Where to stay?

Me and a couple of guys are going to Vegas in April. This is my 2nd and their 1st time in Vegas, so naturally I am in charge of where to stay. We are definitely not a luxury crowd but then again not cheap.

My first thought was to stay at Luxor, but after reading up on a lot of reviews I am kind of worried about that place. Instead, I am thinking of NYNY, Bill%26#39;s or Flamingo. We%26#39;re all poker players with various bankrolls, but I guess a lot of us really just wants to party. At least me.

Last stay was at Golden Nugget, bit of a disappointment to me. Average room and nothing special, especially considering location.

Any thoughts? BTW, would anyone recommend that we rent a cabana for a day? Any idea as to where and costs?

Best

Anders

Where to stay?

How old are you all? I%26#39;m making these suggestins based on the presumption that you%26#39;re 40 or younger. With that in mind, I would suggest Flamingo or NYNY. The latter is the ';most jumping'; of the places you%26#39;ve mentioned, at least on the casino floor. Draws a young crowd as well. Dueling Pianos is a good time and relatively inexpensive. MGM has an incredible club scene just across the street. Their pool is tiny however, and located hard by the roller coaster, so you have some noise infiltration

Flamingo has Margaritaville attached to it and a great pool. Not so sure the weather will cooperate in April to make that a focal point.

As much as I like Luxor, its recent reviews have been less than generous as you%26#39;ve noted. I do think the Pyramid rooms are a story all by themselves. Bill%26#39;s draws an older crowd by comparison to all the others, but is very conveniently located and its small size means you don%26#39;t spend an hour waiting to check in.

Poker-wise, just about all the major hotels have daily tournaments. I%26#39;m partial to South Strip and tend to play in the stretch from Monte Carlo to Mandalay Bay. Luxor and Excalibur are well known for their low limits areas, both for tourneys and 3-6 games or below.

Where to stay?

Hardrock

Thank you catsindogs. We are as you guessed almost 40 but not quite yet (as a matter of fact my friend will celebrate 40 in Vegas).

Planet Hollywood, Mandalay Bay, Rio, NYNY (Bill%26#39;s wouldn%26#39;t have the clubs and probably doesn%26#39;t have as many singles and alot of people here don%26#39;t like the Flamingo rooms...they were fine for us)

Anyway just some suggestions...

Anders,

I would suggest Caesar%26#39;s Palace if you have the budget or can find a good enough deal. That meets most of your requests/requirements and it has a good pool. End of April should be good pool weather, not sure about beginning though.

Planet Hollywood could be a good choice too. They are trying to be very hip and upbeat these days, and the location is closer to mid-strip than NYNY or Luxor. Pool is just OK.

Mirage and Treasure Island worth considering as well.

LP

Well, if you%26#39;re interested in renting cabanas, you might as well cross Bill%26#39;s off since it doesn%26#39;t even have a pool. And NY/NY only has a pool in the strictest technical sense.

Have you considered MGM? Good location, nice rooms but inexpensive, impressive pool complex. I wouldn%26#39;t rent a cabana there though. Mirage is another possibility that offers a good location, beautiful pool with really nice cabanas, for a reasonable price.

Understand though, that wherever you go, renting a cabana for the day is likely to cost more than one night in your hotel room.

Anders ,

i%26#39;ve been on a few trips with ';the lads'; and the suggestions given to you so far are all OK but as prices for the mid range hotels on the strip are all about the same i think you should probarly concentrate on location. Hard Rock is cool but off the beaten track %26amp; NYNY is fine but the quality of the average rooms is little more than basic. Downtown(freemont st) is too far off the beaten track in my oppinion especially if you are taking vegas virgins. for me its got to be mid strip so i would suggest the Paris,TI or Monte Carlo is OK and good VFM. personally i think the best value is the venetian - its slightly more expensive but the rooms are enourmous - which is important if you are sharing with friends ! best to book direct for the best price @ venetian.com

as for cabanas its got to be Manadaly Bay - last time i went its was about $250 and didnt include any alcohol. its a good day but can work out expensive.

Stay at Ballys, priced like Luxor but mid strip

Forget about pool or cabana in April, the weather will not be hot enough for swimming

Or, stay next to NYNY at the clean, nice moderate priced Monte Carlo..has a wave pool and river in case it%26#39;s warm enough

Rio is great for very large rooms, with mini-refrig...wall of windows, dressing area. Free, frequent shuttle to Ballys midstrip

If Rio or MGM throw out a good rate, take it

Flamingo is center of the strip and has a great pool, one of the best.

The casino has a great vibe and a younger crowd and you have Margaritaville for some fun and CP is across the street. The rooms are very modern and a good size.

Another consideration would would be Paris but the pool is just simple but the place is very nice.

If you can swing it, Caesars would definitely be the better choice. They have 4 pools that are fantastic and a tropical feel to it.

For nightlife they have Pure and Shadows and some others that are fun places to party at and of course the Pussycat Dolls. Lots of choices in where to eat and the casino has a great vibe to it and a fun place. The room is a good size and have a sitting area and a large bathroom. If this is a little more than you want to pay then check out the Flamingo. You can check these out on Harrah%26#39;s website which is

www.harrahs.com

Have a great time in Vegas in whatever you decide.

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