Mirage, Flamingo, Other?? HELP
 

I am trying to pinpoint the perfect hotel to take my boyfriend for his birthday:
-We are in our early twenties
-The POOL is the #1 priority, as well as being central on the Strip
-We are not the "luxurious" type who need to be pampered really!
Budget is not too much of a concern, I have no problem paying more money for the ideal place. I have heard Mirage and Flamingo have great pools, is Mirage really worth the extra $$ or is Flamingo just as fun? I am not overly concerned about the size of the room, as long as the hotel is fairly atractive in general, but it would be nice if the pool wasn't outrageouly crowded all the time (impossible perhaps). Thank you so much for your input and experiences!!

The Flamingo is OLD! I would not stay there. Especially if money is no option. If you want big pool - it's the MGM Grand you're thinking about. I don't remember the Mirage having that great of a pool. Also - the Venetian is awesome! Have a great time!

p.s. If you want great eye-candy - stay at the Hard Rock. Since you're in your early 20's - you'll find many hard bodies there lounging by the pool. They also have cabanas to escape the heat. Problem is - Hard Rock is off the strip.

1. Mirage
2. Monte Carlo
3. Flamingo (might be too many kids)

I'd stay at Mirage, it has a great pool. Flamingo should be significantly more crowded. I think the ultimate pool is Mandalay Bay but it's at the south end of the strip.

Ditto on Mandalay Bay... Second only to the Hard Rock for party environment...

They don't have a floating craps table, though...

Mirage sounds like it's more like your style... great pool, nice very nice but not 'opulent' to make you feel out of place.

Just how much more is the Mirage than Flamingo?

Thanks for your input...
MGM Grand is $126 (weekdays) and $228 weekends
Mirage - $145/$229
Flamingo - $75/169

Those are the prices listed on Expedia, I am sure better deals are out there though. I am leaning towards either Mirage or MGM Grand, they both look great!

Mirage does have a great pool. I also second the recommendation for Hard Rock ... it's the perfect hotel for twenty-somethings. Very nice pool with a sandy bottom so it feels like you're at the beach. Hard Rock is also one of the best hotels for nightlife for people your age. (I am 29 and have ended up hanging out at Hard Rock every time I've been to Vegas.)

Yes, it is off the strip. But even when I have stayed on the strip I have taken cabs a lot. It can still be quite a hike between two hotels that are "on the strip". Mandalay Bay has great nightlife too, with House of Blues and Rumjungle. And their pool is spectacular, although there tend to be more kids because they have a huge wave pool. (Fun for adults too I think!)

Have fun!

I just got back from Vegas and had posted a similar question here on Fodors before I left. We ended up staying at the Flamingo because we were looking for a central location with good pool area. The Flamingo was fine. We asked for a renovated room and got a very nice one. The pool does get crowded but there's an upper pool and lower one; the lower one has more of the kids because it's got the slides coming into it. Can't beat the location and as far as rate - we got something called the "Pool Party Rate" which was $55 weeknights and $150 weekend nights and include freebie drinks at the pool, 2 for 1 brunch buffet (which we used before flying home) and 2 for 1 spa which we didn't use. Yes, Mandalay's pool is incredible with the beach, lazy river etc but it's so far south on the strip it's not convenient to anything else.

Although i commented above and recommended the Mirage over the Flamingo, for those rates, i would take the Flamingo.

The prices you're quoting for the Mirage are too much higher to account for the 'niceness' over the Flamingo. The Mirage is worth more, but not that much (IMO).

If this is either of your first trip to Vegas, i would disagree with others.... don't consider the Hard Rock, as you really want a strip location if you're going to be 'sight seeing'. If money if really no object, spend the extra at the Mirage, but IMO it's not worth the extra money you're seeing.

I would choose either over the MGM, as the MGM is so big and impersonal, and takes a long time just to get from one end of the hotel to the other.

Check the mirage website for special rates under their "special promotions" banner.

Also check Monte Carlo as you can sometimes book a suite at a good price via 800goVegas.com

Don't book "Emerald Tower" at the MGM as the rooms are very small and poorly located.

don't forget caesar's either. pool is very chi chi, young, and even topless.

1. Mandalay (best pool/hotel combo, but location at end of strip can put off some).
2. Hard Rock (second best pool, but bad location as well).
3. Caesar's (third-best pool, great location).

check out cheapovegas.com to see all hotel review and pool info.

I am staying at the Flamingo this month for the $55 "Pool Party" rate, which sounds great. One of the nice things I noticed about the Flamingo's pools is that they don't close them up at 6 PM like so many other hotels in LV do. If pools are important to you, be sure to check their closing times!

Just stayed at the Flamingo and got a very nice room for $55. Some others in group got more so-so rooms, but still a deal at $55. One person in our party ended up at the Mirage, so we saw both rooms and spent a day at both pools. Mirage room was nearly identical to the upgraded room we got at Flamingo, but nicer than the lower floor rooms. The pools were not really much different from each other. Both very nice, large and made for a pleasant day. Both have similar waterslides, waterfalls and similar size. Mirage lounges were arranged side by side in muliple rows and that seemed a bit to close to neighboring strangers. Lounges were hard to come by at both pools. People staked them out before 8 am. Weather was stunning and thankfully not too hot, about 90-94. Mirage service was a bit better in general. Both were crowded, but Flamingo was having more trouble dealing with it (in fact, that's why we had upgraded rooms, nothing else that was vacant was cleaned yet at 10 pm! Overall, I'd stay at the Flamingo for $55 again before I pay double which was about the Mirage price. Good luck, if the weather's good you can't really miss. BTW, Aladdin Spice Market buffet was great.

Since you mentioned money is not an issue, consider the Four Seasons, which is at the same location as Mandalay Bay ,but occupies the top floors of the building. They have their own floor area and pool, which is significantly less crowded than Mandalay Bays, with less screaming children as well. But you are granted full access to Mandalay Bay's wave pool area as well.