Las Vegas - Which Hotel for 21st Birthday?

Our son turns 21 in early March 06 and wants to go to Las Vegas to celebrate with family and friends. Any recommendations for his age, activities, etc?

Hard Rock or the Palms are normally considered the hip spots for the young 20 somethings.

the hard rock and the palms are both great suggestions; you might also consider Mandalay Bay and "theHotel" at Mandalay Bay if you are bring a larger, more age diverse group. Mandalay Bay has the advantage of being on the strip (albeit at the far south end) which is not true for either of the other two. It is still pretty hip and happening, and also has a bit more going on for a larger variety of people, including the Mandalay Place shops.
The hottest nightclub right now appears to be "Pure" at Caeser's Palace, and they too have a new tower, but I am not sure it would appeal to the birthday celebrant.

The Palms is where I would lean. Although, as stated above, if there is a diverse age group it's sometimes nice to stay at a "nicer" hotel and let the kids go to the Palms when they feel like it. Mandalay Bay has always been nice also.

We had our sons in Vegas when they were 21 and 22. My souse and I spent our nights at the Rio, but we put them at Harrah's. Knowing they would want to see all the sights on the strip and wander from bar to bar and what not we thought it would be easier for them to be right there.

We got together for meals and then they spent time on their own. They didn't want to watch the Belagio Fountains with a martini in hand - and I didn't want to ride the bull at New Frontier so it worked out very well!

The Hard Rock and Palms (wasn't open yet for our boys) are considered great for the young crowd but for a first time Vegas visit our sons planned to gamble, drink and wander on the strip. Being off strip may not suit a first timer. Harrah's is not as new as the other hotel's mentioned, but it is very near some places with lesser expensive table limits which we knew they would need. O'Shea's for one and another between Harrah's and Venetian that I can't recall the name of right now. I agree the other hotels mentioned are nicer but it will be tough to find even a 10 limit table at any of them.

If he wants to gamble (table games) more than drink/party, I'd recommend MGM Grand or TI. That's where all the gamblin'-lovin' 21-23 year olds I know like to hang out. I went out last spring for two younger friends' 21st b-days (born 1 day apart) and we stayed at the Bellagio but ended up spending most of our gambling time split between MGM and TI. These are people who go to Vegas to spend 12+ hours/day at the blackjack and craps tables though...

NYNY seems worth considering too. It's location across the street from MGM is good for gaming and the time I stayed there I don't think there was a single person over 30 around the pool.

Hard Rock, Palms, or Mandalay Bay would by my choices. Young, lively crowds at all three.

Have to go with Palms as first choice, especially if they stay in the new tower that opens up next week.

Other options are Green Valley Ranch or Hard Rock if they don't mind being off the Strip.

On the Strip, I would go with THE hotel @ Mandalay Bay or TI.

You might want to consider this, the HOOTERS hotel and Casino is opening some time in the NEAT future.

http://www.hooterscasinohotel.com/

If you're going to be there with family, not sure the age, but i would consider The Venetian. At that time of the year,I doubt it's good pool weather. That's the definite strength of Hard Rock and the Palms. But The Venetian has a great location for more options for people to do their own thing too. You've got great shopping at Venetian, Caesar's and the mall isn't far down the strip. They have nice large rooms that can host more people comfortably. The Venetian also has a new hot place called Tao. You can have dinner then go and party. And Pure is nearby too. The Mirage is opening a new club called Jet and that's close too.

Just my thoughts

Splurge on a suite in Bellagio and you can easily squeeze in a nice party in there. ;)

I'd vote Hard Rock. The pool is unbelievable for people watching, as is the casino in general. In the evenings, especially on the weekends, the place is really hopping with the young and the beautiful. There are lots of young people who don't know what they're doing at the table games, so a novice will fit right in.

The Palms is a good choice as well.

It all depends on how much money you are putting in his hand (and what you want him to spend)? And have they ever been to Vegas before?

The suggestions for Hard Rock and Palms are good ones - they are two of the most fun places. But where the "young" crowd is does not necessarily equal where 21 year old guys should be. I now stay at places like Bellagio or Venetian, but when I was 21 (9 years ago) and visiting Vegas for the first time, staying at Bally's, being able to go everywhere on the strip, and still gamble within my college budget (and my friend's budget) at places like Barberry Coast was perfect. It took years of staying at Harrah's/Ceasar's/Bally's/Paris and two career jumps before I wanted to go upscale Vegas. And while Bellagio has a lot to offer me now, when I was 21, it would have been the last place I would have wanted to be at 5 AM when the drinks started wearing off and I wanted some fast food.

Unless your son is already a high roller, I would put them at MGM, New York New York, Harrah's, Caesars, Bally's, or Paris and let them dip their toe in Vegas. Definitely a major casino on the strip. They can always cab over to the Hard Rock to check out the pool. I am sure they will have a great time wherever they are.

Thanks for all your advice and suggestions! My son has been to Las Vegas a few times with us and a few times with his high school wrestling team. Never been there as a 21-y/o so is really looking forward to that. I will print your advice out and let him read it and see what he comes up with.

Unless the guys have $$$$$ to blow, I'd bypass the great higher dollar places mentioned (Hard Rock, Palms, Mandalay...they can still visit these places) and go with the NYNY, MGM, TI, Ballys, Harrahs choices mentioned. Maybe throw in Luxor as well. If you're going during pool season, Harrahs and NYNY may be less attractive...MGM probably has the best pool area of these choices, and Rio might be another pool destination to consider (although prices vary wildly, especially if you are not on a Total Rewards offer).

You might want to consider this, the HOOTERS hotel and Casino is opening some time in the NEAT future.

http://www.hooterscasinohotel.com/
It's open -- it's the San Remo being rebranded. Unless they put some heavy work into the rooms that were pretty run down, I'd suggest staying at MGM and walking across the street if they want to go to the Hooters.