persimmondeb

I'm ready to start planning our next vacation (myself, DH, and DS15) and have been batting around various ideas. DS and I liked the idea of a cruise, but DH does not seem to be sold on that, and is leaning towards Vegas, which DS and I are fine with.

I have been doing a little planning online, and bought an Unofficial Guide to Vegas (which I was not that impressed with, actually), but I have questions.

The single most important hotel amenity in DH's mind is a lazy river in the pool area. We stayed at Monte Carlo years ago, and they have one, and the MGM Grand seems to as well (and I can get a better price on it), but what other hotels have one? It's sometimes hard to tell from their websites.

Rental car? It seems to be a liability on the strip, and we often enjoy not having to drive on vacation, but we will want to visit the Hoover Dam. It seems to be pretty easy to book a tour, but they do add up for three people. We also kind of like the idea of Laughlin, but ALL of the bus tours, including the one included in the package we will likely buy, require you to be 21 to ride the bus. I don't mind paying, since I can understand why the casino doesn't want to give DS a free ride, but it seems that the only way would be to drive.

We're thinking July, so we will NOT be doing any hiking, etc. We are very modest gamblers, but are big casino/hotel fans, and it seems to have rubbed off on DS, who also enjoys visiting them. I recall quite enough ancillary attractions in the big hotels to keep us busy for several days, but we might want to do something to break it up a little bit. Also, are there any other than the Bellagio that won't let him in without an official purpose? I'm willing to buy him a ticket for their gallery, so he can see that, and I'm hoping that once he's allowed in the property, they'll let him take a quick peek at the conservatory, which he's been longing to see for years.

We do have a friend out there we will want to visit with, but she works during the day, and I'm sure has better things to do than ferry us around. There seem to be some area attractions that might be good for a bit (Bonnie springs, the children's museum, the natural history one), but that might bring us back to the car dilemma.

SAnParis2

This has been discussed on here ad nauseum but Vegas is not the best place for kids if you plan to stay on the Strip. In addition, your DS will not be allowed in the casino area as he is underaged. So, he'll be on his own, or someone will be 'baby-sitting' him if you choose to gamble. If you can get out to Red Rocks & the Dam both are well worth the trip. A car is not a major expense as parking is free. If it were me, I would consider other options & read some of the other related posts on here.

tom42

The other two hotels with a lazy river pool that I know of are Mandalay Bay and Flamingo.

persimmondeb

The Mandalay Bay is out of my price range, unfortunately, since I'm sure DS would love it, but the Flamingo is one of the ones with good deals that I had been trying to figure out if they did or didn't have one.

I'm well aware that Vegas isn't traditionally a good place for children, and while we would not "turn him loose", he is certainly responsible enough to be parked at a table with food or left in the hotel room for a while. He's pretty used to visiting casinos with us and enjoys it (he likes the decor and the theming, not to mention the combo of a gazillion appealing food outlets and mildly guilty parents).

My car concerns were more with congestion on the strip than cost, and I don't drive, so all the burden is on DH. The Dam is a must see, but I was a bit concerned about Red Rocks in July, heatwise.

tom42

I was just looking at a video of the pool on the Flamingo website and now I am not so sure if there is an actual lazy river. I thought I remembered one but I havent stayed there for quite a few years. It may be that they have a series of lagoons and some waterfalls but now I am questioning whether they actually have a current going through the lagoons.

Maybe someone who has recently stayed there can chime in.

persimmondeb

It's very hard to tell from their website. It looks like a great pool, and I'm sure I would be happy with it, and DS would like the birds, but DH is very, very insistent about the lazy river thing, and honestly, this is probably going to be a very pool heavy vacation, so it is important that the hotel has a good pool. A large hotel with a lot of resources is also a plus, since DS needs to be fed constantly, and while we'd be comfortable leaving him in the room and going downstairs to gamble, I'm not sure we'd actually want to go to another property without him.

Dayenu

Can you convince your husband, every cruise ship except Disney has a casino, a pool, a whirpool, an evening show - he'll feel like in Vegas. Some newer ships have more than just a pool - just need a bit of search of amenities.

sf7307

I'm assuming you're aware that it is brutally hot in Las Vegas in July (average high temp. is 104 ° F)?

tom42

>

Probably why the poster said it will be a pool heavy vacation.

persimmondeb

I've tried, and he LOVES ferries, so this is particularly funny, but he seems to think he'll feel either bored or trapped, even on a big ship with a waterslide. I'm also thinking I haven't found the right itinerary, since none of them seem to have seized his imagination. DS and I don't have a really strong preference either way, so Vegas seems fine.

The heat is why I was sort of counting out Red Rocks, and was sympathetic to DH's pool desires. I am figuring that we'll want to spend a lot of the heat of the day in it, preferably marinated in SPF5000. I tend not to want to swim unless it's really hot, so it's not necessarily a negative.

We'll want to do some strip-wandering, and I have a couple of other ideas, but I'm thinking much of that can be accomplished in air conditioning, or after the sun has gone down.

DancingBearMD

Consider the Signature at MGM. It's a non-casino suites property located behind MGM and attached by covered walkways. Suites come with full kitchens, you're not forced to walk through the casino all of the time, they have their own "quiet" pools plus access to MGM's large pool complex, and it's convenient to the monorail that heads up the strip. And if you get a rental car they have complimentary valet (still have to tip) or you can park in the MGM garage which is not too far away.

Vegas sometimes has good rates on rental cars. You don't have to drive up the strip, the streets that are parallel to the strip go much faster. And you can get off the strip and eat at some of the local joints.

persimmondeb

The Signature looks lovely, but somewhat pricier, and not one of the things Southwest is practically giving away (just under $1500 for a standard deluxe room at MGM, with air from Philadelphia for five nights).

I don't tend to be really pro-car, and we were fine without one the last time, but we didn't go anywhere except the Strip and Downtown. Walking is rarely a problem for us, but we might do rather less of it in July than we did in May. I suspect we'd spend as much on a day tour to the Dam as we would on a car, too, and it would give us more flexibility, but we just wouldn't use it for almost anything practical on foot or by public transportation. Not only does it mean you can't really drink, but you have to go back to get it, rather than being able to wander at will.

SusieKay

We have stayed at both the Monte Carlo and the MGM, and much prefer the MGM. The MGM's pool area is much larger and nicer than the Monte Carlo's, with a HUGE lazy river, plus they have multiple pools (at least six as I remember), with snack bars and restrooms in each location. We have found the Monte Carlo very quiet and a bit boring-as a smaller property, it also has fewer places to eat and shop.
Laughlin-we made the mistake of driving there just once, and you could not pay me to go again!! A long, borning drive through the desert to visit some aging casinos inhabited by day trippers. Sort of like a small Atlantic City on a river. There is a reason the tour companies take people there for free.
If you don't think you need a car for your entire stay, why not just rent one for the day you want to go to the Hoover Dam,and let the hotel concierge arrange it. You could probably even get it delivered right to the hotel.

lgott

Strange as it sounds, hiking is a definite possibility in July - as long as you don't have problems with altitude. About 45 minutes north of the Strip is an area known as Mount Charleston. There are some hikes in that area that go above 11,000 feet. It's plenty cool - you may even need a jacket. Just make sure to start early in the morning, so as to avoid frequent thunderstorms.

tomfuller

My wife and I had a great Buffet at the Golden Nugget today. We had a great view of the swimming pool which surrounds a large fish/shark tank. We did actually see 2 people swimming at about 3PM. There is also a tube waterslide which goes through the sharktank. We also saw the largest gold nugget on public display which weighs in at 61 lb. 11 oz.
The Fremont St. experience is worth seeing at least once even if you don't stay at one of the hotel/casinos there.

persimmondeb

Thanks so much! A direct comparison between MGM and Monte Carlo is perfect! I'm actually getting a better price for MGM, and had always thought it was a little nicer, with more resources. The sharks and the gold nugget sound really cool, and are exactly the kind of thing DS loves (along with buffets).

tomfuller

Just head West on Charleston, and eventually you will come to Red Rock Canyon. Some interesting geology there if someone likes that sort of thing.