Excalibur: beyond the cardroom -- looking for info

[dfscott]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Vegas over the Thanksgiving holidays. The Excalibur is running a good special right now ($59/night) and the posts here seem to confirm that the 2/6 and 1/3 games there are pretty good fishing.

However, my wife isn't into the poker games as much as I, so she's interested in some of the other amenities (there are other amenities?). I was just wondering if anyone that has stayed there could give me their opinion on the Excalibur's other qualities, such as:

-is there a pool? is it indoor?
-how's the restaurant(s)?
-do they offer daycare?
-any other pros/cons about staying there?

Finally, I'm not locked into the Excalibur yet -- if anyone has any suggestions of other good (inexpensive) hotels on the strip with nice, loose hold'em games, I'm open to that as well. This is only my second trip to Vegas (the first was a company trip where we spent the first 1/2 of the trip at the Fitzgerald and the other half at the Bellagio, so that's all I've got to compare to).

Thanks in advice for any info/advice

[Cooling Heels]

You can't go wrong for $59 a night. The 2/6 spread limit
HE game is a good game, and the large number of tables
give you the chance to move around if your'e game is
lousy.

I've never stayed there, so I can't comment on the
hotel other than the location is perfect. The
hotel is connected by free monorail to Luxor and
Mandalay Bay, and it's across the street from the
MGM and NYNY. With so many convenient choices for
dining and beer swilling, it doesn't really matter
how the Excalibar restaurants fare.

BTW, the Krispy Kreme donuts are made fresh at the
Excalibar, 2nd level food court.

good luck

[zuluking]

Try and hook up with Capone. His favorite room is the Excal.

[dfscott]

Thanks for the tips, Cooling Heels.

[ QUOTE ]
BTW, the Krispy Kreme donuts are made fresh at the
Excalibar, 2nd level food court.


[/ QUOTE ]

You don't know how important an amenity that is -- my wife is addicted to those things. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[dfscott]

Thanks, I'll PM him and see if he can help me out.

Edit: Hmmm.. I can't out exactly what his user id is. I thought it was Al Capone Jr., but I can't find any posts by that user, so I don't think that's right.

[steamboatin]

I thought the room was nice. I was severly disappointed in the Buffet. It looks wonderful but didn't taste very good at all.

You get free food at supper time in the card room. Nothing worth writing home to Mom about but it was there. It was fish sticks once and a pasta-like substance another time.

My wife said there was a game room and things for kids in the lower level. I didn't go.

We lived on the Krispy Kremes while we were there.

Overall, it was okay. We were there last Thanksgiving. Flew in the Wednesday before,with the MRS, my Mom and Aunt. Headed for Flagstaff, AZ Thanksgiving Day. Went to Sedona, AZ., Friday, back to Flagstaff, Grand Canyon Saturday, and back to Vegas Saturday night. Flew out of Vegas Monday, so we really didn't spend that much time in the Excalibur.

Mom had never flown or been out west so we did the tourist thing and had a good time.

[Smasharoo]

The best thing I think you could tell your wife in redagrds to staying there is "It's a short walk to the Bellagio"

[RydenStoompala]

The Bellagio reference above is correct. Good room rate. Good poker games. ZERO for the wife, except the Krispy Cremes and that wont last for three long hold'em sessions.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I stayed in the hotel about four years ago, it wasn't bad, not fantastic but not bad. The rooms will do.

I know nothing of daycare anywhere in vegas since I don't have kids. My idea of daycare is ducktape and a TV [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] (just kidding).

Restaurants in excal are OK, but certainly not top of the line. The buffet will do, but there are better ones. The sherwood forest cafe has generally good food but slow service. the food tastes better of course with a $4 comp from the poker room. Mediterranian salad is my fav from there.

Their snack bar is OK at best.

Location wise it's pretty good for entertainment other than poker. I hear the dinner show there with the horses and the knights is quite good, but I have never seen it, and I'd guess it would be so-so for small children considering the price. There is lots of entertainment walking distance or tram/monorail distance from excal. Monorail goes to MGM I believe so it's pretty easy to get to the other end of the strip too.

If you are going to play poker there, it's generally much better in the evenings and at night. Graveyard generally rocks there.

Feel free to look me up before you come to town, I can give you my #. Also, if you are here on a wednesday you should come to the poker discussion group at binion's at 2pm. I can give a ride if need be and you don't mind riding in dodge pickup trucks!

al

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
The sherwood forest cafe has generally good food but slow service. the food tastes better of course with a $4 comp from the poker room.

[/ QUOTE ]

He's being generous here. When we ate there for lunch back in March, not only was it slow, but the food was horrible. Maybe we caught them on a bad day. The service was really the worst ever though. The only thing that made it OK was the fact my buddy was paying for it, compliments of the Flamingo's high hand jackpot he had won the day before with his Q-high straight flush.

Location-wise it's a good spot. The rate sounds good. Just plan on eating elsewhere most of the time. There's plenty of free things to do in all of the hotels, not even including laying out by the pool.