This resort has been comprehensively renovated in the past year; I first walked around the resort in 2005 and noticed the Luxor cast off furnishings, and drab interiors mentioned in a review a few down from this, which dated back two years.

By my August 2007 stay, the resort had been transformed, with contemporary hardwood furnishings in the rooms, superb halogen lighting and a fresh feel throughout. I noticed all the air conditioning units are currently being replaced, and it is clear that the new owner takes great pride in this establishment, and will no doubt continue to invest to keep up to date.

The pool remains much the same as when I first visited, the crowning feature being a Playboy Mansion-esque waterfall grotto at one end of the pool, housing a hot tub, and all set amongst a tropical palm tree environment.

Examples of the small touches which have improved the resort are the stone flooring in the elevator, the bright, well ventilated newly tiled corridors and the double glazed windows which do an excellent job of hiding the noise from the nearby freeway. My room (318) was right next to the freeway and I didn't hear a thing.

You should therefore bear this in mind when reading experiences more than a year or so old.

This is not a Strip hotel; it does not advertise itself as such. I cannot understand those who complain of its location. While mainstream Strip hotels couldn't care less who you share your room with, this property is solidly gay owned and operated, and offers services (such as clothing optional and an exclusively gay male clientele) simply not offered on the Strip.

It does help to have a rental car (with SatNav) to get around Vegas, particularly when staying off strip, and with plenty of on site free parking this place is only a five minute drive to the centre of the action.

Alternatively, you can call the Front Desk from your room and have a cab it waiting at the door in less than ten minutes, often less time than it takes for a valet to deliver your vehicle in one of the larger Strip establishments. Another option is the free shuttle from the nearby Palace Station Casino, and I highly recommend the $7.99 Palace Station buffet nearby if you do choose to stay at Blue Moon.

One major failing was the lack of a safe or even lock box in the room. In Vegas, where many people carry large amounts of cash, and in an age when passports and ID are required by most travellers, it is not acceptable for a resort not to have secure in room facilities, particularly in one as friendly as this. This should be urgently remedied by the management.

Housekeeping staff are scrupulously honest; I left my travel wallet with all my money and documents in a drawer (where I had hidden it) when I checked out, and returning to find my room being serviced I found they had already bagged the items and marked them for my attention with the Front Desk.

I paid $596 incl. tax for a three night Deluxe King Pool View over Labor Day weekend. Cheapest rates seem to be from $109 for midweek stays, although this seems pricey you do get quite a bit of added value not included in Strip hotels, there is no temptation to fritter your cash away in the slots, and rates in Vegas seem to rise inexorably year on year.

Every room rateincludes free internet access, free internet lounge with PC on the ground floor, expanded Continental Breakfast, fresh fruit available throughout the day (though the quality of the apples did diminish as the resort filled up over the weekend), the four channels of "educational" programming in every room, one gay themed mainstream channel, as well as free access to the Labor Day Sunday Pool Party BBQ, which was a blast.

You can book this resort as a package via Orbitz, which may save you money if you can get a coupon discount using their gay travel section PRIDE100 coupon, though I booked direct via the hotel website.

This resort is certainly "hot" with over 150 guys over Labor Day weekend meaning there was sometimes standing room only in the pool , and I met some really nice mostly professional type people of all ages during my stay, from a group of early 20s students from Salt Lake, to a couple in their sixties who used to listen to Bette Midler and Barry Manilow in the New York baths, before they graduated to sell out shows in Vegas.

Clothing was optional throughout the resort, a few people availed themselves of this facility, but you would certainly not stand out if you preferred to keep your trunks firmly on.

Day passes are available, with plentiful lockers, and its easy to pop over from your strip resort for an afternoon or evening sitting by the pool, or enjoying the hydrating effects of the steamroom.

If rates are too high for your taste, the less smart mainstream unrenovated Vagabond Inn (to which the Blue Moon seemed once to be connected) has cheap rooms from $69, and the Artisan Hotel and Spa is two blocks/five minutes walk away if you fancy something mainstream but even more upscale, with rates from $119.

Room was very clean, with excellent pillowtop mattress and cotton linens, as well as comfy feather pillows. I slept superbly. Carpets, the leather padded headboard and curtains were brand new, and I was impressed when I walked into the room.

The bathroom in my room was quite small and unremarkable, but the renovation meant shiny stainless steel shelving allowing plenty of storage space. Toiletries were unremarkable, so do bring your own shampoo and conditioner, but a complimentary basket of trial size samples (Axe Shower Gel, a hangover cure and name brand body lotion) was available.

My room had an empty fridge which was handy for storing lunch snacks and cold drinks, though I did not notice any shops within walking distance apart from a lunch place one block over, which I did not visit.

When choosing your room, I would not next time pay the extra for a pool view as the scorching sun requires you keep the drapes drawn most of the day; a low down floor is best to avoid traipsing up the elevator to get to your room.

VERDICT: Unique in Vegas, this gay owned and operated men only establishment has invested to provide a clean and contemporary off strip experience and continues to attract a friendly and fun crowd.