Palace Station Hotel

We (me, partner and 13 year old son) stayed at the Palace Station (booked with lastminute) just before Christmas 2006. Flew in with Virgin (booked direct online - they are one of only a few they fly direct from UK).
Hotel is fine although it is 'off strip'. Hotel offers free transfers to and from the airport, which is handy.
Rooms were fine, although we upgraded to a tower room after the first night as the courtyard room walls are quite thin and you can hear everything - not nice when you get woken up at 4am after having been up for 20 hours and want some sleep!
Rooms were clean and tidy and nicely decorated. Bathroom was nice and clean too. Being off strip means you either have to walk (about 1-2 miles to Stratosphere), get a taxi (about $15 depending on where you are going) or get the FREE transfer that goes every hour. The breakfast buffet was superb value and includes drinks at $3.99. They had just opened up the new buffet as we were leaving (managed to get a free breakfast) and that seemed very impressive. All in all, we were very impressed with the hotel - it wasn't anywhere near as bad as other reviews we read on it. The only downside was it was off the strip, so you had to rely on the transfer shuttle, which did get a bit packed at times (especially coming back at night). We weren't quite as impressed with the strip itself as there was a massive amount of rebuilding work going on with lots of the older hotels having been demolished. Those that were still standing were amazing though.
If you want thrill rides, there are plenty to choose from, although we found the best to be on the Stratosphere - absolutely fantastic - be sure to try that. We also had a meal in the restaurant on the top of the Stratosphere - superb with fantastic views. For something different try downtown - the light show after 7pm has got to be seen to be believed - amazing.
The main reason we went to Las Vegas was to go to the Grand Canyon (not to gamble like most people) - booked an overnight tour. If you do anything in your life - please visit this absolutely awesome sight. Bear in mind though, if you go in winter you want to get wrapped up warm - it is freezing on the rim! It snowed when we were there which was just incredible. Would I go back to Las Vegas - maybe, but only as a base for exploring the wider areas, as I am not into gambling and although there are plenty of other things to do, it is not very child friendly (mainly due to the casinos). I do definitely want to go back to the Grand Canyon and all the other canyons and national parks though - 1 day is not nearly enough. One thing is for sure, though - be prepared to walk - the Strip is very long and the casinos are huge.