My husband and I are headed to Vegas the first week of June. It is a first for both of us. Plan on visiting red rock canyon, hoover dam and zion in utah. Plan to spend little to no time in casinos. May check out a pool one or two days. May also check out a good show one evening. We both love good food - no buffets please. So, my question is, where should we stay? I found good rates on Bellagio and Venetian at $159; Mandalay Bay at $109 and Luxor at only $69.

We're in our early 40's with no kids. We'd like a really nice room, really nice hotel, but don't want to feel as though we need to be formally dressed just to walk in the lobby. Not too much chaos. But we like to have fun and expect good service.

Any comments would help. I checked out cheapovegas.com and all rated about the same.

THANKS!

We stayed at Ballys last month for $55 weeknights and 95 weekends. Beautiful room, great location.

You sound like my wife and me. Here's the deal with the hotels you've suggested (you might want to go to cheapovegas.com to see funny but truthful reviews of them all): Luxor the cheapest of the four is sort of, well, how shall we say, pedestrian. the best value is, in my view and based on what you want to do, Mandalay Bay. Here's why, Bellagio and Venetian are JAMMED with people, touristas, the great unwashed, call em what you want but they're all wandering around with their heads tilted up looking at... well i'm not sure what they're looking at -- either funny glass artwork or fake gondolas -- but in any event they're in your way. Given the rather rotund state of the american human body, it is difficult, nay impossible to circumnavigate them. Many smoke. What Mandalay offers is a bit of solitude as it is the last hotel on the south end of the strip. You don't as much wander thru Mandy as you do make it a destination. If you're not going to gamble much, walking thru the lobby and casino may not really matter but believe me it does. And, because you wnt to go sightseeing (a good choice as the odds are not nearly as stacked against you by mother nature) you will most probably have a car. In that case, staying at the bellagio or venetian will mean navigating a portion of the strip by car -- just think of all those people referred to above in vehicles, in traffic and not moving, and you get the idea. anyway, mandaly is at the end, and all you do is hop on the 15 or whatever to get to your destination ( i recommend red rock canyon VERY EARLY or VERY late even in early june it is miserably hot midday. Same with the Dam.

If you do decide to pool it, consider that mandalay has a wave pool, river that you tube down, and a regular pool, complete with misters that, fo early morning risers like ourselves proved the difference between a bad pool experience and a great one.

Any way, long story short I have found that the best rooms, with the best views (Fiji wing, strip view) are at Mandalay.

Rum Jungle, Aureole (check out the 5 story, plexiglass wine cellar), and a 30,000 square foot spa (my wife still talks about it years after) are what makes it the best place to go when you're doing vegas.

Wow Floppy,

what a great description!

my only comment was that the title reminded me of that Children's song: One of these things is not like the other one.

The luxor is not in the same league with all the others listed. I really like Flopmeister's advice, so ditto what he says.

Just a comment about Red Rock Canyon, they have summer stock theater in the park during the summer months, its a great time and very enjoyable taking a picnic lunch and blanket or lawn chairs and sitting under the stars watching the play. Remember it does cool off in the mountains though in the evening.

The day we went it was 115 but needed a jacket and blankets over us during the play.

Mandalay Bay was built and is owned by the Circus Circus corporation. It was their attempt to belly up to the big bar of luxury hotels in LV. And they've done a very nice job. There are really no major downsides to MB except location (which is not actually a downside for people who don't plan to hopscotch from one casino to the next).

As for specifics related to the original poster's request: the pools at MB have a much higher kid-density than those at Bellagio and Venetian. V's pool area is relatively plain versus the other two. Bellagio's is much more luxurious than V's or MB's, with Roman columns, plantings and multiple pools with relatively few kids. No tourist traffic as guards check room keys at the staired entry.

The other differences between MB and B and V relate to room quality. The showers at B are nicer than the other two, the baths use nicer marble and fixtures, toiletries are better at B and V than MB. The restaurants at B and MB are better than those at V overall. MB and B have the best array of high quality eateries of any hotels in LV.

For non-gambling adults seeking luxury, the Four Seasons suites atop the MB are the best choice. Next is Bellagio.

We stayed at the Luxor once because travelling companions wanted to and the slanting walls and elevator nearly made me car-sick the entire stay.
We stayed at the Bellagio and I hated it - packed with hordes of sightseers, over-rated rooms, had to walk forever to get out of the joint, no easy to use facilities anywhere at all. HATED IT.
Stayed at Paris = easy to navigate, garage easy to use, facilities close at hand, affordable shops/eateries, etc. Most recommended.
M.Bay a lovely spot away from action and it might be your best bet for non-gambling and day-trip jaunts. Just remember that come June, Nevada is HOT, HOT, HOT.
Try Steffano's down at the Golden Nugget for a memorable meal.

Oh no way! I would choose bellagio or venetian. My first choice would be a fountain view at Bellagio. The others don't compare and aren't as close to everything. Everyone is looking up because it is beautiful. You must not know the history behind the glass art.

As has been pointed out before, anyone who would refer to Bellagio as a "joint" and who complains about the cost of phone calls at Bellagio, is obviously not the kind of person Bellagio is trying to attract. People who can't tell the difference between the quality of a Kia and a Bentley won't enjoy or appreciate Bellagio.

I have not been to LV myself but my a friend of mine went last month. He stayed at the venetian. Although he went with his tennis buddies, he said it seemed like more of a "couples" type hotel. Very romantic nice decor. Might be right up your alley. I have also heard from another friend that the luxor is a neat place but beware. On his trip he walked through the lobby and admired the design of the place. He thought it was great. But upon check in he discovered he was not actually staying in a room at the (pyramid shaped) luxor but one of their two smaller buildings with rooms. Apparently the hotel has two regular motel 6 rectangle shaped buildings that belong to the luxor. the pyramid building was booked so they stayed there. He enjoyed all of the amenities of the luxor but the rooms were not really decorated in the style of the pyramid luxor and he felt "put out" during his whole stay.

I would vote for Venentian then Mandalay Bay. My wife and I stayed at the Bellagio and thought the quality did not match the price. Just little things, but at the most expensive hotel in town I expect it to be excellent not just good. According to the Bellagio's staff, the quality started to drop after Steve Wynn left.

We visited both the Venetian and Mandaly Bay while in Las Vegas. I thought the Venetian was more attractive. Friends have stayed at both and compliment the Venetian as being more romantic.

Another strong vote for the Bellagio! You have to appreciate the workmanship that went into the contruction of the property. Fine Italian marble and tile work everywhere. Great restaurants and bars, particularly the Fontana Bar. The conservatory, the Tuscan styled pool area, those fountains. A real class act with a great location at center strip. If you can swing it, go for a fountain view.

On average (rack room rates) Bellagio has not been the most expensive hotel in town the past few years. Four Seasons seldom drops below $300 any more and is often over $400, and Venetian is frequently more expensive than Bellagio.
Bellagio remains, however, the most expensive hotel ever built in LV.

You might want to consider the JW Marriott Resort and Spa, just 15 minutes NW of the strip. It was built as a luxury resort, and not by Marriott. The rooms are spacious and beautiful. The large bathrooms all have separate marble shower stalls and whirlpool tubs. There are palm trees, pools, and walkways around the property. It is also close to Red Rock Canyon, where you want to go anyway. The beds are comfortable and well appointed.

There is a casino attached, but it is not owned or run by the Marriott.

They have a luxury spa and numerous restaurants. I like Cere's.

If you don't want to drive to the strip, they have shuttle service.

If you want a dynamite view of the Strip, the Eiffel Tower and the Bellagio fountains at your feet -- and great rooms to boot -- check out the Strip View Suites at the Aladdin.

We were lucky enough to get "bumped up" into two of them last trip for a rate that would make you blush. Best rooms I've ever been in Vegas at ANY rate. And the Paris restaurants are right next door.

everyone has their favorites but you really cant go wrong with Bellagio, Venetian or Mandalay Bay (Luxor is nice but I would say a notch or two below these three). Roomwise, the weakest of the three is Mandalay Bay - it has a great bathroom but somewhat average room. Venetian is nice because you know that you'll be getting a suite. All three have excellent restaurants and very nice pool areas (Venetian being the loser of the three in this area, although I was recently there and they did add some more landscaping).

As far as chaos - all of the strip is chaos compared to many other vacation destinations - these are huge hotels and there are many people everywhere.

We just stayed at the Luxor a few weeks ago for $69 a night with a free upgrade to the tower suites. The room was very nice indeed for $69 a night, on the 17th
floor (very quiet) with a great view of the mountains.This was not in the pyramid, so there was lots of room. We are not gamblers, but my wife is an Egyptian history buff, so she got a kick out of the Egyptian statuary and art. The hotel is cavernous inside, dimly lit with palm trees and huge statues everywhere. It seems a bit more sedate than some of the other casinos. The pool area was huge, but with very ittle shade. We walked thru the Venitian which was lots of fun - not exactly Italy, but a valiant try. The Bellagio was classy and understated, but I personally wouldn't spend that much on any hotel on the strip. I would reccommend the Luxor if you want a comfortable, exotic setting that won't drain your wallet. We also went to Zion, it was a very majestic and serene park, with some great hiking. It will be a refreshing break from LV.