I'm purchasing my Vegas hotel tickets this week.........

[CharlieMac]

Which hotel has teh best casino? Are they pretty much all the same? Any hotels you'd recommend? I'm close to booking the Stratosphere, but I'd like to know if anyone has actually stayed there. I'm doing the driving deal, so I reserved a nice big SUV for the trip.

[ChumpDumper]

Standard Stratosphere rooms can be pretty small depending on what part of the hotel you are in. If you go at the right time, try to upgrade to a suite. We got a huge jacuzzi suite for only $30 a night more than our heavily discounted regular price IIRC. It was during summer though, your mileage may vary.

The Strat and Sahara are low-roller friendly if small minimums are a priority. Sometimes they can also have screwy rules, though, especially the Strat, so read the fine print. It's good that you have a car because those two are in a no-man's land between the main strip and downtown. My advice is to drive down the Strip once during the day from Tropicana to downtown, then familiarize yourself with all the side streets like Paradise and Koval so you can avoid the parking lot that is the Strip at night.

[Carie]

We stayled at the Bellagio and loved it. Great rooms, great atmostphere, friendly and helpful staff, amazing show and restaurants, very good location.

If you can, book the shows and restaurants now. Have fun!

[Kori Ellis]

I would never stay at Stratosphere because it's way at the end of the strip and not convenient for walking everywhere else. I know you are going to say "but I have a car". But IMO having to drive in Vegas sucks.

I'd pick a hotel that was more conveniently located in the middle of the strip, but that's just me.

I've stayed almost everywhere in Vegas except Stratosphere. So if you have any questions on other hotels, I can fill you in.

[Duncan Fan]

I've stayed at the MGM Grand and its great. You got to see cirq de solei, its amazing..and also Blue Man Group.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I've stayed in a lot of the Vegas casino hotels myself. . .including, unfortunately, the Stratosphere.

The Stratosphere is in kind of a scary neighborhood, so I would say when you walk out the front door have your car pulled around by the valet. Not an area you want to walk around much. There's not a great fitness center there, no real entertainment, the rooms are ok, but not great. No good restaurants in there either. Like Kori and Chump mentioned, you're at the far end of the strip and you'd be walking all day to reach the better hotels. The nice thing about the Stratosphere is that you can find weekday specials for about $25/night. If price is the only concern it's a good call. If you want a great Vegas experience look elsewhere. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give the stratosphere about a 3.5, and only that high because of the value.

At the other end of the strip the Mandalay Bay is terrific, and the Alladin is pretty good. You can't go wrong with the Hard Rock and the Rio is cool too (both a little off the strip). If money is not a concern, book the Bellagio. I'm not in love with Caesar's Palace like so many people are, but I do love those 30 year old mechanical puppets in the Forum Shops.

The MGM is my personal favorite just because it's in the middle of everything, the rooms are nice, the people are cool, the MGM's clubs are fun and the restaurants are great.

I'd probably avoid the Palms, the Monte Carlo and Bally's. I've stayed at all three and found the others mentioned above to be alot better.

[KEDA]

The bowling center at Sams Town is nice

Orleans is nice too, but the carry sucks

Texas Station is pretty good as well

[lilmads]

Mirage is awesome

We got comped for our room so it was great...

Kori's right, any hotel is a good choice as long as you are not at the beginning or the end of the strip.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

[CharlieMac]

Thanks for teh advice on the Stratosphere. I was reading reviews at Expedia.com, but those people complain about like, " Our coffee maker was too old" so all of your opinions here on the board carry alot more weight.
I'm going to take my parents, so walking is out of the question. I'm really glad you guys told me how far it was.

So I guess I'm looking for somewhere on the strip. I'm not look for something too expensive, nor too cheap.

[SpursWoman]

I stayed at the Hard Rock and it was awesome ... and if the Stratesphere is at the end of the strip far from everything, the Hard Rock is like in China. We ended up renting a limo. (which isn't that expensive, btw)


It was really, really nice, though. Flying into Vegas at night was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

[Kori Ellis]

Thanks for teh advice on the Stratosphere. I was reading reviews at Expedia.com, but those people complain about like, " Our coffee maker was too old" so all of your opinions here on the board carry alot more weight.
I'm going to take my parents, so walking is out of the question. I'm really glad you guys told me how far it was.

So I guess I'm looking for somewhere on the strip. I'm not look for something too expensive, nor too cheap.

Expensive = Bellagio, Paris, Venetian, Caesars (sometimes), Mandalay Bay
Medium but nice = NYNY, MGM, Mirage, Treasure Island, Luxor
Cheaper = Excalibur, S ust, Bally's, Riviera, CircusCircus

I think that's all that I've stayed at.

Look at this map to see which ones are most centrally located.

http://www.vegas.com/map.html

I have basically found that pretty much every room is the same in all the hotels unless you are getting a suite. So you can't really go wrong.

[Carie]

You can also get great deals depending on when you're going. When we were looking I saw the Bellagio for under $200 a night for a regular room. I'd check out the vegas boards, I think one of them is www.govegas.com if I remember correctly. Make sure you avoid the times when a big convention will be there!

ETA: that's not the site I was thinking of. Try www.vegas.com

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

You can also get great deals depending on when you're going. When we were looking I saw the Bellagio for under $200 a night for a regular room. I'd check out the vegas boards, I think one of them is www.govegas.com if I remember correctly. Make sure you avoid the times when a big convention will be there!

Timing is everything. Room prices can fluctuate by 300%, easily, depending on when you go. If you're pretty flexible on the dates you'll find a good deal.

[Carie]

Timing is everything. Room prices can fluctuate by 300%, easily, depending on when you go. If you're pretty flexible on the dates you'll find a good deal.

Exactly! And get there early, your room might not be ready. We were upgraded from a Bellagio suite to a Penthouse suite.

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[Vashner]

The only think good bout the strat is the observation deck, nice head rush and view. The elevator ride (goes so fast they turn off the numbers so you don't freak out). And the bar up top.

[ChumpDumper]

If you really want the full-on Strip experience, stay right in the heart of it. The corner of the Strip and Flamingo where Bally's, Flamingo, Caeser's and Bellagio are is the absolute in that case -- the first two being your best bet for getting a room deal that doesn't break the budget. The corner of Tropicana and the Strip is next in line with the Trop, MGM, Excalibur and New York New York as far as being in the middle of things, but I don't like any of those places except NYNY (MGM is too big, Excalibur to big and corny, Trop too old). The north end of the real strip is pretty nice too at Spring Mountain/Sands where the Venetian, TI, Harrah's, Wynn and Mirage are. I stayed in the first three and like the Venetian best, TI is average and I don't like Harrah's all that much except for TJ's impression/karaoke show (he's also plays the Strat).

If you or your parents are big on staying in the room and the other amenities, go for broke and stay at the Belagio or the Venetian. You'll be impressed by almost everything about it.

Venetian and to a lesser extent Bally's rooms are bigger than the others. Most of the newer towers in other hotels look nice but are pretty cheaply constucted with alot of plumbing noise, etc.

I was never afraid of the neighborhood where the Strat was -- if you just limit your walking between that and the Sahara you'll be fine. Everything else requires a car anyway.

If it's your or your parents' first time in Vegas, really -- do it up real nice on the Strip. The Venetian, Bellagio and Mirage boast the best service and will make you feel like you are getting close to your money's worth, but there are plenty of places that will be just as enjoyable if you don't want to spend as much. I think the Flamingo might present the best value for a full Strip resort in most cases (the rooms are more tastefully done than the casino BTW).

After you go a few times and want to spend your money on gambling instead of rooms, then you can stay someplace like the Orleans or downtown, or maybe even the scary Stratosphere for alot less.

If you haven't seen it already, Cheapo Vegas has irreverent but very useful reviews of hotels and casinos and maps to help you know where everything is.

[Nbadan]

Cheaper = Excalibur, S ust, Bally's, Riviera, CircusCircus

Don't forget the Tropicana. The absolute cheapest is the Westward Ho, but that place is scary.

I would rather stay at the Rivera than the Stratesphere. Rooms are about the same and the walk is much friendlier. As far as positioning, Treasure Island or Imperial Palace are about the middle of the Strip. Anything North of that is gonna cost you plenty more, except for the Tropicana and Excalibur. They have a good poker area at the Luxor, so I generally like to stay in that area. The Ventian, Caesars Palace, NY/NY, The Wynn, and Bellagio are were the big money goes, but the Poker areas are always too busy.

I can give you some handy gambling tips that I have been working on if you want to try.

[scott]

I'd recommend using priceline. You can usually land a 4* (Luxor, Mirage, MGM, Treasure Island) or 5* (Bellagio, Venitian, Wynn) for around $100 a night.

Check out this message board to fimiliarize yourself with the method in which to land these deals (there is a method, and if you don't follow it you may get stuck overpaying at a ty hotel or getting trapped out of a good deal you could have had all along).

http://p070.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding

[PakiDan]

Most of this advice is good. DON"T listen to KEDA though.... all of those hotels are off strip and you will have to DRIVE everywhere. In all honesty - I've stayed many places, but my favorite so far based on value, casino, and convenience is the IMPERIAL PALACE. It's an older casino, but the rooms are nice, and it is ALOT cheaper than anything you will find on the North Strip. Oh - it is smack IN THE MIDDLE of everything. Caesars, Billagio, Monte Cristo, Paris. The Imperial Palace is in the heart of the strip. a few steps from anything fun and worthwile and is a great value.

[Notorious H.O.P.]

I'd recommend using priceline. You can usually land a 4* (Luxor, Mirage, MGM, Treasure Island) or 5* (Bellagio, Venitian, Wynn) for around $100 a night.

As far as I know, Wynn is not part of the Priceline system at this time and not likely to be soon. Bellagio hasn't come up in months and the Venetian (which comes up often in this category) will come in at $99-$125 Sunday-Thursday if they have a lot of availability and are looking to get rooms filled. Try to hit 5* on the weekends and you are looking at $140-$200 a night even on Priceline.

Common 4* hotels that have recently hit include MGM Grand, Aladdin and Luxor. These will hit at about $65-$100 depending on the exact days you book and room availability. MGM Grand is huge and easy to get lost in. Some complaints you will hear (try tripadvisor.com) is that the elevators are slow and in some cases, it can take 20 minutes to go from your room to the strip entrance of the casino. Luxor is cheesy but good and Aladdin is strangely designed and is in the process of being remodeled into a Planet Hollywood but has an excellent location and great views of the Bellagio fountains and Caesars Palace. The current remodeling has yielded some great prices and we got rooms there for $49 a night in December on a web promo.

To make it easier to find the site Scott is referring to, go to www.biddingfortravel.com and it will take you to that board.

If you want to be walking distance to alot of casinos, staying downtown at the Golden Nugget (4*) isn't a bad option. You can get rooms there for $49-$65 a night which are very well furnished and since you are on the Fremont St, you are in walking distance of several casinos. They aren't going to be the palatial monstrocities and have the glamour of the strip casinos but the gambling is better in terms of payouts and lower table minimums.

So again, Aladdin has an excellent location (near Bellagio, Paris, Casears Palace and the Mirage) and great pricing, Mirage is a Las Vegas classic without approaching the Ventian, Bellagio and Wynn pricing. The three casinos just mentioned are the kings of the strip with the pricing to reflect that. Luxor is a good value in an area more oriented for younger types and the Golden Nugget is old school Vegas at a value.

The last thing to remember is that you will rarely even visit your hotel other than to sleep at it and a car will take you everywhere else.

[mFFL03]

Any updates on Vegas hot spots or recommendations? Things to avoid? I'm staying at Paris in about 3 weeks

Looking for cheap food 10-15 per plate, $5 Crap tables, $5 Roulette, craft tails, craft beer.

[ChumpDumper]

Any updates on Vegas hot spots or recommendations? Things to avoid? I'm staying at Paris in about 3 weeks

Looking for cheap food 10-15 per plate, $5 Crap tables, $5 Roulette, craft tails, craft beer.

Yeah, go to the Super 8 behind Paris.

[mFFL03]

I think they preferred to be called Bally's.

I'm expecting $10 tables everywhere, but I just wanted to see what was in the area. Bills Gambling Hall closed down, that was one of my favorite places to go for cheap gambling during the day. I'm sure Ballys, Planet Hollywood and Paris do $5 tables until 4 or 5pm.

[ChumpDumper]

There is seriously a super 8 behind Paris tbh.

With a microbrewery.