Las Vegas hotels

[Guest IM_Moore]

>

>The first thing you should decide is whether you want to

>stay on the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd.) or Downtown. The Strip

>is where all the large theme resorts are located. Downtown

>is the older part of town and there isn’t much to do other

>than gamble. Some of the hotels are a little run down but

>they tend to be cheaper.

>

While Phage's advice is reasonably good I just want to clarify that the downtown area is NOT the oder part of Las Vegas. The first hotel is on Las Vegas Blvd South and that would be what is left of the original Flamingo (umm I think Warren b did a movie about ths one) now known as the Flamingo Hilton. The reason the downtown area (Freemont Street) appears so old is it's a smaller area that has had little renovation where the strip has had continuos building.

 

As for my view of the Strat you can do a lot better for 25. per night. Even if you are slightly off the strip like the Goldcoast or Orleans if you are on a strict budget. I'd rent you my place though I might need it to hook up with Adam }>

[Guest mcguffin]

I have a few days off around Thanksgiving and notice that some of the hotels in Vegas seem to be offering really low prices. One of the cheapest ($25 a night) is the Stratosphere. Could any of you familiar with the area tell me if this is a good place to stay? The pix look good, but we all know that there can be other factors: construction,etc. Would welcome any advice about the current situation in terms of what hotels to avoid at any cost, which are the best? I'm totally unfamiliar with Vegas. Looking for a good deal, but don't want to be in a bad location. Thanks!

[phage]

The Stratosphere is a very basic hotel. If you’re going to be gambling 23-hours a day, and just need a place to flop, it will do. There are no resort amenities – spa, upscale restaurants, etc – but it just depends on how you like to spend your time.

 

The first thing you should decide is whether you want to stay on the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd.) or Downtown. The Strip is where all the large theme resorts are located. Downtown is the older part of town and there isn’t much to do other than gamble. Some of the hotels are a little run down but they tend to be cheaper.

 

I go several times a year but it’s more for the resort amenities than the gambling. Since I know I’m not going to lose a lot of money gambling, I usually spend it on the room. If you’ve never been there…I would certainly recommend staying on the Strip. The Stratosphere is on the North end of the Strip. If you like to walk, you can see quite a bit by just walking along Las Vegas Blvd., but be advised…looks can be very deceiving in Vegas. The properties are so large that they look MUCH closer than they actually are.

 

If you’re looking for more luxury, The Aladdin is a bargain right now. I think it’s going for $150 on weekends. It’s a nice luxury hotel in a good location on the Strip. My favorites are The Venetian, Mandalay Bay, and Bellagio, but they are four to five-star resorts and you’re going to pay more. I would avoid Excaliber at all costs and I wouldn’t recommend The Luxor either.

[J-Man]

Ah, the Stratosphere.... they've even been offering rates as low as $19.00 lately, so I guess they must be getting really desperate! (Before I get into details let me say that I've never stayed there, but I've been to the casino and the shopping area, as well as to the top of the tower, several times.)

 

I don't know how familiar you are with Vegas, but the Stratosphere proclaims that they're at the north end of The Strip, which I guess is sort of true, but most people think the Strip begins (or ends) at the Sahara (at Sahara Ave.), and the Stratosphere is at least 1/4 mile north of there. And therein lies its major drawback: Location! It's not the best area, and there's really no place nearby that you'd want to walk to. If you have a car it won't be that much of a problem (assuming you DO want to visit other casinos and sights). Otherwise I'd look elsewhere.

 

I'm sure the rooms are fine-- the place isn't that old. So it depends on what you're looking for. By the way, just so you know that I'm not someone who goes for the expensive places-- last time I was in Vegas (on 9/11, of all times) I stayed at Sam's Town, which is east of town and I think a good value. But I had a car. If you don't have a car and want to be in the middle of things, consider the Barbary Coast, Circus Circus, etc. and see if they have any bargains. Also, you might want to check out the new Palms, which just opened across the street from Rio.

 

Have a good time!

[Guest Kevin 2]

Do a web search on Vegas hotels and I'm sure you will find lots of info. from that. If you have any questions about a specific hotel just ask me or others on the board just like you did earlier. We will send you in the right direction. Heres how I would rate the hotels I have stayed at in Vegas. Note You should be able to get a NICE hotel for less than $100/a night. I personal have NEVER paid more than $79. Most of the time I stay for FREE! Of course thats only really true if I leave a winner!

Las Vegas Hilton 4*

Excalibur 2* (avoid)

New York New York 3*

Mirage 4*

Scale would be 1-5 ;-)

[vers7]

My advice to tourists to Las Vegas is to stay on the south-end of the Strip somewhere between Tropicana to Sands. The following are the intersections and the good hotels congregated around them: Tropicana/Strip (MGM, NY NY, Excalibur, MonteCarlo, Tropicana, Luxor, Mandalay Bay); Flamingo/Strip (Ballys, Paris, Alladin, Bellagio, Caesars Palace) and Sands a.k.a. Spring Mountain/Strip (Venetian, Mirage, Treasure Island).

The Flamingo intersection is the most centrally located to the major resorts. There are trains/free transportation behind the hotels on the west side of the strip going from Mandalay almost all the way down to Treasure island and there's a free monorail behind the other side of the street connecting MGM to Ballys. I would try to aim for this area of the Strip.

The downtown is interesting, but old. (BTW, there were hotels/bars downtown before Bugsy ever thought of the Flamingo). The Union Plaza is on the first plot of land surveyed out when the modern Las Vegas was planned. It's historic with great hotel rates. The Fremont light show is sort of cool. However my objection for a tourist downtown is that it's a little isolated and you still will want to get to the strip and the malls at Caesars and next to Treasure Island.

Stratosphere is ok. However, that area of the strip is a bit sparse. In addition, the Stratosphere is surrounded by a little island of the city called the "Naked City" It's icky and I always advise tourists not to walk to and from the Stratosphere after dark. The crowds are not as thick there as on the strip from Sands on down to Trop. and lots of drunks and derelicts live behind the Stratosphere. I agree with the advise to spend more money and stay farther south.

[+ Lucky]

Try priceline.com for hotels. I used it yesterday and got a New York hotel room for $100. If I had booked directly, the rate is $249.

[Guest Stephan-Lacoste]

Hi Mcguffin, Do you want to be near the Gay scene or bars ?

There aren't many near the strastophere, and again it is away of the real Las Vegas today. There isn't spa or gym and YOu should try to stay more on the south Side MGM Luxor mandalay bay, Luxor has a regular rate and it is a great hotel.

Hug

[Barry]

I have received email ads from Vegas hotels with some really great rates.

 

Bellagio..$109

Mandalay Bay...$89

Venetian...$79 (all suite hotel)

 

You just have to be careful and check whether rates are weekday or weekend. Many of the hotels have higher rates on w/e's

[Guest Hunklover]

Each time i go to Vegas I like to stay at a different hotel. Here are a few I've stayed at:

Mandalay Bay....Great hotel. Big rooms, separate shower and bath, lots of restaurants (a little on the pricy side), great swimming facilities, ask for a view of the strip(impressive view), at end of the strip, some distance from the center of activities, however there's a lot going in the hotels close to the Bay.

MGM.....Huge hotel with decent rooms. Lots of restaurants and things to do, lots to see in the hotel and adjacent properties, wasn't as memorable as I thought it would be.

Luxor...Impressive architecture, very comfortable and unique rooms (especially in the new towers), separate showers and tubs, I thought the room decor had a romantic atmosphere, lots ot do in this hotel and adjacent properties, inexpensive, great room value.

Circus Circus....Lots to do, inexpensive places to eat, very plain run of the mill rooms, cheap place to stay.

Stratusphere....Very disappointing rooms (I thought Motel 6 was nicer), quite a bit to do in the hotel(including the tower).

Sahara....very inexpensive, decent rooms though nothing fancy.

The Rio....Just off the strip behind Ceasars Palace, great rooms (spacious, nicely decorated suites, floor to cieling windows that run the length of the room), good service, lots to do, nice swimming area, fantastic value at under $100 per night during the week (ask for a strip view).

[ted]

Spent a long weekend in mid Oct in Vegas as I have for the past several years. My take-

Best Rooms - Venetian, all suites

Best Restaurants - Bellagio

Best Spa - Venetian

Have also stayed at the Mirage which was very nice, and attended a lot of shows at a lot of different venues. The 2 Cirque du Soleil are very good. Have also heard good things about Mandalay Bay. There are good deals out there right now everywhere, and Vegas is no exception. Got the same promo from Bellagio, but its only Sunday thru Thurs, if you can go then its a great deal

[+ deej]

My favorite hotel in Vegas is Treasure Island, but that's because I always win in the casino there whether I'm staying there or not.

 

Last time I was in Vegas, it was for a business meeting so it was booked at a cheap hotel off the strip where the meeting was held. (I forget the name, maybe Stef can help, across the street from Hard Rock.) The hotel had NO ammenities. The attached restraunt was closed for remodeling and there was no pool, sauna, spa, gym, or pretty much anything else except for daily maid service. It was unique because it's probably the only hotel in Vegas that doesn't have a single slot machine in it.

 

But it was very cheap, the rooms were clean (and certainly adequate for playing), and they had a free shuttle service to the strip. And it was literally right around the corner from 3 gay bars.

 

Just wish I could remember the name.

[Guest mcguffin]

Thanks!

 

Just want to say a general "thanks" for all the great input! You all have convinced me I've got to get to Vegas. I just need to decide exactly when. But I have great information to go on!

[Guest]

If this topic is still open... I'm thinking of going this winter, and I've noticed that the Golden Nugget downtown gets outstanding ratings in terms of hotel quality, although it's obviously far from the strip. It's also a good bargain, especially for a AAA 4-Diamond/Mobil 4-Star. My question is, if you have a rental car, is there any reason not to stay there and then just drive to one of the casinos in the strip?

[Guest Vegasboy Dave]

Hey There

 

I would goto http://www.hotwire.com before you reserve from the hotel..

 

My hotel favorites and i have been in about everone of them too.

 

I would say:

Venetian -- All Suites there..

Bellagio -- Just awesome as the bigest and most expensive..

Manadaly -- Very Nice rooms and the bathrooms are awesome..

Aladin -- Computers in every room and there rooms are great also..

 

So there is some of my favorites

 

as you was saying about the rent a car and staying at anyone hotel would be fine if you are just going to use it to sleep in.. The traffic is not to bad right now as this is kinda off season, but will be picking up again at the end of this month and in Jan..

 

So hope this will help you out..

[vers7]

unicorn,

The Golden Nugget is a fine, downtown hotel. Parking will be free for you, as a hotel guest. You will be able to park free at almost any strip hotel that you might visit. And you would need a taxi or a rental car to go to any of the gay clubs even if you were staying on the strip. So, in my opinion, if you have a car, there is no reason not to stay at the Golden Nugget.

[Guest jackson6]

RE: Thanks!

 

If you have to fly into Vegas try National Airlines, they have some great deals with most of the casinos. The Luxor,Mandalay and Excalibur all use the same slot card so you can quickly build up points to recieve freebies. The same is true for Harrahs and the Rio which owns National Airlines.

 

At Mandalay Bay there is a younger crowd full of pretty boys which makes it hard to focus on your card game or slot machine.:9

[phage]

Unicorn,

 

An escort that I hired in Las Vegas said the Golden Nugget had the nicest suites he had ever seen. (I’m sure he has seen more than his share of the Vegas hotels.) I’m not sure if you were thinking “luxury suite” but it’s still a good indication of how their standard rooms are.

 

There is no reason you can’t drive yourself to the other hotels and entertainment – other than the horrendous traffic. (It’s nice to kick back and let the taxi driver deal with it.) If you do drive, be sure you become familiar with I-15 and the street just east of Las Vegas Blvd. (Tropicana?) It will allow you to avoid the strip and save much time and aggravation.