Guests enter through the casino, where the check-in desk is situated in the midst of slot machines. The D, like many comparable hotels in Vegas, doesn’t have a formal lobby. Travelers bringing kids to Downtown Las Vegas will likely prefer the nearby Golden Nugget, which has a large pool with a waterslide to keep the little ones entertained. As we’ve mentioned, typical D guests are a bit older than The Strip-set, and there's little geared toward families here.

Like most Vegas properties, the smell of cigarettes lingers in the air. The dark, low-ceilinged casino doesn’t make an over-the-top first impression, but that doesn’t seem to stop the throngs of people who pass through during the course of the day. Its vintage casino games and nostalgic dining options are aspects that attract repeat visitors year after year, and its affordable nightly rates offer great value for budget-oriented travelers.

The D, with its come-as-you-are atmosphere and no-frills amenities, seems to epitomize everything visitors love about downtown.

Downtown is quieter, and more low-key than The Strip, and tends to attract older visitors who are more interested in nickel slots and Keno boards than nightclubs and pool parties. Downtown, also known as “Old Vegas,” is where the city first developed its hotel-casinos in the early 1900s. Though Downtown is only two-and-a-half miles from Las Vegas Boulevard’s glitzy hotels and high-roller casinos, it feels worlds apart. Las Vegas experts know that there’s a big difference between The Strip and Downtown Las Vegas.

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