We were in Laughlin a few years ago and are considering a return visit. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding hotels, casinos, restaurants, or activities in or near Laughlin? Thanks.

Jerry, we pop into Laughlin once a year on one of our Vegas trips for a day or 2. Not much has changed in the last few years. We were there in May 05.

Personally, we like the 5 casinos on the south end more than the others, Harrah's, Nugget, River Palms, Colorado Belle and Ramada. No real reason.

The Laughlin web site has links to all the casinos, and is the easy way to see what deals are available. http://www.laughlinchamber.com/CasinosResorts.asp

The Colorado Belle has bought out Edgewater. (or so I was told) Riverside has expanded slightly to across the street by their parking garage. Nugget has a Starbucks now. Still hotter than............

IMO the Golden Nugget is the best hotel in Laughlin in terms of accomodations and upscale feel of the casino. Harrah's is not bad either. The rooms at the Pioneer, Edgewater and Belle are shabby, but the Belle has a brewpub w/ decent food/beer and a fun atmosphere. Harrah's probably has Laughlin's best buffet, but none of the buffets approach the quality available in Vegas.

Truth be told, the town is getting a bit tired. No new casinos have opened in well over a decade (Flamingo was the last, I'm ignoring Avi as it's not in Laughlin per se) and the nickel slot pension crowd that makes up most of the clientele doesn't provide the financial incentive for current casinos to be renovated, let alone see new ones built. But I love the town. If you want to enjoy a relaxing gambling trip at very reasonable prices Laughlin is tough to beat.

Lastly, I can recommend Oatman AZ as a neat 1/2 day trip from Laughlin. Allow about 1 hour each way. Situated on old Rte 66, Oatman is an old mining boomtown turned ghost town. There are a lot of cute shops on the town's main street. The best reason to visit though is to feed the wild jackasses freely roaming the streets (their ancestors abandoned ages ago by miners leaving town). Worth a visit.

Oatman is fun, but using the word "wild" with the jackasses is a stretch. We've stayed at all of the hotels from the North to South end of the strip (save the Pioneer,) and prefer the Colordo Bell. The location at the center of the strip is perfect for walking anywhere you want to go. There have also been several recent remodels to the rooms.