Well, if you are willing to stay off strip and downtown, I'd say the Four Queens (
http://www.fourqueens.com ). Stayed there last month for 2 weeks, the rooms have been recently renovated, it was wonderful.
Best part was, it wasn't all that expensive either. Their coffee shop if you were a member of their slot players club, offered a really tasty prime rib dinner for under 8 bucks. If you are staying (and playing) there, then many times the Casino host (located near the front desk of the hotel) would comp me my dinner. Right now they don't have a poker room, but Binions is right across the street, and is a really great room to play in. The guy who owns the Four Queens, recently bought out Binions (it's still waiting on Gaming Commision approval or so I was told when I was there in July).
Elsewhere, add to your list of hotels to away from, would be the Orleans though, it sucks.
The Rio was nice, but everything is very expensive though (including the food).