McCarran International Airport (LAS): Approximate driving time is 10 minutes and distance is 4 miles.

Driving directions from McCarran International Airport: Exit the airport via Paradise Rd and bear right onto Swenson St. Turn left on E Naples St, then right on Paradise Rd. Turn left on E Flamingo Rd and go about 1 mile. Turn right on Las Vegas Blvd S.

Getting there: The best way to get to the hotel from the airport is a taxi ($5–$15; fees subject to change without notice) or rental car.

Getting around: Guests have many options for travel to other casinos on the Strip. City buses (less than $5) run up and down the Strip; private trollies (less than $5) serve many of the major hotels. Many guests choose to walk. Taxis are readily available, and guests who drive will find complimentary parking at most destinations. As of spring 2004, guests can also choose the Las Vegas monorail, which runs from the hotel to the convention center and other major hotels. A one-day pass ($5–$15) allows unlimited use. For destinations outside the Strip, a rental car is the best option. (All fees subject to change without notice.)

Conrad's Steak House - In an ambience of warm wood and creamy linen, this restaurant serves beef and seafood from an exhibition kitchen.

Paradise Garden Buffet - Including a "seafood spectacular" station, this place offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets.

Lindy's Coffee Shop - Styled like a New York delicatessen, Lindy's serves meals and snacks around the clock and features lobster in soup, sandwich, and gumbo as well as in broiled form.

Flamingo Beach Club - Open seasonally, this poolside place provides inside and terrace seating, features live evening entertainment, and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner during warm months.

All-American BBQ - On the sidewalk outside the casino, aromatic smoke heralds the presence of grilled foot-long hot dogs, burgers, steak sandwiches, and other barbecued items. Picnic tables, piped music, and a Happy Hour contribute to the county fair atmosphere.

Hamada of Japan - This outpost of a locally famous chain serves Japanese favorites and includes a sushi bar.

Pink Ginger - This restaurant features pan-Asian dinners.

Ventuno - An Italian menu is the attraction here.

Room service is available 24 hours.

Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville - (Opening December 2003) This relaxing tropically decorated restaurant serves everything from fish to cheeseburgers. Features Key West cooking and Caribbean cuisine. Also features live music on two stages nightly, and a margarita mix "spouting" volcano that erupts regularly.

Amenity highlights: A 15-acre garden contains five pools, a children's pool, and two free-form spas. Open year-round is the scallop-edge Flamingo Pool, which is surrounded by huge flamingo statues on pedestals and for-rent cabanas furnished with telephone, television, and ceiling fan. A 150-foot water slide leads to three terraced pools connected by short water slides. A huge lagoon pool, featuring a swim-in grotto behind a triple waterfall, completes the complex.

Insider tip: Aside from Bugsy's Bar, little remains to remind guests of the Flamingo's origin as a Mob-operated resort for high rollers and Hollywood elite. Outside the entrance of a wedding chapel in the central garden, however, a plaque marks the site of the original hotel, razed in 1993. The plaque provides a witty, ironic description of Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo suite and his sensational murder.