Las Vegas Hotels on the Strip
There are many hotel choices in terms
of where to stay in Las Vegas but you cannot beat the
convenience of staying in one that is right next to the famous
Strip.
The Strip is also known as Las
Vegas Boulevard South, and is the area that folks usually
associate with Las Vegas. This is where most tourists spend
their time. It’s roughly 4 miles long and houses the most
elegant hotels in the area such as the Bellagio, the Venetian,
and the Mirage in addition to the just recently opened City
Center where you can find the Aria and the Vdara.
You can also find very good places to
stay that are next to the strip even if you are on a tight
budget, such as the Excalibur Hotel in the south, the Imperial
Palace Hotel in the center and the Stratosphere Hotel in the
northernmost part of the Strip.
You can think of the Strip as divided
into three main sections. The most popular section would be the
Center Strip where you have the Bellagio Hotel, the Mirage and
the Caesars Palace Hotel. The North Strip is where you
have the older hotels such as the Stratosphere Hotel and the
newly opened Encore and Wynn. The South Strip is where you have
the MGM Hotel, the Mandalay Bay Hotel, the Luxor, the Tropicana
and the Excalibur Hotel, to name a few.
The North Strip is a little bit ghetto
but it does get better as you walk towards the Center Strip.
Since the whole Strip is barely 4 miles, you can really walk
the whole length and enjoy yourself especially in the cooler
months.
Map of the Las Vegas Strip
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So where are the best Las Vegas Hotels on the Strip?
There are so many but here are some
options with the rack rates provided to give you an idea on the
cost and where each hotel falls in the spectrum. Remember that
rack rates are similar to msrp. Nobody pays msrp unless you did
not do the research or advanced planning and happen to just
walk in from the street to check-in. The rates you will
actually pay will vary a lot depending on the season and even
days of the week. A room that might go for $70 per day on a
Wednesday might go for $300 per day on the weekend. As always,
leverage the web to do your cost research and rate comparisons,
and you are good to go.
Circus Circus
Location:
North Strip
Rack Rate: $50+
This is an ideal choice if you are on a budget and would like
to be next to the Strip and more important, if you are
traveling with the young ones. This is one of the few hotels on
the strip that you might say is still kid-friendly. As the name
of the hotel implies, the theme is carnival and circus, so you
have tons of arcade games and circus acts such as jugglers and
trapeze artists to keep the kids amused. There is also an
aerial tramway, an indoor theme park and several pools to keep
the kids busy. Don’t expect much in terms of the rooms and its
amenities, just remember that you are right on the Strip with
all other major attractions close by, and you are paying
bargain basement pricing for you room.
Stratosphere Hotel Las
Vegas
Location: North Strip
Rack Rate: $50+
The main attraction to staying here would be the Stratosphere
Tower with its stunning 360-degrees view of Las Vegas. Thrill
rides at the top of the Tower can keep your teenagers
entertained. A wedding chapel is also on the premises. The
Tower itself does not house the hotel rooms so don’t expect the
spectacular views in your rooms. Room rates are great if you
are really on a tight budget. The hotel also has a casino, a
pool and a shopping arcade. The neighborhood is a bit dingy and
really far from the Center Strip where most of the attractions
are. On the positive side, the monorail’s last stop is right
next door so you can always get an all day pass to get to
anywhere on the Strip.
The Bellagio
Hotel
Location: Center Strip
Rack Rate: $160+
The Bellagio Hotel sets the standard on the Strip and is one of
the most elegant and luxurious hotel you can find here. It has
great restaurants such as Michael Mina, Osteria del Circo and
Le Cirque on the high end and the famous Bellagio Buffet for
the rest of us middle class folks. It even has an art gallery
with Picassos! The lobby is gorgeous with its multi-colored
glass sculptures and a conservatory of plants and flowers that
gets changed to reflect the seasons of the year. Right outside
is a 12-acre lake that is host to the fabulous dancing
fountains which is one of the classiest production numbers in
town. It’s free so don’t miss it.
Bally’s
Hotel Las Vegas
Location: Center
Strip
Rack Rate: $90+
Great location but a little bit boring by Strip standards.
Outside of having the best topless show on the strip, there is
not much that distinguishes Bally’s from the competition.
Pricing, oversized rooms and great central location are its
main draw. It has a moving-sidewalk, similar to ones you see at
airports, and it takes you from the Strip into the hotel.
Connected right next door through a covered walkway is the
Paris Las Vegas Hotel.
Caesars Palace
Location:
Center Strip
Rack Rate: $120+
The Caesars Palace is almost in the same league as the
Bellagio, especially after recent renovations of more than $2
billion dollars were completed. The Roman theme still sets the
tone for the entire facility, with its statues and marble
columns and even employees wearing togas! The rooms are huge
especially those in the new towers, with some equipped with
sunken tubs in the middle of the room. The new Colosseum houses
major attractions such as Celine Dion, Cher, Elton John and
other artists. And for those who cannot get enough shopping,
there is the Forum Shopping area which is an attraction by
itself with its famous name stores, its authentic reproduction
of an Italian street and other famous attractions you can find
in Rome such as the Trevi Fountain. Excellent restaurants such
as the Spago and the Palm can also be found here.
The
Mirage
Location: Center
Strip
Rack Rate: $110+
This is the one that set the standard for mega resorts on the
Strip. It’s hard to miss. It’s the one with that lava-spewing
volcano right in front of it. The hotel is impressive as soon
as you check-in at the lobby and you see that humongous 200,000
gallon aquarium behind the reception desk. It gets better as
you walk past an indoor rain forest, waterfalls and waterslides
and even a Dolphin Habitat where you can play with the
dolphins. The rooms are oversized especially the high floors.
The restaurant selection is good with Japonais, Onda Ristorante
and Kokomo’s on the high end. The Mirage Buffet is just average
compared to the Bellagio and Wynn’s. For entertainment, you can
always watch Love by Cirque du Soleil or Terry Fator who
performs here regularly.
Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall &
Saloon
Location: Center Strip
Rack Rate: $50+
Yet another choice for you bargain hunters. It’s a small
facility with only 200 rooms, it’s no frills, not even a
swimming pool, but it’s right smack in the center of the Strip
where all the action is. Since its small, the staff is
friendlier than what you may find in the fancier mega resorts.
Rooms are also clean and well maintained.
Harrah’s Las
Vegas
Location: Center Strip
Rack Rate: $75+
For a few more dollars than what Bill’s Gamblin Saloon charges,
it gets you into Harrah’s. It’s also on the Center Strip and
the theme is carnival. It has not been renovated in a while but
the rooms are large and well maintained. Gym and pool
facilities are good. Restaurants are forgettable but you can
always walk out to the Strip for better choices. Best thing
about the hotel is its Center Strip location and the low
Holiday Inn type rates.
Flamingo Hotel Las
Vegas
Location: Center Strip
Rack Rate: $80+
This evokes the Vegas of the old days in terms of the blaring
neon lights outside and a wedding chapel inside. The theme is
art deco, there is a nice pool with waterslides for the kids
and a spa area for you so you can unwind. The rooms have been
recently renovated and tennis facilities are available for a
good workout. Restaurants are forgettable, but the great
location and the price should make this to the top of your
list.
Four
Seasons Hotel Las
Vegas
Location: South Strip
Rack Rate: $400+
This is the epitome of class and is truly the most luxurious
and elegant place you can stay in at the Strip. It’s all the
way down to the South of the Strip and is very low key. The
hotel is relatively small with only 400 rooms. It is connected
to the Mandalay Bay by a covered walkway and is a perfect place
if you want to take a break from the hectic pace of the Las
Vegas Strip. It is extremely pricey but worth it. If you have
stayed at other Four Seasons, expect the same pampering from
the hotel staff! There is no casino in the hotel so the noise
and the bustle is thankfully absent. There is the Charlie
Palmer Steak restaurant on the premises if you are in the mood
for an excellent meal. Your rack rate also includes use of
their health club and spa facilities.
Luxor
Hotel Las
Vegas
Location: South
Strip
Rack Rate: $65+
This is the 30-stories glass covered pyramid with the Sphinx in
front that you see right next to the Mandalay Bay Hotel. The
theme used to be Egyptian-centric but the last renovation has
made the interiors a little bit more generic and boring. Rooms
inside the pyramid still have those sloped walls and the
elevators that ride at an angle are still there. Attractions
include the magician Criss Angel, the Titanic artifacts and the
Bodies Exhibit. A monorail connects you to the Manday Bay Hotel
and the Excalibur. Location is ideal and the pricing is
average.
Mandalay Bay
Hotel Las
Vegas
Location: South Strip
Rack Rate: $100+
The Mandalay Bay Hotel is right next to the Luxor. It has more
than 3,000 rooms, it’s kid-friendly, and has the best pool area
in all of Vegas, with its wave pool and even a lazy river! Main
attractions include the Shark Reef where you can see these
creatures up close, the House of Blues where great bands play
when they are in town, and the Lion King show for the kids.
There are also really good restaurants inside the hotel
including the Trattoria del Lupo by Wolfgang Puck, the Fleur de
Lys and Charlie Palmers Aureole. There is a monorail that
connects the Mandalay Bay to the Luxor and a walkway that
connects it to the Four Seasons next door. Rooms are larger
than usual for Vegas with sunken tubs on some of them. Room
rates are average.
Excalibur
Hotel Las
Vegas
Location: South
Strip
Rack Rate: $50+
A bargain hunter’s delight also. The theme is medieval with its
castle facade and even a moat with a drawbridge. It has more
than 4,000 rooms and a few restaurants and food court on the
premises. It used to be more kid friendly in the past but is
now catering to a more adult clientele with shows like Thunder
from Down Under (it’s a male striptease, Chippendale type
show). Kids can still enjoy the swimming pools and waterslides.
It’s a little bit of a walk to get to the Center Strip but
walkways connect you to nearby hotels so you do not have to
cross the highways. A monorail also connects you to the Luxor
and Mandalay Bay Hotel. Rooms are average, crowd is a little
bit blue collar. Main attraction is the location and the room
rates.
MGM Grand Hotel Las
Vegas
Location: South Strip
Rack Rate: $95+
This hotel is huge and the casino floor space is one of the
biggest in the world. The theme is of course the movies, so
rooms are decorated accordingly. The main attraction is the
pool area which covers acres and acres of water space that the
kids can have fun in the summer months, including a lazy river
similar to that of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Restaurants are nice
with a line up that includes Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Emeril
Legasse’s New Orleans Fish House and Joel Robucohn’s Mansion.
Entertainment-wise, you can watch David Copperfield when he
performs. The monorail which goes all the way to the
Stratosphere Hotel north of the Strip, starts here.
The above list is but a few available if you are looking
for Las Vegas hotels on the strip. It's a very good
starting point and we will add more choices in the
future as we find great vacation values for you.
Enjoy!
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