hey guys, i havent been to vegas in like 7 yrs and will be there this xmas w/ my gf. i wanna be near the strip & close to good shopping & restaurants. we're not into gambling .. which of the hotels below is the most bang for buck? .. also a 1 sentence synopsis of each place would be nice.. thx

stratosphere
Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa
Excalibur
Golden Nugget
Flamingo
Luxor
Ballys
Palms
Harrahs
Caesars palace

 

stratosphere - well off the strip, but decent rates. you'll need a taxi to get to the main strip each time.

Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa - no idea

Excalibur - imo it's a dump. i wouldn't recommend it, although it is right on the strip and somewhat centralized in terms of the center of the strip.

Golden Nugget - no idea

Flamingo - personally stayed here a few times. almost dead center of the main strip which is a plus. pool area is real nice. very reasonable rates. one of the older casinos on the main strip but still ok.

Luxor - stayed here several times. reasonable rates. on the main strip but towards the end. still, you can walk to the other end (Wynn and TI) fairly easily. great poo

Ballys - very reasonable rates. very central on the strip.

Palms - trendy and pricy. well off the strip, but within walking distance. very nice pool area as well. wouldn't recommend it, but if you're trying to impress her, then maybe.

Harrahs - no idea

Caesars palace - decent rates, but more than flamingo and luxor. great for shopping and pool lounging. almost dead center of the main strip. for the non-gamer, this is a great hotel.

 

great pooL at the luxor i meant

 

Strat- Good Budget Hotel. You need a car. Stayed there twice, and while it is clean , relatively new, and has a couple attractions, it is you basic hotel with a casino. Far better than Westward Ho, anywhere downtown, and places like Circus Circus, but about a mile from the strip. If you want a real nice dinner, go to the Top of the World restaurant. Dress code, revolves at the top of the tower, top notch food. REALLY. Hotel is budget rate, the retaurant is not. One of the best meals I have ever had. Dinner for two about $100 or higher.

Green Valley- off the strip, dont know anything about it.

Excaliber-Same quality room as Strat, much better location in the center of the strip. Clean basic room. Never stayed there but know a couple people who did. Both said "Don't go". Lots of families with Kids. Loud.

Golden Nugget- Nicest hotel in the old downtown, but old downtown sucks. Not near the strip. Avg. age of person staying downtown is about 112.

Flamingo- Stay away. Nice local, old hotel.

Luxor- Nice property. Good spot especially if you get a nice package deal. Some rooms are small but they have it all on site. Great pool area. Close to what is happening on the strip.

Bally's- Decent, newer hotel but no pizzaz.

Palms- Supposed to be the hip spot for the young-uns. Off the strip. Caters to locals as "budget casino" and 30 somethings coming in to party for the weekend. Nice place to hang out and club, but I would not want to stay there.

Harrahs- See "Bally's" same deal.

Ceasars- It is a first class operation. Older hotel but kept up VERY well. Tons to see on the property with old shops and new forum shops. I really like Ceasars.


I would go with Ceasars or Luxor if I had my choice. Strat is just if you want clean and CHEAP, but you need a car. I always get a car in Vegas. It is only about $75 from Dollar rent a car to get a convertable for three days.

The best advice I can give you if you are not into the gambling thing (I am not either) is to get a car and try to see the whole strip. Parking is free at every hotel, they want you to come in and gamble. If you do not get a car, you might miss alot because there is wayyy too much walking. Stop into Venetian for sure, watch the fountains at Bellagio, etc. The new Wynn's is kind of neat. The new free show Sirens at Treasure Island sucks.

If your girlfriend is like mine you might want to check these things out.

The conservatory just through the lobby at Bellagio will have a Christmas display of flowers and whatnot. It is free.
The Fashion Show Mall is good chick shopping down near treasure island.
As I mentioned, Top of the World Restaurant is tremendous. Just go.
Decent seats at "O" are $125. Worth twice that much. I am not into shows but this was awsome. If you plan to go, book online early or it will be sold out.
Good restaurant but not too expensive is "Olives" in the Bellagio. Make reservations when you get to town for a late dinner. Tell them it is your girlfriends birthday and you want a table by a window. You can have a great meal and watch the fountains for about $60-$70 for two.

Another hotel to consider is Rio Suites. Great property, standard room is 900 sq ft. Everything on site, but off the strip. You do not need a car though because they are owned by Harrah's and have a shuttle that drops you there in the heart of the strip. Nice spot.

Sorry for the long post.

 

The cheaper hotels are dumps. The best dump on the strip I stayed in is the Tropicana. I used to like the Maxim, just off the strip but it closed (forget what's there now).

Ballys needed remodeling last time I stayed there and the rates I've seen are still high.

I hated the Luxor. Poor hotel design for a premium price IMO.

Excalibur (I was forced to stay there once) is crappy. Reminds me of Circus-Circus (too many kids but not quite as much baby-stroller-hell). Treasure Island is much nicer.

MGM is okay but every time I've stayed there I had a different customer service issue. Nice big casino though.

Harrahs is good but, for the same hotel management, I'd rather stay the the Rio (nicer rooms) and take their free shuttle to-and-from Harrahs on the strip. Their tracking (comp) card is good for getting cheap or free hotel rooms (at either hotel) without being a major gambler.

I've heard good things about the new Palms but I haven't been there yet.

 

thx a ton for the quick help guys. Looks like Caesar's palace it is!!! price is $697 per person for air tix + 4 nights, so it's reasonable i think...

great tips for whattodo for non-gamblers.. so do u guys recommend renting a car? is parking pretty easy ? i might drive out to Grand Canyon if i have a car.. we'll be there from 12/25 til 12/29.

*OOPS, didnt read Vader1's edited post. Will be renting a car as well!!



plz keep the advice coming on other 'cannot miss' activities for non gambler's in vegas..!

 

Grand canyon is nice, a day trip to Hoover Dam is a nice diversion as well.

Would not dissuade anyone from Ceasars, but if cash is a concern you might want to check Rio Suites rates.

Every hotel will have directions to their parking garage and signs leading you right to the shops and casino. Parking is a breeze. Strip traffic is crazy. If it is stop and go the best tip to give you is there is a long street that runs behind the casinos on the highhway side. (behind Cesears, Bellagio, Luxor etc if you look at a map.) That road is your best friend. Driving up and down the strip is fun but during busy weekends it turns to gridlock. It can take and hour plus to go a couple miles, this other road (if you find the name of it) lets you sneek up and down unmolested.

 

I've stayed at the Tropicana a bunch of times, its not the greatest hotel, but its close to everywhere you want to be, I gamble, so I spent a lot of times in other casinos. There is so much to see and do, the room is only for sleeping.

you can kill hours in the mall at Ceasers, NYNY is neat to look at, Luxur is cool, etc. Find a nice place close by the majors, and you'll have plenty to do.

Do they still have the Star Trek exhibit at the Stratusphere? that was pretty damn cool.

 

Yes and no. I think the exhibit still exists but I think it is Las Vegas Hilton. Stratosphere is all the spin and puke rides. Try the Big Shot. I almost crapped my pants.

 

if you like hiking Red Rock Canyon is good for a half-day trip as well and very close to the strip.

the M&M factory store has lots of cutting edge games and a 3-4 story rock wall to climb if you're into that sort of stuff.

check out one of the Cirque shows for a good night out. There's a wolfgang puck restaurant at the MGM and they have a great Cirque show called Ka for a good night. Mystere at TI is also a great show. Been running for a while but always a packed house.