One of the most recognizable casino names, Circus Circus has developed a large reputation -- most of it pretty negative. It's not the pink monstrosity it once was, but with little kids running around everywhere, it can be a pretty unpleasant place. Because of their name recognition and relatively cheap rates, many people end up here for their first trip to Vegas. Unless you're traveling with small children that you want to leave unattended, though, we suggest thinking long and hard before booking a room here.
Room Quality: The tower rooms are decent, especially in the newest, the West Tower, almost up to the standard set by other mid-level casinos on the Strip. However, Skyrise and West Tower rooms, while being the nicest, are also the most garish and brightly colored. They aren't horrible, just bright and colorful. The Casino and Main Tower has muted colors, dark woods, attractive furniture and bedspreads. Slightly better than a Holiday Inn room, actually. However, in the back, they have the "manor" rooms, which are old and motel-style, and what you'll likely get if you book their lowest room rate. The decor in these rooms is a notch lower, and sleeping here may cause you to wake in the middle of the night, with a cold sweat trickling off your brow.
Service Quality: Fair. If you have kids, this place offers the amenities you want, and lots of them, like arcades, swimming pools, and pizza restaurants. If you don't have kids, do yourself an enormous favor and stay away.
What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: The usual: shampoo and conditioner, and they don't even shape the bottles like clowns or pink ponies or nothing.
Clientele: Families, families, children and people who love children. The kids are screaming and running everywhere.
How's the Pool? Overflowing with rug rats and brats. The pool areas are okay, nowehere near the nicest on the Strip, but they are usually a nuisance for adults because of the number of kids in them. If you're a kid, they're fantastic.
Number of TVs: About 18. Eight of them are for sports and the rest are for race betting.
Number of Seats: About 75 total, but 45 of those are specifically for the horse bettors. Horse fans get boob-tubes attached to their seats, but sports fans do not. All seats are of average comfort.
How Many Betting Windows? Eight windows.
Free Drinks? Indeed they do offer free drinks to the sports gambler who likes to tipple.
Snack Bar? No, but the Pink Pony coffee shop is right nearby (this is not a good thing).
Minimum Wager: $5 sports, $2 for racing
Other Notes: This sports book is noisy and small. It's just off the casino floor and it has no enclosure.
STARDUST BOOK:
Number of TVs: 66 regular and six monsters. The really big screens tend to show racing. they have some little screens behind the betting windows, too, so you don't miss a thing while wagering.
Number of Seats: About 100 for sports, 200 for racing. A few of the race seats are reserved, and they're all no better than average in terms of comfort.
How Many Betting Windows? Somwhere in the neighborhood of 15-20, with electronic signboards.
Free Drinks? Race bettors get drinks, and if you bet more than about twenty bucks on sports, they might give you a ticket.
Snack Bar? Yes, there is a pretty good one at the back of the sports book.
Minimum Wager: $5 sports, $2 race.
Other Notes: The Stardust line are among the first odds published for sporting events. The sports and race book is a grand dame for the serious gamblers - not as dazzling as the newer ones, but boy do they have some good odds-setters, who set odds on almost everything. Make sure to stop by the "Sports Handicappers Library" (who says great literature is dead?) to check out pages and pages of racing lines and read a couple chapters of "Jane Eyre."
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