Ok so I've been lucky enough to have stayed at 6 of the hotels on the Las Vegas Strip so far. Each of them have pros and cons so I thought I'd let everyone in on my opinions on them. I hope to be able to add to this list in the future...
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Oh Vegas...how I love your sparkly lights...
1. Stratosphere: Now I'm almost hesitant to add this as part of "the strip" since it is so far to the North end that it would be an unpleasant and possibly sketchy walk to get anywhere else. I stayed there in the month of April. The pool was a pool, nothing special about it besides it wasn't on ground level, but it didn't give you a good view of anything either. They do have a small necessities store there, but most things you do have to go elsewhere for. They did give us free rides up to the top of the stratosphere so that saved us some money. I didn't ride any of the rides at the top though, we just went up to enjoy the view. Also the window in the room didn't open at all. I know that's fairly common in Las Vegas, but even in April the room was miserably humid. Overall it wasn't a bad stay, but I probably would not stay there again since location is a big one for me. |
Pros: Price, Customer Service
Cons: Location, Pool, Room
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| Caesar's Palace Pool Area |
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| Swim up Bar Area Caesar's |
2.
Caesar's Palace: Home of The Hangover, and while I didn't stay in a penthouse I did truly enjoy my stay here. First and foremost the location is IDEAL. It is seriously in the center of all the action on the strip. You are close to tons of food choices, malls, entertainment, clubs, and the always fun in Vegas people watching. Everything there just seems clean, and yes it is Vegas so it probably isn't all clean, but it's a lot of white marble looking material and just feels uncluttered. I loved that I felt pretty rich staying there...even though I'm not. Next happiness...the POOL!! To me this is also super important in Las Vegas. The pool has an amazing atmosphere. Once again it makes you feel like you are a millionaire at your own luxurious pool. There are four pools you have access to. One round, one rectangle with a swim up bar/gambling area at the end, and two smaller rectangle pools. The room was fine. Nothing super special, but everything looked clean and not too small. The window again didn't open. I would love to stay at this hotel again.
Pros: Location, Pool, Atmosphere
Cons: Price
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| Paris Room |
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| Paris Bathroom |
3.
Paris: This hotel definitely has charm. When you walk it in it meant to feel like you are walking around Paris, France. The check in area has very pretty chandeliers and mirrors to give it a luxurious Paris atmosphere. The hotel also has a small Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumph which is pretty fun. The room reminds me of what I would imagine a bed and breakfast or boutique hotel to look like. The shower and tub were separate and the bathroom really spacious. The food at this hotel is amazing. They have crepes, a buffet with French food (yummy), a Piano Bar, Sugar Factory (an awesome candy store and restaurant), some other specialty restaurants, and the restaurant on one of the floors of the Eiffel Tower. So
here. The pool was average, it was under their Eiffel Tower, but overall it was just a pool. Location is great on this hotel. It's right across from the Bellagio hotel which is really center of all the action on the strip. I would stay in this hotel again if I came in the winter, because of the pool I wouldn't pick this hotel to stay in the summer.
many options. I really do recommend the buffet...see my other post about Vegas buffets
Pros: Location, Food, Atmosphere, Decor
Cons: Pool, Price
4.
Flamingo: Flamingo is right across from Caesar's Palace so again, excellent location. They used to scent the casino with coconut spray which I enjoyed (so it smelled like a mixture of tropical and the usual Vegas cigarette smoky smell) but the last time I went I didn't smell it so maybe they stopped. The hotel itself is ok, nothing super special to see on the inside. They do have a flamingo and tropical bird garden that's fun to see outside. They have a buffet and Margaritaville, which is a pretty fun place to eat. The rooms had just been remodeled when I stayed there. No carpet on the floor, average bathroom, cute decor in the room (some pink fluffy pillows...not for everyone). The pool was great. There was a DJ, lots of shade, waterfalls, lots of space, and a tropical atmosphere. I even participated in a limbo contest (and came in 2nd). The pool was for sure the best part of the hotel. For that reason and it's location I would totally stay there again.
Pros: Location, Pool, Price
Cons: Atmosphere
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Yeah...I had long hair..and this is the
buildings around The Quad Pool |
5.
The Quad (Formerly known as Imperial Palace): This hotel is right next to the Flamingo so the location is still in the area I would consider decent. This hotel was under construction while I was there and still was when I came back 8 months later...not impressed with that. The room was pretty small, but it did have a balcony which I appreciated. It was nice to get some air in the room even if it was 100 degrees outside. At least it wasn't humid in the room. There really isn't any food choices there except a small convenience store where you can get snacks and sodas. There is food close by though since you are still pretty much in the heart of the strip. The pool was average. It was in the middle of a courtyard so you are surrounded by tall buildings and not too tropical feeling. With all the buildings and pavement around it is HOT in that area. I could only lay out for about 10 minutes before I had to get back in the pool. This hotel though is one of the cheapest hotels to stay at on the strip so if I was going in the winter or had no other options I would stay here again based on location.
Pros: Price, Location
Cons: Pool, Construction, Atmosphere
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| The Mirage Pool |
6.
The Mirage: I stayed at the Mirage most recently and to be honest I have some beef with them right now that if it gets resolved I will update my feelings on how things were handled. Basically I stayed here in the month of April based on the fact that they advertise on their website a heated pool (since in April the temperature can range anywhere from the 50s to the 80s). The pool was not heated...like at all...when you stay at a place to enjoy pool time and then can't because their "heated" pool is freezing it's quite a downer. I've emailed them and have yet to hear back from their customer service team. Despite this situation the pool area was beautiful. Extremely tropical and very similar to the flamingo pool. I would have loved to have used it...the room was average (the window did open a crack). It is in a great location still. There are restaurants at the hotel, but I didn't eat at any of them. They do have my favorite show in Vegas at this hotel, Beatles Love, but it wasn't playing when I went this last time. Overall if they can do something to fix their false advertisement and sufficiently make it up to us in some way I would love to stay at this hotel again. If it's not fixed then I have no desire to stay at hotel that has horrible customer service and doesn't take care of their guests. Again, I will add to this post if it is ever resolved.
UPDATE: So I emailed them and while it took a long time (almost two months) to finally get it all resolved we figured out something to make things a little better. They offered us a one bedroom tower suite room for a very discounted price for 3 nights. One of the nights was technically free, but we still paid for the other two. This stay was much different. Maybe it was the room and the fact that it was the dead of summer. I was happy with this outcome and since they fixed it I would stay here again, but probably not in the winter. The pool still wasn't heated in the summer (not that I would want it to be) but their description still states it is heated year round. Oh well. The room was amazing and we had a great view.
Pros: Pool Atmosphere, Location
Cons: Pool Not Heated As Advertised, Room, Price, Customer Service
