This was our second time staying at the Golden Nugget and we will likely continue to stay here and make Freemont Street our home away from home. We were upgraded to a nicer room upon arrival (at our request) and that made us happy, but even throughout the stay we were happy with almost every aspect of the service wherever we went. I would say that there were only two draw-backs to our stay there, the first being that it is an older hotel likely with an older ventilation system and you cannot escape the cigarette smoke which had me heading to the room early a few of the nights where we stayed in our own hotel to gamble. The second annoyance is that I would sit and play the games at Claude's Bar and bet a few dollars a hand, sometimes more but EVERY time I flagged down a bartender to ask for a drink they would pop their head over the screen and check my betting amount to make sure I was betting at least a dollar before they would get a drink for me. I didn't have this issue at any other betting floor in downtown Vegas and I found it very rude. The restaurants serve up delicious food with great service and an unparalleled atmosphere in the downtown area with STUNNING fish tanks that I could have watched for hours. It sometimes seems pricey for what you are getting, but be sure to charge it to your room and use your player's club card whenever you are gambling because we had almost all of our food charges made complimentary at the end of out stay. The pool area is busy, crowded and somewhat small and with the way that the sun moves you have to chase it to stay in it but I found that if I wanted to get the afternoon sun I could read in a chair for an hour in the late morning and be in the sun for the hot afternoon. My husband loves poker and really enjoyed the poker room at this casino: the friendliness of the staff and the frequency of tournaments kept him happy. They are working hard to upgrade the hotel without inconveniencing patrons and doing a wonderful job of it, and even compared to a year ago the Freemont Street area is a bustling, thriving area for those who want to have a more personal experience with Vegas and cut out the miles of walking.