gleff

Sorry, probably missed it above, what's the best route to Bellagio ~ 2pm?

QuietLion

Shortest route is left on Tropicana, right on Koval, left on Harmon. At that point you can either turn right on Audrie and cut through the Paris driveway or just turn right on Las Vegas Blvd and left into Bellagio.

Taking the tunnel to I-15 North is longer but perhaps quicker, except Bellagio is the only hotel without an entrance on Frank Sinatra so you have to either go all the way to Flamingo or cut through Monte Carlo to the Strip.

QL

SPIT

I'll politely disagree... the Stratosphere is far away from everything, and you'll easily lose any savings in taxi rides, unless you want to wait for buses all day long. While the Stratosphere may seem "sexy", it's not. The rooms are very basic, even more so than the Excalibur. It's in a somewhat sketchy area surrounded by empty lots, budget hotels, and not much else worthy of mention.

The Excalibur is basic, but at least its closer to a majority of the newer strip locations, or has easy transportation options. You have a tram (and skybridges) to Luxor and Mandalay Bay, and with a walk across the outdoor sky bridge to New York and MGM will get you to the Monorail. The common complaint about the Excalibur is its cheesy themes and hords of kids. However, your dates should be a good time to go, in between school holidays.

If you want the "Vegas Experience" at an affordable price and don't mind basic accomodations, then the Excalibur is a fine choice. I think you'd be very disappointed staying at the Stratosphere... good place to visit, just not to stay at.

DenverBrian

Yes, it's definitely north strip. I had thought the monorail got as far north as Stratosphere, but it stops as Sahara. Still, the OP is on quite a tight budget, so it may be worth considering at its price.

This I'm not so sure of. I haven't stayed in either, but am basing my opinion on TripAdvisor, CheapoVegas, and other sites. When Excalibur is written about, there is often talk of cinderblock room walls and lack of a bathtub in the bathrooms (shower only). Stratosphere apparently at least has features a bit more expanded than those.

Still, it's good to know all options. The Barbary Coast and Imperial Palace may be other reasonably-priced options at the time, and both are centrally located.

SPIT

I've stayed at both, and both are your basic room, and really, both fine hotels. The BIGGEST problem with Stratosphere is its location. It shouldn't even count as a "strip hotel" because it's so far from anything of interest. Even if you take the monorail all the way north to the Sahara, it would be a considerable walk even further north to the Stratosphere. Eventually more development will make it down that way, but for now, it's an island to itself. With the Excalibur, you're surrounded by the Luxor, New York, MGM, and Tropicana, and walking distance to other major strip hotels.

If you really need to save every penny, these are cheap options, but otherwise, avoid. Put it this way, Harrahs is planning on tearing those places down soon.

baccarat_king

While Harrahs is big and powerful in the gaming industry, I do think they would have to purchase Barbary Coast from Boyd Gaming, before they tear it down.

QuietLion

Excalibur is a "fine hotel" in the same sense that Days Inn is a fine hotel.

QL

SPIT

And indeed that's what Harrah's plans to do. They've successfully purchased the other properties around them, and Barbary Coast is next on the list.

Straight from the Las Vegas Sun (dated March 6, 2006):
The Imperial Palace is expected to be torn down and replaced as part of a master plan that parent company Harrah's Entertainment is creating for its properties on the east side of the Strip, including the Flamingo, Harrah's and O'Sheas. Harrah's also is looking to acquire the nearby Barbary Coast property from Boyd to include that site in the development plan.

SPIT

We both know there are plenty of nicer hotels in Las Vegas, but FurloughedNWAfa was looking specifically for something budget priced and simple. The Excalibur more than fits the bill and then some, and is certainly nicer than some of the other budget places suggested. Not sure of any Days Inns that have 5 restaurants, a food court, spa, large casino, multiple entertainment shows, room service, shopping, banquet facilities... etc, etc, etc. On top of that, sitting in a good location between other major hotels and attractions.

I rarely stay at the Excalibur myself because I enjoy the luxury properties, but it is indeed a fine place to stay for someone on a budget but still want the Las Vegas Strip Experience.

baccarat_king

They might be looking to acquire it... heck, Harrah's wants to acquire everything but, IMHO, with the end of the 'Dust very near, Boyd needs Barbary Coast (in the short 2-3 year term) until Echelon is built; since they do NOT have any other strip locations.

SPIT

That's good to hear.... mainly because I do enjoy Drais after 4am!

StSebastian

Coming from a ex-NWA AMFA family...

You can currently get a "Garden Area Standard" room at Tropicana for $109 Sat 5/13 and $49 Sun 5/14 from their email newsletter. If you need the link, I'll send it to you in a PM shortly and you can use that.

Aladdin/Planet Hollywood has a promo available in the other threads but they have that Sat for $199, so that exceeds your budget. Enjoy the 1am red-eye to MSP -- that flight is too short for me to sleep on. Note that most of the airport shuts down around 10-11pm, so you'll have nowhere to go get food after you arrive. It's the last scheduled flight of the night.

tsw1

here is the tropicana link

aabowman

Sorry Denver - I totally disagree with your advice. The Renaissance is fine if you need to be close to the convention center- but don't even think about walking anywhere at night (keep your door locked!). I have stayed at the Excalibur 3 times in the past 2 years and have been very satisfied with the room. I have also stayed at the Venetian and the JW Marriott and yes, their rooms are much nicer - you get what you pay for.

The Excalibur is in a great location and can't be beat for value when you get the right price. They have recently renovated some of the rooms - I would say it is like an older style Holiday Inn room. Yes, some of the rooms have showers only - but I've run into that at the Hyatt Regency in Washington DC too.

From the Excalibur, you can take the free tram to the Luxor or Mandalay Bay, or you can walk across to the MGM Grand for a monorail stop. Stratosphere is not walking distance from anything.

Just keep checking rates and re-book if they drop. It all depends on what convention is going on around your dates. I have paid from $35 to $109 for a room at the Excalibur - I have also paid from $79 to $179 at the JW Marriott in Summerlin (have stayed there 5 or 6 times in the past 5 years), and $139 at the Venetian... it all depends on the dates.

Ord26

Excalibur is a fine hotel but "stay away" from Barbary Coast?
There is no comparison between the two.