is it better to stay at 1 hotel or 2, for the 1st time in las vegas?

Question

Staying for 7 days and 6 nights. Recommend a hotel and why, plus any good deals I should know about! Can I pick my rental car up at the Las vegas airport? First time traveler very inexperienced!! Need as much help as possible.

Answer 1

I would stay at just one hotel. So much of a hassle checking out by 11AM and can't check in until 3PM. Really, you won't be spending too much time in your room. More of just a place to rest for the night ... if even that.

I wouldn't recommend driving in Vegas. Traffic is horrible here. It is either bumper to bumper or it's like driving in NASCAR. Leave it to the professionals.

Stay on the strip for your first time. So much to see and do there you don't have to leave it. You can walk it most of the time. Not sure of your budget for hotels but can be very pricey. The best is Wynn and the cheapest is Circus Circus, Sahara or Stratosphere. The last three are at the north end of the strip and the hardest to get to because of their location.

Can't go wrong with any of the others. Just go online to www.sidestep.com and find your price range on the strip.

Answer 2

I wouldn't recommend switching hotels, the only perk will be that you see a different hotel room. You can go into any of the casinos regardless of where you're staying.

You can rent cars at the airport, but it really seems like a waste of money. If this is your first time here then there's more than enough for you to do on the strip for a week.

As for hotels, I like the Rio. It's nice and they have free entertainment nightly. It's off the strip but they have a free shuttle you can take to get there. The tropicana is a dump. Some of there rooms really look like a cheap motel 6 that should be condemned. Also, you'll see quite a few pimps & their girls hanging out there on the weekends.

Paris is nice & I think it's reasonably priced, so is New York New York. I've heard that the Monte Carlo is the best value on the strip but I haven't been there.

Also, if you wander around the casino looking cute, you'll probably be handed a card for free admittance to the night club. And, some places, like the voodoo lounge, let people in free if they get there before 8:00 p.m. (after 8, it's 30 bucks each and with drinks ranging from 12 to 26 bucks, it gets pricey.)

I know everyone says you have to check out the fashion show mall, but the one in Ceaser's Palace is incredible. And the atlantis show that happens every few hours there is worth seeing once.

As for food, the pink taco in the hard rock is good, and the burger bar at mandalay bay. Also, there's a japanese (sushi) place called Osaka's that is rated best in the country.

Have fun!

Answer 3

I stayed at the Luxor, which was a nice hotel in and of itself. HOWEVER, it was all the way at one end of the strip, so we had to do a lot of walking to go to most things. The aladdin has a great food court when you don't want to do a whole restaurant meal, so you may want to stay there/near there, plus it's generally in the middle.

I personally don't like changing hotels mid vacation, just for the hassle, plus often times you'll get a better deal if you stay for a certain number of nights in a row. Check out www.sidestep.com if you haven't already, they usually can find you good deals.

You can definitely pick up a rental car at the airport. Parking is expensive if it's not included with the hotel, so check into that. I would recommend booking it online, because we rented one on a whim and paid way more than we would have online.

Have fun!

Answer 4

I went to Las Vegas and stayed at the Orleans. It was nice but not extravagant, the rate was much cheaper, the food was decent, and it was just like any of the other mid-level casinos on the Strip. You could take a free shuttle to the Strip or drive your rental. Most casinos have free valet parking where all you have to do is tip the attendant a few dollars. Of course you can pick up your car rental at the airport (find a shuttle to the car-rental area), and you can even put some money in the slots there!

It was nice to have the rental car because we could drive anywhere, see the old casinos downtown, drive to the Hoover Dam... We could go anywhere! Having a car is the only way to get around outside the Strip.

Answer 5

I would honestly say none of the above. The Cancum resort is far from anything. It is miles south of the strip and not even in metro Las Vegas. Circus Circus is really not a great place. It is one of the older hotels on the strip and it shows. The manor rooms are just horrible. Think about a bad motel next to an RV park. The Plaza is in "downtown" Las Vegas. Not bad for some, but if you are with kids, I'd think twice. For more budget-minded places on the strip, look at the Sahara, Tropicana, or Excaliber.

Answer 6

Staying at two hotels...check out the Monte Carlo or Bally's, each has a mid strip location and its easy to get to the Bellagio. The second hotel should be downtown, check out the Golden Nugget.

The Las Vegas airport has car rentals. Go to one of the travel websites, Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia and look for car rentals at LAS. The one that has the lowests rates, go directly to their website and see if there are any special discounts (AAA, American Express, etc.)

Answer 7

Each hotel is such a destination in itself that when I take first timers there we do switch hotels ( a little inconvenient) but you can sit at the pool etc if your room's not ready or just have the bell hop store your bags. Different hotels, different spas & restaurants & shows.

The Venetian has all suites and nicely located; the Bellagio is just awesome (as is the spa) and "O" is fabulous; the Mandalay Bay is at one end but has a sand beach & a inner tube course; Caesars is good as well and has the forum shops; Paris is cute & has a good locale; MGM--too big; Mirage is getting a bit dated; Wynn--$$$$; Excalibur is for kids; Tropicana has been re-done & is one of the original type resorts. Luxor is fun just to ride the inclinators & stay in a pyramid although the new tower is quieter. The Hotel (at Mandalay) is edgy.

If you do not plan to leave the area forget a car--the shuttles to the hotels are cheap & you can walk (which is a sport all its own) or take the Deuce bus for a few bucks. (Self) Parking is free at all the hotels--its just a schleep to the resorts.

Make reservations for shows ASAP as they sell out & are "dark" on certain days. Hit all the free stuff as well: there is a laser show on Fremont; a pirate type show at Treasure Island (TI); the fountains of the Bellagio (you can gets rooms over-looking them that pipe in the music so you can watch); the volcano at Mirage; the carnival at the Rio (free shuttles from Bally's); the white tigers at Mirage; the lion compound at MGM; the M & M's world on the strip (and the coke one as well); the fountains in the Forum; people watch at Mon Ami Gabi (and the Eiffel tour tour) at Paris; the canal rides & the opera at the Venetian; just walk the Wynn's grounds. Costs $ but, touring Hoover Dam is amazing;

Answer 8

depends on what you are into. My husband and I travel to Vegas twice a year. My suggestion would be to stay a few days on the North strip and a few days on the south strip so you get some flavor of both. Or if you want to stay mid-strip, Paris is gorgeous and reasonably priced and Flamingo also has a great price, great pools and is right next to the monorail. But it really all depends on what you plan on doing.

I'd also suggest not renting a car if you don't plan on leaving the strip. There is the monorail and the taxi prices are cheap (compared to NYC at least). With a rental, you have to pay for parking, wait for the valet and sit in massive amounts of traffic on the strip.

Have a great trip!!

Answer 9

To add to what everyone else have said, visit this site for more information for first time Las Vegas visitors.
http://www.lasvegas-how-to.com
You will find answers to Vegas hotels, parking at the hotels, getting around, whether you need a rental car, where to rent a car, phone numbers, places to eat and free attractions. etc

Answer 10

Golden Nugget,very ,very fine Fremont st a whole lot of fun.Rental car at the airport is no problem,the rest of the strip from there will be toatally cool.Just stay at one hotel your only there for a week.