You should be able to get decent rates even for these dates though this year the holidays fall on weekends. LAS travelers start coming in on 12/25 and really come in full force on 12/26 so if your plans are to leave by 12/25 then you should be OK with getting an inexpensive room. If MGM does not work out then try Monte Carlo (about 2-3 blocks across from MGM) they have decent room rates and you can tram over to Bellagio.

yup, planning to leave by 25 Dec, though we could go there earlier, hence leave earlier too.

What hotels would you recommend in the 150 a night range?

On a slow day every hotel in town is in that range; on a busy day none is.

QL

so is 23-25 Dec a quiet day? I hardly think so... :D :D

but MGM grand is recommended even if it costs more than 150?

I may be wrong but I think 23-25 are low prices

According to the MGM/Mirage website Room rates are:

MGM
Dec. 19th -22nd $90.00
Dec. 23rd - 24th $160.00
Dec. 25th $140.00

The Bellagio
Dec. 18th - 22nd $159.00
Dec. 23rd $229.00
Dec. 24th -25th $299.00

If you can move your dates to mid-week you can stay at Bellagio quite reasonably.

I'm partial to the caesar's group, so for $150 you should be able to get Paris for dec 23-25. for the same type room, i would choose Paris over MGM any day. The location can't be beat. Caesar's palace would be my ideal choice, but you'll probably be looking slightly north of $200. and for closer to $100 you can get the Flamingo.

I have never stayed at Aladdin (wife has) - Idislike the cheesy Arabian Nights theme, thus far very much like the buffet. We have been all over (Mandalay Bay, Four Seasons, Excalibur (yuck, and only in poorer times), Luxor (wife), Tropicana (yuck again, though had mirrors on walls and ceilings.....), Paris, Bellagio, Caesars, Harrah's, Rio, Mirage (wife), Venetian (original and Venezia), Strat (dump), Golden Nugget, Vegas Club (a bona fide dump, and I say that as a lawyer, so I mean bona fide), Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas and the Regent out at Summerlin (before it became the JW Marriott). I much prefer the really nice places, but wife got a $59/night offer for Aladdin (including 2 bfast buffets, 2 spa passes, $25 in matching table play and 2 tix to V Theater shows), so we are going to stay here this time. We'd been all over the map thinking about going back to the Venetian, Bellagio or the Ritz-Carlton or trying Wynn, but this deal seemed too good to miss, plus I can try a Pink's hot dog. Wish us luck. Does anybody know if the $20/$50 tip at check-in works here for getting a little upgrade?

Aladdin. Best location, big rooms, and the buffet is great.

Aladdin - Plus Great Location, spg pts, good shopping- Minuses Horrible beds, shoddy rooms, confusing entrance
MGM - better rooms if I had to choose between the two I would go with MGM but really don't like either property

I haven't seen any pool comparison's except for one and it really didn't discuss the 'scene' - how do the pools compare to each other? Is one more family-oriented than the other? Thanks!

Aladdin's pool is nothing to speak of. MGM's is one of the best in town.

Las Vegas is an adult playground rife with gambling, booze, and prostitution. I would not bring children although many people do. A few of the resorts attempted to cater to families but they have abandoned that effort.

That being said, MGM probably has more for children than most places, including a "lazy river" pool. Gameworks and the M&M museum are next door.

QL

I'm at Aladdin right now. Great location, SPG points, good shopping; firm but certainly not horrible beds; clean, large and far from shoddy rooms in the South Tower; and who cares about a "confusing entrance" when you're arriving by cab?

Bathrooms here are better than Bellagio's - enclosed water closet and separated dual sink areas at Aladdin.