# HGVC on the Strip



## Linda (Jul 15, 2012)

Hello,
We are staying here the end of the month, # 6300.
Is it true this is at the end of the strip?
Getting a rental car is the best option for transportation?
What are you thoughts on this timeshare? There were not any up to date reviews and just wondering if anyone has stayed here recently?
Thanks so much.


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## VacationForever (Jul 15, 2012)

I was just there in June. This is on the very far end of the strip.  You will need a rental car.  I normally stay at Marriott's Grand Chateau and that is a lot closer to most places.  In future you should book Elara instead, it has just been bought over by Hilton and it is in II, not sure if it made it into RCI, and that is more on the strip than HGVC on the Strip.


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## timeos2 (Jul 15, 2012)

The Hilton strip location is IMO the most complete resort Hilton has in LV. Our favorite. Unfortunately what appeared to be an up & coming area when they started is now highly undesirable & like a war zone with closed, abandoned and empty resorts & stores. Except for the partially built Hilton the rest of the area is depressed & not at all attractive. If it ever recovers it could be great. For now the Hilton is an island among rubble. Not a great place to own I fear. The others are older, smaller and also in what seems to be a declining area. Only the former Tower of Terror by Planet Hollywood has a good location but that resort has its own big issues that need to get sorted out before that is a potential good place to own. Points are points so buy elsewhere & use the points to get LV when you want it would be good advice.


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## dougp26364 (Jul 15, 2012)

Linda said:


> Hello,
> We are staying here the end of the month, # 6300.
> Is it true this is at the end of the strip?
> Getting a rental car is the best option for transportation?
> ...



It's just north of Circus Circus and just south of what was once the Sahara. As others have said, the economic turndown has laid waste to a section of the strip that was just begining to rebuild. The blew up the Stardust, then stopped construction of it's replacement after two stories of concrete had been built. The Sahara is shuttered after a couple of ownership turnovers. The Westward Ho shut down. The New Frontier shut down in anticipation of a brand new rebuild that's now failed. Fountain Bleu across the street was finished on the outside but, the ownership went bankrupt and it sits empty. All that's left in the area are Circus Circus and the Riviera. Towers 3 and 4 of the HGVC are on hold. 

While I would advise a rental car I would not say it's necessary. If the Vegas Strip Trolley is still running, it has a stop right on the property. The Duece Vegas Strip bus also has a stop directly in front of the property. Having said that, I can't imagine staying here without a car but, we ALWAYS have rented a car in Vegas, even when staying at Marriott's Grand Chateau or Polo Towers. 

The resort itself is as mentioned above. It's a very compete resort with nice pools, great convenience store/deli, pool bar and grill, fintness center, spa and conceirge. It's been awhile since we've stayed here but our plans are to return in 2013 for our aniversary. It's a very nice resort but that neighborhood took a direct hit when the economy tanked. It's going to be years before things start to look up for this area of the strip.


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## ricoba (Jul 15, 2012)

As others have stated, very nice resort.  I prefer to say it's temporarily at what is now the quieter end of the Strip.


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## ricoba (Jul 15, 2012)

ricoba said:


> As others have stated, very nice resort.  I prefer to say it's temporarily at what is now the quieter end of the Strip.



Rent a car, Vegas is a very simple town to get around in via car, plus you will be able to get out of town and the tourist zone and see how the locals actually can and do live here, without going to LV Blvd.


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## Karen G (Jul 15, 2012)

Linda said:


> Getting a rental car is the best option for transportation?





ricoba said:


> As others have stated, very nice resort.  I prefer to say it's temporarily at what is now the quieter end of the Strip.



That's how I would describe it as well.  The Sahara is coming back under a different name.  Here's some info.

I agree with Rick that you should get a rental car and explore the area. You can easily drive down to Fremont Street from the HGVC Strip location. Just go north right up LV Blvd. The traffic isn't too bad there.

Go west on Charleston all the way to Red Rock Canyon.  Go see the Hoover Dam. There will be more things to do and see than you'll have time for.

Hope you have a great time.


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## ricoba (Jul 15, 2012)

Karen G said:


> You can easily drive down to Fremont Street from the HGVC Strip location. Just go north right up LV Blvd. The traffic isn't too bad there.



You know, I was going eastbound on Sahara yesterday and crossed over LV Blvd, the traffic was almost nil and this was on a Saturday.  Things have really changed since even just a couple of years ago when it comes to traffic.  

Now, if had had driven up and down the Strip on a Friday or Saturday night, that's another thing, but I was surprised at how light traffic was yesterday afternoon.

And, I had seen the news about SLS re branding and reopening the Sahara, this is good news. They did the same thing in Beverly Hills.  They bought and re-branded a Le Meridien Hotel It's nice to know they are planning on using the existing buildings and not tear down.  Though I think the old Sahara Porte Cochere is kind of cool looking, with it's Casbah look.


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## Fern Modena (Jul 15, 2012)

Before I moved here, I always rented an auto when I visited.  I would drive to various off-strip places, locals casinos, restaurants, and also to look at model houses, among other things.  I always liked to look at where people live, because, as Rick noted, we don't live on The Strip.  Or in the middle of the desert, either.  I used to live about a mile from desert, but most of that is now built up.  There is even cell service there .

You can easily go to get a burger at In and Out if that is your thing.  There is also a Black-lite indoor "Kiss" Mini Golf across from Hard Rock.  If you like regular golf, and would like to play with a Vegas Strip View, try The Revere in Anthem.  But make a ressie, and for as early in the day as possible.  If you would like the view without golf, the restaurant there serves breakfast.  There is also a Lindo Michoachan restaurant on Carnegie just South of Horizon with the same view and some incredible peach/mango margaritas.

Fern



ricoba said:


> Rent a car, Vegas is a very simple town to get around in via car, plus you will be able to get out of town and the tourist zone and see how the locals actually can and do live here, without going to LV Blvd.


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## UWSurfer (Jul 16, 2012)

North of Sahara is Stratosphere, which appears to be holding on.   Circus Circus  has property behind HGVC strip property and still is operating.  Not exactly a high end joint but it doesn't pretend to be...although I was surprised to find an old school, old style steak joint in Circus that is actually very good.

Riviera seems to also know what it is and what it's not and seems to be holding on, although I noticed they closed up their "Penny Lane" slots entrance from the strip.   As stated earlier not highly desirable portion of the strip but war zone conjures up other images that might be a bit unfair.


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## Linda (Jul 17, 2012)

Any good restaurants that we should eat at while there?


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## ricoba (Jul 17, 2012)

Linda said:


> Any good restaurants that we should eat at while there?



Nope, sorry, no good restaurants in Las Vegas, unless of course you consider restaurants owned by Joel Robuchon, Emeril Lagasse, Tom Colicchio, Wolfgang Puck, Mario Battalie, and Bobby Flay as good restaurants! 

Just teasing!   and You can check the spelling of those names  ...but Vegas is a major foodie heaven now, hosting restaurants by some of the worlds top chefs.

Everyone has their favorites.  On the Strip itself you will find everything from very casual and $ pricing  to very formal and $$$$$ pricing.

What kind of food are you looking for and what kind of budget do you want to stay within?  

If you search Vegas restaurants here on TUG, you will see posts, but I am sure folks will chime in with suggestions.

BTW, the temperature has moderated a bit down below 100, though they say it's going up again next week.  This time of year we can get some really heavy monsoonal rains coming up from the Gulf of California.  This can make it humid and sticky, but it can also make the temperatures more moderate.


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## bshmerlie (Jul 17, 2012)

Linda said:


> Any good restaurants that we should eat at while there?



VEGAS is a restaurant heaven.  There are so many nice restaurants. Check out the Capital Grille.  Everything on their menu is excellent.  Not cheap...but excellent food. If you've never tried them before check out In-N-Out burger for a quick lunch. They are a west coast favorite.


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## Linda (Jul 17, 2012)

We like just about any kind of food, except sushi.
We are looking for reasonably priced places to eat, we are doing Vegas on a budget.......if there is such a thing.


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## ricoba (Jul 17, 2012)

Linda said:


> ...we are doing Vegas on a budget.......if there is such a thing.



Yes, of course there is such a thing. I do it everyday.  I eat at home and I don't go to the casino!!!    

But, even for non-residents it's still easy to do Vegas on a budget.  Gone are the days of the $1.99 buffets (thank goodness), but there are still very reasonable deals to be had here.

Here is a great list of dining deals from Vegas.com


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## Karen G (Jul 17, 2012)

Linda said:


> We are looking for reasonably priced places to eat, we are doing Vegas on a budget.......if there is such a thing.


We enjoy the prime rib dinner at California Hotel in the Fremont Street area.  Another good place for cheaper eats is  Ellis Island.

If you want to try some of the big name restaurants, go at lunch time instead of dinner to save some money or go to a place with happy hour prices on drinks & appetizers.  In the Palazzo & the Venetian, we like the Grand Lux Cafe. They have a similar menu to Cheesecake Factory.

Since you'll have a car, go to the buffet at the M Resort, but go at lunch time. If you get there by 10:45 or 11 a.m. the line should be shorter.


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## Rent_Share (Jul 17, 2012)

UWSurfer said:


> Riviera seems to also know what it is and what it's not and seems to be holding on


 
Stayed at THE RIVIERA a couple of years ago for a trade show at the convention center. The working girls were actively plying their trade in the lounges with no apparant interference from Casino management


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## RX8 (Jul 17, 2012)

Linda said:


> Hello,
> We are staying here the end of the month, # 6300.
> Is it true this is at the end of the strip?
> Getting a rental car is the best option for transportation?
> ...



I stayed at the HGVC on the strip last summer and had a great time.  My two boys, three and six, really enjoyed the pool.  The pool was great because even though it was HOT outside much of the pool was in the shade until around noon so we didn't even need sun screen.  The activity room was lots of fun as well.  Everything was clean and seemed new, which it pretty much is.  My three year old keeps asking to go back to "Begas.". I think that this is a great location to relax with a family.

My wife and I stayed at the flamingo location in January.  Can't beat the location on the strip for getting around.  While the rooms were comparable to the strip location, the rest of it seemed to be a notch below.  IMHO, This location is best for those traveling without kids to be able to enjoy shows or gambling and simply for being in the middle of it all.


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## falmouth3 (Jul 17, 2012)

Linda said:


> We like just about any kind of food, except sushi.
> We are looking for reasonably priced places to eat, we are doing Vegas on a budget.......if there is such a thing.



Linda, be sure to pick up your welcome gift when you check in.  We received a coupon book with B1G1 Buffets at several locations.  Those were great deals.

We also got a groupon for Marrakesh- a Turkish restaurant.  They have a fixed menu and it wasn't cheap, but we got a reasonable price for a several course meal. With the groupon it was a very good value. There was a belly dancer there and she made the rounds of all the tables.


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## dougp26364 (Jul 17, 2012)

Rent_Share said:


> Stayed at THE RIVIERA a couple of years ago for a trade show at the convention center. The working girls were actively plying their trade in the lounges with no apparant interference from Casino management



That happens in every casino on the strip. Perhaps it was just more obvious in the Riv but they are everywhere if you look.


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## dougp26364 (Jul 17, 2012)

ricoba said:


> Yes, of course there is such a thing. I do it everyday.  I eat at home and I don't go to the casino!!!
> 
> But, even for non-residents it's still easy to do Vegas on a budget.  Gone are the days of the $1.99 buffets (thank goodness), but there are still very reasonable deals to be had here.
> 
> Here is a great list of dining deals from Vegas.com



I miss the $5.99 prime rib dinner at the San Remo. No it wasn't the best we've ever had but it was still very good and the staff would remember us from visit to visit, even if it was 3 or 4 months between visits like we were doing at the time. The funny thing was, after pigging out on that cheap dinnner, we'd usually drop $40 in the nickle machines on the way out. Seems Vegas lost the desire for those loss-leader meals to get as many small time gamblers in the door as possible. They use to know exactly how much each body through the door was worth. It seems to me that's been lost somewhere along the way.

I also remember a $2.99 ribeye steak breakfast at the old Silver City that was also a killer for us. They suck us in for that breakfast, then get their payback on the machines before we left. That little ribeye was a prime cut of meat but it wasn't half bad either. Then they'd toss on a mound of hashbrowns for $1. I remember the first time I order 2 orders of hash browns. The guy just looked at me and said, "You've never been here before have you?" He talked me into one order and told me if we could finish that one, he'd toss in a second one for fee. Needless to say, we couldn't finish the steaks, eggs and that one huge order of hashbrowns. 

With the increase in prices, we started to branch out to other destinations. We made our first visit to Vegas in 4 years this past March. We don't plan to be back until Oct. 2014 and, we'll be using some of our HGVC points for a penthouse unit at the LV Strip location. Despite the fact this area never really bloomed, we still like the resort enough that it's our home resort with Hilton.


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## ricoba (Jul 17, 2012)

Rent_Share said:


> Stayed at THE RIVIERA a couple of years ago for a trade show at the convention center. The working girls were actively plying their trade in the lounges with no apparant interference from Casino management



Yeah, well go over to the Wynn, Bellagio or the Venetian or any other joint on the Strip late at night and you'll find the same thing.  Good or bad, it is what it is.

Oops, just saw Doug made almost the exact same comment.


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## Linda (Jul 19, 2012)

Has anyone seen the Illusions Magic Show at the Starlite Theatre in the Riviera?


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## Karen G (Jul 19, 2012)

Linda said:


> Has anyone seen the Illusions Magic Show at the Starlite Theatre in the Riviera?


I saw it when it was at the Paris and it was outstanding.  I loved it and would recommend it.

Edit: I was thinking of a different magician at the Paris, but I have seen the one you are talking about when it was at the Clarion and it was great, too. I recommend it, too.


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