Las Vegas at the Platinum Hotel & Spa – worth the extra walking
I suspect I may not be the first to struggle with the questions of where to stay in Las Vegas. What’s worth the extra $, what’s not? When to listen to hideously scary Trip Advisor reviews, and when to throw caution to the wind? How far from where you want to be is too far? And is there such a thing as being too close?
When planning for our recent week-long trip to Las Vegas (my first visit), I researched hotels and read traveller reviews until I was completely and thoroughly confused. Then I came across a TravelZoo special that peaked my interest in The Platinum Hotel and Spa – good price, including wireless Internet (a big perk for me) and a complimentary bottle of wine thrown in too (everyone loves a freebie).
The Platinum Hotel is a boutique hotel located a block off the strip behind Ballys and I was impressed from the moment we walked through the doors, and even more impressed once we got to our room. This newer property still looks fresh and clean, has great views of the strip (the pictures above and below taken from our balcony) and is staffed with friendly and helpful employees.
The hotel has 255 one and two bedroom suites ranging from 900 to 2165 square feet, and have been carefully designed to wow guests. I loved the huge kitchen with full-sized stainless steel appliances and breakfast bar, and lots of work space for multiple computers And after a long day of walking up and down the strip sight-seeing, nothing was better than slipping into the massive two person whirlpool tub (with foot massaging jets) to soak away the Vegas “stress” (in quotations because Vegas stress is also Vegas fun).
Now to that extra walking – yes, The Platinum is a block off the strip. And these aren’t your grandma’s neighbourhood blocks either, it’s a bit of a hike. But the peace and serenity of The Platinum was well worth the extra few minutes of walking – we could make it to The Bellagio, Caesers Palace or The Venetian in under ten minutes and I never felt guilty about having an extra margarita, knowing I was going to walk it off by the end of the day. We walked rather than using a taxi or car, but they are easily accessible and the hotel has a valet service for drivers. The hotel is also only half a block from the Las Vegas Monorail station at Ballys, another fun way to get around, and there are bus stops right outside.
The Platinum prides itself on being the only non-gambling, non-smoking boutique hotel in Vegas. Does this mean you can’t go down to the lobby and gamble in a blue haze of smoke – yes. Is that nice? Yes! The hotel had a real sense of serenity about it and other couples that I chatted with throughout our stay agreed that coming “home” to the peace of The Platinum at night was a great way to end each exciting Vegas day and we didn’t miss the constant “Bing! Bing! BING!” noise of slot machines much at all. A note on the non-smoking status of the hotel – yes, it is rather strange to be in a hotel that doesn’t allow smoking in Vegas, which may be the only smoker-friendly mecca left in America. However, although you can’t smoke in your suite or balcony, they do provide an outdoor smoking area with benches so smokers are still welcome here. It’s a small price to pay and so nice to have a hotel room that doesn’t smell like a 50 year old saloon.
While The Platinum doesn’t have an outdoor beach like some of the Vegas hotels, it does have a beautiful indoor-outdoor pool with a great view of the strip. At night, the pool area is lit up with funky table-side fireplaces and, as I keep finding places to mention, it’s quiet and peaceful. I loved the option of getting into the pool inside on a chilly February evening, finding the water perfectly heated, then swimming outside to enjoy the strip view from the hot tub.
The hotel has two dining options – Stir Lounge with a great 50% off appetiser special in the early evening and an extensive cocktail menu and Kil@wat, a pool-side bistro serving breakfast and lunch. I went to Kil@wat for breakfast one morning and was pleased to see that they know their market. I’d been in a late poker tournament the night before and was delighted that breakfast was available until 2pm. It was a nice no-surprises breakfast that was served hot and fast and at $6, quite reasonable for a hotel meal. My only beef with Kil@wat was that the coffee I ordered with my meal was $3, lukewarm and not worth half the price of my entire breakfast. I know in Vegas, the drinks are how they get ya, but it still irritated me.
We tried out the Platinum’s room service a few times and were very impressed. The prices are very reasonable and the presentation was kick-ass – beautiful dishes and beautiful food. And, best of all, it came quickly and tasted great. I ordered a turkey club sandwich and salad one evening – salad was full of fresh spring greens and vegetables and came with a great balsamic vinaigrette and the sandwich was so huge I had left-overs to munch on the next day (gotta love having a full-sized fridge in your room). Another evening my husband and I both ordered the soup and salad and were pleased again – beautiful salad, hearty soup and the added perk of a warm cheddar ciabatta bun. My only request of Platinum Room Service is to bring back that gorgeous-sounding cheese plate. There’s a heavenly picture of it on the menu and Trip Advisor reviewers have raved about it, but I was disappointed not to find it anywhere as I had been planning on ordering as soon as we got there as an after-flight snack.
I didn’t have a chance to visit The Platinum Well Spa this time, but the services menu looked good and the prices were reasonable. I will say that I was impressed with the Well Spa toiletries in the room. I have long hair and hotel shampoo usually gives me nightmare vacation hair, but the Well Spa shampoo and soaps were all great, nice scent and actually made my hair look good. Men – I know you don’t care about this kind of thing but Ladies – back me up – good hotel bathroom amenities do go a long way in making a good impression for a hotel.
The Platinum Hotel has the impressive distinction of being rated in the Top Ten of all Las Vegas hotels by Trip Advisor reviewers. It is currently ranked #6 out of a whopping 288 Vegas hotels. I was very curious to see if it lived up to this ranking and I would have to say yes. Was it everything it claimed to be – yes. Would I stay here again – yes. Would I recommend it to you – yes! A great spot for a couples Vegas get-away and all the business amenities for a successful business trip.
People say that your hotel room in Vegas doesn’t matter, as you’re never in your room. But coming back after a looooong Vegas day and night to a beautiful suite, a great kitchen, a huge whirlpool tub and a quiet, comfortable sleep makes this hotel room matter quite a bit, and I will definitely return the The Platinum Hotel and Spa.
For more information about The Platinum Hotel and Spa, visit them here.
For more information about Travelzoo travel specials, visit them here.
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 11:16 am and is filed under Food, Las Vegas, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.