tl;dr
clean, cheap, quiet, safe, no lease, no credit check

Disclaimer:
I've been at the Holiday Royale (HR) for approx. 3 months. I do not work for HR. I wasn't asked to make this post. I am not receiving any sort of compensation from HR for this review. I see many posts in LVL of people looking for short/longterm housing and figured this post would be helpful.

Background:
I decided a few months back that I was coming to Las Vegas for an extended vacation. I needed a place to stay. I didn't want to spend a fortune to stay in hotels. I didn't want a lease or long-term commitment. I was somewhat weary of renting a room in a house full of strangers. Fortunately I found the Holiday Royale Apartment Suites.

Review:
The HR is located at 4505 Paradise Road in Las Vegas. It's located east of the Las Vegas strip off Harman Avenue. The HR is due east of the Aria Resort. The Hardrock Hotel/Casino is directly across the street from the HR. This puts the HR close to everything and in the middle of all the action.

The complex is a 3-story building with about 300 units. I would guess the place is about 50% full. There's a pool in the center of the u-shaped building. There are a couple coin-operated laundry rooms. The commercial-grade washer/dryers work fine, and i've never had any of my stuff stolen. There is ample parking. The complex is gated and requires a keycard to enter the resident parking area and to enter the grounds. The entire place is walled/fenced/gated.

When I first arrived I was greeted by Kathy in the front office. She's super friendly. She showed me the rates and let me look at a particular unit. I rented a unit for 1-week when I first got here as I wasn't sure if I would like it.

The HR offers both weekly and monthly rentals. No lease required. The monthly rates range from $420/month for the super small efficiency studio to about $950/month for their big 1 bedrooms. Note that the $420/month unit has no stove, no microwave, no kitchen. Just a bed, fridge, closet, and a bathroom. The more expensive units are significantly larger with appropriate ammenities.

I paid a $100 damage deposit. For the first 30 days Nevada charges almost 10% tax. After 30 days you pay no tax. Kathy took a photocopy of my drivers license. I filled out a simple resident form which asked for my name, address, employment info, emergency contact info, and my car year/make/model/license number. No credit check was done. I'm not sure whether they verify the info. I paid for 1-week plus the damage deposit and was given my keys and sent on my way. It was a very painless process.

The units are furnished. Thus a bed, drawers, fridge, microwave, TV, phone, and AC. The rent includes all the standard utilities such as water/sewer/garbage. In addition the HR throws in basic cable (channels 14 through 60 from Cox), free local outgoing telephone and free incoming telephone service, and free high-speed wireless internet access. The water is hot, the AC cold, some of the cable channels are a bit fuzzy, and the wireless internet works well most of the time.

The HR is like a little oasis. The complex is super quiet. I see a few retirees in the early morning. One reads his paper from his front porch each day. Another smokes his cigarette and drinks his glass of red wine near the pool. The HR is also Nightowl friendly. I see some of the younger residents coming and going late into the late. I've not once seen metro PD summoned to the property. If you want a nice quiet place to stay the HR is ideal. If you want a place where you can throw loud parties late into the night the HR will not be a good venue especially if you are staying next to one of the old folks who live in the complex.

I'm pretty sure most (if not all) of the staff live onsite. I see the maintainence guys maintaining stuff during the day, and the security guys make the rounds constantly at night. One day gate broke and was stuck open. That night the security guy stood at the gate all night interrogating everyone for their credentials. The net result is a nice & safe environment in the middle of a busy city.

The residents are a mix of retirees and kids who look like they just escaped their parents basement. I haven't seen anyone under the age of about 16 since i've been here. No crying babies! Poker players would fit right in at the HR.

If you think you could be "baller" living at the HR think again. The hotties you pickup at the Cosmo Marque club won't be impressed with your 30ish-year-old apartment complex. Your wallet, however, will love you for it. The working girls you invite over to your place won't have any complaints about your dated digs. Speaking of working girls, I really haven't seen many who fit the profile here. Perhaps they keep and extra low profile. I'm unsure.

Again the staff is super friendly. The office ladies remember my name and my apartment number even though I only interact with them about 10 minutes a month. It's a nice touch. The maintenance and security guys are also cordial.

Their brochure says no pets allowed but I've seen a number of cats looking longingly outside from the apartment windows. I've seen zero dogs.

My unit has a nice strong steel door and a good deadbolt. The windows however are single-pane and lack any sort of useful locks. Most people use a wood dowel to thwart burglars. I would strongly suggest getting a box in one of the poker rooms, renting a box at the 24-hour lockbox place in town, or buying a good safe. Although I haven't heard or seen any aparment breakins, why chance it?

My unit has pretty old carpeting. Overall though it's clean and functional. There's zero mold in my unit and I have not seen a single bug in my unit since i've been here.

The neighborhood around HR is decent. If you are fundamentalist christian you'll hate the 3x gay bars just around the corner. If you aren't a bigoted a-hole then you'll do just fine. UNLV is 1 block east. The airport is due south. The Hardrock Hotel/casino is just across the street to the north. The strip and the Aria are due west. If you are a typical american with a body mass index over 30 you will likely die trying to walk to the Aria from HR. If you are even reasonably fit the walk is cake. The two issues with walking to the strip. One is that you need to dress very light (shorts/tshirt) to deal with the heat, but the poker rooms are typically ice boxes so you freeze the entire time you are at the tables.

The other issue I have is carrying lots of cash. There are people who will stab you right on the strip for some perceived gang difference and i'm pretty sure those same people would happily stab you for a few hundred/thousand dollars. In general the area around the HR is pretty safe. During the day there's lots of pedestrian traffic and I would think a pretty low likliehood of being robbed. You do run into the occassional aggressive pandhandler/peddler but they are pretty rare. More common are the local homeless guys who rarely even say anything as you pass by.

It is somewhat less secure feeling late at night. If I walk to any of the latenight eateries I typically only carry enough cash for that outing. I've not had any situations where I felt I was in trouble, but again why run the risk?

I would put the odds of being run over by the drunk tourist or inconsiderate taxi driver much higher than being robbed. I've been nearly run down numerous times by drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians who have the right of way. Pro Tip: don't jaywalk. I'm pretty sure the taxi drivers intentially try to run down jaywalkers. It's dangerous enough crossing the street when you have the right of way. Jaywalking is definitely -EV.

Macarran Airport is due south of HR. One of the runways puts airplane flight paths directly over the apartment complex. If being able to count rivets on the bottom side of a landing airplane scares you, then you might want to find a different place to live. I work on the assumption that the pilots don't want to crash and die anymore than I want them to crash into my apartment and kill me. Them landing safely is win/win for everyone involved. If you are a super light sleeper, the ocassional airplane noise might a problem for you. I noticed it the first couple days and after that it hasn't bothered me.

If you are sans automobile you still might be able to function ok. There's a 24-hour subway next door. There's a 24-hour CVS pharmacy kitty-corner. "Mr Luckys" located inside the hardrock hotel next door has excellent $5 late night specials. Terribles casino about 10 minute walk away also has good quality/cheap eats. There are many other nearby eateries. The nearest target/albertsons/vons are all a solid 30 minute walk from the HR. Again it's an easy walk to the strip. There are 3x starbucks coffee places within walking distance of the apartment complex.

A vehicle does make things much easier. The downside of a car is the bad traffic. Being close to the strip also means being close to all the tourists and taxi drivers. It can take awhile to get a few miles at busy times of the day. The other downside is that the HR is situated on Paradise road. Paradise is a 1-way infront of the apartment complex thus whenever you leave you are forced to head southbound toward the airport. If you want to go north you have to cross 5x lanes of traffic to catch the side street so you can go north. Overall it's a minor annoyance.

Since i've been here I have noticed there are literally dozens of other apartment complexes near the strip. It's quite possible there are cheaper/better deals out there than the HR but I have not investigated them. I'm happy with my current situation.

~Vince

I concur.

I lived there for a year and a half, went back East in March of 2010.

I do miss the occasional window rattle from the military jets landing at McCarran, but im a military aviation buff.

Nice post, Op.

I worry about walking to the strip at night.

Yeah, from what I remember of the place, OP's review is good. I wouldn't worry about break-ins, tho. I don't remember anyone ever saying anything about them. I used to leave my window open all night, and several times fell asleep with my door open. Security guys would wake me, LOL.

UNLV library is a nice perk, too. 10 minute walk, if that, with late hours. Campus eateries and bookstore. Next time I do a long stay in Vegas, maybe I'll go back to HRoy, the library within walking distance is that useful, to me.

HRoy has safe deposit boxes, too. Not 24/7 access, and I have one at a casino, I'm just saying.

Maintenance guys are cool. Got my car started for me one morning.

I really, really wouldn't worry about walking around at ANY hours, at least no more so than any where else. There are just too many people around. There's security in the HRoy lot, and as soon as you get next door to the little shopping center there, there's a security guy there, too, then you cross the street to the HRck and security there, too. And the Hyatt and German places across the street are upscale, and the bars and clubs next door on the right are gay and cool and busy. The only thing sketchy about the are is the condo/apts right across the street.

Funky poor man's Panorama. NOT A BACHELOR PAD PLACE, though, so, no "I'm balla, let's banga" line to be used in clubs.

You should worry about it only slightly more than you should worry about being on the strip itself, or going to the 7-11 in whatever suburb you live in.

But yes, you might see some negroes from time to time, which is basically what Americans mean when they talk about "is it safe?" Which is why I find the question offensive and stupid.

Harmon avenue would be considered safe at any hour by any experienced urban resident in the US, dangerous at any hour by any scared-of-the-world suburban twit.

Interesting post, thanks.

thanks for this also, was going to stay last time. think if i go back to Vegas i will give this place a shot.

Saying seven 40 per month for studio on their web pages . You sure its 400 a month for studio ? Or is that for the deluxe studio the 720 per month thats high compared to craigs list apts.

Oops double!

OP, Nice post! thanks!

Seems nice! will def. consider staying there!

Where do i find this list?

http://holidayroyale.com/

OP What prices do we believe those posted on the internet or yours? Are the rates you're quoting old rates or the "negotiable" rate?

I'm seriouslly considering slumming it for a few months. If I can get a studio for less than my electric bill (~$500) I could save a TON of money. Although I might spend it all living across from the street from the Hard Rock.

I stopped by the office a bit ago and chatted with Michaela who's the other office gal. She said the best way to go if you want up-to-date pricing and unit availability is to call them. The office number is 702-783-7676 and the toll-free number is 800-732-7676.

I pay $420/month for my unit. The super small units like mine are NOT listed in their brochure or on the webby. My unit does NOT have a kitchen, stove, oven, or microwave. It DOES have bed, closet, bathroom, A/C, TV, telephone, fridge, and wireless internet access.

Michaela also mentioned to me that I moved in when there was a special going on and that currently the units are at "market rates" which is higher than when I arrived. She did mention that prices do change (both up and down) from time to time.

I was very close on the total number of units. My guess was 300 and she said there are 297. I was wrong on occupancy rates. I figured it was about 50% she said that most of the units are occupied.

I asked if there are many college students who stay here and she said not many. She mentioned that they are often looking to party and that they tend not to fit in well with the retired folks and other 'working professionals' (read: poker players!) who live here.

Again if you have super detailed questions aobut pricing/availability you might want to give them a call. They are very friendly and helpful. My post was aimed at giving my fellow 2p2ers an unvarnished opinion about the place.

cheers!
~vince

very good read. going think about dropping in and checking out the place. Think it will work well for me, location wise and plus i got my own wheels.

Budget Suites sounds similar in that they rent out furnished rooms by the month and maybe by the week. I've seen the rooms and they look okay. I think it was like $550/mo or something like that when my friend stayed there two years ago.

Is there a bus route to the strip?

Any free shuttles to/from Hard Rock?

Thoughts on this thread? Are these people clueless or has it changed much over the last year?

There is a bustop outfront of the complex that runs south to the airport. The bustop 1 block east runs north. I'm unsure if any of those buses go to/from the strip.

Judging by the near permanent line of taxis outfront of the HRH at all hours of the day/night I would suspect there's no free shuttle to/from the strip. That's purely a guess though.

Honestly I'm not having the same experiences or observations. I've not once been propositioned anywhere near the apartment. I have, however, been propositioned by the working girls who sit at the slot machines just outside of the Aria poker room and by the girls who sit in the sportsbook just outside the Bellagio poker room. Girls also frequent the Baccarat bar at the Bellagio and are quick to see if you need a vegas girlfriend.

I don't doubt that there are working girls in the neighborhood, but i'm not seeing them.

As far as drug use i've never once been offered to buy or sell drugs to anyone. If you were a drug dealer surely you'd want to sell to the slap chop guy! Moreover, I haven't seen any discarded drug paraphenalia anywhere. I do see lots of empty beer cans/bottles and drink glasses discarded about.

Bottom line is i'm not sure if they are trolling or if something's changed. I certainly stand by my original comments about my observations for the area.

~Vince

PS. there have been multiple homicides in recent weeks and those took place DIRECTLY ON THE STRIP. I'm not claiming the neighborhood is free from crime, but then again neither is the strip.

Nice updates! , thanks!

It's close to Hard Rock, but that's it. Not close to the strip, which is what you usually take about when saying "all the action". Lots of people would consider it out of walking distance to the strip and I wouldn't drive intoxicated on E. Harmon. Multiple times I've seen cars getting stopped by police there this summer.

Besides that, nice thread.

Pics would be nice.

What is the est. walking time to the strip?

En whats about this craigslist? Where, What, How??

Walking time to PH, MGM, about 30 minutes. 10 minutes more for Aria, Bellagio.

Other thread is ******ed (and even suspicious). This place is very pointedly NOT a Budget Suites or Siegal Suites or Harbor/Shelter Island place, and that must be what those guys were thinking of.

The whole point of the HRoy is to be in an admittedly working class weekly/monthly rental place without suffering the crap all the other working class weekly/monthly rentals have.

I have been coming to Vegas for more than a decade and because I have a home in Cali, when I come here for longish stays I don't spend too much on myself (plus I'm not a creature comfort guy). So I've become expert on the cheap extended stay joints. HRoy is fine. Homestead Suites on Maryland Pkwy is fine, maybe $100/mo more, that's where I stay these days in town.

That's it, the other places DO fit the description given in that thread knocking the HRoy, but they very, very pointedly do NOT fit the HRoy, AINEC.

And if you're afraid of the area, don't even come to Vegas, because that area is just what Vegas is like. Hard Rock, Rumours, Hyatt, the nightclubs, UNLV, all keep the streets busy there. That's a good thing.

Jeez, scared-of-the-world, never-leave-the-suburbs twits tilt me.

Ty! Just was worried about the walking times (But hey they have caps or rent a car! )

Appreciate op giving 2 plus 2ers a hu but the price is what is supposed to make this deal the most appealing. Op may have gotten a 400 dollar deal but holidays web sites lists studios starting at 700. You can get a nice seperate room furnished for that amount closer to the strip. Just saying unless I am off on the prices then holiday should change it on their web page or have the landlord come on thread and give price scoop.

Thanks for the info.