Martin

My wife and I would like to go to Las Vegas for 4 or 5 days. She doesn't like gambling but loves to sunbathe and swim outdoors. What time of year would be the best ( and the earliest in the year) to go? And since this would be our first time there, what is the best hotel to combine swimming, gambling, and luxury living?

John

Mandalay Bay has one of the best pools in Vegas IMO.

Jackie

I just was watching the travel channel a couple of days ago and they said the best pool was at the Hard Rock Hotel, but caters to the buff under 40 crowd.

BJ

For me, the earliest month would be April; however, perhaps your wife is a bit hardier when it comes to sunbathing and swimming.
For average temps month by month for Las Vegas, visit this website:

http://www.condoconcepts.com/weather/lasvegas.htm

That said, there's many websites dedicated to Las Vegas with lots of information. A couple of them are:

www.lvol.com
www.cheapovegas.com

Don't be put off by the title of the second one; "Casino Boy" writes in a humorous style but also has some of the best descriptions of hotel rooms on the Internet.
You can find more recommended websites and suggestions if you use the TEXT SEARCH feature of THIS website; type Las Vegas in the blank box and hit the FIND buttom.

Vic

Martin, I go to LV every mid-March (past 9 years). More than half the times it's too cool to swim (for me). But by early April it's getting predictably warm.

Whoever said the Hard Rock's pool was the best in LV must be getting paid by the Hard Rock. Not even close (and I've visited most all of them). HR's pool is very nice, it's just not in the top 5.

Mandalay is really tops overall. Not as refined as Bellagio, not as tropical as Tropicana. Mirage and Caesar's are my other favorites.
Best hotel overall is Bellagio. Venetian's rooms are nice but pool is nothing special, casino OK, location great and food good.
Mandalay or Four Seasons (same building) is the second best overall option IMO.

barbara

It snowed in Vegas in the last couple of days so you may have alittle wait. I love the pool at the Four Seasosn. They share a buildong with Mandalay Bay and can use the Mandalay property but Mandalay can't use the Four Seasosn meaning it never gets as crowded as the other resorts and, or course, the service (i.Ie. free us of cabanas with misters) is excellant.

Jackie

Vic, it was the Travel Channel who picked the Hard Rock pool, not I. Vegas is not my cup of tea so I wouldn't know first hand. But you're probably right, because it did look kind of tacky, but isn't that part of the Vegas experience?

xxx

hard rock is a ways from the strip. i'd never stay there because you may end up taking your car some places which is a drag in vegas.
i wouldn't plan on swimming before april.

tom

mid-April to be pretty certain that you'll get swimming weather. I've been in March and early April and sometimes it's been 80 degrees and sometimes its been 60 degrees. My favorite pool is at Caesar's Palace (I've been to Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Venetian, Rio but I haven't stayed at Bellagio yet so can't comment on the pool).

Les

I posted a response to this a couple of days ago, but apparently it's been deleted (Fodor's PC police?).
It's been my experience (at least at a couple of the major hotels) that the swimming pools (even the adult pools) are no deeper than 4 feet. This is not condusive to real swimming. I was told by the pool attendant that this is typical in Las Vegas. So, if swimming's your thing, I'd look elsewhere, or at least ask before you reserve.

Vic

Most casinos don't want the pools to be TOO much fun....then you'd actually want to stay in the pool instead of the casino.
There are also the legal/insurance issues. Lots of alcohol, people on vacation from their sensibilities. Deep pools just beg for problems. |
And of course, no diving boards.

Katie

Les -

How do you define "real swimming"? I've been a competitive swimmer since childhood and have swum in MANY pools (that are intended for nothing but "real" swimming) around 4 feet - with no problems.

Jon

The Travel Channel picked the Hard Rock pool for the bodies it attracts, not the pool itself.

Les

Katie,
Let me clarify. I guess, technically, "real swimming" can be done in any pool deeper than the length of your arms (to avoid "knuckle dragging"). However, given the generally warm Las Vegas climate, most of the time that MOST of us spend in the pool is for the purpose of cooling off and getting refreshed (at least from my observations), and only a small percentage of the time is spent actually swimming. With that in mind, I consider squatting down to get the water level up to my neck unacceptable. A four foot deep pool is little better than a wading pool, as far as I'm concerned, and any hotel with a 4-foot deep pool that represents themselves as having a pool for adults is being, at best, misleading.

Hmm

Les -

I think Katie's statement was a fair one - you're the one who used the term "real swimming," she just quoted you. I was thinking the same thing that she was when I read your first post.

Les

Hmm (and Katie),
OK, I may have misused the term "real swimming", but I think my response was more meaningful to the original poster, who says his wife "loves to sunbathe and swim outdoors". This sounds more like my description of swimming than Katie's (which is "competitive" swimming), and therefore my comments re. the depth of the swimming pool provide useful information to the poster. Of course, I could be mis-interpreting the question.

melinda

Martin..My husband is the gambler and all I ever want to do is lay by the pool so we have always been in your situation. We go out after April 15th (usually the 16th or 17th) every year for his birthday and find warmth and sun. Before that it can be chancy. October's cut off date is around the 15th as well. We hit highs of 70 this past year at that time. The summer is just plain melting but we go out 4th of July too. I love the Bellagio for the fact that they have lots of little pools and they are at different temps. Some like bath water and some icy. Their hot tubs large and secluded and lovely if it gets cool. Ropes are up for lane swimming and they have aqua aerobics in the main pool. Pool service is great and kids are allowed but there isn't as many. The music is very background. Mandalay Bay has all the fun rivers and waves and is really nice and active. Hard Rock was a riot as all the strippers were there and I felt like I was watching a Jenny Jones episode but it was nice with great music pumping thru the pool area and a natural energy. Mirage is tropical and nice. An above poster has cheapovegas.com listed and that does have an excellent overview of each hotel and is by far the most entertaining and informative Vegas site. I would imagine the Four Seasons small pool by the Mandalay pool would be ideal but I have never been to it. One could have the quiet time there and then go have fun at Mandalay. There are poker rooms at both Mandalay and Bellagio but the Bellagio's is really nice and smoke free. Bellagio is so close to great shopping at the across the street Desert Storm Mall or next door Caersar's Palace Mall and has very high end stores in the hotel as well.

Dave

May and September are good times. My friend and I go every year, and we have a perfect pool side vacation prefer at The Mirage. The landscaping, the waterfalls, and the people watching is excellent. The Mirage is, in general, a good buy. For the overall outstanding quality and cleanliness of the hotel, it's worth it.

PoolBoy

I agree with Dave, went to the Mirage last year. We originally booked Mandalay Bay for its pool but had to change plans after 9/11/01. Went to Mirage instead,pool was great, beautiful landscaping and waterfalls, very relaxing at poolside.