy to get. I'm not sure how you get their funbook, they just gave me one, but it is very good if you can get it.
Being near the Vegas Club and Plaza is also cool. I was impressed by the changes I saw at both places. Vegas Club had some of the newer slots that I wanted to play (Golden Gate's selection is limited by their small size, but the small size also meant much better cocktail service). I'd gladly stay at Golden Gate again, but from what I've heard they don't really mail out too many offers since they're so small. If Vegas Club or Plaza give me a good deal, I might give them a shot. I had a lot of fun at both places.
As far as food goes, Bay City Diner is one of my favorite diners and they have awesome dinner specials, but I was a little disappointed by their breakfast menu. It was much more limited than I remembered in the past. Shrimp Bar and Deli is always good for something quick to eat. Don't worry if you see a long line, they move people through real fast and probably half the people are just going to get a shrimp cocktail anyways. You can also get soup, chili, hot dogs, salads, and sandwiches. The sandwiches are surprisingly good.
Vegas Club and Plaza both recently opened new restaurants. Tinoco's Kitchen moved to Vegas Club from their old location. They have a full service restaurant and a take out counter. It has pretty good reviews on Yelp and was on my to do list, but I didn't get a chance this trip. Firefly opened at the Plaza. It is worth going to for a drink and to check out the view. The sangria is awesome. However, it is expensive if you have a healthy appetite (two sliders cost $7.5). I was willing to give it a shot due to the good reviews of its other location and because I do like tapas, but I was disappointed that the menu did not have a lot of traditional Spanish tapas items. Not only did the menu has egg rolls and mac and cheese, but the way many of the items were served in a manner not conducive to sharing.
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