Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

We are on a budget. and of course she wants to see some shows and i want to play poker. we looked last night and circus circus has the best deal. what is the opinoin on this card room and what would you suggest is the best bang for the buck on the strip. thanks for any help.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

I LOVE the Flamingo. Great beginner's poker room, great location, and great rates.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Stay at the Gold Spike. I hear its super clean and all-around AWESOME.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Circus is old & nasty, cardroom too. Lot's of children running around hotel, trailer park in the parking lot. Stay away from this place.

Best bang for the buck strip experience, in my opinion, is the MONTE CARLO. For probably $40-$60 more than circus, you're in a quality high-end but not overpriced strip property with very nice rooms, location, casino, food choices etc. It has a decent poker room but if you don't like it, there are others nearby.

Don't spend a special occasion like that in Circus Circus. Ick.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

I also vote Flamingo. Decent and clean and right across the street from the Bell, Ceasars and steps away from the Mirage.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Circus Circus is a pit, esp. the Manor rooms. I can't believe I made it out of there without any diseases. If you can avoid staying there you will already be a winner.

If you are looking for something fairly inexpensive you might look at the Stardust. For some reason I kinda like this hotel. Nothing too amazing but it is decent and has a cool semi-old school vibe to it. It is also within easy walking distance to the Fashion Show mall for your wife and the Wynn poker room for you. The poker room at the Stardust isn't anything special. Just some low limit games filled with locals.

If you are looking for a step up from there I would suggest Harrah's or the Flamingo. Both are good hotels in good locations.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

[ QUOTE ]
Circus is old & nasty, cardroom too. Lot's of children running around hotel, trailer park in the parking lot. Stay away from this place.

Best bang for the buck strip experience, in my opinion, is the MONTE CARLO. For probably $40-$60 more than circus, you're in a quality high-end but not overpriced strip property with very nice rooms, location, casino, food choices etc. It has a decent poker room but if you don't like it, there are others nearby.

Don't spend a special occasion like that in Circus Circus. Ick.

[/ QUOTE ]

Its been a couple years since I've been there and I don't recall what pricing looks like, but I second the Monte Carlo. Great location (do they still have the tram that runs to the Bellagio).

ALSO... My wife tells me that their SPA is FANTASTIC!!! It is an excellent trade off of time (sweetie, you go to the spa for a few hours, get a massage, enjoy the amenities and I'll play poker for a while. Call me when you get back to the room and I'll come up and ....)

~FishNChips

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Circus Circus is a truly awful place. It has ONE redeeming quality, and that is the steakhouse there. You should try to stay anywhere but Circus Circus, especially because you're coming with your wife.

As others have stated, check out Monte Carlo, it is a quality mid-level hotel. You might also consider Bally's, Harrah's, or Flamingo (in that order).

If you're dead set on getting the cheapest room possible, then check out the Imperial Palace. The rooms are old and unimpressive, but the casino is cheap and fun. Plus the poker players there are terrible.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Thank everyone for the response. my wife was excited to hear that we got feedback. i do want this to be nice. anyone else that has feedback will be appreciated.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

aslo i should ad we want to stay on the strip. since this is our first time.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

by the way....

congrats on finding a wife that wants to go to Vegas for a 1yr anniversary and is willing to let you play poker during the trip. Congrats on the 1yr ann... may there be many more!

FishNChips

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Imperial Palace might not be a bad idea if you are working with a budget. I stayed there a year ago and it wasn't fancy but was just fine. It's in a great location and we did have fun in the poker room there as well! My son and his girlfriend also had a room there that had a big tub/jacuzzi and that looked like it would have been fun [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] and was very reasonably priced. I actually think they might have just upgraded them to that room at checkin when they told the person at the desk that they were there for his birthday but I am not 100% sure on that!

Congrats on 1 year! Next month my wife and I hit 16 years. Seems like forever, I mean like we were just married yesterday! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Another vote for the venerable ol' Stardust. I stayed there with the wife and we got a "hottub room". It is kinda like a standard room but instead it has a see thru bathroom set up with a hottub in the middle. Be sure and request a strip side room.

It's no Bellagio, but it's inexpensive and not too shabby. I believe the movie "Casino" was about this place.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

[ QUOTE ]
I also vote Flamingo. Decent and clean and right across the street from the Bell, Ceasars and steps away from the Mirage.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

[ QUOTE ]
If you're dead set on getting the cheapest room possible, then check out the Imperial Palace. The rooms are old and unimpressive, but the casino is cheap and fun. Plus the poker players there are terrible.

[/ QUOTE ]

IP would def be okay place to stay on a budget, just please don't eat there! the food is horrible.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Loved the "Money" Carlo when we stayed there 2 yrs ago and the wife would second the spa review earlier. Also had good luck there, hence the nickname. Got a great rate at the Mirage this December. It was good, but we preferred the MC.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Another vote for the Monte Carlo here. There's a tram that runs to the Bellagio 24 hours a day ... which is quite handy, not just for going to the Bellagio, but if you want to go to the Aladdin (which you should do for the Spice Market Buffet) or the Venetian, etc.

Also, the brewpub at the Monte Carlo was excellent, IMO.

I enjoyed the poker room, though if I recall correctly, it's a bit cramped. But the games were fine. It's a nonsmoking room as well, if that matters to you.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Got a great rate in May at both Bally's and Flamingo (both were cheaper than MC) not I am just deciding between them.
Both seem like greaet choices based on location.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

I'm booking soon for my wife and myself for the last weekend in February and Paris seems like a good deal. How's it compare to the Monte Carlo? I can gamble anywhere in the area, I'm talking about the hotel and ammenities.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

Monte Carlo. No contest.

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

studly --

You're going to have to do a little research here.

As you probably know, hotel rates sometimes change daily, and the hotel that's cheapest one week may not be cheapest the next. Also, I don't know your budget. You may find that you can get a much better room for $10/night more than an 'ok' room. Is the $10 meaningful.

One other thing -- if you can go mid-week, there are usually much better deals than for weekends. I mean you may save $100 a night or more.

This being said, here are possibilities -- Hotel Ratings are subjective.

I've seen the following hotels often have deals that are great.

Top of the Line

Mandalay Bay -- especially midweek/winter -- This WON'T be the cheapest. They currently advertise rates as low as $110 a night. $120 for THEhotel, which if you can afford, may be the best room on the strip. While you're on their site check out their other properties.

First Class

Paris or Alladin

You Won't Be Sorry

Monte Carlo, Harrah's Bally

Older but still nice

Flamingo or (maybe Tropicana)

Now, once you reserve, if you want to save some money -- repeat this process every few days. Rates go up and down all the time, you may find your room gets cheaper, or one of the other properties drops their rates. I stayed at THEhotel with my wife (wasn't trying a budget vacation) and between the time I booked and when I came, room prices dropped $50/night on average (and had headed up again before we got there). I kept ratcheting down my cost and saved the money.

Final suggestion -- I've done this elsewhere, but never in Vegas -- www.priceline.com. You name a price, and they try to find you a room.

Whatever you do -- happy anniversary!!

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

[ QUOTE ]
Final suggestion -- I've done this elsewhere, but never in Vegas -- www.priceline.com. You name a price, and they try to find you a room.

[/ QUOTE ]

I second the recommendation for Priceline. I have gotten Venetian rooms for $99 a night. Do check out Bidding for Travel first, however, as you will get a sense for what properties are going for currently on Priceline.

Another choice is checking out America West vacations, which is bundled airfare/hotel. I have stayed at the Hotel San Remo before on an America West deal, and it was very cheap. The San Remo (which is being re-badged as a Hooters) was very convenient and is located next to the MGM. I can't remember much about the hotel, but I dont have any negative recollections of it--but then again, I was a bachelor at the time I went, so my tolerance for filth, insects, etc. was pretty high.

Finally, I'd advise you to consider whether being "on strip" is really that important to you. If you're willing to leave the strip, you can get a great deal at the Orleans (good rooms, great poker room), or the Nugget (great rooms, but downtown).

Re: Need Help! 1 year wedding Anniv. in vegas where to stay
 

It's been 5 yeares since I've been to Vegas so take that into consideration. I'm going again in 2 weeks and this time I'm staying at Paris

I have stayed at the Bellatio, Imperial Palace, MGM, Circus Circus and The Luxor.

Don't go to Circus Circus with your wife, its run down, filthy and full of kids. It's generally the cheapest and there is a reason why. Hs this changed at all?

Imperial Palace was ok, nothing spectacular but it was clean.

Bellagio was very impressive, 1st class all the way but its a bit more expensive then the rest.

My impression of MGM was it was a big holiday inn, wasn't that impressed but it was clean. I probably wouldnt stay there again, I would rather stay at the Imperial Palace and save a few hundred even tho Imerial Palace is a "budget" hotel

My favorite was the Luxor, I loved the hotel and atmosphere but I love pyramids and stuff like that in history, the buffet there was the best I have had in Vegas. However it is at the end of the strip so you will be doing a lot of walking.

The 1 other thing to consider is even tho the atmosphere in the hotels are nice and they are all different, you really are not going to be staying in your room that much anyway.

You can stay at Imperial Palace and spend all day in a different "1st class casino" if you want. If you are with your wife chances are you will be doing a lot of sightseeing and traveling. Pick a hotel that is in the middle of the strip for easier access to everything

Oh yea never stayed at Ceasers but every time I went I was never that impressed with it either