Where to Pay Too Much for a Hotel Room

When you are deciding where you want to stay while you are in Las Vegas there are several things you have to take into account. Mike is big on what the proximity is to the closest strip club, but most important are Price, Location, and Expectations.

PRICE Weekdays are cheaper than weekends, so that's where they get you. Weekdays are about 1/3 the price of a weekend, but all the action is on the weekend, so what to do? Do your research! Sometimes you can find really great weekend prices offered directly from the hotel/casino's website that aren't even on Travelocity or Expedia. We've found great deals at New York, New York & the Tropicana. These are both legit hotels that place you right on the strip.

LOCATION Speaking of right on the strip, why would you want to stay anywhere else. Taxis cost like $50 a mile so staying off of the strip can be disasterous. Instead of taking the taxi, take the bus. It's $2 a person and takes you from the beginning of the strip all the way down to Old Las Vegas. Believe us, your feet will thank you after a couple days of walking from the MGM Grand to the Riviera. Also, don't be fooled by some casinos like Circus Circus or the Riviera who claim to be in the Heart of the Strip. Yeah, maybe geographically, but all of the action is down on towards the southern end of the strip. These dives are all by themselves and we'd only suggest staying at one of them if you are on a serious budget.

Which leads us finally to EXPECTATIONS. If you see a hotel that is $29 a night, expect a bed, shower, and toilet, (and probably bed bugs) because that's all you're getting. Like anywhere else, you only get what you pay for. If you want a first rate treatment you have to stay at one of the marquee hotels like the Bellagio, Venetian, or the Palms. More reasonable hotels that still have a little bling factor to them are the Paris, MGM, or Mirage. Budget conscious travelers would do well to try the Tropicana or Excalibur, as they are in good locations as well. The newer the hotel the more expensive. And unfortunately, O'Shea's is only a casino. There's no rooms to be had at the end of the rainbow.

Here's our reviews of a couple of the Las Vegas hotels we've stayed in:

HARRAH'S This is a pretty good hotel experience. It's not the newest of the casinos, but the rooms are pretty nice and the steakhouse is top notch. The one complaint I would have is that their desk people did not know who was in what room as when I checked in there was some guy's stuff already in there. Of course I complained and got a free upgrade. Cha-ching.

PARIS This is a pretty fancy hotel. It's not at the level of the Bellagio or Venetian, but it's rather new and the accomodations are quite nice. Our bathroom had a glass shower and fancy french-like toiletries. Big, clean bed, and sitting area with desk. There's a tram that will take you from the Paris/Bally's to the MGM, so that adds to the convenience factor.

TROPICANA The only reason why we stayed here is because we got married here and they had a great deal. The place is old as dirt and there are two types of rooms. Rooms in the tower and rooms in the garden. Garden rooms are ghetto, don't stay in them unless it is the last room available in Las Vegas. We stayed in a tower room and it was outdated, but fun. There was tons of bamboo trim on the bed and dressers and mirrors everwhere, which made our wedding night fun. It is old Las Vegas.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK They must import their desk people from NYC because they suck and have an attitude to boot. They would not let K.C. check in by herself (and it wasn't because they thought she was 13 years old). Nonsense!!! Once it was squared away, the hotel is very nice if you like art deco and cornfield mazes. It takes you FOREVER to find your room through twisting and turning hallways. However, the rooms are nice and the beds are the most comfortable in town so it is a worthwhile stay. One note is that if you are a light sleeper, this may not be the place for you because there's a roller coaster that rumbles by the rooms every couple minutes. On the flip side, there's also a dueling pianos bar that is fun...at least with a couple drinks in ya!

TREASURE ISLAND Arrgh Matey! This hotel is simple. There's not a whole lot going on with the rooms. They are clean but small, so don't bring a lot of clothes with you. Also there's a pirate show at night which can be loud, so if that bothers you get a room facing the back, not facing the strip. It does have a tram that takes you to the Mirage (for those of you who cannot walk the 20 feet). It is also in a very good area, close to the afformentioned Mirage as well as the Venetian and Caesars. In all, a good, affordable option.

ALADDIN We stayed at the Aladdin on our most recent trip. Being that it was recently renovated and has a really good location on the Strip, we figured we'd give it a shot. First off, we did have some issues checking in. Probably not the Aladdin's fault, moreso Travelocity forgetting to send over our reservations. Anyway, the Aladdin gave us somewhat of a room upgrade for our troubles, a Strip facing room overlooking the Bellagio fountains and the Eiffel Tower at the Paris. The room was nice, new but not as big as at Paris, but still very well kept. And the shopping was insane! The Desert Passage Shops seem to have more shops than at Caesars! K.C. could not leave the Sephora alone, while Mike's thoughts kept drifting to Blondie's Sports Bar for some football!

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