I was recently lucky enough to stay at the Virgin Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas Nevada. My stay was meant to be for four nights only, with other casino hotels booked for subsequent nights, but in the end I enjoyed staying here so much that I stayed here for my full seventeen (17) night stay! When you’re travelling internationally from 15000 miles away, it makes sense to visit Las Vegas for at least two weeks.

It had been three years since I’d visited Las Vegas, due to the whole Covid pandemic which closed international borders, and a lot had changed. The Resorts World casino had opened on the Las Vegas Strip, the Circa casino had opened in Downtown Las Vegas, and the former Hard Rock Hotel and Casino had been transformed into the Virgin Casino and Hotel (on Paradise Rd, a few blocks and a $10 Uber fare to the Las Vegas strip). There had been other changes too of course – closures of the Hawaiian Marketplace, changes to various casino properties. There had definitely been an increase in room rates, food costs, and the cost of just about everything in Las Vegas too – but I managed to stay within budget.

I wasn’t sure whether I’d like the Virgin Casino vibe having stayed at the Hard Rock many times before (and always enjoying their entertainer memorabilia displays), but actually the Virgin Casino refit was pretty cool. It had a very laid back feel, part Nevada desert, part Ibiza chill, part understated glamour (like in the Shag Room, which is used for intimate entertainment experiences). The casino table games were plentiful and there was good variety, and the slot machines were fairly typical of most Las Vegas casinos. I found the table games treated me reasonably well. The slot machines were not lucky for me this trip, but it was good to try a lot of the new slots that were out on the gaming floor.

Room rates at Virgin are not cheap when you look at popular travel booking websites. However, if you reach out in advance and get a casino host, you’ll be well looked after as a player. Having a host can bring your costs right down, or level them to zero… I have an excellent host and I can introduce you if you’re a player looking to visit Las Vegas with reasonable play time / turnover (so get in touch).

There’s a lot of good food options at the property. They are not cheap, but they are convenient. I had a steak meal which I thought was “ok” – it was about $30 which is up there in Vegas pricing. I balanced restaurant meal costs this trip by going to Walmart and Costco and buying basic items to have for breakfast each day (croissants, cheese, ham, butter, etc) and soft drinks. I purchased a cheap styrofoam chilly bin from a service station (gas station) for about $6 and filled it with ice from the ice maker along from my room. This turned out to be an excellent idea, saving me hundreds of dollars on the trip. I found out on checking out that the hotel would have gladly given me a refrigerator if I’d asked – I’ve noted that for next time. Guess I was out of practice after 3 years.

The room was great, full walk in shower, bath, nice mirror and sink area, and a toilet. The bed was super comfortable and had that crisp white cotton sheet set that Hilton hotels are known for. Whilst this hotel trades as the Virgin Hotel and Casino, the hotel part is actually outsourced to Hilton (the property is a Hilton Curio collection property), and the casino part is run by Mohegan Sun casinos.

Some people might not like the fact that the property is off the Las Vegas Strip. I actually found this to be a plus as it was a lot quieter than the MGM and Caesars group properties on the strip. It was easy to get served for food, easy to find a quiet slot machine area, and easy to get seats at table games. The casino is quite large but I found it easy to navigate overall. One thing that was quite funny for me is that there is a Betfred Sportsbook setup within the casino area, with screens showing sports matches, and a betting counter. However, there’s some current issue with the licensing and the sportsbook says “coming soon”. I talked to employees who said it had been “coming soon” for almost two years. Maybe it will be open on my next trip when I return there.

Overall I had a great stay at the Virgin Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and would recommend staying there if you like luxury accommodation, close to the Las Vegas Strip, with a great casino. If you want to know any more about the property just get in touch and I’ll be happy to help.