Stayed at the Rio from January 23rd to the 26th. The Rio will cost you around $26 via taxi from the airport....with tip of course and about 10-15 minutes ride. The hotel sits off of the strip near the Palms Hotel. Upon entering your greeted by lots of slot machines and blackjack tables. Had to stand in a very long line for check-in it took all of about 10 minutes to make it to the desk. I was given a room in the Masquerade tower, which is a bit of a walk to get to from the front of the hotel and you could easily miss the elevators if your not paying attention. We stayed on the 24 floor and had a view of the strip. The room was a King suite....there all suites by the way....and pretty large. We were there for a convention and we payed $199/night. You have a little sitting area of couches, a mini-frig....a safe to lock your loot in and that's about it....its a room. The casino isn't very large and it wasn't croweded. We ate lunch twice at the Rub BBQ...it was good...its called "competition" barbecue....not too cheap either. We talked to several people who attempted to eat dinner and waited up to two hours for their food. The restaurant buffets are your standard buffets....nothing special....we only saw one in the hotel near the Starbucks in the hallway leading to the convention center. At night they have an elevated parade of singers riding floats suspended from the ceiling and singers on a stage. Fun to watch as the floats go by...the performers toss Mardi Gras beads to the crowd. Two complaints about the Rio. If you plan on using the health club just to work out....its $22/day.....and the toilet in our room never stopped running....and they never came up to fix it after requesting. We have stayed at Alladan and Bellagio previously and like those properties much better. Maybe if the Rio has a deep discounted rate it might be worth the average feel.....but with the Monte Carlo closed due to the fire....I doubt there will be many room deals around town.

We have stayed at the Rio several times and always enjoy it. Although it is off the strip it has a great view just ask to stay on a higher floor with a view of the strip! They have a mardi gras type atmosphere and shows every couple of hours over the casino floor. The rooms are clean, and large, with a big oversize sectional couch that is great for hanging out. Although, the resturants are pricey, the whole experience is fun. Use the rewards card and gamble there and they will offer free nights in the future. We only spent a few hundred on the slots and have stayed free on selected nights since then. Well worth the consideration.

It has been a while since I took my first trip to Vegas, however I wanted to share my experiences with Trip Advisor, since I have enjoyed reading the other reviews for future trips. I trust this will be beneficial. First of all, Vegas is simply incredible. The sheer size of the buildings is overwhelming. Hence, all the talk about all the walking people do. HINT: wear tennis shoes. Check-in was easy, since my friend that invited me is a Diamond Member. We waited approximately 15 minutes on a Saturday night @ midnight. The other lines appeared to be the same.

We got a standard room in the Masquerade Tower with a great view of the strip and The Palms, which is what they call a suite, which is a really large room with sofa w/ chaise lounge, a table and two chairs, coffee table, large 32" TV and large bathroom. There is a dressing area outside the bathroom with its own sink, which I really liked. The room appears to be a bit tired and run down. This is especially evident in all the stains in the sofa, carpet, etc.

Casino - is very nice and offers all the games and lots of them. I enjoy playing craps. I'm not used to playing $25 minimums, but it is Vegas. I only noticed at 4AM a $10 table and once it filled up they changed it to a $25 table. They have great crews, who are helpful and the drink service was mostly good. Only a couple of times I waited 30 minutes to 1 hour without seeing one. One should obtain a Total Rewards card, because they will send you comps and coupons.

Golf - We played Bear's Best Golf Club, which is only about a 15-20 minute cab ride and it was unbelievable. Great conditions, wonderful Forecaddie, and beautiful scenery. This is a must play. We wanted to play Rio Secco, but it was closed for their overseeding.

Restaurants - The carnival buffet is pretty good for breakfast and I really liked the restaurant next to the sports bar...they had a great burger. The Voodoo Restaurant is pricey, but good. The beef filet is okay at best, but the shrimp was some of the best I've ever had. After dinner, be sure to go outside to the Voodoo lounge and take some pics of the BEST VIEW of the STRIP...period. If your younger than me, 35, than this may be worth paying the cover to party. The scene is definately a younger crowd ~ 20's, than me.

Pool - is really nice with attractive cocktail servers, who were rather slow, but they were also very busy. Drinks are very expensive. The water was FREEZING. I couldn't stand it. It is 105 degrees and it was ICE COLD. Several people were in the pool, but I couldn't stand it. Hip-hop type mix music was unique including rock and alternative rock songs that were transformed into dance mix/house music. FUNKY!

All in all - I would recommend the RIO Hotel and Casino for a Guys or Girls trip, who are in their 20's, and may be on a budget.

As for being off strip, The Rio is only separated from Caesar's Palace by the Interstate, which is the heart of the strip. A free shuttle takes you to where you want to go. We never waited longer than 5 minutes for a shuttle.

I would go back, but I want to experience the other properties before I do.

I live in Las Vegas and my employer had its annual Christmas Party at this venue. They arranged for us to get optional suites for $99 for the night. My wife and I decided that this would be cheaper than a round trip cap ride (or DUI). I had been to the Rio many times over the years but I had never stayed there.

The parking garage was dirty compared to most Las Vegas resorts. We parked on the ground level by the railroad tracks. There were feral cats running around everywhere and coming in and out of a hole in the wall. On to the elevator, we noticed that someone had vomited on the sidewalk.

While walking to the front desk (through the casino of course), we were accosted by a timeshare sales lady. I just ignored her. If she were even slightly more attractive, she may actually be successful in here chosen career.

The check in process was very quick compared to most Vegas hotels. From the time that we walked up, it only took about ten minutes to get a key. No one offered to help us with our luggage. That was no big deal though.

During the time that we stayed there, I noticed significant delays with the elevators. We always seemed to wait more than normal going up and down.

We made it to the room and noticed that it had been cleaned but there were half-drunk beer bottles and papers on the table. I walked out of the room and found a housekeeper in another room. She apologized and said that her paperwork indicated that the pervious residents were staying another night. She re-cleaned our room while we waited.

The room was nice with a good view looking south. We could clearly see The Palms and most of the southern strip hotels. There was even a small widow in the shower that allowed the occupant to see through the room out to the view outside. There was a pit group sofa and a fairly large TV. There was an honor bar which we never opened and a separate refrigerator near the bathroom.

The banquet facilities at the Rio are nice but quite a hike from the rooms. It must have taken us twenty minutes to walk there.

One thing that I have to mention – While putting on my tuxedo, I noticed that I had forgotten to pack the studs for my shirt. I went downstairs and found a store that sold them for $10. I was very impressed.

In the morning, we had breakfast at the coffee shop. The service was very slow. It took twenty minutes to get coffee. The pot that was brought to the table leaked.