I'm planning a 5 day trip to Vegas for hubby & me next month. We've never been there, and aren't big gamblers. Will take in a couple shows (O and Mystere?), have a couple nice meals, and take a day trip to the Hoover dam. I want a nice hotel room, but am not concerned about the adjacent casinos.
Golden Nugget consistently comes up as a 4+ star property with ridiculously low prices. Is it prohibitively hard to get from Downtown to the strip for shows & dinner? I've heard it's easier to get a rental car in and out of downtown, so that's weighing my decision, too. On the strip I've priced Mirage and Caesar's--both seem to be nice, but about 2x - 3x the price of the Nugget. Generally, I like to stay at Hyatts and Westins when I travel, if that helps.
In general, I'd rather get a nice room for less, and then splurge on tickets and meals.
Any Vegas Veterans care to help me out with opinions? Suggestions?
Thanks very much in advance.

Amy I've never stayed at the GN but have cabbed from the strip to downtown to play there. I think I remember it being around $20! The downtown is fun and different from the strip but it is definately a ways a way.

If you rent a car you will still have to deal with parking in the hotel garages, not as easy to jump around and see the different casinos.

The price reflects the location- IMO I would stay on the strip.

By the way I have stayed at the Mirage and really liked it. I have also seen O and it was great, as will Mystere be.

You'll have fun no matter what but will spend more time and money staying that far down.

I've been to Vegas twice - first time stayed at the Nugget, 2nd at Treasure Island. I definitely prefer downtown at the Nugget: It's a beautiful hotel and casino; there's casinos/restaurants close by; the Freemont st experience is cool; $2/$3 Blackjack tables - plus the Strip is only a bus ride away. And it's really nice leaving the madness on the strip and going back to the Nugget at the end of the day. Check out the buffet at the Fremont across the street.

I say, go for it!

suggestion on shows

I wouldn't see both O and Mystere in one visit...see one of those and then see Blue Man Group at the Luxor...you will love it

We travel to Vegas about 3 times a year and absolutely love the Golden Nugget. It is a very nice and classic hotel. I am 33 years old and most folks consider the downtown area to be more geared for an older crowd. I personally love it. You won't find a nicer hotel anywhere in Vegas. The food is outstanding as well. We rent a car everytime we go to Vegas. It's pretty much a straight shot down the Strip directly to the downtown area. My husband will often times take a side street that runs parallel with the Strip to avoid heavy traffic.

I disagree with Mike above. You can see Blue Man Group in nearly any major city in the US from time to time. I've seen it twice and it is fun, but in my opinion it doesn't begin to compare with O or Mystere, so I say see those while in Vegas and see Blue Man Group somewhere else. There is only one place to see either O and Mystere. I have seen both in one visit -- twice, and loved them each time.

As to the Golden Nugget, yes it appears to be a very nice hotel, and downtown is fun -- at least for an evening. But if you are planning to drive down the strip at least two or more nights, I guess I don't get the point. You will be fighting more traffic coming and going a couple of times than you would if you were simply staying on the strip. Sort of like saying, "I worry about the traffic in New York, so I'll stay in New Jersey and drive back and forth every day to avoid it." (yes, I know that is an extreme example, but it is the same idea.) You won't be avoiding the traffic, you will be putting yourself into it more. If you were planning on staying in your hotel more rather than going out for the nicer restaurants and shows (which are virtually all on the strip), then staying downtown would make more sense to me. But if I were you, I think I'd look for a deal at somewhere like Treasure Island or Mirage, right in the thick of what you want to do and less travel problems, not more.

First time to Vegas? Stay on the Strip! Preferably center-strip. Reasonably priced and nicely located are Ballys, Flamingo Hilton, Harrahs, Mirage/Treasure Island.

Forget the rental car - way too much trouble. Go by cab or shuttle and see downtown one evening.

Defintely see Mystere (playing at Treasure Island), also consider Danny Gans (I think at Mirage).

See www.lvol.com for more info than you can shake a stick at!

Good Luck and have fun.

Why not split it up between a couple of nights downtown and the rest on the strip?

I've stayed at the GN several times and always found it to be a quality place. Downtown is fun, but lacking the over-the-top attractions of the newer places on the strip. (The Fremont St. Experience is fun once.) It's easier to get around downtown, but to where? Mostly older gambling halls and tchaka shops.

The strip has more glitz and more distractions for non-gamblers, but casino-hopping is best done on foot, using "nodes" at the ends and center of the strip. Schlepping from one massive garage to the casino, then back to the garage and on to the next garage, etc. is really tiring. Consider renting a car just for the day you want to go to Hoover Dam; you'll probably do better with limos and cabs cost-wise, in addition to the lack of hassle at the airport.

I was in Vegas 12/22-12/25 and checked out the Golden Nugget for my next trip and found the hotel to be very nice and and the rooms do compare to the hotels you mentioned. I did rent a car and the strip traffic is bad but it would be the same in a cab. My Hertz Mitusbishi rental for 3 days was $64.59. Most hotels have valet parking for just a few dollars (worth it to avoid long walks). We stayed at the Rivera but spent most of our time on Fremont street as the slots and tables seem to pay out better. We parked at the Mirage and walked to the newer hotels and shops. Be careful with the food specials as you do get what you pay for but do check out the shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate on Fremont (2.99 and worth it). Do give yourself plenty of time when returning to the airport as we stood in a line about 1 mile long (not joking) to go thru security. Overall I like the Golden Nugget and would stay there.

I think all first time visitors to LV should stay on the strip.
You'll spend so much time just looking over all the amazing themed casino-hotels that staying downtown will end up being kind of a waste.
GN is a nice place.
It's not in the same league as Bellagio and Venetian and the Four Seasons, though (for someone above who implied otherwise).

i vote for the strip. expecially if you aren't big gamblers. there is so much to look at. i would take the bus downtown one night though - freemont street is worth seeing.
if you do stay downtown, i personally wouldn't rent a car (except for when you go to the dam). the bus goes right from downtown to the strip and driving down the strip is horrible.

No, the GN is not compable to the glitzy new hotels on the strip but is near the Westin and the Hyatt quality. Sorry for the confusion.