Going to Las Vegas for the first time in April. I have simular prices on both hotels. Treasure Island sounds like it might be nicer, Bally's better located and better restaurants. Any suggestions?

Bally's also has the monorail that runs to the MGM. I would stay at Ballys. I don't have anything against TI, but it is the furthest north I would stay on the strip.

Bally's has a more central location and the monorail is helpful. We stayed at the Mirage this past August. It's right next door to Treasure Island. The pirate show at night is a must, but get ther early. Caesar's is on the other side of the Mirage and it's a MUST with it's indoor shows that are free. The statues come to life and put on a very nice show. Again, bring the video camera and get a good place to stand 'casue the place fills up fast. I'm not a gambler and was somewhat reluctant to go, but ther's is so much to do. They have great shows and the food's very reasonable!! BRING YOUR WALKING SHOES. Enjoy.

..........but why is a monorail that goes to the MGM an advantage?
The MGM is not a 'destination casino' in LV in my opinion.
The best parts of the casino are right around Mirage, Bellagio.

Go to the Pirate show..but don't leave when the ship sinks. Hang around and watch what happens when the ship rises again. A real hoot, I must say.

Just back from week at Bally's. We walked through every hotel on the strip from Treasure Island to Mandalay Bay, via skywalks and monorails, with a focus on restaurants and attractions. Spent one evening downtown on Fremont Street.

Any questions? I've used Fodor's to plan my last several vacations and would love to give something back.

(By the way, as a few of the posters below had price questions, we got a rate at Bally's on Expedia of $30/night midweek.)

Hi Sonia--we are staying at the Aladdin in March and would like to hear any comments you might have. Thanks!

I don't recommend Bally's whatsoever. It's a little crusty on the edges, where TI is cleaner and more friendly. AND, it's not as family oriented as it once was. Stay at TI.

Stayed at Treasure Island last time I was in Vegas and loved it. Rooms were very spacious, clean, and well appointed.

We've stayed at TI twice in the past and more recently at both Bally's and Paris. All are decent hotel/casinos, but I think that Bally's is a little better located now that some of the newer hotels have moved into that end of the strip. Paris is absolutely beautiful, which is connected to Bally's. There's nothing wrong with Treasure Island and I don't think you'll be disapointed either way. Enjoy!

Don't stay at Bally's. It may have a good location, but TI isn't that much worse in the location department. And the pool is the pits. And the restaurants are mediochre at best. And the casino is big, but boring.

Hi Arthur,

Sorry about the delay in getting back to you. You got me with Aladdin - we walked past it several times but as there were no restaurants or attractions we wanted to see, I didn't go inside. I can tell you that the location is central and you will find it easy to walk to the Bellagio, Paris, etc., and take a monorail from there to hotels further down the ends of the strip like Mandalay Bay and Treasure Island.

In terms of restaurant recommendations, we ate mostly in Paris and Bellagio. Best of: Mon Ami Gabi, the (breakfast) buffet in Paris, and Olives in Bellagio. Also had a pretty good Italian meal in St. Mark's plaza on the canal in the Venetian (Canaletto, I think).

I have to disagree with the posters who preferred the Bellagio buffet. They let us walk in to take a quick look around before deciding whether to eat there. I was greeted by the sounds of clanging dishes and long rows of steam table offerings. It reminded me of a school cafeteria. Although the food may be very good, I just wanted to get out of there. No question that the Paris buffet had a nicer atmosphere. Speaking as a food snob though, I was much more impressed with the quality of the breakfast buffet than that of lunch. I would hesitate to return there for lunch but enjoyed breakfast tremendously.

Arthur, have fun in March. Any other questions?

Frank -- I think the monorail from Bally's to MGM is nice because it saves a lot of walking if you want to go down to that end of the Strip. True, MGM itself isn't that spectacular (though I've had decent luck gambling there), but it's good if you're staying at the Center Strip/Bally's area and want to head down to the NYNY/Luxor/Mandalay Bay area.

The only problem is that you have to walk about 900 miles through the MGM to get to and from the monorail station. AS there's only (I think) one train that goes back and forth, you can also end up waiting a long time. I actually much prefer to take the monorail on the other side of the street that runs between Bellagio and the Monte Carlo, because once you get off at MC you're adjacent to NYNY and then you can cross the street and take the monorail from Excalibur down to Luxor and Mandalay Bay. The walk from the Monte Carlo monorail station out to the street is much shorter than the walk from the MGM station to the street (plus I think it's a lot harder to get lost in the Monte Carlo casino than it is at MGM).