Max and I were invited to experience the brand new Spa at the Silver Legacy in Reno, part of a $100 million project to renovate THE ROW in Reno, Nevada. Over the course of the weekend, we experienced the three properties and all they had to offer: dining, shows and a fabulous spa experience just 40 minutes from Lake Tahoe. Silver Legacy, Eldorado and Circus Circus make up THE ROW and between the three, you literally never have to leave the hotel, especially when it’s 30 degrees outside. Read on to learn more about this hidden city in the center of Reno.

Location: 5/5

As far as location goes in Reno, it’s dead center. Just 2 minutes off the interstate lies the massive complex of the three hotels. With 25 restaurants, 22 bars and lounges, 11 nightspots and several shows, you can’t go wrong if you’re looking for the true Reno experience. Since we don’t gamble, we spent the weekend exploring all the restaurants, bars and shows available at THE ROW. Reno’s a small town and THE ROW is not lacking in the fact that it really is the center of everything.

Lobby & Check in experience: 4/5

We were hosted by Circus Circus, a recently renovated hotel in THE ROW. The lobby is fairly small, but very clean and updated. We were checked in fairly quickly, despite the long check in line and offered complimentary water.

Rooms: 4/5

Circus Circus was very recently updated and it showed: clean rooms, light grey tones and pops of color adorned the hallways and rooms. The elevator hall on each floor had large photographs of vintage circus scenes, so naturally we had to stop at each floor and check them all out.

Our room was a one-bedroom corner suite, complete with a sizable living room, 2 televisions, bedroom and nice-sized bathroom. The bedroom wall had a cool wall mural as well, which gave it a great pop of color. Since the bedroom was on the corner, it was a remarkably quiet room and made for a nice retreat after a day of exploring THE ROW. I always judge hotels by the channels available and they had all the favorites: HGTV, movie channels and HBO :).

Facilities: 5/5

Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus really does have anything you need between the three of them. We went to two shows while on property: a stand-up comedy show at Laugh Factory (which was hysterical) and the Unbelievables, a Christmas variety show complete with Cirque du Soleil inspired acts, magic and other incredible acts. Overall, the quality of the entertainment was excellent and we had a blast!

The real winner at THE ROW was the brand new spa. As part of the $100 million renovation, THE ROW has built an absolutely incredible spa experience. The 21,000 square foot space has endless relaxation areas, a large pool deck (that was yet to open) as well as a massive locker room for women and men as well as private steam, sauna and a co-ed Salt Inhalation room. Every detail was thoughtfully considered, from the comfortable loungers, steam fireplace, absurdly comfy robes and local elements.

We spent the whole day lounging around the various relaxation areas. You can order food off the spa menu, which looked delicious as well as mimosas, which we did indulge in. They also offer complimentary apples, nuts, tea and water.

Max and I had a couples massage, and both were excellent, as well as a pedicure! It was Max’s first pedicure and he loved it (as much as he hated to admit that ;)). It was a very high quality pedicure, given that the nail polish is still on my toes and it’s been almost a month now.

The spa just opened in October and you can tell how proud the staff is to work there. The spa manager was wonderful: checking on everyone and soliciting feedback. Something I didn’t realize until he told us was that even the lotions and products in both the men and women’s rooms were produced by a local chemist. The products for each locker room were specifically designed with the local flora and fauna in mind and the scents were determined for the woman and man individually. They smelled wonderful and I wish they had made it more clear how special those products were so everyone could learn more about them. I definitely took the scents and quality for granted during my shower, so I hope they put more emphasis on the products in the future. The other thing to note is that the women’s locker room did not have a Jacuzzi, like the men’s room. However, we had a lovely steam and sauna.

Overall, the facilities at THE ROW are excellent. While there is certainly a lot of gaming, being Reno, we were never bored with the activities, facilities and full day exploring the new Spa.

Dining: 4.5/5

There are endless dining options to choose from, depending on what you’re looking for at THE ROW. The first night, we went for all-you-can-eat Sushi at the joint Mexican/Sushi restaurant at Circus Circus. While the restaurant itself was a bit confusing given it’s combined nature, the sushi bar was excellent. They did not overdo it on the rice, even if you had the “all you can eat” option and they loaded every roll up with ample fish. We both had margaritas as well as some wine and it was the first time we realized how incredibly reasonable the prices were. 1 glass of wine was $6 and a very tasty margarita was about $8- what a steal!

The second evening we ate at Roxy. Roxy is a very classic-style bistro and is famous for its 102 martinis. They offer everything from pasta to decadent meat dishes. We enjoyed the short rib and lamb rack and both were absolutely wonderful. As a starter, we shared the scallops and they were excellent as well. My favorite part of the dining experience, however, was the waitress who walked around with a bread basket of incredible cheesy bacon bread…I could have just had that and been so content! The meal was overall excellent and was accompanied by a lovely jazz pianist. They did a great job with the theme here, you do feel as though you are sitting in a little bistro in Manhattan or Paris.

On our last morning, we went for a mimosa brunch at the buffet. The mimosas and coffee are truly bottomless. The brunch offerings were quite varied: egg station, breads, fruits, meat station, homemade gelato, pastries and cereals. The mimosas were the real winner here and our waiter was super attentive and sweet. He even broke out in an opera song and wowed all the guests nearby.

Service: 3.5/5

Overall, the service was ok. The service from the bellman and housekeeping were nothing to write home about, but the waitstaff were overall excellent. Housekeeping never did come to our room, despite some phone calls so we just accepted that it wasn’t going to happen. Thankfully, we found out at checkout that if you forgo housekeeping, you receive a $10 credit to your room, so we accepted that.

Style: 4/5

THE ROW does a great job with the themes of each space. The Silver Legacy, for example, has a large “silver mill” in the middle of the main atrium. It reminds me a lot of being in the New York New York Hotel or the Paris in Las Vegas. The restaurants also have great themes and each one feels like a very different style. The only reason we give this a 4 star, instead of a 5, is that the updated rooms feel slightly lackluster, considering how thoroughly well done the themes are throughout the hotel.

Overall: 4.28

Overall, THE ROW was a really fun experience. We had no idea what to expect coming to this mega-complex inside this tiny town. While the Spa was a truly 5-star experience, we were blown away by the entertainment, dining options and activities available inside THE ROW. The best part: everything here is incredibly affordable. I’d highly recommend the property if you’re looking for a spa retreat just 40 minutes from Lake Tahoe for a very reasonable price. I’m already counting down the days until we can come back to that spa…