The chain of Coast Casinos in the Las Vegas area has, for the most part, gone after the same locals' crowd that rival Station Casinos dominates.

Its popular and successful Orleans, Suncoast and Gold Coast follow a proven formula: lots of low-limit gambling, plenty of low-cost dining and entertainment options, and comfortable and relatively inexpensive accommodations.

The South Coast casino, which opened in December 2005, uses the same blueprint. While it works on many levels, there is one crucial bit missing: a personality.

South Coast is located on Las Vegas Boulevard South, more popularly known as the Strip, but not in the region most tourists consider when thinking of the destination. It's about six miles south of Mandalay Bay, right along Interstate 15 in a rapidly developing area of condos, apartment buildings, shopping complexes and houses that was nothing but scrub brush a few years ago. In fact, the neighborhood is booming so dramatically that the infrastructure to support it doesn't really exist yet. Roads are narrow and congested in several spots, and there is no nearby freeway exit, so getting here is not as convenient as it may seem.

That will change over the next few years as the city's seemingly non-stop road construction plays catch-up, but potential visitors should keep that in mind for the short term.

The overall scheme of the property is Southern California sunshine, all white and gold and earth tones, which in my opinion is the first mistake. As a Southern California resident, I speak for many of us when I say we're tired of the look. In fact, most new construction eschews this kind of design simply because it feels "done." This has been the trend lately in new Vegas construction -- to go for the safe, relatively bland "luxury" feel instead of the far-out architecture of the 1990s. While it's certainly nice, it also certainly doesn't imprint itself on your brain the way that the more successful examples of Sin City wackiness have.

The main floor is given over to the casino, of course -- an 80,000-square-foot barn of a space that has terrific vertical and horizontal spacing (absolutely no sense of claustrophobia or crowding here) but also provides zero intimacy. You can see the entire room from just about anywhere you stand, so it left me feeling exposed at times, something you don't usually want when you're feeling guilty about blowing the rent money or little Billy's college fund.

There are plenty of games on which to do just that -- more than 2,200 slot machines with plenty of video poker (all coinless, ticket-in/ticket-out technology), several dozen of the most popular table games, a race and sports book, a keno lounge, a poker room and a giant bingo parlor on the second floor.

Ringing the room are the restaurants, bars and lounges. There are no name-brands here, but they have all the usual suspects covered, including a big buffet, a steakhouse, an Italian joint, a Mexican cantina and a 24-hour cafe, among others.

On the second level is the aforementioned bingo parlor, plus a 64-lane bowling alley with all of the latest high-tech wizardry the sport seems to demand these days, a Kids Tyme child care facility and a 16-screen movie theater complex.

Unavailable for preview during my visit were an upcoming nightclub and the giant Equestrian and Events Center, a 4,400-seat arena for horsing around and other entertainment events that features a 250-by-125 foot show floor arena, 1,200 climate-controlled horse stalls, room out back for several thousand head of cattle, nearly 100,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, a bar and snack facilities. All of this is set to open in spring 2006.

The pool area, spa and an outdoor activity area with a sand volleyball court are also on the way, open by summer of 2006.

A giant expansion is already under way that will add more of just about everything, including rooms.

The existing 660 guest rooms in a 25-story tower are lovely, each around 500 square feet and completely packed with all of the conveniences you could possibly need, including flat-panel televisions with movies and Internet access, separate high-speed and wireless Internet access, hair dryer, iron and board, coffee maker and more. The beds are plushy, the furnishings are all simple and tasteful, and the towels in the moderately sized bathroom were soft.

Prices are a bargain on most days, not only for what you are getting but for the city as a whole. Rates during the week are as low as $59 a night and rarely exceed $100, while weekends are as low as $99 and rarely go over $150. Not the cheapest hotel in town, but when you look at what it has to offer in terms of amenities and appointments those are great prices.

Service was a hit-and-miss affair. The front desk crew and security guards were terrific and friendly, but a few other people I ran into seemed to want to be anywhere but there. This has been an ongoing concern at Coast Casinos, in my opinion, and while the staff isn't going to throw things at your head just for looking at them, there doesn't seem to be the focus of making you feel special like there is at some of the other hotels in this city.

But that's a minor quibble. The bigger one, really, is that while the hotel is very, very nice, it's boring as all get out. I stayed there on a Sunday night and on Tuesday morning I actually paused for a moment when I was recounting my hotel hopping to a colleague. Hooters may have its issues to deal with, but I remembered staying there. South Coast faded into the background like so much white noise.

There's nothing wrong with white noise -- I have to have a fan to help me fall asleep -- but it certainly doesn't scream "Big Vegas fun!"

South Coast
9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(866) 796-7111

Highs: Very nice rooms, a lot to do, bargain rates
Lows: Not a lot of Vegas excitement

Location: 4 -- Not too far from the Strip, but far enough.
Price: 8 -- You can get some very inexpensive rates here.
Value: 10 -- Worth it even when things get a little pricey.
Rooms: 8 -- Very nice, if a bit bland
Casino: 6 -- A little too impersonal
Amenities: 10 -- Rooms have everything you want
Facilities: 10 -- Property is full, packed with things to do.
Service: 5 -- Sometimes good, sometimes not so much with the good
Fun: 4 -- Couldn't find the fun here
Bonus: 5 -- A nice try

Vegas4Visitors Rating: 70

The Full Story

• Hard Rock Cuts Off Expansion Plans
• South Coast Nice, But Where's The Fun?
• Marino's Restaurant Is A Slam Dunk Success
• Vegas Q&A: Does Vegas Have Biggest Bowling Alley?

In Next Week's Column

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