Two married women who go to Vegas once a year for gal-time. We like live shows, slots, video poker, people watching, tons of walking, good food and lots of laughs.

Chose to go from Sat-Wed to beat traffic, lineups and I mean really, $32.00 per night and $6.00 resort fee? I can't stay home for that.

Pros: Stayed at over 10 hotels on the strip and nowhere have I had better service. While it's not in the tourist hub, we chose it specifically to be off the beaten path for a change and was not disappointed. Check-in took minutes and the desk is a stone's throw from the front door, as are the guest elevators. Elevator security is evident and while they never once checked my ID, their presence is obvious and appreciated.

Guests get free shuttle (throw a $ into the bucket!) to the Strip and also to the Gold Coast Hotel (not recommended!). If it's busy, they want to see your ID to confirm you're a hotel guest. That's a good thing.

Check in took minutes, desk is right through the front door, smiles from the staff and felt welcomed right away. Was given many freebies/promotions and we used them all.

We don't care about glitzy rooms as we're hardly there. What I do care about is CLEAN and COMFORT. Beds were wonderful, service from the hotel operator was instant and while there's a bit of wear-and-tear, nothing made me gasp. Great shower pressure, loved the little window in the bathroom for fresh air and the maids cleaned the room beautifully. Nice touch of a coffee machine as most middle-of-the road rooms on the Strip are void of those. Guess they want you out of your room as fast as possible to start spending $ but frankly, a room without a coffee pot is enough reason for me not to stay there.

Great casino with slots that let you keep playing. Video poker machines at the bars are very worn and could use a bath but still the best place to get a "real" drink while you gamble. Floor service was quick and the girls were friendly and attentive. Good piped music -- mostly oldies which suits us fine. Good atmosphere with people having fun.

Read lots on here about people getting comp'd for rooms and food and we were no exception. However, this was because we asked to put our gaming points towards anything that was applicable. We spent over $1000 each on gambling and events, so I think comp'ing a $90.00 room and 6 daytime meals should be expected.

Wonderful coffee and service in the Java bar with lots of seating for quiet time to enjoy newspaper in the morning. Gift shop stocked well.

Movie theatre has great selection of movies and very reasonable prices and fantastic popcorn which a must.

In a nutshell, everything about The Orleans was a 10.

Except....

Cons: I would have rated this review Excellent if it wasn't for the food. We ate in every establishment except the Prime Rib place, which I heard was very good.

The buffet: vegetables were brown and wilted throughout the salad bar and limited to low-end vegetables (no tomatoes?). Beef ribs were impossible to chew through and I mean impossible. Sausage at the breakfast section did not taste like meat, scrambled eggs were watery, hash browns greasy, pastries lacking flavour and seemed very bland. That's just a sample of about 25 things we tried. The Garden Cafe's food was a step up but really, that's not saying much. I had a beef dip and while the roast beef WAS cut off a roast, it was filled with peppercorns and the fat edging left on. Meat for beef dip should be shaved and void of fat. All the fries throughout Vegas seemed to be laden in salt and more salt. Doesn't anybody make real fresh-cut potatoes? Had Sliders at TGIF that are served with such flimsy buns, by the time they got to the table, the bread had disintegrated and it was all mush. And again, salt-laden fries.

I would definitely return to the Hotel but would make different dining arrangements.

Air cond: (Room on the 16th floor, far end of the hall). The machine is loud and runs intermittently all night long. You can turn it off but it's too hot without it. They do need to upgrade this.

I want to be clear, the service throughout the entire establishment is top-notch so my negative comments would only be to the owners who may want to spend 4-5 days in their own establishment and eat all meals there to see what many people are talking about.