Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Off the Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

VooDoo Lounge

With its sensual Brazilian theme, the 2,526-suite Rio is home to lingerie-clad cocktail waitresses and the "Show in the Sky," with Victoria's Secret-clad dancers writhing around on suspended Carnival floats. While parents do book here -- young kids can be found splashing around in the waterfall pool -- vacationing couples and conventioneers are far more prevalent.

Rio doesn't have MGM's lions or Paris' Eiffel Tower, but plenty of Strip traffic comes over to the two shimmering purple-and-red glass towers for the popular Village Seafood buffet. Fortunately, traffic goes both ways -- a free shuttle to the Strip ensures that guests at this off-the-Strip hotel aren't isolated from the action.

Rio welcomes the annual World Series of Poker, but the hotel has seen some unfortunate closings of late. The Lucky Strike bowling alley has shut down, and after prostitution arrests, the strip club-sponsored topless pool was shuttered. And Prince ended his club show recently.

View on a Larger Map

On the corner of West Flamingo Road and Valley View Boulevard, Rio is about a mile west of the Strip, the densely packed three-and-a-half-mile-long stretch of hotel-casinos. Guests often head across Valley View to Gold Coast for its lower-stakes casino and authentic dim sum restaurant. Catty-corner to the Rio, the party-hearty Palms attracts visitors with its celeb-frequented clubs and casino. Otherwise, the area directly outside Rio can feel isolated. Few people are on the streets (most come and go via cabs or cars), nor is the area very well lit.

To get to the Strip, guests can take the free Harrah's shuttle, which leaves every half hour from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. and stops at the Rio, Harrah's, Paris/Bally's, and Caesars.

The Rio is about a $16 to $25 cab ride from the airport.

The Standard Suite

What you'll find at the Rio are no-frills suites ideal for cramming in friends or family (the limit is five people per room) for relatively cheap rates (a little more than Bally's, but usually less than Paris and Caesars). Therein lies Rio's appeal. Huge, 600-square-foot suites, but the dated decor in the Masquerade Tower isn't as contemporary as in the newer section Ipanema Towers, which has neutral tones and dark wood furnishings.

• All rooms are suites, so all have seating areas
• Beds are Serta Perfect Sleeper
• 32-inch flat-screen TV with pay-per-view
• Stocked minibar
• Two-sink, two-room bathroom with Gilchrist & Soames toiletries
• Wi-Fi, for a fee
• Rooms have either Strip or mountain views

The gym

• Voodoo Beach is a small ring of sand attached to the largest pool, which attracts most of Rio's kiddie contingent. Young and middle-aged couples swarm around the three main pools for a lively pool scene.
• Gigantic 160,000-square-foot convention center -- and consequently a big business center catering to that crowd.
• The fitness center has windows that let in light and afford a view of the pools. There is an additonal fee to access the spa and fitness center (typical of Las Vegas).
• Spa offers the full gamut of services (massage, body treatment, waxing, etc.).
• The two-floor Masquerade Village is more a space for Rio's a la carte restaurants than a real shopping mecca.
• The World Series of Poker store and Chippendales store, proffering much in the way of campy bachelorette-party mementos, are the two main shops of note.

At more than 100,000 square feet, Rio's substantial casino offers around 1,200 slot and video poker machines, 80 table games, a keno lounge, and a stylish race and sports book with six big screens, a dozen 70-inch TVs and more than 20 32-inch TVs. Rio is also home to the annual World Series of Poker and hosts a daily no-limit Texas Hold-'em tournament in its poker room.

Chippendales billboard

• Masquerade Village is home to the free "Show in the Sky." Dancers clad in Victoria's Secret lingerie and slinky Bebe garb swing through the sky on Brazilian Carnival floats suspended from the casino's ceiling.
• The VooDoo Lounge features local bands and DJ night andpatio view of all of Vegas
• Penn and Teller perform several nights a week at Rio's Penn and Teller Theater.
• Chippendales also has its own theater here -- the 12 dancers perform 7 nights a week. The Chippendales bar, Flirt, stays open afterwards for post-show cocktails.

Buffet dessert section

One look at the casino cocktail waitresses -- clad in nothing but a butt-grazing lace negligee held together by the grace of God -- and the message seems clear: This ain't a family resort. But the occasional family does book here, likely for the spacious suites.

The Rio will allow up to five people to crash in even the standard 600-square-foot suite, which is available with two queen-size beds. The couch doesn't pull out into a bed, but rollaways can be rented for a nightly fee, and cribs are free.

Parents will find a couple of great kid-friendly restaurants here, from the burgers at the All American Grille to the Carnival World Buffet with its mac and cheese, pizza -- and 70 types of pies.

Snow crab legs

• Village Seafood Buffet is a popular 24-hour, all-seafood buffet
• Martorano's serves Italian for dinner
• VooDoo Steakhouse serves Cajun and steak
• Búzios Seafood Restaurant serves New England-style seafood and overlooks VooDoo Beach
• KJ Dium Sum and Seafood serves casual Chinese
• Wine Cellar Tasting Room offers more than 100 wines by the glass (and chocolate!)
• All-American Bar and Grille serves casual American
• São Paulo Café has a variety cafe menu and is open for breakfast
• Carnival Buffet World is a large, eclectic buffet
• There are several quickbite options available on-site, incudling a Burger King Whopper Bar and a Starbucks