Las Vegas with Kids?
 

2 boys aged 11,16 where to go? what hotel We've stayed @ Mirage too hectic for my taste

This is a great website with lots of kid info:

http://www.lasvegaskids.net/

We've stayed at mirage, mgm and flamingo, each for only one R & R night in between nat'l parks. IMO location is most important for exploring the strip, and flamingo is right in the middle. Next time we'd like to stay at paris, also mid strip.

Have you done a search here? This is discussed at great length and you'll find tons of info. Have fun.

Mandalay Bay. They'll love the pools.

Have you considered Lake Las Vegas. The many activities offered at the resorts there (Ritz, Hyatt) would certainly keep them busy.

We just came from Vegas (1 night) on our way home from National Parks. We stayed at Mandalay Bay and the pools (all 11 acres of them) were incredible. Of course, also very, very crowded. Still, we managed to get deck chairs and floats for the "lazy river" and the big kids loved the wave pool ("just like Soak City, Mom!"). Also at this hotel: Mamma Mia, which is a good kid-friendly musical and a Shark acquarium (we didn't get to do either since we were just there the 1 night.)

Lake Las Vegas is up for debate the Ritz Resort there is very fun and your kids will love it, if you'd like to stay in Strip Area try Circus Circus, its designed for kids. With amusment parks and circus acts. Although i heard bad reviews from them about being smokey, rooms being disgusting, and too many kids for your liking. Try considering a TOWER room.

We started our NP tour in Vegas (two nights, one day) and chose the Flamingo for its pool, price and location. Good choice. I didn't like that I had to pay extra for my kids at Mandalay Bay and to get into pool (think MGM was the same). Flamingo was a good location to see some of the sights but still have time in the pool. One large water slide and two smaller ones. Waterfall pool you can swim under. Two spas. Rooms pretty nice and not too noisy. Can get to the pool without going through the casino. We were happy we stayed there. Bathroom was small.

Since Mirage was too hectic for you...I will not mention others that are just as too-big and too-crowded.
The Las Vegas Hilton is now connected to the strip via monorail, your kids would enjoy the Star Trek Adventure and the big pool. If you have a car, you could consider the Residence Inn or the Fairfield Resort as they're off-strip and more sedate. The Orleans hotel is off the strip and has a free shuttle, it has movie theatres and arcade and a bowling alley to keep the kids busy.
They will probably enjoy the Adventuredome at Circus Circus, arcades at NYNY and Excalibur, Shark Habitat at Mandalay, Dolphin Habitat at Mirage, Nascar Cafe & Speed Ride at Sahara and the Natural History Museum if you don't have a good one near your hometown. Also an LV 51 baseball game is fun if it's not too hot...and a visit to Hoover Dam or Lake Mead is recommended.

If the Mirage was too hectic for you, I would recommend staying off the strip. All places on the strip are similarly hectic. If you are going to have a car, I would suggest staying in one of the Vegas suburbs. They are still very close to the strip (usually within 15 minutes), you can often find better hotel deals, and there are lots more inexpensive chain restaurants (perfect for the kids). Some areas that are up against the base of the mountains (like Green Valley) also offer gorgeous views of the strip and the entire Vegas valley. If you prefer to be closer to the action, I would recommend the Las Vegas Hilton (not the Flamingo, just the regular one). It is set back from the strip about a block, which is nice b/c you don't have to deal with all the strip traffic just to get to your hotel, but it is still close to all the action. They also offer really good rates in order to compete with all the big themed hotels on the strip. Rooms are nice, and although lots of people stay there, it still doesn't feel as hectic as the hotels on the strip.