I love Vegas, and always want people to have a good time here. Even if—dare I say it—they don't like to gamble. There's a lot to do in Las Vegas no matter what your interests are. Take your pick from shows, celebrity chef restaurants, night clubs, spas, outdoor activities, etc. But lets start with square one…where to stay? I will do a series of posts that talk about some of the more notable places to crash in Sin City.
Under $100
When you use the big travel search engines to find you a good rate, the results often turn up Whiskey Pete's, Gold Strike, Buffalo Bill's, and Wild Wild West for under $25/night. But trust me, that's not what you want to do. Especially if you men are entertaining your lady friends. If you want a decent room on the Strip but don't want to spend a fortune, consider the Monte Carlo. The lobby is grand, but they're not full of themselves. Check out their micro brewery and the lazy river out by the pool.
Downtown Las Vegas is known for all the cheap rooms that surround Fremont Street, and the best of the lot is the Golden Nugget (pictured above). This is the hotel/casino where they filmed the reality show "The Casino" a few years ago. The series followed Timothy Poster and Thomas Breitling as they put their dot.com money into renovating the local landmark originally owned by Steve Wynn. The rooms are clean, have high speed internet, decent soaps, and each bathroom has its own hair dryer (not a top amenity among budget hotels). AND they have a brand new ten-table poker room that is a pleasure to be in.
If $59-$99 is still too high for your bankroll, you can't beat the $39 rooms at the Imperial Palace. Located in the dead center of the Strip between Harrah's and across the street from The Mirage, the rooms here are a step up from Motel 6, and they even have WiFi in one of their towers. The fact that they have their dealers dress up as celebrities and do impersonations is just too fun and funky. Their poker room is upstairs near the buffet.
Stay tuned for recommendations for hotels that cost more than $100/night.
