Travel Adventures: Las Vegas Part 2: Where to stay

So many hotels, mind is swimming, where do you start?
Are you traveling with children? Are you wanting to stay at a fancy and luxurious hotel? Do you want to travel on a budget?

I have only stayed at Paris Las Vegas but I have visited every single casino on the strip and have a fairly good understanding of what each has to offer.

Luxury Hotels: Five Stars and Five Dollar Signs
The Bellagio: Definitely blinged out with marble columns and gold everywhere you look. This is one of the priciest hotels on the strip. It's claim to fame is the over the top outdoor water feature in the front of the casino property. Of course anyone staying anywhere can see the water shows which happens every 15 minutes. Best viewed at night when you can see the colored lights play into the water.

Caesars Palace: Very fancy with an old world Roman theme. With gigantic detailed Roman statues and a collesium feel to the pool area this hotel is something to see!

 

Mandalay Bay: The hotel decorator was not afraid to use gold decor here! The cool things in this hotel are the shark tank (entry fee) and a really cool ice bar ($25 per person to get in). This is at the end of the strip closest to the airport so not very accessible to anything else. The public transit monorail does make a stop here which helps.

The Palazzo: Brand new in 2009 this hotel features suite only rooms. Guess what that means? $$$$$$$$$$$$

The Wynn and Encore: A golfer's paradise. Oh by the way the green's fees for 18 holes and a cart are $500!

 Ahem...moving on.

Themed Casinos: I want to stay somewhere unique!

Paris, Las Vegas: A French themed hotel. This place has it all including the entrance to the Eiffel Tower! Take the elevator up to the top of this half scale reproduction and indulge in the views of the Las Vegas Strip from 460 feet up! Buy a crepe for breakfast at the little French bakery or admire the ceiling painted to look like a sky.

 

The Venetian: An Italian inspired Hotel. This hotel features gondola rides on an indoor man made river. A brick clock tower resides outside.

Excalibur: Must love medieval everything. The place is so old and dingy that you actually feel like you are in the medieval times. Of course this hotel does feature The Tournament of Kings which is a dinner show with jousting and audience participation. I have never been but have read reviews that the food is pretty gross and the show is overpriced.


New York, New York: This is a great way to experience the Big Apple in the dessert. The main casino is themed out like the streets of New York. You will also find some NY themed restaurants like a very tasty Italian restaurant, II Fornaio and Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs!

Modern Casinos: I love to party!

Planet Hollywood: Hands down you should stay at Planet Hollywood! This hotel is one of the newest on the strip. It has a very modern and sleek feeling to it. The main casino has columns with color changing lights installed in them. You will also find some amazing art work through out the building including a mosaic of small images that make up a larger image of a well known musician.

The Rio: Bars, home to the Penn and Teller Show, home to the Chippendale Show, a little off the stip but not too bad this casino has it all!

The Palms: I've never been here but it was featured on MTV's The Real World. This hotel is off the strip near The Rio and appears to be a party hotel.

Travel Adventures: Las Vegas Part 1: Making You Way Around Town

So you want to visit Las Vegas? Well to get the most out of your stay you will want to read on.
Las Vegas is unlike any other city in the US as it is not filled with bookstores, coffee shops, offices, and boutiques but large expansive and luxurious casinos and hotels.

Please refer to this 2013 Las Vegas map for landmarks mentioned in the remainder of the article. Fremont Street is not shown on this map as it is farther away.

The strip: There are technically two strips in Las Vegas and they are not within walking distance of each other.
The first is "Fremont Street, aka: The Old Strip" which features casinos such as the 4 Queens, Golden Nugget, The Fremont Hotel, and Lady Luck. Fremont street is the strip shown in most Hollywood movies and is the location of the over head light changing canopy.
The second strip is "Las Vegas Boulevard aka: The Strip" which features resorts such as New York, New York, MGM, Bellagio, Monte Carlo, Treasure Island, and more. I have only visited Las Vegas Boulevard so I will only write about my experiences here.

Each year I visit Las Vegs the strip has changes. There is constant construction with the tearing down of old hotels to make way for new ones. Please keep this in mind and always ask your prospective hotel if there is any nearby construction before booking. Since there are always new hotel casinos popping up make sure you have an updated map before you go.

Las Vegas Boulevard is a 6 lane highway with an island of palm trees in the middle of the East and Westbound lanes. It is not a street you can safely cross. The only way to cross the street is to find an escalator which will take you up to an elevated pedestrian bridge. There are only two of these on the strip. One is located in front of Bally's/Bellagio and the other is in front of MGM Grand/New York, New York.
From one end of the strip to the other is a hike. From the Four Seasons Hotel to the Stratosphere you are looking at 6.1 miles one way! Plan accordingly. You may also want to visit some hotels off the strip such as The Rio or Palms. There are free shuttles that can take you there. Take advantage of these! I know one of the shuttles picks you up right at Paris Las Vegas's side entrance. These shuttles get very full so be patient. The cabs are very expensive but this is not unlike any other city in the US. The rates are based on time and distance. Good luck with that!

One final note, make use of the public monorail. It is an inexpensive way to travel the strip. http://www.lvmonorail.com/