Las Vegas - "Best" affordable downtown hotel or off-strip for a Friday night?

For no cost, I was able to change our Friday flight home (LAS to RDU) to a Saturday. Didn't cost anything in $ or vacation time, so I figured why not. The thing is, Vegas on the Strip seems to be 2-3X more expensive on Fridays and Saturdays. This is one chief reason why we're headed directly to Utah on the Friday night that we fly in (using a free Marriott certificate night in St. George).

Anyway, it seems like the only "affordable" hotels on a Friday are in the downtown area or off-strip. For a non-suite room, "affordable" to me = ~$65 a night.

What are some good options? Here are some of my criteria:

1) Not really a night owl and definitely a light sleeper. Would be neat to see the Fremont Street Experience; but I don't want to be up past midnight with noise and revelers.

Sounds like the California Hotel might be one good option, a block or so away from the Fremont. What are some others? Would love to stay at the Golden Nugget for the crazy shark tank waterslide, but that's $120 a night for the date we'd need.

What about getting away from downtown and the strip completely for our last night in Vegas? Maybe at a "locals" hotel? I've heard good things about Sam's Town and its buffet. What good options do I have for east of the Strip? At some point I want to visit the Pinball Museum and Atomic Testing Museum. So maybe that's a good time / place to do so?

I'm just starting to research off-strip hotels for a Friday. I'd pay up to $100 for a spa suite off-strip. But on Strip, for example, Luxor's old, tired Pyramid Spa Suite--going for $80 during the week--gets jacked up to $180 on Friday and Saturday night!

Would be nice to have access to a large, relaxing pool complex our last night that doesn't close early--early being 7 pm or earlier.

Try the Southpoint Resort Casino about 3 miles south of the Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Blvd.

IT is new and is a locals hangout and has what you say you are looking for.

Try Main Street Station.

Nothing fancy but comfortable rooms and a great casino downtown.

Greg

Another option is the Eastside Cannery.

The hotel and casino are new-ish and nice.

Prices are usually decent and it's close to Sam's Town if you want to check it out as well.

I don't think they list their rooms on expedia/orbitz/etc., so you'd have to look/book directly on their website...

South Point is a good option for you price-wise and feature-wise.

If you want to be closer to the strip, Orleans is decent. Large rooms. Nice pool - not OMG great, but better than some strip hotels - NYNY and TI, for example. Open until 9 PM in "summer" - don't know if that includes your mid-May time frame or not.

I wouldn't advise staying at Sam's Town, but maybe that's just me.

DT, you can forget about the pools if you're not at the GN. Everything else is at or below what you'd see at a Super 8 along the interstate. All the hotels DT are at least "OK", and all are very good "value for money" options. Ask for a room away from Fremont, and you should be OK from a noise standpoint.

Personally, I love DT, but it sounds like you'd enjoy an off-strip place more.

Off-Strip, I would second the recommendation for the Southpoint. Silverton isn't bad if you are looking for clean, basic accommodations. Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, see what is available on hotwire.com as it usually has some good deals.

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I managed to get a room at Main Street Station. Wasn't the non-smoking King I wanted--got a non-smoking two queen bed room. But it will work.

My question earlier was about safety in walking from Main Street Station to the Fremont Street Experience. Doing a little homework, it looks like there's a walkway connecting Main Street Station to the California (also sounds like a nice option, but it was fully sold out). And from the California, seems safe to Fremont Street. Would love opinions of the California for future reference. Anyone stayed there as well as Main Street Station? How do the two compare?

I'd read somewhere online about not venturing off Fremont Street, because it quickly got dicey in terms of safety / bad neighborhoods.

I'd read somewhere online about not venturing off Fremont Street, because it quickly got dicey in terms of safety / bad neighborhoods.

As long as you're not walking around at 3 AM with $100 bills in both hands, I don't think you'd have any problem walking the surface streets from the Experience to other nearby DT hotels, like Main Street Station or even El Cortez. That caution pertains more to walking away from the casinos, not between them.

IMO, DT is safer than the Strip. The Strip sidewalks are prime territory for bums, pickpockets and scammers. DT, not so much. Why? A combination of heavy police presence and the crooks following the money.

No opinion on the California, but I have stayed at Main Street Station multiple times. There is a bridge between MSS and the California, and then you can walk through there and cross the street to Las Vegas Club. So you can walk through casinos all the way to the Fremont Street Experience. Never felt unsafe on the walk.

I really enjoy the brew pub at MSS. Cheap prime rib special along with a good beers. Also, there is free wifi in the lobby of MSS.

As long as you're not walking around at 3 AM with $100 bills in both hands, I don't think you'd have any problem walking the surface streets from the Experience to other nearby DT hotels, like Main Street Station or even El Cortez. That caution pertains more to walking away from the casinos, not between them.

IMO, DT is safer than the Strip. The Strip sidewalks are prime territory for bums, pickpockets and scammers. DT, not so much. Why? A combination of heavy police presence and the crooks following the money.

Thanks Gregory and Tarpie. I now have the distinct impression that, after my first trip to Vegas, my wife and I will favor downtown for future trips. Seems hard to beat the prices. If it's it's safer and less annoying than the Strip, it's my kind of place. My least favorite thing to do in any city is navigate through beggars, hawkers, and scammers. Only thing missing might be good spa suites downtown--although I could be wrong about that. Are there good values on spa suites downtown similar to NY NY Spa Suites, MGM's Celebrity Spa Suites, and the MGM Signature's junior suites?

Staying on the Strip sounds like its best for those wanting an "ill-inclusive" resort experience, e.g. checking into a mega hotel and then rarely leaving the property. Or at least that's how I'd likely play a stay on the Strip in the future. It would suit me better. What about annoying time share pitchmen? Is there less or more of that downtown? They're as bad, or worse, as aggressive homeless people in my book. I never know how "best" to avoid them if I can't physically avoid passing them. Not acknowledging them at all can sometimes cause them to hurt insults. Not fun. But opening one's mouth at all seems to be more than they deserve, e.g. a hook into trying to make a pitch and sale. What's the best way to deal with them? Any polite but quick way to do it? Don't want to be rude to anyone, but they're invading my space.

Really looking forward to experiencing it all (Strip + downtown), then seeing what I like best for future trips.

Thanks again for the information. Really appreciate it. And I'm now very glad we're also staying downtown, even if it is only for one night (our last one before flying home). May try to get downtown a little earlier (mid-trip) to see how I like it. For game play / odds and food values, it sounds like downtown is the winner. Although I'm looking forward to exploring the opulence and theming of Strip casinos, I don't see myself spending much coin there. Not that one can spend actual coins any more in Strip casinos. I'll be doing my coin-based video poker downtown thank you very much. :-)

Try the Southpoint Resort Casino about 3 miles south of the Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Blvd.

IT is new and is a locals hangout and has what you say you are looking for.

Its a great hotel choice, good clean rooms, nice people, but its 5 years old now (opened Dec 2005 as the South Coast). That's old by LV standards :)

Another option is the Silverton. Its off strip (about Blue Diamond and i-15) but a nice place (clean, comfortable, easy parking, reasonably inexpensive on weekends).

Or if the OP has any more Marriott Certificates there are the Coutyard, Fairfield, and Residence at Russell and i-15 as well.

... Are there good values on spa suites downtown similar to NY NY Spa Suites, MGM's Celebrity Spa Suites, and the MGM Signature's junior suites?

The Golden Nugget has 2-story, 1500 sq. ft. Spa Suites. At around $400/night, I'm not sure if I'd consider them a good value.


Staying on the Strip sounds like its best for those wanting an "ill-inclusive" resort experience...

Best typo of the day! ^


What about annoying time share pitchmen? Is there less or more of that downtown? ...What's the best way to deal with them? Any polite but quick way to do it?

Time-share people can't work the street DT. I've only seen them inside the Golden Nugget.

"Sorry, but I'm leaving town in 30 minutes." They have no counter to that.

"This isn't my wife." That works pretty well also. :o




For game play / odds and food values, it sounds like downtown is the winner.

Game play and odds, for sure. The food selection DT is nowhere near as expansive as on the Strip, but you won't starve, and you'll save some $$$ on your food costs.

"This isn't my wife." That works pretty well also. :o

:D "we're married, but not to each other"

> Best typo of the day! ^

Ha ha. :-)



> Time-share people can't work the street DT.
> "Sorry, but I'm leaving town in 30 minutes." They have no counter to that.

Good one, thanks.