Las Vegas - Which "the Strip" luxury hotel is the best?

We are considering staying at the Venetian, Bellagio, Wynn, Caesar's Palace, and the Hotel at Mandalay Bay - during the coming New Year's eve weekend.

Which hotel would you recommend, as the best? Or do you have other recommendations?

PS-Is "the Hotel" at Mandalay Bay, and the Four Seasons Hotel at Mandalay Bay - one and the same?

The Hotel and the 4 Seasons are separate. The Hotel is a newer, separate tower opened by MB; the 4 seasons is actually in the original MB tower but has a separate entrance, etc.
I like the Wynn very much, with Bellagio a close second. I'd put these two head and shoulders above anywhere else on the Strip...

I don't know anything about 4 seasons, but out of everything else, the Wynn.

I list them all on my website, but from the list you mention, they are all quite nice.

Personally, I think the Venetian has the best rooms on the Strip, (unless you are getting a penthouse somewhere or a high-roller room somewhere else).

Bellagio and Wynn are equally excellent choices, and The Hotel at Mandalay Bay is the new tower of all suites, with flat screen HDTV's and other nice amenities - and no, it is not the same as the Four Seasons, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay is a new, separate tower.
Caesars also has a new tower, but personally I would rank the others above Caesars.

From a purely location standpoint, Mandalay Bay is at the far south end of the Strip and it will not be a treat getting to and from there New Year's Eve. Bellagio would be more in the center of the action, as well as Caesars...assuming you want to be in the center of the action on New Year's Eve.

BTW, on New Year's Eve only, they pretty much lock you out of some of the larger casinos unless you are a registered guest (due to the wild masses on the street), so pick wisely as you will not be able to bop into casinos for a quick drink like you normally can.

The Hotel and the 4 Seasons are separate. The Hotel is a newer, separate tower opened by MB; the 4 seasons is actually in the original MB tower but has a separate entrance, etc.
I like the Wynn very much, with Bellagio a close second. I'd put these two head and shoulders above anywhere else on the Strip...

Between The Hotel and the Four Seasons, which one would be rated to be a better hotel, and which one is more expensive. What other different perks or benefits does one get with one vs the other hotel, vs a room in the main part of the Mandalay Bay Hotel?

I list them all on my website, but from the list you mention, they are all quite nice.

Personally, I think the Venetian has the best rooms on the Strip, (unless you are getting a penthouse somewhere or a high-roller room somewhere else).

Bellagio and Wynn are equally excellent choices, and The Hotel at Mandalay Bay is the new tower of all suites, with flat screen HDTV's and other nice amenities - and no, it is not the same as the Four Seasons, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay is a new, separate tower.
Caesars also has a new tower, but personally I would rank the others above Caesars.

From a purely location standpoint, Mandalay Bay is at the far south end of the Strip and it will not be a treat getting to and from there New Year's Eve. Bellagio would be more in the center of the action, as well as Caesars...assuming you want to be in the center of the action on New Year's Eve.

BTW, on New Year's Eve only, they pretty much lock you out of some of the larger casinos unless you are a registered guest (due to the wild masses on the street), so pick wisely as you will not be able to bop into casinos for a quick drink like you normally can.

I have stayed at the Venetian Hotel - at a basic suite! That was marvelous. How do the rooms or suites at the other hotels compare with that at the Venetian?

I have stayed at the Venetian Hotel - at a basic suite! That was marvelous. How do the rooms or suites at the other hotels compare with that at the Venetian?

Easy answer. Nothing comes close to the Venetian for a "standard" room.

Wynn and Bellagio and Paris are certainly above the usual standard room, but Venetian wins hands down. Now, if you are talking real "suites", as in very expensive options to standard rooms, then all of those hotels will be fine, but you will be paying much, much more for that upgrade.

Between The Hotel and the Four Seasons, which one would be rated to be a better hotel, and which one is more expensive. What other different perks or benefits does one get with one vs the other hotel, vs a room in the main part of the Mandalay Bay Hotel?

the Hotel is basically the new 'Spa' tower at Mandalay.. it has a younger New York City type of vibe and is more like a W boutique hotel.. the 4 Seasons is a standard 4 seasons, and is a lot more boring that the Hotel, in my opinion..

the Hotel is a much nicer place, in my opinion.. two rooms, a bit smaller than a full luxury suite, but the price is good and the rooms are nice and sleek.. the 4 Seasons does have a private pool, for guests only, which might or might not be open depending on the time of year that you go, and it is the biggest reason to stay there, in my opinion..

No sure if these are in your price range, but an interesting read.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15332485/

The Four Seasons is probably the least Vegas-ish place to stay on the Strip. Basically, it's like any other Four Seasons: an excellent, full service, luxury hotel. If you're going to Vegas on business, and your budget supports it, it's hands-down the place to stay - your faxes will come on time, as will your laundry, the dry cleaning gets, done, etc.

If you're in town for pleasure, it's still very nice, but I find it rather lacks the Vegas vibe.

No sure if these are in your price range, but an interesting read.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15332485/

Yeah, PCTraveler, I have seen that article before and there certainly are some nice digs here if money is no object.

And FlyerGoldII, should you decided to stay at one of the rooms mentioned in PCTraveler's article, please invite me to stop by and say hello and see the room - I promise I won't drink a $30 can of Diet Coke from the mini bar, I just want to see the room for research for my website!

No sure if these are in your price range, but an interesting read.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15332485/

My price range (for New Year's only) barely reaches US$500. Normally, during other times of the year, I would not be willing to pay more than $200. So obviously, you will not be seeing me staying at these suites!

Yeah, PCTraveler, I have seen that article before and there certainly are some nice digs here if money is no object.

And FlyerGoldII, should you decided to stay at one of the rooms mentioned in PCTraveler's article, please invite me to stop by and say hello and see the room - I promise I won't drink a $30 can of Diet Coke from the mini bar, I just want to see the room for research for my website!

DMark

I am taking my son to your great town for his 21st B-Day in December.
We booked the 2 Bedroom Skylofts. Drop me a note and you can visit to
get some room shots and add them to your site. I wonder what the rate would be for New Years Eve. I am going to guess above $ 5K a night ?

DMark

I am taking my son to your great town for his 21st B-Day in December.
We booked the 2 Bedroom Skylofts. Drop me a note and you can visit to
get some room shots and add them to your site. I wonder what the rate would be for New Years Eve. I am going to guess above $ 5K a night ?

Thank you for your generous offer. I have sent you an email. This ought to make an interesting footnote on my website!

Easy answer. Nothing comes close to the Venetian for a "standard" room.

Wynn and Bellagio and Paris are certainly above the usual standard room, but Venetian wins hands down. Now, if you are talking real "suites", as in very expensive options to standard rooms, then all of those hotels will be fine, but you will be paying much, much more for that upgrade.
Well, the Venetian rooms are certainly the biggest, but they are not the nicest. Yes, they are among the top handful, but you will find nicer room amenities at Wynn, Bellagio and Four Seasons. The Wynn beds are fantastic, as are (all) Four Seasons, and Bellagio's are pretty nice too; I don't think the Venetian's beds are all that great -- not even a duvet... As mentioned, the Four Seasons is "boring" in that it was designed to be a non-casino hotel, although there is easy access to the rest of Mandalay Bay. It's actually nice for a change not to have to deal with the busy casinos all the time, and yes the service is top-notch -- and a lot more personalized with only a few hundred rooms vs. nearly 3000+ each at Wynn/Bellagio/Venetian. But I wouldn't recommend staying there if anyone in the group wants the "real" Vegas experience.
Am about to stay at The Hotel at Mandalay, looking forward to checking that one out, I've heard good things!

ijgordon, you have a good point. Although I have lived here long enough, and had friends/family/ex-coworkers, etc. stay at all the hotels and seen the rooms, I live here and thus haven't actually slept in those beds.
I do get paid by the hour, but not that way.
So, yeah, I guess I cannot attest to the comfort of the actual mattresses.

I was going more in terms of design, size and room amenities.

Let me know how you like The Hotel at Mandalay Bay - I have heard very few complaints and most people like it very much.

Easy answer. Nothing comes close to the Venetian for a "standard" room.

Gotta disagree with you on that one; THE Hotel is certainly comparable for a "standard" room - big suite in both cases. Which is the "better" room would be a matter of taste.

Venetian location is definitely better if you want to be "in the middle of things" at New Years.

If you're talking service and consistency I'd take Four Seasons any day.

If you're talking service and consistency I'd take Four Seasons any day.

Which, to make perfectly clear to people who might not know it, is actually in the original Mandalay Bay tower, but with a separate entrance, separate elevators, separate floors and done in the usual, elegant, Four Seasons style.

In the same tower, I believe there is actually a floor (or two) with rooms from House Of Blues - (not exactly the same design concept as the Four Seasons).

The Mandalay Bay has many great features...and as dgwright99 mentions, their new tower, The Hotel, is giving other properties a run for their money.

Varying the circumstances a little.

What woiuld be the recommendations for a stay with a 9 year old in Feb / Mar next year? How early should one book shows etc?

Varying the circumstances a little.

What woiuld be the recommendations for a stay with a 9 year old in Feb / Mar next year? How early should one book shows etc?

Bringing children to Las Vegas is simply not a wise idea as I mention on my website. You can only walk through the casino areas, not dawdling for even a minute, and few places are kid friendly anymore....the exception being Circus Circus. I personally would not recommend staying there, but if you have kid/kids in tow, it is probably your best bet - at least for daytime fun. They have an amusement park in the back with roller coasters and games and other rides, and they have the circus in the main gaming area, and they have a large arcade for kids.

Good that you say Feb/March - the more flexible you are, the better deal you will get. If there is a convention in town, prices are sky high - but the week before or after, the prices will go down drastically. So when you book, ask for rates a week or two before and a week or two afterwards. I think you will be amazed at the price differences. Also, a mid-week (Sun-Thur) is always far cheaper than weekends, so if you can arrange that, you will also save a lot of money.

I also mention some shows on my website, and if you want to hit the big ones (like Celine or Elton or even some of the Cirque shows) you might want to go ahead and book as soon as you have booked your rooms, just to be safe. Be sure to mention you are bringing a 9 year old! Some shows have age limits and it would be a waste of money, and a disappointment, to get there and find out you can't take your kid in there with you! So ask before you buy any tickets!!!

Some of the Station Casinos (a chain of local's casinos that are quite good) have an indoor place where you can let your kid play (fully licenced and well-supervised) with everything kids like - video games, slides, games and lots of other kids to play with...most kids here beg to go there, so it must be fun. The price is reasonable and I think there is a three or four hour maximum visit, but it gives the adults some breathing room to play some slots, or have a quick dinner, or see a movie, or whatever while their kids are having a great time as well. Check out Station Casinos on the web to see which locations have this kids area. They are a bit far from the Strip, but would be worth the drive and the casinos are actually quite nice and you might even win some money there.

There is a great magic show where kids get in free! It is called The World's Greatest Magic Show - very cheap for adult tickets, but very kid friendly and the kids really like it (and so do the adults!).

However, bringing kids to Las Vegas is a lot more problematic than you might think - so give it some serious thought.

Bringing children to Las Vegas is simply not a wise idea as I mention on my website. You can only walk through the casino areas, not dawdling for even a minute, and few places are kid friendly anymore....the exception being Circus Circus.

Thanks a lot for all the detail.

We've been to LV a number of times before but without the son.

I've even stayed in Circus Curcus, once, during Comdex and I wouldn't be keen on repeating the experience.

He's a pretty sophisticated traveller; reads menus with the best of us, understands tipping and once created a panic when he disappeared after dinner in the Trianon Palace in Versailles. It turned out he'd gone to the kitchen to give the chef his compliments and came back with a signed toque. He even has a copy of the book on the Connaught that the GM gave him to stop him asking questions about the hotel's history. It means he's a hotel critic though and doesn't appreciate lower end accommodation.

He's still a boy though and will certainly enjoy finding places to play with other kids so your suggestions will certainly get used. It'll only be for two or three nights and we'll try and find somewhere more child friendly in Santa Monica and San Diego (although I'm not sure the Hotel Del fits that bill and my wife really likes staying there as she can sit on the balcony of the room and wqatch the Marines running up and down.)

My price range (for New Year's only) barely reaches US$500. Normally, during other times of the year, I would not be willing to pay more than $200.

IMHO, not exactly realistic for New Year's weekend (especially if you are set on 5* Luxury). This is one weekend, you are paying more for the DATES NOT the room. That being said, unless you are a status guest w/ a casino property (and a pretty high status at that...) --- I would sincerely think about increasing room $ budget. ;)