which hotel in vegas?

[GailT]

I've only been to Vegas once but here is my 2 cents, you are on your honeymoon, you are going to have a GREAT time no matter where you stay. CONGRATULATIONS

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

We just got back last night and ended the trip at The Hotel @Mandalay Bay. The pool was great, but I have never seen such a crowded pool in all my travels. Literllay standing room only. Although not on the strip we did stay one night at the Golden Nugget just for their pool and it was incredible. It has a shark tank in the middle of the pool with lots of sharks and the water slide goes right thru it. We rented a cabanna and stayed poolside for 12 hours, it was a blast. We had a 2 bedroom suite and it was very affordable. They have really cool looking "spa" suites that would be perfect for a honeymoon. On this trip we stayed at the 2 mentioned hotels and 5 nights at the Ritz Carlton on Lake Las Vegas. My favorite was the Golden Nugget.

 

[Lewisc]

Look at the Flamingo. One of the best pools on the strip and the prices are reasonable.

 

[kovets]

Hi trish4bruce

I am a Vegas (very) regular and have stayed at practically every major hotel. There is such a variety of options and each is very different.

Before I can answer your question, I need a little more info (if you don't mind)?

Where are you coming from?
How old are each of you?
Are you looking for nightlife (bars and clubs)?
Interested in a show (like O or Love)?
And most importantly, what days will you be in Vegas?

Every night is a little different in Vegas. Depending on what you are looking for, I can point you in the right direction ... looking forward to your reply!!

 

[brettb]

I'll piggyback my request for hotel recommendations, hopefully without hijacking the OP's original request -- our circumstances are a bit different:

We're a family of three with an 8-year old daughter. We drink very little, avoid smoke, and gamble very occasionally at a low level in Atlantic City. We do most of our vacationing in WDW, though this will be our third trip out West in 3 years. We expect to do 3 nights in LV (8/1-8/4), one night in Burbank (maybe), and the rest at Disneyland. My wife has grown accustomed to the Deluxe hotels at WDW and the Paradise Pier at DL also meets her approval. Cleanliness is *extremely* important to us (her). A nice pool is a must, but it doesn't have to be crazy-great, especially if that means it'll be crazy crowded. (We also don't want to be self-conscious at the pools - the pool photos on the web sites showing hot-young-things lounging about are a little intimidating.) We'd like to do/see the family-appropriate stuff on the Strip and also do some side trips to stuff like Red Rock Canyon or Valley of Fire.

After our preliminary research, we're thinking about the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa or the Venetian.

Any thoughts on Red Rock? The Venetian sounds like a safe bet. But if the Red Rock website gives a fair representation, it may be a nice, less expensive alternative, especially if the view they show from a canyon view room is as nice as it looks in the photo.

Thanks!
Brett

 

[kovets]

Hi Brett,
I am not sure if you aware of this, but Red Rock is about 10 miles from the strip. That being said, it is a fantastic hotel with a great pool (although frequented by many PYT's).

If staying on the strip is not of paramount importance, I would also consider Green Valley Ranch or the JW Marriott. The JW is a little closer to the strip and has a great pool, is a little more family oriented, and is consistantly (very) well reviewed. This would be my first choice given your requirements.

If you would like like to be closer or on the strip, and a pool is important, I would not choose the Venetian (large but mostly concrete). Instead, look at Mandalay Bay or the Mirage (both four star hotels) with family friendly pools.

 

[Iansmom]

Look at the Flamingo. One of the best pools on the strip and the prices are reasonable.

Stayed at the Flamingo in November... and it was too cool to swim then, but we did walk around the grounds. I must say, the pool area is very pretty, however, the hotel itself is showing it's age. You might not be too happy with your room.

We walked to some of the other resorts and I'd have to agree that the Bellagio has a beautiful pool area as well. The resort is very romantic!

We loved the romantic atmosphere at the Paris, but we didn't see the pool area so I'd have to trust the other comments here. I had a conference at the Venetian... nice place, weird scent, but didn't see the pool.

 

[brettb]

Hi Brett,
I am not sure if you aware of this, but Red Rock is about 10 miles from the strip. That being said, it is a fantastic hotel with a great pool (although frequented by many PYT's).

If staying on the strip is not of paramount importance, I would also consider Green Valley Ranch or the JW Marriott. The JW is a little closer to the strip and has a great pool, is a little more family oriented, and is consistantly (very) well reviewed. This would be my first choice given your requirements.

If you would like like to be closer or on the strip, and a pool is important, I would not choose the Venetian (large but mostly concrete). Instead, look at Mandalay Bay or the Mirage (both four star hotels) with family friendly pools.

Thanks, Kovets! I don't *think* staying on the strip is crucial for us. We knew that the Red Rock was a bit away, but we figured we can just drive down to the strip and valet park at some centrally located casino. The alleged canyon view in their canyon view rooms really appealed to us: http://www.redrocklasvegas.com/photo_gallery/hotel.php

If that photo is a misrepresentation, I have no real desire to stay there, though.

Anyway, I priced out the following options for 3 nights (8/1-8/4):

$572.25 JW Marriot (w/ breakfast for 2 w/ AAA)
$675.64 Mandalay Bay (Deluxe room), $741.04 for a "550 DLR", whatever that is.
$686.72 Red Rock (Canyon View -- strip view is cheaper)
$705.23 Mirage
$705.67 Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa
$825.13 Venetian (Can't remember what room and I can't check at the moment. Their website stinks!)
$890.53 Wynn

Anyway, the JW Marriott is a clear bargain among these while Mandalay Bay, Red Rock, the Mirage, and Green Valley Ranch are close enough that it doesn't really matter. The Venetian and the Wynn are a significant bump but not out of the question. (I've never stayed at a 5-diamond hotel before, which is why the Wynn is on my list. And it's barely more per night than a room at the Paradise Pier!)

And now I've got these all plotted out on one of "My Maps" with Google Maps to give me a clearer picture of where they all are....

Thanks again for your thoughts!
Brett

 

[kovets]

Brett,

That photo is definitely taken from a perspective that makes the canyon appear much closer than it actually is. I really think you would be better off staying closer to the strip and driving out to the Canyon and/or Valley. Also, keep in mind that in August it will be extremely warm so you will probably spend the majority of your time indoors.

The Venetian and Wynn are really no better than the other hotels on your list (except that they may offer something like 24 hour laundry service to garner their five stars). Of the two, I personally prefer the Wynn (and only because it is a little less kitschy than the Venetian).

If you want the true 5 star experience, the only true 5 star hotel in Vegas is the Bellagio (although the 4 Seasons qualifies as well, I will leave it out of the discussion because its on the grounds of the Mandalay). If you are looking for luxury and oustanding service, you cannot go wrong there.

However, given the price, I would go for the JW Marriott or the Mandalay Bay (maybe The Hotel at Mandalay if you want a little more luxury: http://www.mandalaybay.com/accommodations/THEhotel.aspx). Use the extra money to get good tickets to Love, KA, O, or Celine (they are all fabulous).

Let me know if I can help out with anything else

 

[53offsuit]

Some friends just got back from a second honeymoon in Vegas. They stayed in an executive suite at the Wynn and gave very good reviews.

 

[ZekeKelso]

For what it's worth, the JW Marriott is my favorite hotel in Vegas. Big and spacious, French door you can open and get some fresh air in (if you stay there, try to get one of the rooms with a real balcony), bathrooms to die for, including rainfall showers and real 2-person jacuzzi tubs (in the Spa tower). There are rooms in town filled with lots of marble and fancy stuff, but I'll take the rooms at JW Marriott over them any day.

The pool is spectacular with lagoons and waterfalls. But here's the best thing - unlike all the other showpiece pools in Vegas, it's never crowded.

There are two drawbacks to the Marriott. First, there's really not much going on there - it's peaceful and quiet, but almost too quiet. Second, the drive back and forth to the Strip gets old. Quick tip if you do decide to stay off strip - you mention driving in and valeting at a central location. By far the easiest places to do that are the Bellagio's North Valet (off Flamingo) and the Mirage's North Valet (off Spring Mountain). Neither gets anywhere near as crowded as the main valets, and are easy to access off I15 without ever going or crossing The Strip.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Make sure to read the "sticky" thread at the top of these posts that has all of our Vegas hotel reviews.

 

[brettb]

We read the sticky post, but much like Trip Adviser, it can be difficult to make sense of some of the information/reviews. It can be hard to figure out whether a bad review is representative or the reviewer just had bad luck. And then when you read a wonderful review after reading a bad review, you wonder whether the person who had a good experience was just easy-to-please.... It can really make you second guess yourself. For some reason, I find the responses in this thread to to be more helpful. Maybe it's the specificity of some of the comments...I'm not really sure. But I sure do appreciate the help!

Anyway, we were pretty well settled on the JW Marriott - thanks for all the opinions and tips.

But today, I got an e-mail offer for the Bellagio. August 1-4 at the JW Marriott would cost us $572 (3 nights w/ a AAA rate). With the special at the Bellagio, a "regular" Deluxe Room would be $596.

Keeping in mind we've got an 8-year old daughter, a strong need for cleanliness and we plan on doing some area (i.e. non-strip) sight-seeing, does anybody have any thoughts on the Bellagio vs. the JW Marriott considering how similar the cost is?

BTW, parking is free at places like the Bellagio, right?

Thanks!
Brett

 

[kovets]

Hi Brett,

Your three requirements are:

Cleanliness: both hotels will be comparable in this respect (extremely clean)

Sight-Seeing: parking is free at both hotels - it may take a little more time to get out of the Bellagio and onto the freeway. However, if you plan on coming to the strip a few times during your stay, then it may be more convenient to stay at the Bellagio.

8-year old daughter: This is the biggie. If your daughter is content to stay at the pool all day, the JW is probably a little more kid-friendly and less crowded. Both pools are gorgeous though, and you can't go wrong with either(http://www.vegas.com/resorts/pools//?cm_mmc=yahoo+feeds-_-feeds-_-ssp-_-NA&ic_campID=98).

However, there is a lot more to see on the strip (for kids), be it the Bellagio Fountains, the Forum Shops, the lions at the MGM etc etc. Plus, if you plan on seeing any shows (or having a couple of glasses of wine with dinner), I would pick the Bellagio.

Don't know if I helped or just confused you more ...

Steve

 

[cryssi]

we took our "mini-moon" in Vegas at the Wynn...stayed in a Tower Suite.

We love the Wynn! If you can stay in a suite, you can eat at Tableau, which is for suite guests only for breakfast and lunch...

I don't know how the pool is b/c DH does not like public pools. However, it looks pretty nice!