Married Vegas rookies? My bet is that you will either be having so much fun you will never notice what day it is (so stay the cheaper days of Sun-Fri) or you will be kinda burned out on the last day of the trip and ready to roll home (so stay the cheaper days of Sun-Fri).

Can anyone recommend the best hotel close to the strip for about 1000$ for 10-14 nights.
Was recommended Stratophere but heard it was far from the strip?

Stratosphere is too far. You'll end up spending whatever you save on the room in cab fare. Have a look at the Tuscany. Much nicer and better location.

That sectional couch is a pullout too (at least for some rooms if not all).

The way I'm agonizing over a hotel you wouldn't want to see me tank in a hand :-)

Since we moved dates to Sun-Fri a lot more options opened up...

Rank 'em, experts! (easy access to everything, good pool)
Flamingo
Ballys
Monte Carlo
Tropicana
Treasure Island

For "off strip" if we decide to rent a car, Tuscany, Rio, Orleans, opinions? Any other ones we should consider?

I hate that Tuscany is becoming popular... such a 'hidden' gem. I've stayed there multiple times and have nothing negative to say. Big rooms, refrigerator, good restaurant, and the walk to the food court/sportsbook at Ballys is literally 5 minutes.

Jumping into this thread to plug Harrah's. Harrah's has been my go-to for a while as the perfect non-luxury, not dumpy hotel to stay at and my trip last weekend did nothing to change. Fantastic location, easy to get to rooms (as opposed to Flamingo), clean, comfortable.

I'll rerank them for you in different categories. Leaving out the off-strip stuff since I don't think any Vegas rookies should stay off-strip.

Location:
Treasure Island
Flamingo
Bally's
Monte Carlo
Trop

Pool:
Flamingo
Trop
Monte Carlo
no idea

Room:
Haven't stayed at all recently, but I'd say the differences are marginal.

For Sun-Thurs (four nights) March 23-27. Prices are from Orbitz.com and assume you book a flight with them. I would compare prices to Expedia and other online travel agents (OTAs), as different OTAs have different deals with different hotels.

Bally's ------------------- $384 + 72 resort fee
Flamingo ----------------- 403 + 72
Tropicana ---------------- 314 + 79
Monte Carlo -------------- 385 + 80
TI ------------------------- 328 + 100
Rio ------------------------ 256 + 80
Orleans ------------------- 169 + 39
Tuscany ------------------ 145 + 68

And two more which would be on top of my list:

Hilton Grand Vacation Suites on the Las Vegas Strip -- 333 + zero

Platinum -------------------------------------------------- 403 + zero

The Hilton should be considered off strip as it is up near Sahara and you will want a car. But they charge $8 per day for parking.

The Platinum is next to the Tuscany and you will have to walk by it if you walk to the strip from the Tuscany. They also have an indoor swimming pool, which I assume is open year round. Also, their outdoor swimming pool is heated which might mean they open it earlier in the season than other hotels.

The Hilton rooms have a kitchenette, which includes a refrigerator. The Platinum rooms have a full kitchen. Also, customers on the OTAs rate these two hotels higher than the ones on your list.

Finally, the rooms at the Platinum are about 950 square feet, more than double most other rooms.

Or, you know, just go to the hotel websites and book directly where it's either the same price or cheaper.

FIFY

Same time period:

Tuscany: Direct-- 156+, Expedia-- 195+, Orbitz-- 145+

Hilton Grand LVB: Direct (paid in advance)-- 336, Expedia-- 265, Orbitz--333

Platinum: Direct-- 532 (AAA), Expedia-- 488, Orbitz-- 403

Most of the others on the list were cheaper booked directly with discount codes which are available on LV Trip Advisor. And I'm sure there may be other places to find even better rates in some cases.

Thanks for the help, everybody.

Booked 3 nights at the Flamingo with LVA discount (huge drop in price over the last couple days) and doing the last night at the Golden Nugget because, hey, why not.

Does anyone know--if you book via Total Rewards and the price goes down even further, do they honor the lower price?

What are the good shows to check out?

Last, any thoughts on renting a car vs. cab? We were thinking we might want to rent one to go do something away from the Strip, maybe on the day we move to the Nugget, or the day after before we catch our red eye, but I'm guessing we won't bother.

::brag:: I made more money playing cards last night than this trip is costing us. PoppaLarge, Budget Nit Por Vida.

What's a good hotel to take a girl that has really good spas and other girly stuff?

$150-$300/night price range.

aria, bellagio, cosmo, wynncore

If you book through the hotel website (or totalrewards website) you can always just cancel and rebook with lower price.

I've always rented a car when in Vegas, much more convenient imo and if you would need to use cab daily, the price difference is neglible.

Just call them when you see a price drop and they will rebook you with the lower price (or at least a reasonable clerk will.)

Personally I like not having a car. So I only rent one if I have plans to leave the strip. Walking is good exercise and sort of fun in LV ( with mild weather) there is lots to see, particular crazy people. If you get to hot (or to cold) just enter the nearest Casino.

The Flamingo where you have booked has an interesting history. In the center there is a quiet garden which is nice to be in when you want a break from the noise. There is a chapel in the middle of it and entrance to one of the pools, flamingos, coy other birds, walking paths etc. I think many people are unaware of this hidden quiet rest place.

Has anyone under 25 ever rented a car in Vegas? I'll be there a few weeks before my 25th bday and would like to venture out to sight-see for a day.

Can be done:

1) If you are in the military

2) If you can show you're renting the car for work. A good story will sometimes work. "We're here for the sewer-pipe convention and my boss told me to rent a car."

3) Depending on the company. Try Hotwire, Orbitz, Costco or AAA (if you're a member of Costco or AAA) and check the under-25 box.

4) Try off-airport locations which might be independently owned and which might have their own rules -- and which certainly are much cheaper (not being subject to 50% airport tax) (you can usually return the car to the airport for free and without paying the tax).

5) Dress and act reasonably nicely.

Avoid squirrely companies like Fox/Advantage

Just rent from Enterprise

Thank you both. It looks like Enterprise simply charges a $15 fee, I'll go with them.

Thanks for all the tips, guys.

Is AVP the best, most accurate resource for learning about rake/comps/cashback for different rooms?

not sure how up to date all the info is. use the bravo app.

Not seeing rake details on Bravo, except for Palms (because that's their selling point).

What rooms offer the cashback in addition to the regular comp programs?

is the excalibur ok? on a budget but will pay a little more if its really that bad

Are prices comparable to Quad? If so, Quad has a much better location on the strip.