Stayed at this property over the labor day weekend and really enjoyed the time. Was a little worried after reading a lot of negative reviews, but found it was above our expectations.

We checked in as Hilton Honors members, and were given a nice room in the east tower. The room had been upgraded with lots of granite in the bathroom and the window desk/shelf. No issues as previous posters had with crappy peeling wallpaper rooms.

The pool area was great as it has a large pool with an even larger deck area on multi levels. You can see the pool from all points on the deck no matter how far away you chose to sit. It's important to be able to see the pool from your chaise. This meant we were able to hang out where we wanted, but did not feel crampled. There were areas with shade and misting systems, and even a dude who came by and misted you with a pocket sprayer. There was music pumped throught out the area but with small speakers everywhere, the sound was never loud or annoying, The music was a mix of everything from the 80's to todays hits. There was a 2 for 1 happy hour from 5 to 8pm. In addition there was a one man band for entertainment. Now that sounds goofy but he put on a great show. His Strat electric guitar and mike were hooked up via wireless to the PA. The rest of his band is in his laptop,which was connected to the PA as well. He strolls around the deck and sings and interacts with everyone. Drank too much bit had a great time. Lets compare that to the pool at the Alladin where we also stayed. It has two smaller pools with chaise lounge chairs around the perimiter. That's where everyone wants to hang out and its gets very crowded. The rest of the deck area is large ,unshaded, and you can't see the pool. That's why the pool deck is crowded, yet the rest of the deck goes unoccupied. It would feel like you are tanning on a chaise in the middle of a concrete parking lot, without a view of the pool.

So we enjoyed the Hilton Pool which was lively and a lot of fun.

The monorail is outside the doors of the Hilton. It is great to be able to use this form of transport to get to other hotels. We went to the Beach at Mandalay to catch the UB40 show. The cost is almost ten bucks return but is less than a cab. It is what it is, and can't be compared to the cost of public transport. Interestingly after dark, the monorail car interior lights are bright when loading, but dim down as soon as the mono starts moving. Thats a great feature when returning back to the Hilton late in the evening.

PS Most hotels charge for high speed internet in the room. Hilton does as well, but the Fortuna cofee shop near the check in lobby has free wireless. It you sit at the high counter along the back wall. you find lots of plugs to connnect your laptop power supply as well.

We ate in the Star Trek restaurant, which serves basic Applebees type of food that was OK. It was neat to have the Ferengi's and Romulans roaming around as you dine. It's the experience and decor rather than the food.

Had dinner in Benihana's as well. Our chef was boring, and could have mailed in his performance.

Would stay at the Hilton again....