Laughlin?

[ko king]

Been offered a trip for two at Harrah's Laughlin in a couple of weeks but I don't know anything about the place. Any comments about Harrah's in Laughlin or other things to do there would be appreciated, wife did a few searches and found a lot of negative stuff but I figured this would be the best place to get good advice.

[chattycattty]

Laughlin is laid back compared to Vegas and other places we gamble. Like all the CET properties they have put in new machines and for the most part have lowered pay tables. We were last there in December. Most of the machines in high limit at that time still had favorable pay tables in tact. They have an adequate assortment of single game and multi-game machines in the high limit room. That being said is there anything to do in Laughlin?

At Harrahs they have a very good Diamond Lounge. Although not quite as good as those at Atlantic City they usually have assorted hot foods along with a different soup every day and meat, bread and cheeses to make sandwiches. Its a small DL but they do have an outdoor patio area that we like when the weather is nice. It overlooks the river and is a nice way to spend a few moments away from the casino.

They have a steakhouse, a Mexican restaurant, a café and a buffet. They are all pretty good although we were disappointed in the Mexican restaurant. If you happen to be there on a Friday night and like seafood the crab legs at the buffet are usually very good.

Harrahs sits at the top of a hill about 1/2 mile away from the rest of the casinos. If you like to walk its about 2 miles from Harrahs to the Riverside casino at the far end. If you do not like to walk they have water taxis that will take you to the other casinos.

Riverside Casino has a free Auto Museum I have been to a few times. There is a shopping mall about a mile away from Harrahs if you have someone with you that likes to shop. There is a movie theater at one of the casinos. If you are there on the weekend, Harrahs usually has a show or concert of some kind. At your level of play they should comp it for you.

Harrahs also has 2 swimming pools and a beach. The weather in March is usually nice but you never know. There are also river cruises you may be interested in. One is only about an hour long and is kind of a historical sightseeing narrative of the area. They also have another one that takes up most of a day and goes to Lake Havasu and London Bridge.

We usually get a rent car for at least one sometimes two days. The best place to rent from IMO is the Avis at the airport. They will come pick you up and drop you back off. Vegas is only 90 minutes away. There is a small town about 30 minutes away in the middle of nowhere called Oatman. Its an old western town with donkeys roaming the streets, lots of tourists and souvenir shops and that sort of thing.

We never have enough time to do all the things we want to do especially since we normally include a trip to Vegas when we go. If you decide to go, make sure and report back and let us know what you think.

[onemoretry]

Over the past five years, my wife and I have been to Laughlin on the Harrahs junkets twelve times. Over that period of time, there have been a lot of changes at the various casinos, mostly negative ones from the players' standpoint.

Notwithstanding the changes, we are booked for two upcoming trips, one from Toronto (Feb.18-23), and one from Buffalo in late April.

At Harrahs, we play 5c 50 play deuces wild bonus (98.8%), and 25c triple play deuces wild (98.91%). Despite all the negative things said about Caesars properties, these are not truly awful pay tables.

I don't know, however, if all the recently reported changes at Caesars' properties have affected the availability of these particular games. We'll find out next week.

While there, we also play some at the Golden Nugget, and Aquarius. The Nugget has a really neat game called double double jackpot poker which is over 100% return. It is, however, on quite old, very slow, coin droppers.

Aquarius has a decent selection of good games. You can check it out at vpFree 2.

You can travel up and down the river by water taxi. You can get a daily pass for unlimited rides (I think it's $15), or pay $4 per one way trip. You can get a discount on the one way trips at the Total Rewards desk.

The Range Steakhouse at Harrahs is excellent.

[marie meijer]

Good Laughlin posts, Chatty and onemoretry! We have really enjoyed visiting Laughlin. We did not feel it was a good idea to walk to other casinos from Harrah's due to traffic. Harrah's is on a hill at the far end of Laughlin's casinos. Driving or the river taxi are better options, IMHO. The narrated boat cruise on the Colorado is most pleasant! Log on Oatman, AZ for many pix of burros. It's a fun tourist trap. Carrots and burro pellets used to be sold to feed those burros, who freely roam the street. However, feeding them is now discouraged with fines if caught feeding burros. They were getting fed too much, are too heavy and the sugar in carrots is causing them health problems. Baby burros have choked to death on carrots. Burros are very cute, friendly and might nudge your elbow for attention/food! However, they have been known to BITE, do not bathe often (read NEVER) and may carry stuff you do not want! (Ticks (that can cause Lyme disease) and fleas, for two, if memory serves) Forget about petting them and watch your children! Live actors stage a bank robbery/gun fight in the street, for charity. You would be enchanted if you are age ten or under. Think ice cream and popcorn, after washing up, after petting burros.Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! 

[ko king]

Thanks to everyone about the great info you provided.

[ko king]

Good Laughlin posts, Chatty and onemoretry! We have really enjoyed visiting Laughlin. We did not feel it was a good idea to walk to other casinos from Harrah's due to traffic. Harrah's is on a hill at the far end of Laughlin. Driving or the river taxi are better options, IMHO. The narrated boat cruise on the Colorado is most pleasant!
Look up Oatman, AZ on the net. It's a fun tourist trap. Carrots and burro pellets used to be sold to feed those burros but feeding them is now discouraged. They are getting fed too much, are too heavy and the sugar in carrots is causing them health problems. Burros are very cute, friendly and might nudge your elbow for attention/food! However, they have been known to bite, do not bathe often and may carry stuff you do not want! Forget about petting them and watch your children! Live actors stage a bank robbery/gun fight in the street for charity. You would be enchanted if you are ten and under. Think ice cream and pop corn.
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  I will be the Queen of Hearts as I also was for Mardi Gras and Halloween.

This post concerning the donkeys being fed carrots and burro pellets really stuck out to me, the horror of it all. I used to go down on Beale Street in Memphis and they had goats at one of the bars, I believe it was called Silky Sullivans. People would buy bottled beers and the goats would kill the whole bottle in a few seconds one right after the other. I always felt sorry for the drunk goats but they would keep coming back for more, banging their heads against the fence and pretty much demanding you buy them a beer.

[marie meijer]

So grateful, ko king, we learn so much from reading forum! I had to look up the Beale Street, Memphis beer drinking goats. eeeew. Silky O'Sullivans. There is a video of a goat drinking beer from a bottle, on youtube but claims "the goats are now gone and only the frat atmosphere remains". "WHERE have all the little goats gone?" (to the tune of "Where have all the flowers gone?")  Perhaps to a farm, or met their demise through alcohol poisoning OR are in rehab, again? 

[ko king]

Once again thanks to everyone for the info and advice, the trip is booked for the 26th this month and I've been assured we will have a very nice room, more than likely a suite. Turns out I'm a 7 star player, whatever that means.

[chattycattty]

Once again thanks to everyone for the info and advice, the trip is booked for the 26th this month and I've been assured we will have a very nice room, more than likely a suite. Turns out I'm a 7 star player, whatever that means.
Unless you are bringing kids with you ask for the adult tower. It is adjacent to the casino, has its own pool and is closer to the restaurants. The central tower is good as well. It is next to the diamond lounge. The third tower is usually there for people with kids. Its the farthest from the casino and though we have been to Laughlin many times I do not recall ever staying there.

The suites are nice though a little dated. Similar to the suites at Harrahs Reno or Tahoe but they only have one bathroom. It does have a separate shower and Jacuzzi tub. Being 7 star you should also get an amenities basket with nuts, cookies, and fruit delivered to your room. If you ask them they will also deliver a newspaper to your room each day.

Congrats on making 7 star. There really are a lot of perks and benefits many of which they do not tell you about. We have learned more about 7 star benefits over the years from other 7 star players. If I can help you in that area let me know.

[onemoretry]

Unless you are bringing kids with you ask for the adult tower. It is adjacent to the casino, has its own pool and is closer to the restaurants. The central tower is good as well. It is next to the diamond lounge. The third tower is usually there for people with kids. Its the farthest from the casino and though we have been to Laughlin many times I do not recall ever staying there.

We have stayed at least once in the third tower. One advantage it does have is an express elevator to the suite floors.