“Wonderful hotel off the Strip”
I was getting married in Las Vegas and was looking for a good hotel for me and my fiance, our siblings, and my parents. After reading great reviews of this hotel on another website, I decided to stay there, and I am very glad I did! The hotel is fairly new (about a year old) and so nothing looks worn down yet. There are balconies for most, if not all rooms, so even though the hotel is non-smoking, my nic-fitting sister and father were able to get their smoke on without leaving the hotel. There were FULL kitchens in each of our rooms (1 King Bedroom), as well as small W/D units. If we had been staying in Vegas longer, we'd have used them more. The hotel also loaned me a steamer so that I could get the wrinkles out of my wedding gown. The breakfast (included) each day, while hardly anything to write home about, was hot, replenished frequently, and of good quality. It's better to have a car if you stay here (there is a shuttle to MGM Grand that some members of the wedding party used to get around, and they liked it), but it's easy to get to other places from here. If you want something a little calmer off the Strip, then don't overlook this hotel! Fantastic!
Area recommendations
The Strip - for visiting casinos, seeing shows, gawking at how much money has been spent on this city
Town Center -- for some non-outlet shopping. This is a newer development in Vegas, south of the Strip. Stores like Lucky Brand, Fruits and Passion, Banana Republic, as well as restaurants, and an outdoor play area for kids. Laid out like a town square of sorts (outdoor entrances to stores)
Downtown/Fremont Street -- although this area is noticeably less glitzy than the Strip, and has a bit of a rundown feel to it, the "Fremont Street Experience" jumbotron show is something you should see at least once when you go to Vegas.
When to go
If you want few crowds, go the weekend before Christmas. There was considerably less traffic and crowds when we were there.
Getting around
Even though there is the Deuce bus and many of the off-Strip hotels have shuttles, my husband and I both liked having a rental car during our second trip to Vegas. All the Strip casinos have free parking (you'll be kind-of far from the hotel, but the parking is free), and since many of the things we wanted to see and do were off the Strip, taking cabs everywhere would have gotten very expensive (as it did during our first trip to Vegas). If you plan ahead to reserve a car, you end up saving some money. If you try to walk up to a car rental day-of and get a car, you will pay much, much more! My husband and I rented a car "walk-up" for one day in August, and we paid more for that one day than we did for a three-day rental that we reserved a month and a half in advance!
Must see
Hoover Dam -- whatever your feelings are on whether or not damming the Colorado River was a good, long-term decision, this dam is an engineering feat and has to be seen to be believed. I particularly enjoyed hearing the stories of how it was constructed. I have been twice and both times just took the standard Power Plant tour -- one day maybe I'll go back and take the extended Plant tour! If you go in August, prepare to melt when you are outside; it's very hot! Going in December was much more tolerable.
Paris Hotel - the little neighborhood section really feels like you're strolling down a Parisian street.
Bellagio Fountain show -- if you eat outside at Mon Ami Gabi restaurant, you'll have the fountain show as part of your vista.
Red Rock Canyon - need a car to go see this, but it is beautiful. If you go closer to when the sun is going down, the light makes the colors of the canyon really pop!
Dining
Battista's Hole In the Wall -- Italian restaurant located near the Flamingo Hotel, but not on the Strip. Moderate prices for entrees, and all meals come with soup/salad, bread, unlimited house red/white wine (it's not great wine if you're a connoisseur, but it's drinkable), and a "cappuccino" included in the price. (The cappuccino is strongly reminiscent of the powdered mixes you can buy in the supermarket, and tastes more like hot chocolate. It's good, but it's not really cappuccino!). The decor is interesting. Family-friendly restaurant, can also accommodate larger parties. The servings are of a decent size without being ridiculously huge. All of use were able to finish our entrees, but we felt fairly full upon doing so.
Kabuki -- This is a pretty good sushi/Japanese restaurant, located in the Town Center shopping area south of the Strip. Reasonable prices, nice decor, and good food! They also offer Chinese food on the menu.
