A Stay at the Desert Rose Resort in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is known as the town that never sleeps.

Activity and entertainment are available 24/7 and the famous Las Vegas Strip, a 4.2 mile section of Las Vegas Boulevard, is crowded with people and traffic day and night.

Gambling opportunities seem to be everywhere in the state of Nevada and Las Vegas is the heart of gambling opportunities with slot machines and casinos are seemingly never out of sight.

Given the action packed atmosphere of Las Vegas, one is surprised to find a peaceful family resort a mere block and a half from the Las Vegas Strip.

The Desert Rose Resort is just that – an oasis of tranquility within the shadow of the casinos lining the Strip.

Located at 5051 Duke Ellington Way, a quiet street just east of the Las Vegas Strip which is the 4.2 mile section of South Las Vegas Blvd where most of the big hotels and casinos are located, the Desert Rose offers visitors a family friendly place to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas Strip.

Unlike most other establishments that I have visited in Las Vegas, or Nevada for that matter, this is the first one where a person is not assaulted by a bank of electronic gaming machines upon entering the lobby. In fact there is no sign of any gambling in the resort.

The resort consists of 284 one and two bedroom condo-style suites with living rooms, kitchenettes and small dining area.

Meeting rooms are available for group events such as business meetings or social events like weddings.

While the kitchenettes are ideal for dining in, the resort provides a complimentary breakfast every morning.

Unlike the traditional coffee and rolls type of continental breakfasts popular in Europe, this is a full, buffet style, American breakfast.

This breakfast includes a choice of coffee, tea, cocoa, juice and milk along with toast, pastry, fresh fruit and choice of dry cereal or instant oatmeal. In addition to this there is also a main course that varies each day and ranges from bacon/sausage and eggs, French toast, pancakes, hash browns, etc.

Other amenities at the Desert Rose include:

• Ample free parking
• Heated swimming pool and hot tub
• Fitness center
• Outdoor BBQ area
• Free wireless Internet
• On-site laundry
• A front desk manned 24-hours a day

There is also a gift shop conveniently located in the lobby whose offerings include toiletries, snacks and other convenience store items as well as post cards and souvenir type gifts.

While one could literally spend an entire vacation relaxing at this beautiful resort, the Las Vegas Strip is a mere block and a half away.

The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino as well as Hooters Hotel and Casino, which is literally next door albeit separated by the parking lots of both, can be seen from the Desert Rose. The Luxor and New York New York resorts are a little further away but still within reasonable walking distance.

Of course once on the Strip there is a choice of buses most of which are running constantly day and night. The Deuce Bus (operated by the Las Vegas Transit System) offers six hour, twenty-four hour and three day passes good for unlimited rides during the period purchased.

The Las Vegas Monorail is another option which is also within walking distance from the Desert Rose.

Current fare information for both the Deuce Bus and Monorail are available on the websites of each. Tickets can be purchased for both at ticket kiosks or online in advance.

My wife and I spent a long weekend (Friday evening to Tuesday morning) at the Desert Rose in October 2012. The resort is owned and operated by Shell Vacations Hospitality, a timeshare and resort owner and operator.

Since we are timeshare point owners with Shell we paid for our stay with our points. Other than some purchases at the gift shop, we did not spend anything at the resort other the points we exchanged for our stay.

However, like other resorts, the Desert Rose is available to individuals and groups who are not owners of Shell vacation timeshares. Rates and other fees are available on the Shell Vacations Hospitality website. According to the Shell Vacations site, discounts are available for AARP and AAA members.

My brother-in-law was visiting us from Europe and we had planned a vacation visiting sites in the American Southwest with him.

In addition to my wife’s brother we invited our daughter who lives in a nearby state to join us in Las Vegas since she hadn’t seen her uncle since she was a young girl.

We took one of the two bedroom suites with my wife’s brother in one bedroom, my wife and I in the other and our daughter using the convertible couch/bed in the living room.

Wanting to enjoy the sights and activities in Las Vegas we didn’t spend a lot of time at the Desert Rose. We did enjoy the breakfast every morning as well as the pool and hot tub each evening.

The accommodations and service were both excellent.

The only problem we encountered was with the wireless internet, access to which was sporadic during our stay due some road construction in the area which interfered with the cable delivering Internet to the resort.

This made it difficult for my brother-in-law to keep in touch with his wife and children back in Russia via email and Skype.

Other than this temporary problem, we were very happy with our stay and will keep it in mind for future trips to Las Vegas.