[EBone]

Gentlemen,

I'm looking to go out to Vegas this year for the 2007 Kentucky Derby (I tried to go to the event this year but it is just way too much money so Vegas will have to do). It's my Pop's 60th Birthday Celebration so we want to do it right.

I would like to hear some reviews of hotels by forum members who have stayed in the hotels out there.

The only place I have ever stayed is the Golden Nugget downtown. I actually really like downtown a lot and really liked the whole experience the Golden Nugget offered. However, I've never stayed on the Strip and I'm taking my wife along as well.

Can anyone help me out with a suggestion for a hotel on the Strip? I realize they are all nice but which one is the best? Any comments are greatly appreciated.




E

[JDK192]

What exactly are you looking for? How much $ do you want to spend?

The Hotel (seperate tower at Mandalay Bay) and Wynn have the nicest rooms by far.

[onlooker]

I cant be of much help, as I havent stayed at no hotels out here. I have been to the rooms in the Bellagio, and they are some nice ones. Im just not sure on the pricing and what you want to spend.

[Sam Odom]

Man-o-man what a question! Best hotel on the Strip?

I still like Caesars, good location. But I'm a bit older than most here. I bet your pop would like it too.

[LVHerbie]

Stick with downtown... clean cheap safe rooms... can't beat it...

[Illusion]

I was there for the derby this year. We stayed at the Mandalay Bay. The rooms were very nice. I also liked the sportsbook/poker room. They also have an amazing pool area with wave pool. I think their pool area is the best on the strip. The Mandalay is kinda pricey, so book several months in advance for the best price if you stay there. The hotel is located right near the airport. They have a free tram that runs to the Luxor and Excalibur.

I also stayed at the MGM Grand back in '01 which was also very nice. They tend to be alot fairer when it comes to price. I can't describe the run of the mill room though since we stayed in a deluxe suite. I would stay there again though.

[isetcap]

Let me strongly advise that you stay at The Venetian. I assure you that you'll be amazed by the value you receive especially if you are bringing your wife. Every unit is a well-apointed legitimate suite. The spa services and gym facilities will make you and your wife feel like new people at the end of your stay, and they have a great pool complex. Additionally, you'll be around a nicer, gentler crowd of gamblers when you venture onto the gaming floor.

[GJMike]

Call the hotels and ask for the sqft of their rooms. My personal favorites are:

The Hotel @ MB - seperate living room and bedrooms, plasma and LCD tvs throughout.

Luxor - Seperate living room and bedrooms, great bathrooms

Venetian - A little smaller than the other two mentioned, but a step down to a seperate living area from the bedroom.

and the one that suprises most...

The Ballys - Our room was HUGE, with an actual hot tub in it, and a sauna, panoramic window looking down the whole strip. I dont think it was a special suite either, I thought it was one of their normal rooms.

[EBone]

Wow, what a great feedback!!!!! Thank you very much, gentlemen. To answer previous questions in this thread, I think we'll have about $2K to spend on a hotel and airfare. Looks like airfare from STL to Vegas will be about $400 to $500 total so we're looking at spending $1500 to $1600 for a 3 night stay.

I really appreciate the feedback. Thank you very much.




E

[sergfro]

Wow, what a great feedback!!!!! Thank you very much, gentlemen. To answer previous questions in this thread, I think we'll have about $2K to spend on a hotel and airfare. Looks like airfare from STL to Vegas will be about $400 to $500 total so we're looking at spending $1500 to $1600 for a 3 night stay.

I really appreciate the feedback. Thank you very much.




E

I'll rank the top 4 hotel rooms. Ive stayed at all 4

1. THE Hotel
2. Bellagio
3. Wynn
4. Venetian


Any of these 4 will blow your mind. if it was up to me i'd stay at a basic hotel like luxor but its the g/f who wants a fancy hotel.

I was real impressed with THE Hotel, unbeleviable room, and it was the cheapest for me of those 4 mentioned.

I was just there last week!

Goodluck

Serg

[Sean]

I agree with posters who have suggested THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay ... very nice rooms ... wife and I have stayed there on several occasions and have made that our regular spot. And, be sure to signup for MB's Player's Club cards ... depending on what you play, it won't take a ton of action to pick up a night or two in comped rooms.

[Justin7]

Ebone -

Do you gamble a lot? If you play heavy blackjack ($100/hand for 4 hours), you can get comped to most places on the Strip. Some places will give you comp points for sports betting also if you are a hard hitter. I stay at the Hilton (just off strip) most of the time when I visit.

[sergfro]

Ebone-

if you just want a hotel that doesnt have a casino go for the four seasons....its just steps away from mandalay bay if you want casino action..all depends on what you want

[Sam Odom]

Stick with downtown... clean cheap safe rooms... can't beat it...

If u do stay downtown give Main Street Station a look

[jjgold]

We use to stay on the outskirts and rent a car, I think we paid $24 a night, neighborhood was not great but cheap, give and take I guess.

[Sam Odom]

JJ, are you 'allowed' back into Vegas?

[EBone]

Ebone -

Do you gamble a lot? If you play heavy blackjack ($100/hand for 4 hours), you can get comped to most places on the Strip. Some places will give you comp points for sports betting also if you are a hard hitter. I stay at the Hilton (just off strip) most of the time when I visit.

That volume is a little heavy for me. I'd say I'll definitely play 4 hours at a time but I approximate the volume to be $20-$25/hand. I usually play at $10 tables and sit for long stretches with varying betting amounts depending upon the count. I don't know if I can still get comped for that but maybe if I do that, I can get other freebies.


E

[EBone]

Ebone-

if you just want a hotel that doesnt have a casino go for the four seasons....its just steps away from mandalay bay if you want casino action..all depends on what you want

Sergfro,

This is a great suggestion. If it were just me going with my buddies, I'd follow that suggestion. However, since my wife is going with me, we'll need foo-foo and amenities and accomodations as nice as what we can afford.


E

[EBone]

Ebone -

Do you gamble a lot? If you play heavy blackjack ($100/hand for 4 hours), you can get comped to most places on the Strip. Some places will give you comp points for sports betting also if you are a hard hitter. I stay at the Hilton (just off strip) most of the time when I visit.

One other thing: it'll be baseball season when I'm there so I'm positive that baseball betting, besides the Derby, will definitely be a part of what I do while I'm there.


E

[JoshW]

ebone,

Slightly off topic, but what kind of rates were you seeing for the derby that made it so expensive. I know is a huge event with tons of people, but just trying to get a feel for costs.

[sjelveh]

ill give my two cents since i live here, but i think the hotel at MD is yout best choice i love it there also you can go to mix for free if you stay there best view by far of the strip.

[EBone]

ebone,

Slightly off topic, but what kind of rates were you seeing for the derby that made it so expensive. I know is a huge event with tons of people, but just trying to get a feel for costs.

lakerfan,

I did some internet searches trying to figure out what tickets might run with hotel rooms. I went to two places:

1) Official Ticketmaster site. Tickets for Concerts, Sports, Arts, Theater, Family, Events, more The cheapest grandstand seat I found on here was, I believe, $430 per person. Plus the cheapest hotel room for 3 nights; it came up to about $3000 to $3500 for a 3 night stay somewhere close to Churchill. You could go 2 hours down the road if you had a car and stay at a cheaper place and it just be as nice but too many mint julips might make that a risky proposition.

2) Roadtrips, The Ultimate in Sports Travel: Your Source for Sports Travel Packages to any Game or Event I went and customized a trip on this website and the cheapest I came up with here was $3950 for two people. That doesn't even include food.


The reason we decided Vegas would be a better option is that we could get a lot of amenities plus bet the race, blackjack, baseball, etc...... plus I think my wife would like Vegas better than the paddock.



E

[koko]

If you haven't stayed/been downtown in a few years, it isn't anything like you remembered.

Downtown has been sliding downhill for a while.

Others have already mentioned the nicer hotels on the strip and you can't go wrong with any of the big boys. (Although , if you go with Caesars be sure to stay in the new tower).

If you want value and a nice (and big) room, check out the Orleans. Plus, they have a great prime rib joint there.

[Illusion]

That volume is a little heavy for me. I'd say I'll definitely play 4 hours at a time but I approximate the volume to be $20-$25/hand. I usually play at $10 tables and sit for long stretches with varying betting amounts depending upon the count. I don't know if I can still get comped for that but maybe if I do that, I can get other freebies.


E

To recieve comps at the major strip hotels you will need to bet a min of $25 a hand to accumulate comp points. If you bet less they won't even take your card.

[operaman]

Try tripres dot com. They have super great rates for nevada hotels.

[sergfro]

if you're looking to get decent comps....dont even try a casino on the strip...go to downtown or some of the big casino's off the strip...atleast 3 times better in comps

[operaman]

To recieve comps at the major strip hotels you will need to bet a min of $25 a hand to accumulate comp points. If you bet less they won't even take your card.

I don't think this is true. I am sure paris, aladdin, ceasars, mirage comp with table mins. (10$)

Not sure what your definition of "major" is. Now if it is the wynn i would agree as they don't run sub 25 action i think.

[Illusion]

I don't think this is true. I am sure paris, aladdin, ceasars, mirage comp with table mins. (10$)

Not sure what your definition of "major" is. Now if it is the wynn i would agree as they don't run sub 25 action i think.

All of the hotels owned by MGM Mirage (which is nearly half the strip) are $25 min for comps.

[koko]

All of the hotels owned by MGM Mirage (which is nearly half the strip) are $25 min for comps.

Correct. In fact , A host at one of the MGM Mirage sites teold me that to get a room comped for BJ play, a player needs to play at least 4 hours of black chip play ($100 min bets).

[Santo]

Correct. In fact , A host at one of the MGM Mirage sites teold me that to get a room comped for BJ play, a player needs to play at least 4 hours of black chip play ($100 min bets).

I'd rather pay for the room

[thezbar]

The Orleans runs a horse-player special for the Derby.They offer discount room rates and have a party in the Ballroom where you can wager on all the tracks. Its worth checking out.

[McBa1n]

If you're bringing the wife - i'd say the Nugget is in about as bad an area you'd want your significant other in. I'm not big on the Fremont Street area, at all.

Also, The Tropicana is a HUGE no-no. Howard Johnsons at a road side stop in Nebraska is 50x nicer... But you can get rooms dirt cheap there.

I'd recommend the Red Rock Casino (it's 10-15 mins from the strip and freakin amazing - definitly the #1 off strip casino/hotel IMO).
But for the Strip - I only go down there about once/week, so I don't know EVERY place in/out yet - but I really like Luxor a LOT for options, cleanliness, service, etc. I liked Excalibur's sportsbook alot, also - and poker action, other than that, though, it's dumpish. You can't go wrong with Bellagio.

I live here, though, so I can only talk about the places that I like going to - or if I were married, where I could live with my wife being.
But also, it would come down to what she liked doing. There's really a perfect spot for everyone in Vegas - it's just knowing the likes/dislikes.