Mandalay is a lovely hotel but a long way to mid-strip. Did three nights there last year and was sick of the walk by the end - trams don't really cut much, if any, time off.

The tram at Mandalay Bay only goes to Luxor and Excal - the other two Circus Circus hotels that were built in the same timeframe.

BTW, as long as you're looking at Delano, might as well look at Four Seasons too.

Venetian has great pools and a lot of them. The main pool is next to Tao Beach which is noisy with dance music. I like that vibe but some don't. The smaller pools are less busy but the Main Pool is always packed.

At the V you also get access to the Palazzo pool complex which are also very good but again busy

One of the reasons I stay at the V is the pool system there so I don't think she'll be disappointed unless she wants quiet and deserted in which case it's not for you

Always thought the pools at Venetian were the place's weakest link. Basically a glorified concrete deck.

Pool at Mandalay (and Delano) will be the best of the bunch, but yes it is also most likely to draw more families and it's a haul to get anywhere (will have to travel by car). If you don't want to do Aria again I'd do Bellagio- which has a great pool that will probably be more sedate- but the rooms there won't impress the wife (unless you're in a suite).

Thank you for the great feedback! I appreciate it - especially the pool reviews. You can find out where she picks in my TR! Cruel of me to keep you in such suspense.

Playing the Wynn Summer Classic NHL Championship first week in July. Going solo and not wanting to pay going rate at the Wynn. Looking for a reasonable, but nice hotel near by. In past Vegas trips I've stayed at Mandalay Bay and Aria (loved Aria). How would Treasure Island by as a place to crash after playing at the Wynn?

It's just kitty corner away. Nice place.

TI exactly what you're looking for

I second the above posts. It was approximately a 5 minute walk for me last year, but there was construction and I'd never been to the new Wynn room before, so ymmv. Room was great, $20'd into a nice strip view up high.

Debating where to stay for 3 days. Work has me in Mandalay bay, but I need to fill the weekend before.

Here are some of the cheaper options i'm seeing on priceline/smartervegas:

Prices below use priceline express and include resort fees:

mid-strip:
- $294 harrahs
- $320 ballys

south strip (closer to my work hotel)
- $303 luxor
- $343 for a 4* (would be mandalay, nyny, tropicana, or monte carlo)

I could also lock in NYNY for $380 or so.

Normally I'd stay at Mirage or TI for the $$$, but was thinking it might be more convenient to be close to my work hotel when I check out.

I'll be in a nice hotel for a week so don't mind going lower end for these few days.

NYNY and Monte Carlo may be called 4* but they aren't comparable to Mandalay Bay, imo. The cheapest rooms at NYNY are tiny. Trying to be authentic maybe? lol

If you need to get to MB cheap, those CET mid-Strip hotels have monorail stops, although from what people have been saying about uberlyft, it's a much shorter walk than from the MGM stop for not much more money.

Those prices seem pretty high. Have you checked on the hotel websites themselves? Prices always cheaper ime

Yeah, that seems really high for both Harrah's and Bally's. That being said, I get CET rooms for free most of the time, and choose to stay at Harrah's over all of them, including Caesar's (unless I'm trying to impress someone). I think the Harrah's rooms are very, very close in quality to the Caesar's standard rooms, and much more convenient (I hate maneuvering around Caesar's).

This is not a good reason. I mean, if you are going to drag luggage down the strip, OK, but otherwise, stay someplace interesting and then move when you have to move, with a vehicle involved somehow.

True, good point.

At this point I'll prob just bid on one of the cheapest mid-strip places.

BTW, the prices above were all for 3 nights including resort fees over a weekend (fri/sat/sun), so an average of 65/night + taxes + resort fees basically.

When I was checking in, a guy was at the desk explaining his room got robbed. He was dumb enough to leave his ID in there. Don't leave anything in your room that you really need to have.

Yikes.

I leave some cash, 1/2 my credit cards and my concealed handgun license in the safe (even though I obviously don't have my weapon). I figure if my wallet gets stolen or lost, I've at least got cash, cards and state issued ID as a backup. I know safes aren't the safest but I figure splitting my stuff up is best.

Well yeah, I'm leaving my passport in my hotel safe every time - must be safer than carrying it with me?

safe is fine imo

Played WSOP event. Stayed at Hard Rock for 3 nights. Got a cheaper rate Sat - Tue. Resort fee is $35. Oddly it was still cheaper then strip hotels with all the taxes and fees. Room was pretty nice. Got the original Casino tower room with the open window doors.

Casino has had some changes over the years. The gaming floor is way different and they no loner made it a deep pit to the bar in the center. Man this place was quiet. I know the pool parties in the summertime get large, but I thought the casino floor wasnt very crowded at any times. Used a good Lyft promo to get $5 rides. Worked out well for the short trip.

It is tricky trying to figure out what rooms to stay at now. I will be at Mandalay Bay for a work conference in a few weeks.

If you're able to use a foreign DL as ID for entering events, etc I would check with the main cage and ask for a hotel box. If you don't need constant access, stash it there. After I saw that victim, I split up my cash and put half in my car.

Hotel room safe? That's the last place I would keep something valuable.

Hi,

I have a room reserved at Aria for a long weekend during the WSOP, but I just saw that I can get a cheaper rate at Vdara, which I've wanted to try. Anyone have a recommendation which to choose at Vdara - the Studio Suite or the Studio Parlor Suite?

Thanks.

Both have the same square footage, it's just the way they are laid out. The parlor suite will have a divider between the bed and your living area. The couch is a sofa bed, if you have someone sleeping on it you can pay a little bit more for the parlor but with just you then it's really not going to make a difference (you'll probably seem little more cramped in the parlor anyway)

If you were going to travel back-and-forth from the Rio, Vdara will be easier to grab an Uber (to the left of the taxi cab stand). Vice Versa in the hotel lobby has decent breakfast options-weekends only, in addition to the lobby café.

VDara is great if you are not looking for a full-service casino and multiple restaurants in your lobby and want easy access in and out of the hotel. The walk to Aria is minimal and there's also a back entrance to the Bellagio.

Thanks! This is really helpful. I'll have a car and I know I'll have to self-park in the Aria lot, but that doesn't seem like too big a deal for me.

Thanks again.

You can't go wrong with either place. It just depends on what you prefer more. Vdara is completely non-smoking, which is great if you're not a smoker. It's also not as loud or busy as Aria. It's right in between Aria, Bellagio, and the Cosmo, which makes walking to any of them easy.