Diamond Resorts Desert Paradise Resort

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA skyline over the strip at dusk.

This resort is in amazing Las Vegas. If you have not been before, or it has been a while, keep reading to learn more about Vegas and this resort.

Video by Travel And Moore

Day One Arrival at Diamond Resorts Desert Paradise Resort

From Virginia, any trip to Vegas for me starts with a flight. Vegas is so popular that from most International Airports you can get direct flights. Then when you arrive, the airport is so close to the strip that you really do not need a rental car if your resort is close to the strip.

Since I am trying to walk more to be healthy, I took an Uber from the airport to the resort. The resort itself is about 3 miles from the strip, so I will probably get an Uber to and from the strip but walk the strip instead of having the hassle and cost of parking.

I prefer to stay off the strip because of the noise in the hotels and casinos on the strip. I typically only sleep a little each day when in Vegas, so when I do sleep I want that time to be uninterrupted sleep.

Arriving at the resort, I notice that the resort itself is laid out a bit like a neighborhood of condos. The central area wraps around really nice outdoor pools. Then, outside of that central section, there are many more similar buildings, all with an exterior that has the Southwest theme or feeling to them.

The villas here are very roomy and well equipped and appointed. The kitchens had everything I needed or wanted and would work well for a family that wanted to fix a few meals in the unit on their trip.

Villa Amenities

Then the resort itself offers all of these options.

Resort Amenities

2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with kitchen. The living room and deck were very comfortable for our stay to visit a family member in the hospital. Pools including adults only were very nice. The free shuttle to the strip was efficient and helpful. The staff was friendly. Exceeded our expectations at a very reasonable rate. Did not miss staying on the Strip. Much quieter and more spacious!

This place is incredible, and almost an unbelievable value; we paid half what we would have at a comparable hotel and got an apartment size space with two full bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and two full bathrooms. ALL THE staff — ALL THE STAFF — were incredibly helpful; no kidding, when we went to the front desk to check in we felt that we could have been checking into the Plaza Hotel. The people at the desk were so well dressed and so professional and so helpful, it felt like we were at a five-star hotel. I simply cannot say enough good about this facility. This has absolutely become our go-to location for future visits to Las Vegas.

Review update (05/01/22): I want to thank concierge Myra for helping me find my friend, who got separated from me. She went above and beyond and deserves special recognition for her compassion in what was a scary moment for me. Overall, the room is nice, and the bed is comfy. The lack of a ceiling fan in the bedroom and no proper vanity in the bathroom give it a slight downgrade. There is no on-premises restaurant, but there are decent and economical choices within walking distance.

1st time to stay here and simply put it was beyond my expectations. The closets were so spacious the bathrooms were so nice. The kitchen had everything I could ever need for a small vacation. And we got lucky to be steps away from the pool. My daughters were overjoyed. The staff was super nice. I will definitely continue to come here for our vacation to Vegas.

We feel like we found a hidden gem in Vegas! We loved our stay here and will be back whenever we visit Vegas again. You get your own apartment space, complete with a full kitchen, laundry room, and balcony! The pool area was amazing. Our only “disappointment” was that the waterfall feature in the pool area wasn’t turned on while we were there, but that didn’t stop my family from spending lots of time in the heated pool. The rooms and grounds were clean. The property is gated, with keycard access after a certain time. As a family with young kids, we enjoyed staying off the, but we were still close enough that it wasn’t a long drive when we did want to go explore. We couldn’t have asked for a more comfortable place to stay and look forward to our next trip!

Great stay! Super clean, pleasant staff, free shuttle to strip. Beautiful plants outside. The kids had a great time in the beautiful pool. Another adult pool is separate if someone doesn’t want kids around.

Huge 2 bed 2 bathrooms with full kitchen. Nice little patio. Nice to have grills by pools, which we didn’t utilize but nice to have options. Little further off strip than we thought but a deal breaker.

I had booked the 1 bedroom villa versus the 2 bedroom. It was very large and had many of the same features as the 2-bedroom units. The balcony was small but nice to have for some fresh nighttime air. Again, a major reason to stay here is quiet. Compared to the strip and having to wear earplugs to get real rest, this was a refreshing change. After I got checked in, I headed out for some dinner. My flight was a straight shot with no layover, so I had not eaten in about 6 hours or so. There are several restaurants on Decatur Blvd near the resort, so you can walk and get some Mexican food, pizza, ice cream, or even a drink or two in both directions. I landed at O’Aces bar and grill for dinner and a few drinks. It was a few blocks away on the same side of the boulevard.

The food was OK, but nothing to write home about. This seems to be the kind of spot that is trying too much. They have the food, bar, and gaming via video poker and things. Almost like they wanted to be a mini-casino or something. It just kind of falls flat. But it was an OK meal and not too costly. Think of it as cafeteria food but with pub food options.

Another option is PT’s Tavern which is South on the boulevard instead of North and it has food.

After a few drinks and dinner, I came back and hit the adult pool for a few minutes to cool off. Then it was time to crash for the night. Tomorrow I was going to start out slow and not get going for a while in the morning, but then I plan to stay out late tomorrow night.

Day Two Seeing the Strip

The Las Vegas strip has many sites to be seen and enjoyed. Every major casino thinks about ways to draw customers in, and ways to keep them onsite. In recent years, they have also let attractions become another profit center for them. They figure for those who gamble they can always comp some of these added attractions, and for others not gambling or staying on-site, they charge fees that at times are hefty fees and increase their profits.

Since I am in town to visit several resorts, I thought with this first resort I would do many of the things you need to pay extra for. Then while at the next resort, I will cover things that are free or very cheap on the strip anyone can enjoy. There are many free things to do, and many paid things to do. So, I will try to help you find the best for your time and money.

Vegas is a town that lives off of tips and comps. The workers love tips and depend on them for their income, and the guests search for freebies or experiences that get comped. Good tippers know the longer they are at a resort, casino, bar, or central location, the better their treatment will be when they tip well.

How can you be ready for tips without carrying around stacks of $5 bills to tip? Well, all the ATMs in every casino, they work the same way. They work as free bill breakers in addition to ATMs. So if you put in 100, it’s going to give you 5 20s.

If you put in a 20, it’s going to spit out 4 5s. If you put in a $5 bill, it’s going to give you five ones and you’ll have plenty of small bills for those tips during your trip. The drinks are free in parts of the casinos when you tip you will get better drinks, and more drinks, and your cocktail waitress or bartender will look after you.

When you are walking the strip, you save on valley charges and tips, you would spend parking your car at each stop. But tipping others that help you is expected and is a good investment for the best level of service. For people bringing drinks tip as you go with the free drinks. I start with a $5 tip and then keep tipping, but just less after the first $5. I might move to $2. If I am playing a table game, I tip out the dealer or gamekeeper with a tip when I leave the table or cash out. If I am just treading water (not winning) I will just tip about $5 per hour I spend at the table. If I win big, I might tip based on a percentage of the win.

Most of the free drinks are only when you are gambling on the floor or at a table game. The quality of the drinks is based on the location and level of gaming. I will give you an example of what you can get for free at Wynn or Encore. Well, you can usually ask for a Don Julio Anejo tequila. And if you go to like a Total Wine, that bottle is going to be about $80 and you can drink it for free here. And on the other hand, if you’re gambling at one of the lower-end casinos, well, you’re still going to get free drinks. It’s the liquor just isn’t going to be as high quality. However, if you’re out of one of those, if you go into the high roller room, you will get better drinks.

And also, you’ll get better options if you’re drinking at a bar versus on the casino floor. But if you’re trying to drink for free at a bar, just be sure to ask whether the complimentary drinks work on a ticketing system, or if as long as you’re playing, you get free drinks because some of the bars have started implementing a ticketing system where you have to bet a certain amount and then it will spit out a free drink ticket.

A great place to start of your day on the strip is the Bellagio Fountain is a fun and free attraction along the Strip. Every 15 to 30 minutes, more than a thousand fountains sway in front of the hotel in sync with music and light. It’s a beautiful and impressive spectacle with water reaching as high as 460 feet or 140 meters into the air. It is a great show and you can see it from many free spots in the area.

The next thing to do in Vegas is to take a picture of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. This sign was erected in 1959 and officially recognized as a Las Vegas landmark. The sign is located near the southern end of the Strip, about two miles from the Mandalay Bay resort. It’s completely free and makes for a great souvenir picture. I like the old-time design and look of the sign.

Following my social media picture, I went to Freemont Street. One of the best things to do is visit Fremont Street, located in downtown Las VegasWe know this street to be the old Las Vegas and was the first paved road in the entire city. Today, you can find many bars, restaurants, casinos, and entertainment here.

The centerpiece of this entertainment district is the world’s largest video screen, which is suspended above the mall and displays lights and music.

Fremont Street is one of the main areas famed for the Viva Vision Light Show, and the food too has a light-so to speak. Over the years, the glory is steadily resuming downtown. Fremont Street was the jewel of Vegas in the early 90s, and it is where all the gambling and hotel experience boomed from before vacating to the Strip.

The restaurants and hoteliers here put deals to attract visitors who wish to save big by eating good cheap food to aid the effort of revitalizing Fremont Street.

Lanai Express is Located in the Fremont Hotel and Casino. Lanai Express is one of the cheapest restaurants in Downtown Vegas, for food lovers.

Imagine eating a meal for less than a dollar.

That is right. Less than a dollar-incredible. So if you want to save huge, Lanai is the perfect eatery for a late-night bite while in Vegas. The restaurant offers a wide range of Chinese bites, hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads.

Another affordable place to eat here is Evil Pie Food lovers. The Pizzeria is named after the stuntman nicknamed DareDevil Evel Knievel. It has a 70s theme (which is when Evel was active) with pictures of the man and motorcycle parts. His most outrageous and deadly stunts include jumping over the fountains at Caesar’s Palace and the crashing Grand Canyon motorcycle jump.

Evel Pie serves cheap slices of your favorite pies and pizza on Fremont Street. You can get a full meal for just $25, which is a solid price compared to other eateries. Order by the slice or in whole, which is extra for you as you eat what you want. It is not $1 per item, but it is a great value for a vacation town for sure.

Day Three Gambling

Everyone does not gamble. I like to gamble some. I do not risk it all on the tables or games. When you like to gamble, this is the best place on Earth to do so, unless you are a high roller that can afford to gamble at some top-tier locations outside of the USA.

I pay attention to the rewards programs and also enjoy having experiences clomped along the way.

When you play enough, you learn a few secrets. One is that all the machines do not have the same payout rates. The machines that are near the high-traffic areas will have better payout rates than other units. This does not mean that the odds are in your favor they are not. The house or casino still has the upper hand. But if you like winning, you do have better odds than almost anywhere else.

If you can identify those machines, you may win a little money. I also like blackjack. Not because of the best odds in the building, but because I find it fun to play. I also feel that in most cases, I can read the game well. I am no card counter. My mind just does not work like that, but I understand the principles enough to help myself when I am at the table. I am sure over the long term I am not a winner because that is how the odds are when gambling. But if you walk when you are ahead, you can take away winnings and enjoy yourself. I think I have won the most money on a cruise against less skilled dealers. But in Vegas and Atlantic City I have had good runs as well.

This trip ended up a little ahead. But those around me lost far more than I won. It was enjoyable, and the games went well. Between the free drinks, my tips, and my small winnings, I just walked away feeling like a winner, which is the best feeling.

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