The Flamingo Hotel might just be the best bang for your buck hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
The location is right in the middle of everything, the pool is one of the best and the rooms are clean and budget-friendly.
With this hotel being low-cost and a little older, there are a few tips and tricks that will be helpful to know for your next stay at the Flamingo.
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What I Like About the Flamingo Hotel
The top 3 reasons why I love the Flamingo Hotel:
- location
- lower prices
- an amazing pool.
The hotel is centrally located on the Strip directly across from Caesars Palace. Plus, it’s convenient that the elevated walkways are right outside the main entrance.
Being one of the oldest hotels, I love how it still exudes its old school Vegas charm, even amongst the newer renovations.
Once inside, it doesn’t feel as glitz and glam as the Cosmopolitan or Bellagio, but that’s part of the reason I love it. The nostalgia factor is real here.
Plus, it’s hard not to love the fluorescent pink theme throughout the property.
View best rates for the Flamingo Hotel on Booking.com
What I Don’t Like About the Flamingo Hotel
If you arrive on a weekend, the check-in process can be a little lengthy – they’ve switched to mostly self-serve kiosks that never seem to work.
Try and hold out for checking-in with someone from the front desk if you can.
If you’re only staying for a couple of nights, it’s worth checking-in a couple hours earlier and paying the fee. You’ll save so much time in line.
Since it’s an old hotel, some areas definitely feel tired and dated, so don’t expect as much of a posh setting compared to other hotels.
Finally, the Flamingo doesn’t have much variety for onsite restaurants.
But this has never been a big deal for me since there are so many other places to eat within 5 minutes walking distance.
Read Next: Vegas On A Budget: Where to Eat, Stay and Play and Spend Less
Tips and Tricks for Staying at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
Differences Between Room Types
The cheapest rooms you can book at the Flamingo Las Vegas are the FAB rooms.
These are the most dated and have the tub/shower combo. These rooms do not have carpet.
You can snag these rooms for less than $30 per night (even less if you’re a Caesars Rewards member).
If you’re not planning to spend much time in your room and just need a place to sleep, the FAB rooms will be perfectly fine.
A step up from the FAB rooms are the GO rooms, which are slightly more updated and have carpet and a small walk in shower.
These rooms aren’t much more expensive than the FAB rooms so you might as well pay a few dollars extra for carpet and a slightly nicer shower.
Even if you have a high roller view or pool/garden view, it’s still quite pretty. Just try and get a room higher than the 10th floor.
The next nicest type of rooms are the Flamingo rooms, which are newly renovated and have nicer bathrooms than the first two types.
Overall, these rooms are the most modern in the hotel. There’s a large walk-in shower that’s been freshly tiled.
The Flamingo rooms are the cheapest rooms you can book with a strip view.
And the views of the Strip from the Flamingo Hotel are incredible, you can see the Bellagio fountains and the mountains in the distance.
From there, you can continue to pay more for suites or executive rooms.
Flamingo Hotel Room Tips
Get a Room with a Fridge
I recommend booking a Flamingo room (or above) so that you get a small fridge. This way you can head to CVS and load up on bottled water, drinks and mixers.
It’s way cheaper to buy your drinks at the convenience stores or pharmacies.
You can walk the Strip with your own drinks whether they’re in a can or plastic cup.
Beverage Prices Change
If you buy from the small liquor store within the Flamingo (closer to the Margaritaville side of the casino), prices on drinks change throughout the day.
So buy your beverages in the mornings!
We noticed the tall cans of beer were 2 to 4 dollars more expensive in the early evening compared to the morning.
Read more about the best way to get free drinks in Vegas and what to order.
Light Sleepers Beware
If you have a strip view room, you might hear the Bellagio fountains go off – which could be a problem if you’re a very light sleeper.
So just keep this in mind. The higher up you are, the less street noise you’ll hear.
The fountains stop at midnight so it’s usually not a problem for most Vegas vacationers.
Pet Friendly Rooms
Dogs are allowed at the Flamingo and there’s lots of pet-friendly rooms to choose from.
This hotel allows two dogs per room up to 50 pounds each, and the fee is $75 per day.
Part of this fee includes dishes, a dog mat, some waste bags and doggy treats.
Located close to the pet-friendly rooms is a pet relief station that’s fenced in and poop bags and a trash can are provided.
Unfortunately, the Flamingo Hotel does not allow cats, just dogs.
Bunk Bed Rooms
The Flamingo is one of the few hotels on the Vegas strip that offers rooms with queen-sized bunk beds.
With the fluorescent pink theme and the fact that you can comfortably fit 6 to 8 people in a room makes the Flamingo the perfect hotel for your bachelorette party.
Read more about planning a Vegas bachelorette party and fun things to do in Vegas for a girls trip here.
Flamingo Check-in and Room Upgrades Tips
Yes, you can still attempt the $20 ‘sandwich trick’ to get upgraded to a nicer room.
The most important thing to know is that you don’t actually need to be sneaky about offering money when you ask for an upgrade.
All front desk staff need to display tips that they receive (remember, there are cameras everywhere), so you don’t have to hide your cash between your credit card and ID.
When you’re checking in, be polite and courteous and ask if there’s any chance for a room upgrade.
If they say yes, hand them your $20 or $50 tip. If they say no, just say thank you and keep your money.
If you don’t happen to get an upgrade, check back with the staff the next morning after 11am when departing guests have checked out for the day.
You can mention that there were no upgrades available when you checked in and wanted to know if anything has since opened up.
If you’re willing to change rooms, often you can get a better room this way.
One final tip, make sure your name on your credit card and the name you booked the hotel reservation in match exactly. If you have a different last name, they will not let you use this credit card.
Pool Information
There are two main pools at the Flamingo, the GO Pool which turns into a dayclub on the weekends, and the family friendly pool with a waterslide. There is no outdoor hot tub here.
The GO Pool is beautiful and one of the most popular ones on the strip. This pool is adults only (21+).
It’s laid out in a lagoon style and is lined with palm trees and waterfall features.
Security is very tight at the pool, no outside beverages are allowed, not even coffee or water.
You can bring a bag, but they will search every inch. I like bringing a fanny pack to pool parties because I can wear it with my swimsuit and not worry about my phone and cards.
You can even bring floaties! Grab this flamingo pool float for the cutest setup at this pool. This is also a super fun way to make friends at the pool party!
There are a limited number of free loungers, so if it’s a nice day out, I recommend going to snag a spot as soon as the pool opens.
To save your spot, place your towels on the loungers and secure them with these flamingo towel clips.
There’s live music, DJs and a great bar.
If it’s your first time in Vegas, be prepared for expensive pool drinks. I’m talking $20 (or more per drink).
In this regard, you could consider booking a daybed – on slow weekdays it’s going to cost about $100 minimum food and beverage spend, which is really only a few drinks. Something to consider!
The family pool is a little more chill, but you can also rent daybeds and cabanas here too.
The pools at the Flamingo are not heated, so if you’re visiting during shoulder season (either just after pools open or right before they close), it’s going to be chilly!
When I visited in mid-October, I couldn’t get in the water because it was so cold.
Casino Information and Tips
Since the Flamingo is one of the lower cost hotels, you’ll find that many of the table games in the casino have lower limits.
These cheaper tables make it hard to find a spot though.
Since the entrance to the casino is from the Strip, it’s partially open air.
Because of this, I find the Flamingo casino to be less smokey compared to most others. So if casino smoke bothers you, you might find that it’s not too bad at the Flamingo.
Read reviews about the Flamingo on Tripadvisor
Things to Do Near the Flamingo Las Vegas
Honestly, I love staying at the Flamingo. The central location provides easy access to so many of the most popular things to do.
It’s situated smack dab in the middle of the most popular area of the Strip.
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s so easy to get to Caesars Palace and the Bellagio via the elevated pedestrian walkways.
I recommend hanging out for a few minutes at sunset to watch the Strip’s glow slowly come to life as it switches from day to night and get some amazing photos.
Wildlife Habitat
The back garden of the hotel is an amazing natural space full of gardens, waterfalls and wildlife!
There are flamingos, turtles and all kinds of exotic birds who call this sanctuary home.
It’s free to visit (even for non-hotel guests) and the perfect place for some downtime.
Linq Promenade
You’ll be directly adjacent to the Linq Promenade for a variety of choices for restaurants, bars and fun shops.
I recommend the frozen Bailey’s from O’Sheas, over-the-top candy martinis at I Love Sugar and happy hour at Flour & Barley for $10 pizzas and $5 draft.
The Ice Bar and zipline are some fun attractions at the Linq.
High Roller Observation Wheel
If you are staying at the Flamingo, you must do the High Roller Observation Wheel! I can’t recommend this experience enough.
The observation pods are spacious and move slowly, so if you’re afraid of heights, you won’t feel anxious at all (trust me, I hate heights)!
Prices vary depending on time of day, but no matter what, I recommend buying your tickets online in advance to skip the lineups.
If it’s a clear day, you’ll be able to see the mountains in the distance and enjoy the views at a cheaper rate.
It’s definitely worth the price of admission for an evening ride with all the sparkling lights. I recommend going with the happy hour tickets, meaning you get an open bar the entire ride.
The High Roller is wheelchair accessible and takes about 30 minutes.
Buy tickets online in advance and you won’t have to wait.
Margaritaville
Themed restaurants are one of the highlights of dining in Vegas, and Margaritaville (attached to the Flamingo) is one of the best.
Try the Lava Lava Shrimp. Also, the upstairs patio has perfect views of the strip and is great for people watching.
You’re directly across from Caesars Palace and the Bellagio, two of the most popular hotels in Vegas.
Directly outside of the Flamingo, you’ll find the elevated walkways to cross Las Vegas Boulevard, so you don’t have to make a trek to get to one of these first.
Stage Door Casino
For cheap drinks and a fun dive-bar experience, the Stage Door Casino is located right behind the Flamingo.
Bottled beer is $1 here!
Piano Bar at Harrah’s
A 5 minute walk from the Flamingo Hotel will get you to the Piano Bar at Harrah’s – one of the most entertaining shows in town.
Whether it’s the twin sisters playing or Big Elvis, it’s always a fun time. Plus they take song requests!
Read more reviews on Tripadvisor.
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