Las Vegas ....Can you help
 

Ok now my head is spinning around and around....I have searched and I am losing my thoughts..Going mar 14 until 18(ok date is picked)...Hotel which one would you suggest..Paris,Mirage,Balleys,Monte carlo or would you suggest another...Wanting mid strip area not a scummy hotel either.Lost as far a using a agent or booking myself, can't seem to find it much cheaper doing t=it seperatly..Leaveing toronto canada..Please give me all your ideas so I can shrink this down and book..thanks ahead..

Your hotel choices are relatively comparable, none are remotely scummy. With location a major factor, I'd rank them Paris, Bally's, Mirage, MC. Some people on here seem to like Mirage, I have found the rooms to be somewhat small and the bathrooms tiny, having been in 3 different rooms in this hotel. If you stay at Paris, request a "P" room at checkin, it's a little bigger because its the corner.

Now, my choice would be Caesars or Bellagio if I wanted mid-strip, Mandalay in the summer for the pool, and Venetian because the rooms are quite large. Those 4 are a bit more expensive than your choices so if budget is a factor, I would have no problem staying at my top 3 of your choices. I like playing blackjack at MC but that's about it.

Visit the websites of the hotels themselves and get on their email lists. Mandalay Bay is giving out some good specials over the next few months. With only a couple exceptions I've always gotten teh best rates dealing directly with the hotels.

In terms of rooms, service and atmosphere I'd rate them this way:
1. Mirage / Paris
3. Bally's
4. Monte Carlo

Even though I rate Mirage higher for service, I stay in Paris more often. I like the restaurants and am a Francophile. I think Mirage and Paris are close in quality, a notch above Bally's and Monte Carlo is a step down from all three.

You might also consider Treasure Island as a pretty low cost / nice rooms option mid-strip. It does tend to get more children than some of the others. I'd also look at the Venetian via priceline.

There have been numerous posts about booking The Venetian by Priceline. Is there some way that you know that is the hotel you're going to get?

I know, I know, I could go to Bidding for Travel and find the answer in hours of reading. I'm just curious if someone has a quick answer to that question. Like is the Venetian the only hotel that can be gotten in a certain category?

March is difficult....lots of conventions make the room prices sky-high.

Expedia.com has flight & hotel packages for $650 per person.......since they're all about the same prices my choices would be
1. Caesar's
2. Paris
3. Mirage
4. Aladdin

Packages to LV (Expedia and such in particular) are almost never cheaper than a la carte. Travel agents can OCCASIONALLY find better air fares than independent web research, but they'll often try to steer you to hotels they get commissions from. All the hotels "little" is looking at are fine, though.

Patrick

As far as I know (but I have never used Priceline for Vegas), experience shows that the Venetian is the only 5* hotel that has been known to come up in the Strip area.

Obviously Priceline can add hotels to their itinerary at any time etc etc so it's no guarantee you'll get the Venetian bidding for 5* in the Strip area but I expect the odds are very high you will get the Venetian.

You're making this too hard. Based on the recommendations above (and I agree) you have it narrowed down to Mirage or Paris. You are going to Vegas. So get a deck of cards. Shuffle them. Have your spouse cut them. Now you pick up the deck of cards at some point about half way thru the deck and what ever card you get determines your hotel -- if its A thru 6 (low 6 cards) stay at Paris. If its 8 thru K (high 6 cards) stay at Mirage. If its a 7 stay at Bellagio cause it was meant to be for you to spend alot more $ for the room but you will hit a jackpot or win at the tables. Gamble -- its Vegas, Baby, Vegas!!

Patrick,
I have been following the discussion on biddingfortravel and betterbidding for awhile. So far on Priceline the Venetian is the only one that comes up for *5 on the strip. Hotwire also has the Venetian and the rates fluctuate wildly $122 one day and $245 another and may/may not come up at any given inquiry. You can search at 10am and it comes up and then at 7pm it does not. It may come up if you select one day but not two.