FWIIW, the Tuscany is a pretty decent value if you have a rental car or don't mind taking a short cab ride to the strip.

Never stayed at the lower rooms, so can't speak to using the stairs. But the elevators there are not bad at all.

However, you have a fab deluxe room which will probably be in the northwest part of the hotel. So you will have to use the elevators that are down a concourse the furthest from the casino. Still not that far of a walk though.

And yes, to get to Caesars, exit southwest out of the casino, go south on the sidewalk and cross Las Vegas Blvd. at the sky bridge. Takes me less than 10 mins and I am old. YMMV when drunk.

Yes, or even if you have two legs. Literally a 6 minute walk to Bally's sportsbook.

this. its pretty absurd to take a cab from tuscany to ballys.

Thinking about heading down in a week or two for three or four days during the week (avoiding the V-day rush). I haven't been to Vegas since 2000, so any firsthand knowledge is perhaps slightly outdated.

Mostly going to play 2/5NL poker, maybe some table games. Budget isn't critical but I hate to spew money (do enough of that at the tables) so trying to be frugal. Going solo. I'm picky about cleanliness and smells, but not much else. I'm trying to avoid having a car, and I don't mind walking.

I'm having a hard time coming up with a better option than the Venetian, which is a little pricier than I'd like and plusher than I need. With resort fee & tax it comes to $170 a night for the poker rate.

I was looking at TI, but seems that a lot of people complain about smoke, and I hate smoke.

Vdara/Aria seem a little too hoity-toity, there's no water pressure in the shower and the food looks pretentious and expensive. Aria's got stuff on their cafe menu that I don't even know what it is. Lola Rosa, is that food, I thought it was a stripper and the maid?

Trump is far, but it's only $77 for a secret rate (net of about $115) on Hotwire. Walk during the day, but maybe a cab at night. I guess I could try Mirage ($135 net, Hotwire standard rate). Wynn is more expensive and doesn't seem better for me.

Looking at a March/April trip and booking with expedia I can get 6 nights at Vdara for £415 ($680) if I get my flight from them too. Booking direct I can get:

Go room at Flamingo $581 + tax
North tower at Ballys $434 + tax

Stayed at Bally's last time which was fine but going through their casino was a bit of a grind and I now see they're demolishing the front so could be even more of a chore. I expect to play most at Mirage/V so these are all a bit of a walk but from memory Vdara isn't *that* much further South?

Am I overthinking this? Is the EV of staying at Vdara much greater than the ~$200 saving.

Also, anybody know what's happening weekend of 22/23 March? Low end CET properties are wanting $250 min each of those nights. Think I will need to get on the V poker rate the first weekend of my trip. Though I could just as easily book Vdara the first 4 nights for $600 (and not have the pressure of 24 hours poker at the V to get through) then go with Ballys/Flamingo for 6 nights when I get back from Utah.

Any thoughts?

Telling that to a woman who doesn't want to walk alone at night could get dicey.

It all depends on what your priorities are. It is tough to beat Flamingo or Bally's for the location and value, or even Harrah's. They are definitely not fancy digs, but definitely are serviceable. Affordable food options are everywhere near or at all three properties.

Saving $35 per night at Mirage vs Venetian is significant perhaps because you aren't locked into having to play 6 hours per day at the V. Eating at Mirage isn't cheap, bit there are cheap options across the street.

Venetian's poker room is nice and all, but there are other rooms on the strip that you may also want to give action to.

For $170 out the door, the Venetian/Palazzo rooms are very hard to beat--they are big, nice, and luxurious for standard rooms. As far as Wynn goes, more of the same and it is tough to compare them with any other standard rooms but the V/P.

Trump is a great value, but it is a haul to get anywhere south of Mirage or Venetian. Bring good shoes if you chose this option.

Aria/Vdara is just across the street from affordable food options. Vdara rooms have kitchen spaces if that is something you would use, and it also straddles Bellagio and Aria's poker room locations--two of the three best rooms on the strip.

Good luck on your trip!

Now that reports say that the $20 trick is working at the Flamingo again, what room should I ask/hope for? Right now booked in the Fab Deluxe.

I'd look closest at Mirage if you don't want to do Venetian/Palazzo. It's a B+, which seems to be what you're looking for. Don't book Hotwire, it should be the same price or better directly from Mirage (and cheaper if you have MLife).

I am about 1/4 at the Flamingo. Unsuccessful days have been really busy though.

Shoot for the mini suite. IMO

Looks like Mirage is a good bet if I go next week, but the week of the 16th they are all booked up. Looks like there's one giant and two medium-sized conventions going on that week, so everything is expensive, but settles back down the week of the 23rd.

That's one good thing about Venetian, the poker room rate makes the pricing stable except at the peakiest of peak times.

I know the Venetian poker rate only works on the Luxury and Bella suites, but does it matter if you book one with a view?

Hotwire price at Mirage is a couple of bucks cheaper, but if you book direct they throw in a $50 meal credit and maybe an upgrade that you likely won't get with Hotwire, so it does seem better to book direct.

We're coming in about 8 on a Sunday night and their prices keep dropping, so I'm hoping that means they're gonna be slow.

Heading to LV in a few weeks and was debating between corner suite or tower suite at Aria. Any thoughts?

Aria has a couple of good deals posted on their Facebook page, you should start there. I booked one that gets you 15% off, view upgrade and $50 per day in dining credit sun-thu. There are others out there you may like better.

Basically the same. I'd go corner though, I like angles.

Not really a hotel question and not exactly LV either bit regarding car rental from LAX does anyone have any advice?

I've read some reviews from people saying its an absolute nightmare with some dealers (ie. Thrifty, Dollar, Hertz) with massive waiting times (like hours and hours) to get your car.

Anyone have any experiences or advice?

Check in online and proceed straight to car when you arrive at car rental center

Avoid Enterprise like the plague. They do "not exactly" honor reservations.

As I understand the cars aren't kept at LAX. They put you on a shuttle bus I'm told. Is this correct? If so how do you do what you are saying?

Many airports do that. Doesn't change how you check in.

Does it make sense to book hotel room the day before your stay or the day you arrive?

I'm looking at the price of the quad in May and the average price is 76/day. But when I look at price for tonight or tomorrow it's 22 dollars a night.

In May would the price be lower as they try to fill empty rooms last minute?

What time in May? Late May is WSOP/VDSE time/summer time in general. All hotels will be charging a premium.

You could always bid your own price in Priceline if you really want to cut cost and stay on the strip.

Why pay $76 per night ( plus resort fees?) to stay at The Quad when you can do better with minimal effort?

LVA has been way more helpful than orbitz for finding rooms. Also, prices dropped significantly since my initial booking and one phone call got me the better price. So I'd say book now and ask for a lower price later.