Which Las Vegas Hotel to Stay At? (1 Viewer)

[Jeff_N]

My family in planning a trip to Las Vegas, and I have some questions: (Please keep in mind we want to stay on the strip)

1) We're looking at March, are there certain weeks or times of the week that is more advantageous to go? Weekend, weekday, early in the month, later in the month, etc...

2) My sister wants a hotel with a good pool. Does anyone have any suggestions?

3) Does anyone have any good agents or web sites to use to get a good deal? We're looking at maybe 4 nights.

Any comments on other issues would be welcome. I have not been there for 3 years, and it's been 28 years for my parents.

Thanks!

Jeff

 

[MickeS]

My wife worked there for a few months and she stayed at several different hotels, but she liked Mandalay Bay the best. Check if it meets your requirements.

I stayed at Rio and MGM. Rio had a nice pool, but it's not on the strip (decide yourself if it's good or bad).

/Mike

 

[Rob_J]

I spent a week down there in June, stayed at the Flamingo. True, it's older and not as "over the top" as some of the others, but it's much more reasonably priced. From Sunday to Thursday, I think I was paying $50/night from an internet special (go to )www.lasvegas.com and Friday and Saturday the price is jacked up to over $100 I believe. The nice thing is that it is right on the strip, right across from Caesar's Palace, and Bally's, and kitty corner to the Bellagio.
The pool is nice. It is all outdoors, and is surrounded with palm trees. The thing with Vegas is that the pools close early so that you are forced to gamble or visit attractions. The pool at the flamingo was open the latest I knew of (5:00 I think). I know it sounds early, but compared to the rest, it's late.
Hope this helps!

 

[Ron Eastman]

I really like Luxor and you can't beat the bargain prices they offer on jacuzzi suites. Nice pool too.
While you can find good deals on sites like www.lasvegas.com (which Rob mentioned), make sure to call the hotel direct to see if they are offering a better deal. As someone who works in the hotel industry I can tell you that sites like that buy rooms at a wholesale rate (usually 25-40% off rack rates) and re-sell them with a mark-up. You can often (but not always) find a better special by calling the hotel's reservation line.
Edit - Oh, and weekday prices are always better in Vegas than weekend. Just the opposite of business hotels that you find in major cities.

 

[MikeF]

I second the Flamingo Hilton as a low-key but very nice hotel possibility. I think I get a preferred rate of something like $29/night during the week.
I've never actually stayed at Mandalay Bay, but if you're looking for pools, it is definitely your place. Just trust me on this one. They have the best pools, by far, in Las Vegas.

 

[Nick Sievers]

We stayed at the Luxor and I was impressed by it. I don't usually use pools at hotels so I don't know what that was like.

 

[MickeS]

Actually, http://www.mandalaybay.com
/Mike

 

[Patrick Sun]

I stayed at the Paris when I was there this summer, can't beat the central location to end end of the LV strip, and the pool is nice, and the rooms are also nice, plus a helluva sweet bathroom.

 

[Brian Perry]

My friends and I always stay at Mandalay Bay during our March Madness getaway. It is definitely a top-tier hotel, on par with Bellagio and Caesars Palace. The only negative is that it isn't in the heart of The Strip, rather at the very end.

 

[Bill Balcziak]

I've made about 12 trips to Las Vegas for work and fun. A few observations as a traveler:

There is a clear distinction in Las Vegas between weekend (Friday and Saturday) and weekdays. The weekend is for the high rollers, the poseurs, the wannabes and the 18-21 year old LA crowd.

Weekdays are for rubes and gawkers on package tours, hardcore gamblers, and general touristas.

If you like noise, crowds and lots of action, stick with the weekend. You'll pay 2x-5x the price for your room, but you won't miss any of the action. Weekdays are less crowded and less expensive, but not as fun. For a first timer, I recommend arriving on Sunday and trying out the weekday pace. You can often get EXTREMELY cheap rates at the last minute at MGM Grand if you use their web site for booking. Otherwise, try Expedia.com's exclusive rates.

Weekend destinations: Caesars, Rio, MGM Grand, Paris, Bellagio, New York-New York

Weekday destinations: Treasure Island, Mirage, Downtown

Must sees: Hoover Dam (take a Gray Line tour), the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris, the bar at the top of Rio (especially the outdoor deck--an UNBELIEVABLE view!), dinner late at night at the Cafe Roma in Causar's palace, a limo ride down the strip (often free--just ask your bellman to see what he can do and make sure you tip him $10 and the limo driver $20+), the Bellagio water show, the Treasure Island lagoon battle, and Cirque Du Soliel's show at Bellagio (VERY expensive, but huge WOW factor).

Places to avoid all the time: Hard Rock Hotel (the most annoying teenage and college wanker crowd anywhere), any wedding chapel, the convention center, any buffet (except at breakfast time), any casino "fun" book stand (a waste of time).

Finally, keep a strict limit on your gambling. The worst thing you can do is go to Vegas without thinking through what you want to do in terms of gambling, especially as it pertains to losing. You will almost surely lose. Just keep a lid on it.

Have a great trip!

 

[Bill Balcziak]

Another thing that can't be stressed enough about Las Vegas is location, location, location. The hotels are a long way from one another--much, much farther apart than they look in pictures. If you want to see more in less time, stay close to Caesars, Bellagio, Paris, Mirage, etc. When you start to get out on the fringes by Luxor, Madalay Bay, Rio or, God forbid, Stratosphere, Sam's Town, or Downtown, en you'll spend more time walking and cabbing than having fun.

 

[Jim_F]

I've only stayed at Rio, Harrah's, Flamingo and Maxim. Although Rio is not on the strip, they offer a free shuttle to Harrah's (in the middle of everything) all day and evening. The rooms are very nice, the pool looks great and the cocktail waitresses are as cute as they come.

I'd recommend Rio. My next trip will be to Harrah's, because it's a decent hotel with good help and I got a good deal on a room. I mostly go to eat and gamble, anyway. I agree that Flamingo is nice, and it's also in the middle of everything.

If you'd like to try a really thrilling thrill ride, try the Big Shot atop the Stratosphere. I think it costs about $20 to ride the elevator to the observation level and ride one ride, but when that beast launches you, it's pretty much sheer mortal terror. It's great!

 

[Steve Owen]

I've only been out a few times and have stayed at MGM Grand and Caesars. I spent some time in many of the other "big" hotels on the strip as well. If I were to go back, I'd stay at the MGM Grand again (though since you mentioned a pool, the one at Caesars is pretty cool!). I thought the selection of restaurants, shopping, casino layout, and the sports book were all the best at MGM Grand. Rooms were nice, and you might be able to get a great view of the strip. I could see Luxor, Excalibur, and New York out my window).

-Steve

 

[PatrickM]

I was just down there about a month ago. Lots of deals to be had on hotels especially mid week packages. The stip is long and the walks are much longer than they seem. Even from the street to the hotel entrance seems a mile long.

Mandalay Bay is nice but still expensive and its at the far end of the strip. My friend got a mid-week rate at the Monte Carlo of $69 a night for a suite.

My biggest advice is not to leave on a Sunday. When we did that we were in a line up for security clearance that was at least 1500 people long. It took us 50 minutes just to get to the metal detector.

Patrick

 

[Randy Tennison]

We booked our trip last September on Southwest Airlines website. They offered airfare and hotel very cheap. We stayed at the Riveria. Not the newest, not the flashiest, but it was clean, comfortable, and near everything.

Don't forget about the trams and shuttles between hotels. There's a monorail you can ride from Luxor to Excaliber (if I remember right), a shuttle bus between Harrahs and Rio, etc., etc.

Don't spend a lot on the hotel. You will probably only sleep there!

 

[Julie K]

The Mirage is very nice, but I'm a sucker for humongous aquariums in the lobby. They have a very cool giant pufferfish.

(Yes, I seriously recommend hotels based on whether or not they have cool giant pufferfish in the lobby.)

 

[Jamie_B]

The Luxor also gets my vote-- nice pool-- nice rooms, and on the monorail... They even have the Blue Man Group (my fav)

 

[Anthony_J]

I've gone to Vegas the past two years for vacation. Both trips were Tuesday thru Monday, so we got to experience both the weekday and weekend atmospheres.

I've stayed in a normal two bed room at Bally's and a deluxe suite in Harrah's. Granted, neither are the "luxury" hotels that Vegas is associated with, but the rooms, facilities, and locations are still nothing to be scoffed at with either option (both are in the middle of the strip).

Plus, because the hotels/casinos are a little smaller than the big guys, they're prime places to coordinate meetings before dinner, going out, or for that last blackjack run before bed. (i.e., you'll always be able to find the people you came with, and you'll always find a seat at the tables).

Personally, I like staying at the smaller guys because you don't get all the "non-guest" traffic in the casinos. You can always walk to the restaurants/shows/clubs/casinos at Bellagio or Paris or MGM, etc., but you'll always have your hotel's quieter atmosphere to wind down the night or to grab a quick drink. (The outside bar at Harrah's is pretty good). Plus, you'll save a ton of money to boot (these hotels cost about half of the big guys.)

Our trips were about $400 per person in August, including transportation to and from the Airport (that's two people per room).

 

[Jason Boucher]

I vote for the Flamingo as well. Its right in the middle of the strip, much more reasonably priced that the new megacasinos, but still well-maintained, and has one of the best sprawling lagoon setting pools in Vegas. There is also the aura and mystique in staying in the place that Bugsy built and started the whole strip trend.

I also would ask that noone overlook downtown and the Golden Nugget. This is the best 5 star hotel value in the U.S. in my opinion, and Fremont street has been renovated into an entertainment complex. Also, lotsa freebies and 99 cent deals.

 

[Jeff_N]

ttt - Any more comments?