Vegas hotels - the good, the bad and the ugly

[DeniseC]

We (DH & me) have just booked flights for our first ever trip to Las Vegas in October


Can anyone who has been recently, recommend any good hotels and also let me know any we should avoid

Like the look of the Bellagio but not the price

One person I work with has recommended the Luxor. Is it any good?
It looks amazing

Help !

[JudyC]

Don't know about the Luxor but we've booked the Signature suites at the MGM Grand for our first visit to Vegas. They seem to get such good reviews and few dibbers have either been recently or are planning to stay there.

Circus Circus doesn't seem to get great reviews, so I'd say that is one to avoid.

[Guest]

The thing with Vegas especially on a first visit is that you will no doubt be blown away by whichever hotel you stay in on the Strip as long as you stick to the major resorts (i.e. avoid the Travelodge on the Strip). The Luxor is a great hotel, a little worn around the edges in the room department (in the Pyramid) because they are the original rooms from when it was built (other hotels are renovating rapidly as we speak) but the public areas are amazing. For a few $ more you can probably step it up to somewhere like the MGM Grand or Monte Carlo, both great properties and the MGM has recently renovated, or are in the process of renovating all of their tower rooms so you will have the most up to date standard room in Vegas. Factor in a great pool area (the best IMHO) and the MGM would always be my first choice.

The Signature comes up a lot on the Dibb but for me it is out of the way and too quiet, I like my Vegas full on but others prefer the serenity that comes from being that little way off the Strip. Not everybody wants to shuffle through a casino on the way to their room but I do, I'm no big roller admittedly but if I see a game I fancy and could do with a few beers I'll sit down and play (day or night). Of course you are never far from a casino staying at the Signature anyway but Vegas is Vegas to me and attempting to try and 'get away' from Vegas (for however long) sort of defeats the purpose of going which is why I always recommend staying on the Strip in one of the iconic Vegas properties. Here you will definitely encounter the Vegas vibe which no doubt has drawn you to booking in the first place.

If the Bellagio is out on price then take a look at the Venetian or Palazzo which offer better rooms for a little less or if you are happy with sticking to a 4* the properties I have mentioned above would certainly be top of my list.

[daytonababe]

I have stopped in the following.

Excalibur... its cheap but i wouldn't stop there again for similar money you can do much better
Flamingo (twice)..location is very central and we would stay there again.. last time i paid £250 for 7 nights... room was tired but i believe they have been renovated since then.

Tropicana last year ,we loved it ,rooms which nice,modern and airy...would stop there again (well i am next month lol).

In 2 weeks time i have 2 nights in Planet Hollywood and 8 in the Tropicana.

Last year we were booked into the Luxor and something didn't feel right ,i keep hearing about tired rooms etc so we changed the booking to the Tropicana.

Price is a big consideration for us ,i can't justify Bellagio prices when really all we do is sleep and shower in the room.. i'd rather have more money to spend on doing things whilst we are there.

Location is also a factor i like the lots of properties off strip but i know we would hate not just walking out the hotel and being directly on the strip.. I'm not too fussed about which part of the strip we are on but i like to be on it.


Oh and i'd never stay in Circus Circus.. i'd rather sleep in my car !

[kezza12]

Pick a hotel on the strip definitely it's a long way to walk if you don't the Luxor is nice. If you have kids I'd recomend Excalibur we stopped at the MGM grand and loved it! The top of the strip near circus circus and stratosphere I'd avoid hotel wise. It looks dead unless they have now developed the big gap between the hustle and bustle and those hotels. Be mindful of guys on street corners offering out cards to... Undesirable places that is of course if you like strip joints and topples dancers lol. Loved Vegas can't wait to do it again but one pet hate was walking through the casino to get to the rooms and when arriving stinking of cigarette as people smoke in the casinos. the other pet hate is hearing mums complaining that people are smoking near their children it's Vegas! They're allowed. Deal with it! Told hubby off for complaining about this also rather vocally when a guy near him lit up a cigar. We chose to go there.

[kezza12]

Originally Posted by daytonababe

I have stopped in the following.

Excalibur... its cheap but i wouldn't stop there again for similar money you can do much better
Flamingo (twice)..location is very central and we would stay there again.. last time i paid £250 for 7 nights... room was tired but i believe they have been renovated since then.

Tropicana last year ,we loved it ,rooms which nice,modern and airy...would stop there again (well i am next month lol).

In 2 weeks time i have 2 nights in Planet Hollywood and 8 in the Tropicana.

Last year we were booked into the Luxor and something didn't feel right ,i keep hearing about tired rooms etc so we changed the booking to the Tropicana.

Price is a big consideration for us ,i can't justify Bellagio prices when really all we do is sleep and shower in the room.. i'd rather have more money to spend on doing things whilst we are there.

Location is also a factor i like the lots of properties off strip but i know we would hate not just walking out the hotel and being directly on the strip.. I'm not too fussed about which part of the strip we are on but i like to be on it.


Oh and i'd never stay in Circus Circus.. i'd rather sleep in my car !

See more...

I agree about circus circus. It smelled of feet!

[Love*my*hols]

Keep an eye on this site for deals- smartervegas-we got a bargain at the Venetian and it was amazing hotel>I would definitel recommend it

[hols2florida]

We stayed in the Monte Carlo and it was nice,reasonably priced as well. Personally I wouldn't pay a fortune to stay in the dearest hotels as you can wander in and out as you please anyway. We only really slept and showered in our room. So as long as it's quite central, you'll be fine. The only part of a hotel you're not staying at where you can't go is the pool. This wasn't an issue for us as we didn't have time anyway!

[LRMD]

The Venetian is our favourite, not the cheapest but not as expensive as the Bellagio or Caesars. All the rooms are suites so booking the standard room you will still get a suite with bedroom, living area, three TVs, one in bathroom, so luxurious! We have stayed at the Stratosphere, Imperial Palace and the Venetian was def the best. On our next visit wanna try Planet Hollywood though.

[KarenG]

Personal opinion only, but I wouldn't want to be further north on the Strip than Wynn / Encore. That would rule out the Riviera, Circus Circus and the Stratosphere for me.

I didn't like the Luxor at all when we visited, and I found Mandalay Bay too far south (not everyone agrees this is an issue, but for us, and we are big walkers, it was).

We stayed at the Signature, and I would agree with ju_itfc that it feels a bit removed from "Vegas". We loved the space but I'm not planning on returning there in August. We really like the centre strip location, eg Ballys, Flamingo, probably City Center, Harrahs, Paris etc (I've missed loads out).