Rating: damn decent- -.
I booked at the Suncoast primarily because I had two days extra on this trip without a room, on the same day that an offer arrived by email. I had a good experience last year at the Orleans, another Boyd property, so I gave this one a shot sight unseen.
My first impression when I got here: this is likely the best room value to be found anywhere in North America. My deal works out to $25 a night, and for that my room is quite likely larger than my first studio apartment was in DC. There are two separate seating areas, one with a couch, and one with a dinette table; king bed, plasma flatscreen TV, and a bathroom with a walk-in closet-sized anteroom for the sinks. The icing on the cake is the floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the golf course and the mountains.
The disadvantage is that the Suncoast is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There’s a shuttle to the strip, but it runs infrequently during the day. Plenty to do here, though, and close by a residential neighborhood, so this would be a good place for visitors with a car looking to do some shopping and eating in regular venues. I don’t fall into that category, but for me the location is balanced by the short cab ride ($13) to the gorgeous Red Rock Casino, where the poker room is hopping and the eye candy is plentiful. As the Red Rock doesn’t offer a poker rate on its rooms, I’d definitely consider staying here if I wanted to do my gambling there.
Not that the Suncoast is a slouch in the casino department; the poker room is large, and offers high-hand jackpots. I’m looking forward to getting back into the 4-8 half kill later this evening, after I catch a movie downstairs. Like the Gold Coast, 100% video poker machines are on offer if you know where to look.
Point lost: the downside of my hotel room is a bizarre hospital disinfectant odor. Not strong enough to get me to change the room, but then again, I’m a smoker and I have no sense of smell. People with normal senses might have hated this room. I don’t know if I’m more bugged by the odor, or by wondering what the hell happened here that required it.
Point lost: when going to the buffet on your 38th birthday, the last thing you want to hear is the cashier asking if you’re eligible for the 50-and-over discount. I know I’m a bit dissipated after a week in Vegas, but sheesh.
Addendum: if I were writing this review today (upon checkout) rather than two days ago, I’d drop the rating a full letter grade to Perfectly Cromulent. The reason: that 4-8 half-kill game that I spotted the day I got here didn’t spread again until an hour before I left, which led to long periods of wandering around the casino deciding what to do. The 2-4 half kill ran pretty much 24-7, but a game that goes to high stakes at 3-6 just doesn’t do it for me. Needless to say, this put the cherry on the “you’re staying a long way from anywhere” sundae that didn’t bug me at first.
Naturally, the 4-8 that fired up immediately before I had to leave was damn near perfect: mostly loose passive, two tight-aggressive players who allowed me to dial in their play in five minutes, and just as I left, my favorite maniac from Sunday who makes every pot go to 100 chips or higher. Somehow, this happens every time I leave Vegas.