Las Vegas Hotels

Opened in 1966 with a mere 120 rooms, the Four Queens (named for the owner's four daughters) has evolved over the decades into a major Downtown property occupying an entire city block. This property is sold so often we think it's being used as a stake in some ongoing card game, so the usual warnings about potential change hold here. The lobby is small but elegant -- in a slightly faded, slightly dated way (with mirrors and huge chandeliers). In the Four Queens, you just know you're in Old Las Vegas. And you are glad. As the staff says, this is the place to stay if you just want to gamble -- or if you want to experience the real Old Las Vegas, and we don't just mean the clientele (though that, too -- most are 50-plus and have been coming here for years). Another draw is the consistently helpful and friendly staff.

Rooms aren't going to blow you away, but note that the ones in the South Tower are a shade larger than the others, though we wouldn't hold any multiperson slumber parties in either. In most cases, rooms in the North Tower offer views of the Fremont Street Experience. The restaurant, Hugo's Cellar, has a cozy lounge with a working fireplace, and two bars serve the casino.

- Frommer's