Laughlin, Nevada

I now prefer Laughlin, Navada to Vegas!  Mandy would argue that it is because I am old but, truth be told, I think she preferred it too.  After hiking and biking our asses off at the Grand Canyon, we were looking forward to a little R&R.

Beautiful Colorado River

Laughlin is lined with casinos along the Colorado River.  There is a scenic boardwalk where you can take a leisurely stroll and see water taxis, jet skiing, kayaking and boating.  My guess is that the average age of patrons visiting was older than what you would typically find in Vegas.  The place we stayed our first night was called "Colorado Belle" for goodness sakes and every room came equipped with a walk-in, handicap-accessible shower and shower caps for all the ladies who may have gotten a perm or their hair set for the week.  Ok, so it was a little bit of an older crowd, but it was quite enjoyable and lacked all forms of pretentiousness.

The view from our Colorado Belle room

This little town reminds me of what "old Vegas" used to be like.  It is walkable, laid back and there is plenty to do.  Now, just add a river and you have Laughlin, Nevada.  A fun fact shared by Mandy's mom is that Bullhead City, on the other side of the river from Laughlin, is the hottest place in the US.  Laughlin was so far the warmest weather we experienced.  

The next two days were spent by the pool of the Golden Nugget Hotel and soaking up the sun and overlooking the river from our chairs.  Well, except for the guy who was smashed at 10 one morning and tried picking us up.  I don't understand why we tend to be a magnet for weirdos.  We were saved by his sober friend who took him away.  Ahhh, back to the sun.

Golden Nugget was good to us and included a $700 win on a "Hot Shots" slot machine.