Going to Vegas . . . Where should we stay?

Hey fellow Intercotees,
I need your help. My DH and I are going to Vegas July1-8 to celebrate my 35th birthday :party: and our 10th anniversary :heart:

Thing is, neither of us have been there before . . . and with the plethora of choices, we have no idea where to stay! :confused:

We know we want to be 'on the strip', it's going to be hot, so we want good pools. And we like fairly good size rooms (I've heard some of the hotels have smallish rooms). We'd like to keep it under $200 a night and preferably 4star or more.

So for those of you that have been there before, where did you stay? Would you recommend it? What's the best bang for your buck?
Thanks for your suggestions! :thumbsup:

I always stay at the Mirage. It is center strip so you have easy access to all of the resorts in that area. Keep in mind it is still a lot of walking and it will be hot. We usually go the last week of June and love it then. The Mirage has a lot of great restaurants and their pool area is one of the best. Yes, Mandalay Bay has an an amazing pool complex, but it also at the far south end of the strip. The Mirage rooms have been recently renovated. The biggest complaint about the Mirage is the size of the bathrooms. They are 'small'; sink, shower and toilet in one room, but it has never been an issue for us. Book a volano view room so you'll be able to see it erupt every half hour and see the strip as well. If you want more Mirage info, feel free to send me a messae. We have stayed there at least 10 times since 2003.

My wife and I went for our 10 anniversary recently and stayed at The Venetian. It is acroos the street from the Mirage and in the center of the strip. the rooms are spectacular! we got just a basic room which is much larger than a regular hotel. large bathroom, seperate living area and it was only around 130 a night with the package we recieved. You would not be disappointed there!

I've recently seen Venetian room rate specials around $189 a night. Fantastic rooms - all are suites with large bed and a lower living room area with wrap around couch. The hotel (either Venetian or Palazzo) are great and the pools are wonderful.

If you can find good rates, my favorite hotels on the strip are the Wynn & Encore. They are wonderful and different from any other Vegas hotels. The casino floor isn't so overwhelming and the restaurants are wonderful.

I also really like Caesar's. Not sure on room rates, but the pools are spectacular.

The Wynn

I'd recommend the Venetian as well, although it's not really "center strip"...the Bellagio is "center strip", for reference.

DH and I always stay at the Planet Hollywood hotel. We like it there, but we are a bit younger than you (early 30's). It has a fun vibe, good restaurants, nice rooms, and is in an EXCELLENT location. Pools are sort of "meh" though...

The best pool is Mandalay Bay -- and in July with temperatures between 110-115 you'll need it. :mickey:

Here's another vote for The Mirage. We stayed there in 2005 and were very happy with it. At that time, I think we paid around $150 per night for a standard room. We'd definitely consider staying there again if we go back. I'd put the quality on par with a Disney Deluxe hotel but with less theming.

Bellagio, Venetian, or Wynn ... can't go wrong with any of them.

Wynn. :)

Venetian and Pallazzo were definitely on our radar, but I hadn't thought of Wynn, wasn't sure if it would be 'Vegas' enough for our first time ;)
A few people have also reccommended The Mirage, so we'll check out that one too.
Thanks everyone . . . we're getting very excited indeed! :D

All the rooms at the Venetian are suites. We stayed in one of the cheaper rooms and it had a sunken living room, an area with 2 queen beds and a huge bathroom. The hotel was wonderful. We liked it so much that I would probably not even try any other hotel, except for maybe the Mandalay because of the water park. The food court here was really good for a quick meal and they had the best gelati we have ever had outside of Italy.

Ive stayed at the Bellagio and Ceasars Palace and loved them both ...The Bellagio's buffet is unbelievable :cloud9:
But Ceasars wins it by a whisker for me purely on the atmosphere

Vegas overall is just a brilliant place for shows and things to do ...Have a great trip wherever you decide to stay :thumbsup:

:marg:Mirage and Venetian are great choices. But if you go by "theme" as I do, then NYNY is nice, too. :marg:

My last trip I stayed at The Bellagio, now I'm spoiled rotten, and won't be able to stay anywhere else. The room was nice, and the bed and pillows were great! I loved it!

I personally LOVE the Mirage. It is a nice central locatation and you can walk to most everything. It also has a big casino and lots of options for food and drinks. The Roasted Bean is my fav, right around from elevators and great place for coffee, sodas and pastries!!

You probably will be able to find great deals on rooms in July. My vote is Bellagio if you can find a great deal. There is just something so special about being able to watch the fountains from your room with the music playing from your TV in the background. I could watch those fountains for hours! We also stayed at the Palazzo and the rooms are gorgeous. Rooms at the Venetian and the Palazzo are all suites and very nice. I also recommend going to see "O" :)

I love the Venetian for the romance factor. You can ride the gondolas where the gondoliers sing to you. They have fabulous restaurants. I particularly enjoy Canaletto.

If money is tight though, you can do those things without staying at the Venetian. The Mirage is nice and rather centrally located. Treasure Island is right next to it and connected by a tram. I think the Treasure Island rooms cost a bit less.

MGM Grand has a "pool complex" with an 8000 foot long lazy river. It fits your desire for it to be less than $200 a night too. I've never stayed there, but it appeared to be nice when I have walked through it. You can see the lions there also.

It all depends on your bank account and what things are most important to you.

Be aware that it will be very expensive around July 4.