Somewhere different than Harrah's

My first Vegas trip was 2 years ago and since then I go back to Vegas every 6 months. For every trip, I always stay at Harrah's where I usually paid about $25-30 per night for the hotel. I plan to visit Vegas again in June this year and look for a new place to stay. I am willing to spend slightly higher per night (says up to $50 or so) in exchange of a better hotel. I'm probably not a very typical Vegas traveler since I don't drink, don't smoke, don't really gamble (never spend more than $50 on gambling), and go there by myself (single, almost 30 yo guy). I usually eat some buffets (had buffet of buffet every trip), go shopping at the outlet, relax at spa, and watch some shows. Any recommendation for the hotel? Thanks you all.

 

The first thing that came to mind for your desired budget was Monte Carlo. Since you don't gamble much, you may not have a wide selection of choices available during the busy times of the year, though.

Other names I would check out would be Mandalay Bay, Mirage, TI, NYNY, and Tropicana. Not saying you'll find a good rate at any of them, but may be worth getting them on your radar. Downtown opens a lot of options, too. Since you specifically mentioned going to the spa, you could pretty easily stay anywhere downtown and go to the spa at Golden Nugget.

 

Those are out of his budget

I disagree with this. Those hotels have resort fees alone of $20.00+ per night. The only hotels you'll find on the strip for $50 are the likes of the Quad, Riviera, Stratosphere , CC, Excalibur, etc.

 

Bally's I think would be a good choice but I haven't stayed there in many years.

 

Honestly, none of these choices would be a compelling move from Harrah's, which at least puts you mid-strip.

I do agree on the resort fee front (I had totally forgotten about them), which is why your choices may be limited to just CET properties.

 

Oh, I know the hotels I mentioned aren't better than Harrah's. Just pointing out that $50.00 a night will not buy him much.

 

Hotel search

Wallaby, you need to do a search to find a cheapy hotel.

I noticed that Ballys is $49. PER night during Monday - Thursday on the first week of June.
I always go to smartervegas.com to look for promotion codes that gives you lowers rates than what is listed to the public.

I also plan to visit Vegas this summer but I have to wait to find a great deal when it comes up.

 

Right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable, any resort fee will eat into your budget unless it includes something you want like internet. So, consider the resort fee. I think given your budget and that you've been happy at Harrah's, Bally's might be a good option. I don't know if it's any nicer than Harrah's. I think north tower rooms might have had their last refresh around the same time as Harrah's. It would be different and in your budget anyhow.

 

Thanks for the website tip Lucy. I didn't know about that site. Lucy is one board member who knows how to stretch a dollar and still have a good time. Thanks Lucy!

 

Thanks you all! Bally's may be an interesting choice then. Suppose that I've no budget constraint, which one should I go with between TI, Mirage, Mandalay Bay?

 

Pool:

MB
Mirage
TI

Location:

Mirage
TI
MB

 

If you rent a car, you have a few more options available to you (especially since you don't have to worry about drinking and driving). For example, the Golden Nugget downtown has a good spa, a renovated buffet, you're only a mile from the Vegas North Outlet shops, and Gordie Brown gets good reviews for his impressionist show. You can often find rooms in the $50 range midweek, and they are a step up from Harrah's. There may not be enough to do downtown for four-day stay if you don't drink and gamble, which is why you'd need to car to do an afternoon or evening on the Strip. And if you have the car, you can do other tours like the Valley of Fire or Hoover Dam.

 

Bally's is the strip option that best fits the budget. You may need to consider offstrip if you want some other options and not bust the budget. Orleans, South Point, Silverton and Rio may do the trick.

 

Thanks you all. Bally's it is, then.

 

You'll love Bally's...........i'll be there in the Spring comped.

 

Wallaby, unless you have already made up your mind I would consider flamingo. I've been reading up a lot of good reviews on it and the pool is suppossed to be very nice. It actually will probably be a few bucks cheaper than Bally's from the rates I found. Based on the feedback I've seen, this is where I am planning on staying a couple nights on my next trip out.

I would also consider staying at excalibur. It will be in you price range... even with the extra $15 a day resort fee. The resort fee gives you wired internet in the room and access to the fitness center (which you would have to pay extra for at the CET hotels). Alot of the rooms have been renovated and the beds are actually pretty comfy. The good thing if that its really close walking distance to NYNY, MGM, Monte Carlo and a quick free monorail ride to Mandalay or luxor. Plus there are alot of cheap quick dining places at excalibur too.
But if I were in your shoes I would keep an eye out for the package deals on the travel websites. Since you don't gamble, it doesnt matter that they can't comp your room if you book one of those packages. I've read some post about people finding the flight/hotel combo packages being cheaper or the same price than just booking the flight only.

 

If you want value for you $40 a night you might want to consider staying off strip. You could stay at the Orleans or Gold Coast for under $40 a night if you tell them you are a total rewards member and you'd like to switch to b-connected, they will give you a casino rate. Even downtown at the Main Street Station would give you better value than any place on the strip. I don't know how the stretch of CET props will be with all the renovations of Bills and LinQ. We're staying off strip for the first time this trip because of that and with Bill's and Oshea's closed there isn't many places to play $5 minimums on the strip.

 

Take a look at Planet Hollywood. I'm heading there in 4 days, and I've done extensive research before booking it. Seems like the rooms are great, and hotel/casino is directly on the mid strip, and there are no resort fees. I pay 56,50$ per night, tx in.

 

Wow thanks you all. I still love walking along the strip to I prefer hotels on the strip. Also, I really think the "no resort fee" of Caesar's properties help save a lot. I think I'm down to 4 places now. Flamingo, Bally's, Planet Hollywood, or back to Harrah's. Among these 4 places, am I correct to say that PH is probably the best? What about the other 3 (Flamingo, Ballys, Harrahs) - how would you rank them?

 

PHo caters to a different (younger, hipper) demographic than the other options you've mentioned. The price point is usually a step above the others.

Bally's is more laid back, but you'll see all ages and types of people there. I've had luck at the Flamingo, but it is very pink and not to everyone's taste. It does have the most active pool scene if that appeals to you.

In terms of food options, PHo offers a lot of great options nearby, and the buffet has the best reputation of the lot. Bally's also has several good dining options nearby. It's supposed to be very easy to get an upgrade to the newer North tower rooms there, though the cheaper South tower generally has better views.