The South Point

The South Point has gone through some changes recently. For one thing, Michael Gaughin traded in his cushy desk job at Coast Casinos, and a buttload of stock, for the hotel: lock, stock, and barrel. He has said he realizes not enough was done with the hotel to make it as great as it could be, and seems to have big plans for the place.

The exterior paint on the South Point is pretty horrible. It's about the color of a school bus, only bigger and without the lever-activated door. Once you get inside, however, the color scheme becomes much more pleasant. Yellows and off-white's predominate, and The South Coast has hung a lot more lights then other casinos I've seen. The overall effect is very cheerful and bright and happy looking, very unlike other darker, more depressing casinos I've been in in my trips to Vegas. This is especially true in the hotel hallways, where the added lights help prevent the hall from looking like a scene from a Friday The 13th movie. Also, I've heard news recently that Gaughin is planning to repaint the exterior.

The service was good all around. The staff don't have the stuffy stiffness of a Venetian or Bellagio, but everyone makes you feel welcome, nobody made you feel like they didn't care. Of particular note is the Valet staff, who at one point almost got my car out of the garage before I reached the waiting area. The Bell Desk also treated me unusually well. One of the "hops" spent a good 10 minutes calling limo service after limo service for me when I ran into a bit of planning difficulties.

Also of note are the cocktail waitresses. Suffice it to say the poor ladies must be very cold in those tiny outfits, but they still manage to keep carrying drinks around, and they do it at a decent rate as well.

Casino minimum bets are lower then you'll find on The Strip, $1 roulette and $5 blackjack abounded mid-day on a saturday. Dealers were plenty friendly, and didn't throw things at me when it became clear I wasn't as much of a roulette expert as I thought. I should also mention that The South Point seems to be one of the hotels that hires new, inexperienced dealers. I've never seen so many dropped cards, mis-payed hands, or other mistakes as I have here. In one sitting I saw a dealer both take someone's money on a hand they won, and then later on give someone $100 too much when they colored up $150 in $10 chips. Needless to say, watch carefully, and know when to keep your trap shut.

The rooms are larger then average, with pillow-top beds and marble bathrooms with the toilet and tub in a separate room. The 42" flat panel TV on the wall doesn't hurt, although the channels still suck, and aren't worth the TV. Like The Orleans, South Point has about 12 channels showing horse racing. The TV has a video input on the side, so you can hook up your laptop or your GameStation 5 or whatever the heck kids are doing these days.

The buffet was adequate, if you use the 2-for-1 coupon you get when you check in it becomes a downright good deal. The tables had plenty of space around them, you never felt like you were on top of the next group eating. The 24 hour cafe has a large asian menu, and the food and service are both quite good. Of particular note is The Big Sur Oyster Bar, you should eat there. The Silverado Steakhouse is pretty good as well.

Entertainment options include a Movie Theater and a Bowling Alley. The bowling alley is 24 hours, and was nice enough, but the pins beat me pretty handily. I didn't visit the movie theater, but the popcorn sure smelled good.

Thursday through Sunday The South Point throws a Dueling Pianos show. This isn't as big a production, and isn't quite as musically impressive as the Dueling Pianos in NYNY, but it's still a good show that's well worth the time it takes to see. It's not often you get to see someone play "Baby Got Back" on a piano.

The room service has improved somewhat, and the asian food selection is actually pretty decent, but I've had some very bad breakfasts room-serviced at this hotel in the past, so I'm still a bit gun-shy in the morning. Prices are not bad, service is decently quick.

The hotel's location means the only views are going to be of the sunrise or sunset over the mountains. You won't be able to see The Strip without a pair of binoculars, although I must admit the sunset over Red Rock is really quite beautiful.

The South Point is my hotel of choice. If I'm not living it up at some uber-expensive place like The Bellagio, I'm loving life south of the strip.