We are planning to go to Las Vegas around the 9th of Dec. We are trying to pick out a hotel to stay at. In the run right now are Luxor, MGM Grand, Treasure Island, New New. What do you recommend? We are looking for a place rather close to the 'action' and a reasonable rate.

Of those places, i like Treasure Island the best, particularly due to location. Most of the "action" is around the Paris/Venetian/Bellagio area. All of the other hotels you mentioned are near the "four corners", which although "famous" i don't find nearly as interesting at the other end of the stip. Luxor would be my last choice, as it is the worst location among the list you gave.

I also suggest checking out the Flamingo Hilton (NOT the Las Vegas Hilton, which although i hear is a nice hotel, is not on the strip). The Flamingo is a slight step below the hotels you mentioned, but it has a PREMIUM location, and can often be had for quite a few dollars less than the others.

I am a frequent traveller to Las Vegas. Your criteria should also include accessability. Several of the hotels are linked with mono-rails. Bally's / MGM Grande have a mono-rail link; Monte-Carlo / Ballasio; Luxor / Excalibur. Selecting one of these Hotels gives you a quick link to the places where the action is. With the mono-rail system you can quickly connnect to the 2 big areas. MGM, New York New York, Monte Carlo, Excalibur, Luxor are all nested together. Bally's, Caesar's, Venetian Mirage, Treasure Island, Alladin are also nested. The action is really in 2 areas. Given the recent Sept. 11 happenings ( I coincidently was in Las Vegas at that time) the hotels in 'Vegas now are offering 'deals' to get customers back and travelling again.
I could go on and on. For deals check out hotels via lasvegas.com
Recommendation - if you are leaning towards the MGM then it has the monorail link.
Other - I have heard the Alladin's rooms are suite-style so are larger than the average room.

I would also pick Treasure Island from among your choices largely becuase of location. The Flamingo is also a good choice, standard rooms are as nice as the MGM or Treasure Island...A less well know, but maybea bit more expensive, right behind the Flamingo is the Hilton Grand Vacation Club with offers studio, 1 & 2 BR units with kitchens etc, but you have to know that they will sell rooms by the night to non-owners.

Price-wise you've chosen the best time of the year to visit L.V. Starting 12/9, you can stay at the Rio Suites for $59 a night, or the fabulous new Aladdin Resort for just $49 a night (rates double on Fri and Sat however). These I found on tripreservations.com, book directly at the hotel websites to avoid any cancellation penalties that sometimes come with these reservation services. treasureisland.com probably has some great rates posted and TI is definitely in the center of the action.

"fabulous new Aladdin"??
Yech!
No wonder the place went bankrupt after barely one year of business.

have you tried looking at www.vegasfreedom.com ? they've got all the deals at all the different hotels posted there (its the official city tourism site, so it isn't biased to any particular hotel). but personally, i recommend the mirage.

I've stayed at all of the hotels you've mentioned over the last 10 years, not just for casino etc. but for access to a connection to reach an elderly relative. I've also had kids stay at others. Last weekend the strip was so crowded you could literally not walk on the sidewalk without getting pushed off into the street. Cabs, cars etc. on the strip were at a standstill and cabbies very unhappy for lots of reasons. Listen to the person who posted re the mono and "rail" type connecting systems. T.I. area is so mobbed that meals, services etc. etc. are all suffering. Center of the strip had huge waits on many of the best restaurants and service people looked pushed to the brink.

Rio has the best rooms for the money. Mine was Westin quality and BIG, a true suite. GREAT bargin too, as I had bid on Priceline. Easiest check in and out that I have ever had in Vegas. NO time was wasted in lines. My worst check in and worst room was at the Flamingo. What good is being in the center of all the action when you are waiting for a space at a gaming table, elevator, service for a drink etc. etc. most of the time you're there? I heard that Dec. is the best time to go and that crowds are best then, so you picked a very good time. Of the 4 that you mentioned, I probably pick NY, NY as access by cab from airport and other big glitches are least there. I like the South end of the Strip, much better than the middle part. Voodoo Lounge at the Rio seems to be the in crowd for the 20 something set now, but bring dress clothes if you are going to make that scene.

GOOD LUCK regardless of where you stay. Also ate at the Puck cafe in MGM and LOVED the Chinois Chicken Salad. Nothing like regular chicken salad and quite a unique taste. Excellent.

http://off2vegas.com posts the LA Times hotel ads every week. These look like some of the best prices in Las Vegas and Laughlin.

Thanks for all the help. We are still so undecided. All the hotels seem to be offering great rates. If we decided to stay at the south end of the strip...is it an 'easy' walk to the middle strip? My fiance is really wanting to stay at MGM Grand. This would be our first time to Vegas and we want to have a great time at a fairly 'cheap' price. Any other suggestions would be greatly welcomed. Thanks again!!!

I wouldn't exactly call it an ez walk from one end of the strip to the other, but the MGM has a monorail that goes to Bally's (you don't need to be a guest of either to use it) which will make the entire main strip accessible w/o a car or cab. I still recommend TI of the hotels you mentioned, but if i was in your shoes i might just stay at the MGM so i wouldn't have to here my girlfriend complain if anything went wrong! Did a quick search for you for Dec 9:

From Treasure Islands website:
December 9 - December 13 $59 per night plus tax (includes 2 free breakfast buffet coupons)

Thru Expedia:
Aladin + Bally's both at $55/nite.
Monte Carlo $49/nite.

Flamingo $45/nite thru Flamingo website.

What are your exact dates (i checked Dec 9 thru 13th) and why does the MGM appeal to your g/f so much, and what rate are they offering? The aladdin is a new hotel and is a decent deal at that price, and the others represent a good value as well). As you can see, i'm partial to the center/north strip over the southern end, it's more "lively" and more things going on to see.

If you decide on the South end, i would definately choose the MGM over the other hotels as the monorail link gives you the easiest access to most of the strip. The other monorails (Luxor-Excalibur and Monte Carlo-Bellagio) are convenient, but really don't take you from one area of the strip to another, more of just taking you from one hotel to another, which are basically in the same location).

Also... (i forgot to mention in prior post):

The Venetian had a deal for $59/nite midweek $89/weekends... it was the REBLAST promotion. I would call them up and see if any of the "REBLAST PROMO RATES" are left for your dates. Just call them and ask for the REBLAST promo. If you can get this place for $79/nite or less, it should be your hands down winner. (incidentally, i saw a rate of $109/nite on Expedia for your dates which is still a good deal for this hotel, but considering the hotels above are 1/2 that amount, you're better off saving the money.... as i said earlier, i'm more concerned with VALUE than COST).

I go to Vegas at least twice a year and stay at the Flamingo. Two years ago I went to a conference and stayed at the MGM. I really liked it. The room was very nice (it wasn't in the Emerald Tower but can't remember the name). It probably takes about 20 minutes to walk up to the Flamingo/Paris/Bellagio area from MGM. I find the tram not worth it - it's a long walk to get to the tram at MGM and where you get off at Ballys is pretty far from the street also - I'm convinced you can walk it just about as quick (especially if you have to wait for the tram at the MGM).

Janell,

This may not be what you want to hear but quite frankly, I wouldn't stay at any of the hotels on your list--unless you are traveling with children (in that case you would be perfectly happy at MGM, Luxor, etc.).

For comparable prices, I would reiterate the below votes for either The Mirage or Rio Suites. Both have great pools, fine restaurants and nice casinos. Rio Suites may be a little ways off the strip however the romms are huge, fabulous and offer great views: they also tend to be good deals. If you wish to stay on the strip near all the action then opt for the Mirage: you won't be disappointed.

Whatever you decide, make sure to visit these others while you're there so that next time you'll know what to do.

Good Luck.
DJ

Another Venetian offer:

Mid-week 'til Dec 25th, $79/nite plus a buy-one-get-one free meal at a few select restaurants. Ask for rate code GONATL. Add'l info can be found at www.venetian.com/national

If you can afford the few extra dollars over the previosly posted rates, this is worth it!

Not sure how true this is, but one of my guy friends said that Rio is a magnet for prostitutes. He loves to go there, he loves the bar/club and the rooms are huge but he also likes the "access" to the girls. I don't know if he's just guy-boasting or if this is true. Does anyone know differently?

Well the air is booked. We are leaving Dec 1 and leaving Dec 4. I looked into the Flamingo and they are offering $90 rate for Saturday and $45 for the other nights. I think this is a great deal. Does anyone else know of any other great deals? We are so excited to go. This is our first time to Vegas. What do you recommend wearing at night? Any other ideas/suggestions on what to make sure that we do when there....please let me know. Thanks!!!

As for 'evening attire', the notion of people dressing up to go gambling is only relevant for watching old movies or going to Monte Carlo.
People rarely dress up unless it's to go to a nice show.
The rare couple will dress up only to gamble, but put it this way, if you wear non-holey jeans and a clean T-shirt you won't stand out in LV even on Saturday night at Bellagio.
(Some shows have dress restriction..."O" suggests no jeans and no collarless shirts, though they don't enforce this).

Sounds like a decent deal. For the Sun and Mon nite i would ask for the following (same price, $45/nite, but you get some perks with it):

Flamingo Hilton & Casino: "Get A Room In Paradise package". Ask for code: PFDICE. $45 per night, Sunday thru Thrusday. Includes 2 for 1 passes to the spa, 2 for 1 tickets to your choice of Flamingo shows and a Park Place Entertainment coupon book valid at over $1000. Valid thru 12/27/01. (no guarantees the promo is still going on, but i believe it is, and it never hurts to ask) If they ask you how u heard about the promo, tell them in the LA Times.

As far as things to do, I recently gave a 2 part list of things to do in vegas (i put it together for my sister who was doing Vegas on a budget with her husband and 3 kids). I'll repost it if you can't find it, but try to do a search first by putting "thereuare" (without the quotes) in the search box and select NEVADA in the state box. I just found it doing so, and it was the 9th post down, titled "Going to Vegas in DEC where 2 GO??" The only thing on the list i DON"T recommend for you is the Circus Circus stop, it was just for her since she was with children.

Let me know if u have a problem finding it. Also, i DON"T recommend it, but the Imperial Palace has a $20/nite Sun-Thur, but the place is dingy, dark, and smells (just letting u know it's out there, but again, i DON"T recommend it)

Also forgot to mention, if staying at the Flamingo, use Airport Check-in! When you arrive in Vegas, you can check into your hotel and get your room keys right at the airport. Then when you get to the hotel you can avoid the check-in line and head right up to your room.