My experience yesterday is a stark reminder of the perils of road travel. I didn’t have any real internet access so I couldn’t post it, but it all boils down to the fact that the Avi hotel near Laughlin is a terrible place. I say near Laughlin and they say in Laughlin. I suppose they are correct by technicality, but the place is 20 minutes away from any other piece of civilization, leading me to say it isn’t really even near Laughlin. I don’t get sad much but this hotel left me extremely sad. The whole place is a commentary on what not to do.
The Avi is built like an arcology. It is a self contained system of weak activities and paper food built around a casino that promises slowly delivered and watered down free booze, and slots so tight I could describe them with a line from a misogynistic rap song (I.e. Tight like a million…). I hated this place. The price tag led me there, but the smoke choked atmosphere drove me away.
Here’s what threw me: The place is a 4.5 star review on multiple websites. That means that there is someone with ISIS level social media savvy running around and making Avi seem a lot better than it is. I mean, they promised a dazzling food court, 30 nearby river and private beach, party-driven pool, world class gambling, and an on-site movie theater. The reviewers praised these amenities, but what I saw was not at all what was advertised. The gambling was for crap, the pool was basic, the theater closed at 7. Perhaps the worst part was the food situation which looked so terrible that I refused to eat. The main restaurant boasted $15 appetizers as if this was a bargain of some sort. After seeing the rest of the amenities, the only choice was to flee… to a room with a crappy bed and poor TV service.
So I am here, sitting in that bed after a poor night’s sleep, complaining about last night. At least I have this blog as catharsis.