Where should I stay?

[kaytieeldr]

Okay, all things being relatively equal, which would you suggest?
Rates for eight nights are in the $300 - $400 range.
I don't care whether there's a casino in the hotel or not.
I've stayed in all of them before except the Courtyard, but I trust Marriott quality.

Thanks for voting!

[kaytieeldr]

[jlima]

What time of year and will you have a car?? The Orleans is off the strip and is probably the best choice if you have kids with you.

Of these choices, the Flamingo has the nicest pool.

If you are paying $400 for all 8 nights then averaging $50 a night is REALLY good.

[usnuzuloose]

I am the only one who voted other. I usally stay here, but it may be out of your price range. But you can look at the place online. It is called the Desert Rose Resort. I stay there all the time and get the most for my money. It comes with breakfast, pool, laundry area, 1 or 2 bedrooms and the sofa is a bed. It is located right behind Hooters and The Tropicana, and you can walk to the strip.

[kaytieeldr]

December, so the pool doesn't matter (but probably only Bally's pool and one at Flamingo will be open), yes to the car, no to the kids.

And yes, I was shocked as the rates, too! I got an e-mail from Caesars Entertainment with 30% off room rates in December. I already get great rates from the Orleans based on slot play. Luxor is a special sale. I just can't make up my mind

[jlima]

If it's December, you may be doing Christmas shopping and the Flamingo is a much better location - you are across the street from the Forum shops and near the Venetian and a bit of a walk from the Fashion Show mall. It will be cold and I wouldn't count on any pools being open at any of the properties you are staying at. Are you going to any Rodeo events?

[RC Fan]

From what I've read, The Luxor is brutal now.

How about Bill's?

What sort of hotel do you go for? I would not stay off strip, but Desert Rose is close and is supposed to be great.

[kaytieeldr]

No Rodeo - I get there really late on the twelfth. Pretty much, the airfare was reasonable and nobody with seniority asked for that time off Heck of away to plan a vacation .

I don't need to be on the Strip; I'll have a car. So, given that two people in a few hours have recommended the Desert Rose, I'm off to research it further! Thanks!

[KKB]

Luxor--not nice these days, not great location.
Desert Rose--I have frequented Vegas 35+ times, have never seen it, have never heard it mentioned on other boards. Not that it makes it bad...but the locations isn't the best. It does seem to get good reviews on Trip Advisor. But it is showing $85/nt for your dates...Can't believe it is worth double the price of the other places.
Flamingo FAB room--new carpet & linens...same old furniture. Underwhelming reno.
Flamingo GO--room not bad, but we had a couple hallway cleanliness issues that took DAYS to clean; I heard they are better now. (we were there 2 yrs. ago)
Ballys has the best location (dead center); north tower rooms are largest & nicest of your choices (GO room is close, but not nearly as large). It is where we have stayed more than any other--and we have stayed at Wynn, Caesars... we just generally get best rates at Ballys or Harrahs. (South Tower rooms still huge, have great strip views, but very dated furnishings)
Bills has a great location, too, but rooms aren't as nice as Ballys north tower, and rooms don't have safes--a deal breaker for me.
I TOTALLY recommend staying on the strip--you will rarely regret it. Even as often as we go (4x/yr), we prefer the strip, central. Vegas is SUCH a walkable city--unless you want to go somewhere specifically off the strip, a car isn't necessary (though for 8 days you will probably want it)

[woody73]

My first choice would be Ballys because of it's central location.
The Flamingo would be my second choice.

Woody

[usnuzuloose]

The desert Rose is not in a bad area. It is very quiet and there has never been any issues for as long as I have stayed there. I have walked from the hotel to the strip at night and never felt threatened in way.

[KKB]

Originally Posted by usnuzuloose

The desert Rose is not in a bad area. It is very quiet and there has never been any issues for as long as I have stayed there. I have walked from the hotel to the strip at night and never felt threatened in way.

I just meant it isn't super convenient for touring the Strip. Doable? Yes. But Ballys is dead center on the strip...you can walk a mile or 2 either north or south & see most of the sights.
Flamingo is quite central as well.
Luxor is the next to last resort on the south end of the strip...and realize the strip is 3.5 miles from Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay, though most consider Encore as far north on the strip as many will want to go--then you are looking at about 3 miles. So it is always nice to be central to minimize walking/taxis. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE that there is a lot of walking in Vegas...even if you are central, you will still walk a lot.
I am surprised at the several people voting for Luxor...have had several people I know stay in the last year & weren't impressed. Said it is pretty sad these days. (did hear they may be renovating soon)

[kaytieeldr]

Okay, the poll goes on for another week and a half, but I'm leaning toward Bally's (location) or the Orleans (familiarity) right now. Bally's requires payment in full, but completely refundable with three days' notice.

Desert Rose looks great, it's just more than I want to spend. I appreciate all the advice - keep it coming!

[jnfr2424]

We stayed at Luxor and rang in 2011 there. While it was great to be in Vegas for New Years it was too far from everything! I mean they block the strip on New Years Eve and the Luxor was the cut off point with all the traffic!! We ended up moving to closer to center strip to Mirage where moving around was more mangageable plus we happen to be visiting when a freak snow "storm" (only flurries) was going on and it was so cold I vowed never ever again to go during the winter months I rather take the heat!!!
My fave hotel of all is the Flamingo (got married there) so I am totally biased to there wherever you decide have a wonderful time!

[kaytieeldr]

Well, it's been a while but I thought I'd come back and let you all know where I ended up...






































Mass General. Hospital. Instead of ANY of the selections in my poll or the other suggestions you all provided. I never even made it into the airport. I fell on the way in and broke my leg. I maintained I was still going to Las Vegas, but the State Trooper controlling traffic pointed out I couldn't even get into a wheelchair, there was no way I was getting on a plane!

jetBlue was wonderful, as was The Orleans (I don't know if Bally's could have been as generous with a fully-paid reservation cancelled only a few hours before arrival). So, I'm trying again this December .