LAS VEGAS — When I walked into my room at Treasure Island, I was met with a blast of unpleasantly cold air. It was late November and, even in Las Vegas, the night was nippy. I dropped my bags and searched for the thermostat. After a quick scan of the walls, I found it: a yellowing Honeywell that looked like it was installed during the Reagan administration. 

Thermostats are something we’ve overengineered to uselessness; I regularly find myself messing with the temperature controls in high-end hotels for 10 minutes, never figuring out how to change the default setting from 70 degrees. But in Treasure Island, the thermostat had one switch for the fan (hi, med, lo) and one for the temperature (heat, off, cool). It might have been old, but it was effective.

I’ve stayed at some of the cheapest hotels on the Vegas Strip. The worst, without a doubt, is Luxor. The runner-up is Circus Circus. I know what rock bottom looks like. So color me astonished to find Treasure Island is the best cheap hotel, by far, on the Strip. 

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Treasure Island opened in the 1990s amid a heady time for Las Vegas developers. Everyone’s brain had been infected with the same virus, convincing them that children were the future of the Strip. Luxor, Excalibur, MGM Grand and others burst onto the scene, filled with over-the-top themes and attractions geared towards families. 

A view of Treasure Island, a pirate-themed hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The sign has since been removed.

After opening the Mirage, developer Steve Wynn announced he was building Treasure Island on the adjacent lot. He wore a pirate hat and long coat at the press event — kids love when billionaire real estate moguls wear costumes — and touted the affordable price point. Where the Mirage would set you back $130 a night, families could enjoy Treasure Island for just $40. Out front, a free hourly battle between full-size ships would take place across the lagoon. 

Treasure Island debuted in October 1993 with the greatest opening salvo in Vegas history: The ships “shot” cannons at the shuttered Dunes hotel, kicking off its demolition. 

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In retrospect, this probably set a perilously high bar for the thrills Treasure Island could provide. 

“Disneyland is Disneyland, Las Vegas is Las........

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