When I tried to book a hotel for this trip, pretty much every hotel in the city was booked out or they only had sky-high prices for rooms. Then I checked on the Starwood website and found the Westin at Lake Las Vegas. After checking out their promotion packages, I was able to get an AAA Hot deal, which gives me a room upgrade to a Lake-view room, complimentary breakfast and valet parking.
The Location
The hotel is located on the west shore of Lake Las Vegas on Montelago Blvd. The whole area is newly developed and it’s a very nice and safe neighborhood. Not far from the hotel is a golf course, which actually also runs right behind the hotel. This makes the hotel a great location for golfers as well. Driving time to the Las Vegas Blvd (The Strip) is about 35 to 45 minutes via car. The hotel also offers a shuttle service from the Westin Lake Las Vegas to the Westin Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Spa. Ask at the hotel for schedules. The Westin Las Vegas Hotel is located only one block west of the strip. From here it’s easy to walk to the strip and the casinos.
To McCarran International Airport it’s about 35 minutes from the hotel. The vicinity of the hotel is quiet at night and there is not much going on outside of the hotels.
The Hotel
I arrived late at night but when you drive up to the front entrance you see nicely lighted trees and entrance area. However, it’s hard to see the sign for self-parking.
Once entered through one of the many front doors you get in the nice and well-spaced lobby area, which gives you also a view straight back out to the lake and courtyard. The check-in counter is to the right after you enter. Check-In was very quick at this time. I went straight to my room and to bed after a long day. After breakfast at Rick’s Cafe, I started exploring the hotel and it is an amazing place with a lot of things to do. At the back of the hotel, you will find two big pools. One is designated for (families with) kids and it also features a nice long water slide. The pool for the other guests is located one level higher but the size is about the same, except for the water slide. During pool hours I always saw a lifeguard on duty, even that it says on the signs there is no lifeguard on duty. At the upper pool are the SandsaBar & Grill, a little poolside bar, and grill to help you relax all day at the pool.
The fitness center and spa are located on the first floor. It’s a little bit hard to find. From the main entrance, which is located on the 4th floor, go to your left and follow the signs to the elevator. Take it down to the first floor and you are there. The restaurants’ Rick’s Cafe and Marssa are located on the second floor. If you get up super early you can use the Marrakesh Express, this is kinda Starbucks inside the hotel. They have coffee, wine, sandwiches, and other foods. They open way before Rick’s Cafe, which is at 6:30 am, but the buffet doesn’t start until 7 am.
Besides the two pools, they have a beach area. This gives you a real vacation and beach feeling with sand and is directly connected to the lake. You can rent a canoe or stand up paddleboards. As a guest, the first hour is for free and it costs you 20 USD for every additional hour. However, with my rate, I got unlimited canoe rentals.
At the main lobby, they have a nice bar, which serves the lower lobby area and the outside patio, which is an awesome place to hang out at night. They have a couple of fireplaces and one time they even had a campfire at the beach area.
On the hallway towards the meeting rooms and Marrakesh Express, you will find a gift shop and a photography shop to your left. Besides gifts the gift shop also stores toiletries.
Wi-Fi was for free everywhere on the property, where you were able to get a signal. Speed was great except some evenings it got a bit slow when probably everybody used it. It is included in the “nice” resort fee you have to pay everywhere in Las Vegas, which is here 29 USD a night plus tax. The good thing is, you can use an unlimited amount of devices not like at the Linq, where you only got two devices and the basic internet speed with the resort fee. For more devices and higher speed, you had to pay there.
The Room
I loved my room! I had a great view of the lake and in the morning I could see the sunrise right through my window. At night you get a good view of the lake and the outdoor patio in the back. Sometimes it got pretty loud in the backyard with people talking and celebrating, but the windows are great and once you close them you don’t hear anything anymore and you are ready for a good night sleep. I was really surprised about that.
The room itself was clean and very spacious with everything you need: coffee maker, safe, fridge, and a well-spaced bathroom. The only thing housekeeping seems to miss to clean is the air vent in the bathroom above the bathtub. Mine looked like it wasn’t cleaned in months. But that was really my only concern about the room itself.
My bigger problem was housekeeping or express service as they call it here. They have to erase the “express” out of the name for sure. The first time I got told to call them to have them pick up my dry-cleaning bag. Well, I called them and nobody showed up for 45 minutes at least. It was in the evening and I didn’t plan to go anywhere, so I didn’t really care about it.
A couple of days later I called them to bring a set of a bag and form for dry cleaning up. After again 45 minutes with nobody showing up, I called again and I was promised that it gets rushed up to me. Well, the rush took the staff member for almost 15 minutes. I called them later on again to pick up the bag to have it send out the next morning. Now nobody even answered the phone anymore. It was late that day and I went to sleep and called the next morning that I will put the bag outside on my door handle because I have to leave for work. I don’t really know how long it took them to get it this time, but I got it back the same evening so it must have been before 8 am. I left the hotel at about 6:15 am.
The Food Experience (link)
If I could I tried to get breakfast at Rick’s Cafe. With the voucher, which was included in my rate, I always tried to get the buffet. Only one day I was too early and had no time to wait for the buffet to open and I ordered from the breakfast menu, which was very good too, but the buffet is amazing. It’s a big buffet with everything you can imagine for breakfast. There are also a couple of chefs there to get you a freshly made omelet right in front of your eyes. You can create your own or select one of the lists at the counter.
Staff was super friendly in bringing you coffee and juice and also refilled it without any time to wait. I can give you one advice. Go to the breakfast very early. Around 7:30 – 8:00 am it gets very busy and you have to wait to be seated, which I experienced one time and it took about 15 minutes to get a table. As an alternative, you can use the Marrakesh Express but there is no buffet. You will be able to use your breakfast coupon there as well. By the way, always show the coupon to your waiter right away when he comes up to your table.
Besides breakfast, Rick’s Cafe also offers lunch and dinner. You get good food for a decent price. In the afternoon they close but you will be able to order food from the bar in the lobby area (Arabesque Lounge). The big advantage here is, that you can actually sit outside on the back patio and enjoy the food out there, which I would prefer.
Marssa is their fine-dining sushi restaurant and it’s located right next to Rick’s Cafe. It is only open from Tuesday to Saturday but they have some great sushi and fish plates and I loved how the present it to you when the plate gets served to your table.
Summary
This is a great hotel and also well suited for families with small children or handicapped people. There are elevators and ramps everywhere to get to every area of the hotel. It might not be always the fastest way but you are not restricted. I also witnessed a wedding here, which the hotel is also famous for. The staff was super friendly and helpful all the time. Overall I can’t complain about the place except for the little issue with housekeeping. I am pretty easy-going but 45 minutes waiting for a guy to pick up dry cleaning or deliver some bags is a long time. Also, the hotel was not very busy at that time.
This review covers pretty much everything about the hotel, but I was never able to use the spa.
Additional Tip:
There are some dinner cruises on the lake with small gondolas like the ones in Venice, Italy. They are driven by an electric motor, this makes them very quiet and a great deal for a romantic dinner cruise. Just ask the concierge at the hotel if he can set it up for you. The boats are privately chartered, which means you get one just for yourself.
Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com
Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.
