Monte Carlo Resort & Casino Rating: 3.5 Pearls

The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

Drinking in the pool

The 3,002-room Monte Carlo occupies a middle ground on the Las Vegas Strip. It's not a high-concept extravaganza or luxury resort -- the building's neoclassical facade, reminiscent of the actual Monte Carlo's Place du Casino, is as close as it gets to having a "theme." Yet it's not a sketchy Strip dive either. For a reasonable price for a prime location, guests get a pleasant, though small, pool complex, the usual large casino, and a choice of eight restaurants, including a popular Strip-side Mexican eatery and a newly renovated steak house (and more dining options are opening in the fall).

The entertainment falls short of other Strip hotels -- little to speak of, other than Lance Burton, Master Magician. The real drawback, however, is the dated and drab rooms. The Monte Carlo has renovated its top floors and even rolled out a new boutique hotel, Hotel32, on the top floor. But many of the standard rooms are still badly in need of refreshing.

Travelers looking for a hotel that's roughly in the same price range, yet has a bigger pool, nicer rooms or more to do, should check out the Luxor, Paris, Flamingo, or Excalibur.

Guests can expect the standard amount of service for a mid-level hotel: 24-hour room service, valet parking, a concierge (until 10 p.m.). And, as with many large Strip hotels, lines can build at the front desk (with the wait, it took me 10 minutes to check in -- which is not bad for the Strip). Yet the staff at the Monte Carlo works hard to overcome the hotel's shortcomings with friendly service, delivered fast.

Special requests were answered quickly. I ordered toothpaste, and a hospitality staffer arrived in under 20 minutes with two toothbrushes and three squeeze pouches of Colgate. When I called the front desk to have fresh towels delivered, they arrived in less than 10 minutes. When the Internet connection didn't work, I dreaded calling for hotel tech support. Surprisingly, it was painless. I was connected to an IT guy who helped me through a few steps.

The staff at the spa was also impressive. While I was in the steam room, a spa attendant brought me two ice-cold wet towels, one for my neck and one for the top of my head, he explained. Then he instructed me to go for the sauna, hot tub, and dunk pool, in that order. While I was in the sauna, he brought in bottles of water. The only other place I've received similar spa service was at M Resort.

View on a Larger Map

The Monte Carlo is in the southern part of the Strip, the densely-packed, 3.5-mile-long stretch of hotel-casinos. New York, New York, home to the popular roller coaster, is directly to the south and Bellagio, with its famous, free fountain shows, is to the north. (But keep in mind that the Strip hotels are widely spaced, making for long walks.) The Showcase Mall is almost directly across the street.

Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the Strip. Cabs are easy to find at virtually any time of day or night. A generally less expensive option is the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and costs $3 to ride. There's also a monorail system, which stops at MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Hilton, and the Sahara. A single-ride ticket is $5; a one-day pass is $13. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, a cab is often the least expensive option.

Virtually every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is a 10- to 15-minute cab ride from McCarran International Airport; the ride typically costs about $15.

The Deluxe Room

The Monte Carlo has been renovating the rooms and suites on the upper floors, and guests can pay an extra $10 to $20 a night for those newer digs. Unless you're simply looking for a cheap crash pad, that upgrade could be worth it. The 400-square-foot standard room I stayed in, called a Deluxe room, is about as basic as rooms on the Strip come: dated and worn furniture, no minibar, an old tube TV that gets about 20 channels.

The pillow-top mattress on the king-size bed sagged toward the room's window, the comforter was pilly, and the sheets were not particularly soft. The bed had three pillows, all of which were pretty firm. The lamp shades were frayed and dented, and the desk chairs were stained.

The small bathroom lacked some of the amenities that other standard rooms in Strip hotels have, like a TV mounted above the sink or a separate shower and tub. The toiletries are the hotel's brand.

The rooms have wired Internet, no wireless, for $14.99 a day. (Some suites have Wi-Fi.) I had trouble logging on to the Internet and had to call for tech support.

The hotel offers three types of suites as well. Plus, the newly opened Hotel32 on the top floor has suites ranging from studios to two bedrooms, all outfitted with high-tech gadgets and luxe features.

The spa

• The pool area, though far smaller than the vast pool complexes at Strip hotels like Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand, is nonetheless pleasant. The three pools include a wave pool, a lazy river pool -- both great for kids -- and the lagoon pool. There's also a hot tub. A small number of cabanas with flat-screen TVs can be rented. Food and drinks are available at the adjoining pool bar.

A soundtrack of pop dance hits blasts as cocktail waitresses in bikinis circle constantly shouting "drinks! ... cocktails!" But it's not the hedonistic pool party of the Palms or the Hard Rock.

• The pool is open year-round, weather permitting

• The fitness center has the usual assortment of treadmills, elliptical machines, weight-training machines, free weights, and exercise balls, plus a few flat-screen TVs, juice and water, and plenty of fresh towels.

• Access to the fitness center is $19 a day. For $22 a day, guests can use spa facilities as well, including the lockers, steam room, sauna, hot tub, cold plunge pool, and a relaxation room with a TV, water, and fruit. The attentive spa attendant brought cold towels into the steam room and bottles of water into the sauna. The spa also offers a full range of treatments.

The casino

The large casino could easily be confused with almost any other casino on the Strip. It has a sports book betting area, blackjack tables, high-limit room, and, of course, slot machines. Vegas newbies may appreciate the hotel's free craps lessons every day at 11 a.m.

• Table games include blackjack, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud, Let It Ride, Crazy 4 Poker, Texas Hold 'Em, pai gow poker, big six, three-card poker, and baccarat.
• 1,600 slot and video-poker machines ranging from 1 cent to $100
• Poker room: Whether you're a beginner or a pro, tables are available at every ante.
• Race and sports book: horse racing, pro and college sports
• Players Club: can access complimentary or reduced rooms and free shows and dining. Details here: Players Club
• Casino hosts: Meet them here: casino hosts

With the option to connect rooms and the kid-friendly lazy river pool, the Monte Carlo is a decent choice for families in search of affordable accommodations on the Strip. Cribs and rollaways cost $20 a night, and the hotel staff can help arrange babysitting. The in-house food options include a food court with McDonald's, Sbarro's, and Subway. Sure, plenty of guests drink by the pool, but, judging by the number of children in the lazy river pool with their parents, the Monte Carlo manages to keep a family-friendly, or at least PG-13, vibe alive.

The hotel lacks, however, the kind of over-the-top attraction -- like the pirate ship at Treasure Island, the shark reef at Mandalay Bay, or the volcano at the Mirage -- that can elevate a Vegas hotel from family friendly to family fantastic.

Outside the upper-floor rooms that have recently been renovated, the Monte Carlo looks a bit worn out. But for the most part, the staff keeps it clean. My room was perfectly clean when I checked in. The pool staff was quick to pick up empty glasses and used towels.

As with most Las Vegas hotels, the elevators seem to be the dirtiest areas. With so much traffic, elevators get scuffed up or littered with trash.

A Mexican dish

The Monte Carlo has eight restaurants, and a food court with McDonald's, Sbarro's, Starbucks, and the like.

One of the few restaurants that opens right onto the Strip, Diablo's Cantina is popular among hotel guests and non-guests alike for its people-watching and reasonably priced Mexican food. Lines can be long.

The Buffet is pretty typical for a Vegas buffet -- a selection of Mexican, American, and Asian fare -- and, at $18.95 for dinner, on the reasonable side. One standout: the cheesesteak station, where a chef makes cheesesteaks to order.

Brand Steakhouse, which opens onto the casino floor, is part restaurant, part lounge, and the modern decor and seating areas lend it a cool feel. Andre's Restaurant is the most upscale restaurant at the hotel. Check out its website and many glowing customer reviews. Cafe serves sandwiches, soups, and salads 24 hours a day.