20. La Concha. I stayed at the La Concha during my many retreats after high school graduation. It would always be a spur of the moment decision to run off to Vegas with a group of friends. We were all minors and this was a rare place on the strip that let you rent a room under 21 and without a credit card. It was a major dive and I swear one room we had was once a murder scene. The trips were well worth it though. The motel has since been demolished for condos.
19. Westward Ho. The reason this room is listed so low is because I don't remember much other then it looked like a brown Motel 6 room. I was only around 9 or 10 when I stayed here so I don't remember it so well, other then I wasn't into the Cowboy theme. This was around the time MC Hammer was rocking my world. Sheesh... This motel has been torn down and is a future site for a McDonalds.
18. The New Frontier. On my honeymoon Jill and I traveled to Disneyland and had bookend stops in Vegas. On the way out we stopped at the Stratosphere, and on the way home we stayed at the New Frontier. The Casino was dingy and dark. It smelt of Cigars from years past. The room had a nice view of the strip, but the bed was hard, the room smelled, and it felt dirty. It did have some old Vegas charm and we laughed at the beer bottle opener built into the marble sink tops. The New Frontier has recently been imploded and a Swiss themed hotel is scheduled to take its place.
17. The Sahara. The ONLY reason I place the Sahara this high is because of the great times we've had watching The Amazing Jonathan performances. He no longer plays here, but he still performs in Vegas and I highly recommend his show! The Casino is ok if you like to gamble. The food is edible, but the rooms here are hands down the worst rooms I have stayed in, in Vegas. The beds are full size, not queen. The doors do not reach the ground so the hall lights shine in. The walls must be made from cardboard as you can hear your neighbors every move. The rooms do not feel clean, and even though they can be the cheapest room on the strip I suggest you pony up the extra couple dollars and stay at the other cheap hotels like The Stratosphere or Circus Circus. *Update 2012 - The property has since closed. The owner says there is a chance he may reopen it down the road.
16. Harrah's. I stayed here as a kid and they used to shine green lights at the building at night to make it glow green. I remember these lights being intrusive and interrupting my slumber. They no longer shine these lights however, and the room was clean and nice.
15. Stardust. As a kid, the Stardust was my favorite place. Back when Vegas was about the lights and not the huge buildings and crazy architecture. The Stardust seemed futuristic and the pink and purple lights lit up the night. The rooms were simple, but clean. The Echelon resort is being built on the site the Stardust once stood.
14. Imperial Palace. This hotel/casino has the worst car access from the strip. If you are driving south on the strip it takes forever to turn in. The Casino is small, but fun. The rooms are ok, but have nothing to do with the Asian theme of the resort. The only reason to stay here is the low room prices and the excellent strip location.
13. The Tropicana. The room we had here was a corner room, which are much larger then the standard room. It had a really nice view of the strip. But this room was located in the back tower which took forever to walk to from the hotel lobby. The rooms felt too warm even with the ac on. They also had tacky mirrors on the ceiling. Nothing about this room was really great, but nothing was really wrong either.
12. The Stratosphere. This place is my safe bet. I've stayed here many times because of the cheap prices, clean yet simple rooms, fun casino, good shows, and of course the Tower. Nothing about this place is mind blowing, but it has never let me down. I love the Tower and seeing the Vegas lights from 1,149 ft in the sky. The rides at the top are excellent, if not down right scary. The shows we've seen here are fun and between the mall and casino, there is always somewhere to go. If you want to do Vegas for cheap, yet still fun, I recommend this place. Just be warned, the pool is nasty.
11. MGM Grand. As far as a casino and resort, the MGM Grand has it all. It is one of my favorite places to play, dine, and hang out in. They have a lion habitat in the casino with very large lions roaming around. Alright, they mostly just lay around, but it is still awesome nonetheless. But as far as the rooms go, they are clean and comfortable but the walls are paper thin. To make matter worse it seems like the "I'm only in Vegas to get drunk and act like a retard crowd" choose this hotel. *2012 update - The Lion Habitat has closed. They are also remodeling the front entrance by the large gold lion. We were told by an employee it is part of the re-branding of the property. I guess we'll see what happens.
10. NY NY. Like the MGM Grand, I love the casino and theme of this hotel. The restaurants here are all great. There is a little cake shop that Jill and I like to stop by and visit. Every time I go to Vegas I spend a good amount of time in this place. When I got the chance to stay here last May(2009) I was very excited. My friend Andrew got free tickets to the Pacquio VS Hatton boxing match and two rooms at the NY NY for free! That trip was so much fun, my brother Keven came down too, and we all had a great time. The room itself was fairly large, but the beds and amenities seemed sub par far the resort and its price class. The pool is probably the worst on the strip.
9. Excalibur. I have a love hate relationship with this casino/hotel. I love the location, the theme, the casino, the restaurants, and I always park here when we go walking the strip. I do not like the rooms or the tiny pool though. The price here has come down in the past few years to make it a good choice, but the rooms are dingy and boring. But the good outweighs the bad here and I'll stay again.
8. Circus Circus. The casino here makes you feel lost. The old folks flock here. Kids run ramped here as their parents take them to the free circus shows and for the midway games. The buffet is weak and forgettable. But surprisingly the rooms in this old casino are nice. They have an old motel like building in the back, but I have never stayed there. I have stayed in the standard and upgraded rooms here and have not been disappointed. They have been remodeling the rooms too and though I haven't stayed in the new ones, I look forward to it as they look really nice. The theme park here can be fun. The Steakhouse is excellent and it is where Jill and I had our first dinner as husband and wife.
7. El Cortez. This place is located in old Las Vegas, just off Fremont Street. The Casino is small, but fun. It has the old Mafia feel too it. The main hotel is one of the oldest still standing in Vegas. They also have a tower that was built in the 70's. Jill and I stay in the tower rooms when we go. They are very large and clean. They have antique furniture and good views of Vegas. My brother stayed in the old portion and swears it was haunted and didn't sleep much. I love the old school charm of this place and want to stay again.
6. Aria at City Center. This hotel is ridiculously nice. That said, the first time I stayed here I wasn't happy at all. I had friends with me and despite the fact I booked a room with 2 beds, they'd only give me a room with one bed. I know things happen, but the way I was talked to by the girl at the counter made me very upset. The room itself is ran by a tablet computer, which is cool when it works. Ours didn't at first. Since I was upset by all of this, plus the hassle of checking out, I wrote an email explaining my frustrations. They apologized and sent me an email offering me a free room and discounted rates for additional night. So why is the Aria still ranked so high? Because like I said, it's ridiculously nice! The bed was comfortable, the tablet ran rooms were awesome (after they fixed it), they had plenty of cool pools, the casino was fun, and the Viva Elvis show is AMAZING. Jill and I are staying here again tomorrow, and even though things didn't run very smooth the first time, I'm very excited to stay again!
5. The Luxor. My favorite themed casino/hotel. The Egyptian motif is fun, and staying in the pyramid hotel is so fun. We stayed 20-something stories up and the view from inside is just amazing. I suggest that everyone stay in the pyramid once. The casino is great, the food is awesome as Fusha is one of my favorite restaurants. The show here are great. The Imax theater and arcade are fun. Nothing bad to say about this place at all. PS- Chris Angel... UPDATE - Since I first wrote my review of the Luxor, Jill and I stayed here again. After we booked a pyramid room, they told us at check in that they only had tower rooms, and that they would give us the "free" upgrade for their error. The upgrade, was anything but an upgrade. They Luxor doesn't have the best amenities or beds, so this room as just a standard hotel room. Being in the pyramid is really what makes this place fun. Also, Fusha is closed now and sits vacant....
4. Mandalay Bay. This place is almost perfect. The rooms aren't large, but are big enough and are very comfortable. This resort is perfect for relaxing. The swimming pool area is covered in sand to make it feel like your staying on a beach. The casino is fun and pretty. There are many options for great dining, including The House of Blues, which is a favorite stop of Jill's. It's also connected by a little shopping plaza to The Luxor property. We've seen The Lion King stage production here, and it was amazing. It has since closed for the new Michael Jackson show. The only drawback for some is that it's at the very end of the strip and due to its very large size, it can be a long walk or drive from other properties. For me, that's not a problem and I enjoy any chance to spend at the Bay.
3. Treasure Island. We always visit the casino when we are here. We have even seen Mystere here about 4 times. But until a couple weeks ago (in 2010), Jill and I had never stayed in the hotel. When we first got there I thought this place was going to be a nightmare. When we checked in there were about three employees checking in about sixty people in line. After the wait to check in, which was faster then expected, I was hit with a $20 a day resort fee that they tack on top of your room rate. I was SO MAD. But then as soon as Jill and I made it to the room, everything got better. We were 27 floors up, with a strip view. This view also gave us a perfect look at the Siren Pirate show they do 3 or 4 times a night. The fireworks they shoot off would pass by our floor to ceiling windows nightly. It was so cool. The bed in this hotel was probably the nicest bed I have slept in, in Vegas. It was so relaxing. The air conditioning unit was perfect. The walls were solid and the hotel was rather quiet. It was too cold to visit the pool, but everything else about this hotel was almost perfect. I would recommend this place to all, but warn of the resort charge!
2. The Mirage. What a great place to stay. The rooms are very similar to TI (Treasure Island was originally suppose to be the 2nd tower of The Mirage resort). The bathrooms were nice, the beds were super comfortable, and the vibe was refreshing. This resort has everything I need and really there is no reason to leave if you're staying there. One of my favorite restaurants, BLT Burger, is located here. This place has awesome burgers and out of this world milkshakes (Twinkie or PB&J are my favorites). The sports book is large and Andrew and I spend many hours here relaxing on the leather couches watching some games. The casino is fun, but it seems like it takes your money faster than most. But the best thing about the Mirage has the be THE BEATLES! This place is the home of The Beatles Love show. It is by far the best show I have seen in Vegas. It also has a Beatles themed lounge, the casino plays Beatles music throughout, and there is a Beatles store where I grab 93% of all my t-shirts. This place is wonderful and I can't wait to return! With the recent room discounts they've had, there is no reason for you not to try it out!
1. Trump International. This place is soooo nice. There is no casino here, just a top of the line hotel. Everything here is over the top fancy. The beds are so comfortable. The bathroom is as large as most Vegas hotel rooms. The mirror in the bathroom has a TV behind the glass. The tub is a huge jacuzzi. They give you slippers and robes. Plasma TVs here. Books to read. Amazing views. Excellent furniture. Everything is mind blowing. The only drawback is you have to pay for parking everyday. If you can afford to go, you should stay here. I've stayed here a few times bidding low for 5 star rooms on priceline. I've never payed more than $99 a night, which is a steal!
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