We arrived at 1:30 and were not able to get our room untiil 4:00, which is the posted check-in time, which was fine with us. We went to Red Rock Casino a few miles away to kill a few hours, and that worked out well.
Once we got in our unit and assessed what we would need from the store, we headed to close-by Wal-Mart, which is also an enormous grocery store. Best to go with a specific list made in advance, otherwise you will be overwhelmed and spend hours there.
The unit included two small boxes of laundry detergent. I always bring a few dryer sheets (how easy that is for packing), and I also bring my own small plastic bottle of detergent, just in case. There were four adults, so we did use all of it, although I imagine you could get more.
There is a small bottle of dish soap in the kitchen, plenty of towels and potholders, paper towels, toilet tissue, and facial tissue is there, with excess in the vantities. There are also plenty of trash bags, but the bags are terrible quality and break easily, so be careful.
The beds are all queen sized. I knew this before I went, so I want to say I wasn't disappointed, but I still was. Every time I trade my timeshare, we have a large king-bedroom and usually a whirlpool tub. I have king at home, so we found the queen a little challenging. My last few trades have also had amazing mattresses and great sheets. I did not find this to be the case at the Cliffs. One of our face towels in the master bath was so threadbare and grayish that it looked like a car washing towel. Nothing was plush, same for the pool towels. I hated the comforter and blanket on the bed, the scratchy, not comfy type. The room was small and wouldn't have accommodated a king bed, though, so there is nothing they can do about that.
I was underwhelmed by the master bath. There was a long countertop but only one sink, and it was so low by todays' standards. Very dated. Shower was fine, great water pressure, and the tub was a bit oversized and quite comfortable. Minimal towels given.
We didn't need to use any front desk services, but the people there seemed very pleasant. The pool area and hot tub area were just lovely, very well maintained, and the four built-in gas grills are fantastic. The area where the grills are is well lit and very clean. We grilled outside twice, and it was fantastic. Near the grills is an outdoor fireplace for those wanting to eat outdoors at the high-top table by the fireplace.
If you like to exercise on vacation, the fitness center leaves much to be desired, in my opinion. Two treadmills, neither calibrated to the right speed or incline. The belt was loose on one of them, and they are dated . There are NO free weights at all. Two treadmills, 3 bikes, 1 eliptical, and a universal. The area is small and hot. People were propping the door open with the trashcan. No towels provided in the gym, and I can honestly say I haven't been to a resort through my RCI trades that didn't offer towels and cleaning solutions in the gym to disinfect the equipment after someone sweats on it.
The fireplace in the living room of this two-bedroom unit was wonderful - turn on with a switch and really warmed you up nicely. The kitchen was equipped with what we needed for cooking. The cabinets and vanities should ALL be replaced immediately. They are old, rotting in parts, difficult to operate. There is nothing updated whatsoever as far as vanities and cabinets. I'm on vacation, I want to feel like I am being pampered.
I read on Trip Advisor to ask for a second floor unit due to bugs. We did not see a single bug and we did have a second floor unit. The unit was very clean when we arrived.
Horribly, at 5:00 a.m. or at 6:00 a.m. EVERY DAY, the maintenance people are dragging pool chairs around while they are cleaning - the noise is like nails on a chalkboard. And we were on the second floor!!!! They are noisily dragging trash cans around and pool chairs. It is not fun to wake up that early in the morning because of loud noise dragging around by your unit.
The shuttle service provided by the Cliffs is TOP NOTCH. Their system is working wonderfully - you make a reservation to go to the strip or Freemont Street, and you have a seat on the van - a beautiful, comfortable van. Steve is an amazing asset to the resort, if you are lucky enough to get him as your driver. There are three drivers that we saw during our week. They are efficient and always on time. They'll drop you off to do grocery shopping, too, and come back for you. Extremely accommodating and easy to use. We had a rental car and still used the shuttle almost every day. Be sure to tip these guys.
There is no free wifi in the rooms, kind of unheard of these days, but they do have a computer room where you can go online and print for free. I brought my laptop because I needed to check in with work all week, and it cost me $50 to have internet access in the room.
If you are staying at the Cliffs, be sure to visit Red Rock Resort and Casino - it is lovely. Check out their pool area, beautiful! The casino is really nice there, and it's only about 10 minutes away (you'll need a car, the shuttle doesn't go there).
In closing, although we had a wonderful vacation, enjoyed the weather and being with our friends, had a fun time in Las Vegas, this is not a resort we would chose again in the future. With the maintenance fees and dues we pay for our timeshare, we can get much better. I think we actually lost money on this trade, as I imagine we could have rented it for less than our fees and trade upgrade.
