Aquarius Laughlin - Best Location, Decent Variety of Dining Options, and Fun!
Location It is right next to the Colorado River which offers plenty of daytime activities. A lot of people drive over to the Arizona side and rent a Sea-Doo to drive up and down the Colorado River. The hotel is across the street from Laughlin Outlet Center which had a Family Dollar store and Bikini Bay Bar. Of all the locations in Laughlin, this hotel seems to have the best location. Check In I checked other travel websites and Priceline offered the best rate and even allowed me to pick which room. I went for the Panoramic View, One King.Hotel had self-check-in. It went by without a hitch; it got my credit card and also spit out two card keys. No problems came up and I already had my room number within two minutes of arriving which is a new record for me. I don't know why this trend has not caught on with other hotels. Room I booked a panoramic view with king bed and that was what I got. It was very spacious and came with its own refrigerator. The bed was comfortable and gave me a good night's sleep. I am the kind of person who cannot sleep on an overly done bed with dozens of pillows on it, hotels have gotten ridiculous in that department, and I even find myself preferring three-star hotel beds over five-star hotel beds at times.The shower pressure was fantastic, and I got a nice one out of it. There were no issues with the room. The furniture was a little older and a tad outdated though. Then again, this is not a luxury hotel nor is it a business hotel, so I did not mind here. The only visible damage was a small patch of dark veneer being ripped off, exposing lighter-colored wood underneath. Dining The hotel had quite a few chain restaurants on its premises such as Panda Express, Outback Steakhouse, Subway, and McDonald's. Not all were 24/7 though, but there was always a place open anytime. The hotel also had its own restaurant. I did not eat in any one of them. Guests could also purchase bottled water or snacks at the gift shop instead. Service I did not need anything out of the ordinary. The room was clean, the typical hotel toiletries were provided - shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. The hotel came with its own free parking, and I arrived on a Friday when it was starting to get crowded and it was also the beginning of a four-day weekend. The personnel at the hotel were what you would expect of a hotel of this class.There was a swimming pool at the hotel, but it was too cold at that night, so nobody was using it. There was also a full-fledged gym with plenty of equipment to use.Wi-Fi was offered for free to all guests, capped at 1Mbps which was more than adequate for web browsing activities, looking up maps, but not the heavy duty stuff. One could purchase up to 5Mbps for $9.99 per 24 hours though. Overall I was pleasantly surprised to see that the hotel was well-maintained despite its age and seemed to conceal it well. The casino area was large and spacious with modern machines. This hotel's casino seemed to have a more pleasant and airy atmosphere with the higher ceiling. As long as it continues to be priced competitively compared to the other hotels in the area, I am definitely returning to this one.