Las Vegas - Best hotel for first timers

Me and a bunch of friends will be in LAS for May 13-15 and the majority of them have never visited the city, but I have. Typically I tend to stay at places like the Alexis Park, off the strip and low key, but since we're going to be in town to have a ton of fun, and renting a car is not in our plan.

I was looking at the Imperial Palace since it's very close to the Monorail (big plus!) and cheap, but I was wondering how big the rooms are at Bellagio (I would Priceline it) if I could score within the $110 range.

There is going to be between 6-9 of us, so a suite(s) would suite better, but we've bunked at the Hotel Pennsylvania (NYC) & Hyatt in Chicago in the past, so cramming wouldn't be anything new.

Any ideas?

Imperial is about the lowest end you can get in LV North side strip. They went through a renovation on their rooms but it's basically the same. The restaraunts are nothing to write home about, and I wouldn't even want to wait in line for their meals. The casino is tiny and cramped, no room to walk or move. I haven't stayed at IP in a long time as I stay at Venetian now.

Having said all of this, I actually have a fun time there and it's a good / cheap location IMO. It's basic down to earth folks and was easy to get comped at but they count table play differently then slots and do not combine them. The dealers and hosts were always friendly to me. And I still stop in for a few hours each stay just because I like some of the folks that work there. Most folks who stay at IP seem to wander and party around not stay at IP all the time.

Suites at Venetian / Bellagio are 800 + sq feet. Venetian you can get two queens with a fold out couch. 6-9 in one room, sorry not for me, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find 110 a night at Bellagio / Venetian for the weekend. Maybe 125 - 150. Most I had was wife / three small kids / and the nanny in one room. I find the web sites for the hotels have some decent rates / special offers as time gets closer. Two rooms at a lower rated hotel would probably be better then one room at Bellagio / Venetian (one bathroom for 9 guys who've been out partying??).

All my opinion here and based on where I've had fun in the hotel, North Side: Mirage, Treasure Island, Paris, Caesar's, Venetian, Harrah's (as well as IP). I personally do not like Bally's / Flamingo. South Side: MGM, Mandalay Bay. But I prefer the North Side and downtown over the south side. You sound more like you won't be in the room so I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about the hotel, find a cheap rate direct on their web sites or priceline / hotwire it and enjoy.

A couple of points to consider...

**Whoops** I was wrong, monorail IS running! However, that being said, I am not sure the monorail would be all that great for a large group anyway, since you can put 4-5 in a cab, and most rides are around $10 anyway, vs. $3 per person, per ride (at least I think that's right). Plus, the monorail only runs up one side of the strip, behind the hotels, and it can be quite a walk to get off the monorail, walk all the way through a hotel, and cross the strip if you want to go to a place on the other side.

Regarding Priceline, the only 5* hotel you will find on Priceline is the Venetian. You will not find Bellagio or Mandalay Bay via Priceline. You can get some pretty good deals at Venetian through Priceline usually around a week or so before your trip. I would not suggest using Priceline for any other hotels (looking for a cheaper rate), as usually you can find better deals either through the hotel's own website (sign up on line, and they will all email you discounted offers) or other travel consolidators. Nice thing about the Venetian is their standard room comes with two queen beds and a fold out couch. If you are after really high density sleeping, Venetian can't be beat, two persons in each 'real' bed, two on the fold out, and two on the floor using the seat cushions from the couch! I am too old for that kind of foolishness, but it can be done.

Another thing to consider is the Westward Ho. While it certainly will not win a 5 Diamond Award, nor impress the ladies, it is on the northern end of the strip, and they have reasonably priced 3 bedroom 'apartments' in the $100-150 range on a weekend night. That's a real bargain.

Good Luck!!

The monorail stations are a long walk from most of the hotels and also stop running at 2:00 AM. The Monorail is currently operational as far as I've heard. No telling if it will still be in May. It began running again just before the first of the year.

http://www.lvmonorail.com/ride_04_stations.html

This link will describe where each station is. If you buy multiple tickets you can get the price down to $2.00 per ride - or for $10.00 ride for 24 hours. Keep in mind the hours though something like 8 Am to 2 Am.

The city bus runs up and down the strip and is much cheaper - might be worth considering.

Right now we've booked two rooms at Bally's for $180/each/night which looked like the cheapest rate for the area, but the rooms are fully refundable. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled all the way before then, just in case.

I saw that Bally's is linked to Casears, which is linked to the LV Hilton. I'm a HHonors Diamond, that won't get us anything, will it?

Right now we've booked two rooms at Bally's for $180/each/night which looked like the cheapest rate for the area, but the rooms are fully refundable. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled all the way before then, just in case.

I saw that Bally's is linked to Casears, which is linked to the LV Hilton. I'm a HHonors Diamond, that won't get us anything, will it?


Colby,
You may want to look at staying at the Luxor..... I think it's more of a younger crowd (people in their 20's). I think the pool is nicer at the Luxor also. It's about $150/night for the weekend 5/13. Also it's connected to Mandalay Bay by a free tram. Both Mandalay and Luxor have great nightclubs. Also if you book 2 rooms, book them for 2 people only. You'll save some $$$ that way. They charge extra for additional guests.

Through TravelAxe, I see Imperial Palace is $110/room/night. If you don't plan on spending any time in your room (besides sleeping and showering), the IP is a great deal. Plus, the location can't be beat. The hotel is definitely showing its age, and I would certainly go outside of the hotel when looking for something to eat.

If you play poker, they also have a poker room with a very generous comp rate ($3 per hour!).

Bally's is also a good choice, though. Definitely nicer than IP.

If you play poker, they also have a poker room with a very generous comp rate ($3 per hour!).


IP is pretty easy to get comped if you play the tables. 4 hours a day play time on average. No matter where you go, I'd register the room as a couple, get a Casino Card in his / her name but same number. If you get two rooms, do that for each room. Have the two or four biggest players use the cards at the hotel, for the guy using the female card, if they ask just tell them you lost your card and you're using your wifes card. That way 2 players are registering on the same card. You can even go back and tell them you lost your cards and get another set of cards, or share the cards if you guys are splitting up and play at different times. Just try not to use the same number at the same table. If you're an average player, and two folks using the same number, then I'd be surprised if IP wouldn't do something for you like a discount rate, comp one room if you have two, or etc... Worse case scenerio you might get three free nights or a discount on the next visit for you. If I remember correctly, for first time guests, IP tries to comp the next visit instead of the current visit.

At the higher end hotels it would take more play and higher average bet.

We'll end up going to maybe one or two clubs, but other than that, it's bars, bars, and more bars (and a casino or three!). I just wish there was a few breweries there.

We were originally really looking at the IP but one of my friend's co-workers gave it a :td: . I was looking at the LV Hilton, but we're not counting on the Monorail to be functioning by then.

A couple of points to consider...

Regarding Priceline, the only 5* hotel you will find on Priceline is the Venetian. You will not find Bellagio or Mandalay Bay via Priceline. You can get some pretty good deals at Venetian through Priceline usually around a week or so before your trip.

FWIW, the Bellagio has shown up recently on BFT as a 5* Priceline Hotel in Vegas...

We'll end up going to maybe one or two clubs, but other than that, it's bars, bars, and more bars (and a casino or three!). I just wish there was a few breweries there.

We were originally really looking at the IP but one of my friend's co-workers gave it a :td: . I was looking at the LV Hilton, but we're not counting on the Monorail to be functioning by then.

Monte Carlo has a brewery. I hear it's pretty good. I've never been there though.

There are many of them in the area - here are a few
to get you started.

As Mentioned
Monte Carlo Brewery
3770 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Cover Charge: $10 for men after 10 pm on Fri & Sat

Gordon Biersch Brewery
3987 Paradise Road (just North of Flamingo)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: 702-312-5247

Tenaya Creek Restaurant and Brewery
3101 North Tenaya Way
Las Vegas, NV 89128
702.36.CREEK

Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
Located on Koval Lane
One Block South of Flamingo
Behind Paris and Bally's
(Warning: Karaoke 9PM - 3 AM)
Might be a good lunch choice!


Main Street Station
Triple 7 Restaurant & Brewery
200 N. Main St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702 387-1896

Barley's Casino & Brewery
4500 E. Sunset Rd.
Henderson, NV 89014

Chicago Microbrewery
2201 S. Fort Apache
Las Vegas, NV 89117

Big Dog's Brewing Company
4543 N. Rancho
702.940.2739
http://www.bigdogsbrews.com/
several locations - coupons available online
They bought and closed the Holy Cow Brewery
that was right on the strip near Sahara :-(

Hoffbrauhaus
Across the street from Hard Rock Cafe

holy crap! I had no idea! Thank you! Our yearly gathering is named "Beercon" :p

You've gotten some good advice. Just a couple of additional thoughts:

- Bally's standard rooms are very large so it's a good choice if you're cramming. The strip location can't be beat; you can easily walk to a lot of places. Let me concur that the IP is not where you want to be on your first trip. Note that you could get the same rate at Treasure Island. Nicer (but smaller) rooms and nicer property IMO, not quite as central a location.

- The Triple 7 pub inside Main Street Station downtown is a great place. If you go at happy hour (between 3 & 5, I think), you can get microbrews for $1 each and appetizers that are big enough for a meal at around $3 each.

Have fun!

I often get fine rooms at the Monte Carlo on The Strip for $69-79 when there is no mega convention or sports event in town.