Is it a space ship or a hotel? Walking into Bally’s is a little bit like entering the Battle Star Gelatica, all be it a low rent version. The circular steel tubular framework tunnel and travellators are a strange experience to say the least. As you enter the casino and reception area it returns to being the standard Las Vegas Resort with a slightly old skool feel about it. Bally’s certainly has a bit of an identity crisis going on me thinks!

Check in was a slow affair and some of the staff were not the most helpful in the world. Expect to pay around $120-$150 per night

Room:

Ask for a room in the North Tower as these are a little swisher than the South Tower rooms, people we spoke to who were staying in the south tower were not that impressed, one guy used the word “icky” to describe his room and felt he didn’t want to walk around bare foot. The hallways didn’t seem to get much attention from the staff either with room service trolleys being left hanging around for quite some time.

The north tower rooms however are pretty good, they are slightly larger than average and have large windows with good views, rooms are well equipped with all mod cons including a safe for all your winnings. Bathrooms again are a little better than average and have hair dryers and a good array of branded freebies including mouthwash.

Gaming:

Bally’s casino is small compared to its neighbours, it has 56,000sq ft of floor space and has a lot of slots which you can play from a nickel up to a $1000, be warned though these slots are tight. Bally’s offers all the tables you would expect and due to its high number of East Asian guests there are a high number of Asian tables and minimums average at $10. There is also a high stakes salon, which is a lot more comfortable and the minimums start at $25, a lot lower than its competition near by. Cocktails are some of the strongest in town, but don’t expect to down too many as the waitresses are a bit thin on the ground.

Dining:

There is not the choice of restaurants in Bally’s that you will find in newer strip resorts and what they have is standard, an Italian, Chinese, a steakhouse and a café.

Al dente has an extensive selection of traditional and contempory dishes and prices range from $20-$30 upwards for a main course. Asia has good Chinese and Hong Kong style dishes and fresh seafood specials with prices about the same as the Italian. For a classic steak visit Bally’s Steak house, they serve steaks chops and seafood, prices are a little higher with mains starting at $30. The only place open all day in Bally’s is the Side Walk Café, it is cheap and cheerful, serving American favourites. Pop in for a fry up 24hours a day.

Overall:

Good value for money and a great central location, slap bang in the middle of all the top resorts on the strip.