We had a wonderful stay. From the moment we went to the check in desk, where we were greeted by a very pleasant young woman, until we checked out , we were very pleasantly surprised with our Riviera experience. Now, to be fair, if you go with expectations of grandeur or glitz, you will be sorely disappointed. But, if you go wanting a nice clean room, friendly service and a staff who have a sense of humor, you will be very happy at the Riviera. We were offered a room in the Monaco Tower, which has all been renovated recently and we thought the room was exceptionally nice. Not sure about the more ""classic"" rooms. We got the Monaco tower for no additional charge and didn't even have to ask for an upgrade. The young woman at check in offered it to us. The pit bosses, cocktail waitresses and dealers that we dealt with in the casino were veterans (OK, OK, I mean older folks), but this added to the ambiance of the casino experience. All were very friendly, funny and they had great stories to share about their long Vegas experiences. We loved this part of playing there. Also had a great, inexpensive meal in the coffee shop. It is a bit sad to see the shape of the surrounding area outside the Riviera, but we managed to have a great time playing and staying there. Also played at the Sahara a bit. It was an easy walk and also had a good old historical Vegas vibe. Speaking of historical vibes, right next door to the Riviera is the Peppermill, a great place for cool drinks and good food in a retro setting. In summary, I would not hesitate to recommend the Riviera to folks, so long as they know that part of the strip and they aren't expecting high end.
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