How the Plaza, which has stood on Main Street since 1971, got so darn nice looking is one of those only-in-Vegas tales. We can thank the Fontainebleu, a luxury property that was supposed to go up on the north end of the Strip, for going bankrupt halfway through construction. When it couldn’t be finished, all of its “soft goods”—furniture, upholstery, carpets, beddings—had to go, and it all went to pretty-up the Plaza as part of its $35 million renovation.

And with the Fontainebleu’s new furnishings (cushy beds and sheets, fab vintage photos for the walls, Keurig coffeemakers in the suites), you’d never guess that the Plaza had once been one of Downtown’s dingiest properties. Today, guests feel they’ve snagged a luxurious Strip experience at rock-bottom Downtown prices.

The hotel anchors the Fremont Street Experience, so you can walk right out the front door under the neon canopy, but make it a night in by taking dinner at Oscar’s—the namesake restaurant of former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman—or gorge yourself on the obscenely large plates of food from Hash House A-Go-Go.

The notion of “you get what you pay for” doesn’t apply at the Plaza; you’ll get so much more than you expect.