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Vegas

Shrmdougluvr

Give it all to me fool!
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Never been.

Need a couple hotel recos. Will be book-ending a family vaca to Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon (North Rim) with flights/stays in and out of Las Vegas during the last week of August. Will be there with my wife and two boys - 9 and 6 at the time. Single night stays.

We do not plan on doing any gambling and do not need access to high end shopping and restaurants. Probably won't see any shows either. They Vegas nights are really intended to simply be respites from travel.

Ideally, I'd like an easy walk to the strip, so we can just stroll by some of the sights; clean comfortable rooms; good value; and nice pool for families. I'd prefer not a behemoth that takes 20-30 minutes just to walk through, and something with decent parking options, as we will at minimum have rental car the first night, and may have one at the end of the week also. I assume most of these hotels run an airport shuttle, but it doesnt really matter with ride shares and car services.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
Flamingo

I've never stayed at that hotel, but it is strip friendly location, easy to navigate, close to shopping if you change your mind.
 
Never been.

Need a couple hotel recos. Will be book-ending a family vaca to Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon (North Rim) with flights/stays in and out of Las Vegas during the last week of August. Will be there with my wife and two boys - 9 and 6 at the time. Single night stays.

We do not plan on doing any gambling and do not need access to high end shopping and restaurants. Probably won't see any shows either. They Vegas nights are really intended to simply be respites from travel.

Ideally, I'd like an easy walk to the strip, so we can just stroll by some of the sights; clean comfortable rooms; good value; and nice pool for families. I'd prefer not a behemoth that takes 20-30 minutes just to walk through, and something with decent parking options, as we will at minimum have rental car the first night, and may have one at the end of the week also. I assume most of these hotels run an airport shuttle, but it doesnt really matter with ride shares and car services.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Here is a link for 39 things to do in Vegas with kids. I would recommend anything on the strip or just off of it. If you don't care to be in a big hotel then I would recommend finding one downtown off the strip. There are a lot of things to do in Vegas with kids and they might enjoy it. Most of the hotels you enter through the casino and that is why it takes so long to walk through. A lot of the hotels have great pools but not all are family oriented.
39 Things to do in Las Vegas with Kids | Las Vegas Attractions for Kids

Here is another link for best kid friendly hotels but a lot are real big. Basically not everyone goes to Vegas to gamble so the hotels compete for entertainment value.
The 11 Best Kid-Friendly Hotels in Las Vegas
 
If you're on a budget, Stratosphere is always on the less expensive side of things. It's also at the very end of the strip so you'll want to park at something more central.
 
If you're on a budget, Stratosphere is always on the less expensive side of things. It's also at the very end of the strip so you'll want to park at something more central.
I like the Luxor for the same reason on the opposite side. Who's our Vegas guy on the board???
two3zone !
 
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Never been.

Need a couple hotel recos. Will be book-ending a family vaca to Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon (North Rim) with flights/stays in and out of Las Vegas during the last week of August. Will be there with my wife and two boys - 9 and 6 at the time. Single night stays.

We do not plan on doing any gambling and do not need access to high end shopping and restaurants. Probably won't see any shows either. They Vegas nights are really intended to simply be respites from travel.

Ideally, I'd like an easy walk to the strip, so we can just stroll by some of the sights; clean comfortable rooms; good value; and nice pool for families. I'd prefer not a behemoth that takes 20-30 minutes just to walk through, and something with decent parking options, as we will at minimum have rental car the first night, and may have one at the end of the week also. I assume most of these hotels run an airport shuttle, but it doesnt really matter with ride shares and car services.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I'd second the flamingo. Centralized location for easy access to everything. Jealous of your parks trip. Utah is incredibly beautiful. Did about 18 miles at Zion one day because the spring we were counting on to overnight was dry and I got a little too nervous about water supply.
 
I loved Excalibur when i was a kid. The fun dungeon!

My parents took me to that place when I was a kid too. Was a blast then. When I saw it in my 20s, I was like good god, why did you guys stay in that craphole.
 
So, here's where I am (waiting on others to way in). I am a Hyatt rewards member (whatever it's called) and they have a relationship with M-Life, which is the rewards program for MGM. So at this point, I am mostly looking at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, and Excalibur. All three have some drawbacks, but the first two are supposed to have awesome pools and entertainment for kids, and the last is kinda a cheepy, kitschy option. I will look more at the Tropicana Flamingo as well, given the price point and location. I will say some of the photos i saw on google maps painted a kind of raucous picture, which was a bit of a turnoff (i know its Vegas, but I'm not talking about bros out at the Spearmint Rhino, more like the Trailer Park Boys at a chuck-e-cheese).

In reality, we'll only be there for a half-day on a Saturday after we fly in, and a half-day on a Friday after we drive back from the North Rim. So the stay is pretty minimal.

For price point, i look for bang-for-the-buck. I'm not opposed to spending $300 a night, but I need to get something in return. Likewise, I won't spend $35 per for a decrepit joint either.
 
Last edited:
Never been.

Need a couple hotel recos. Will be book-ending a family vaca to Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon (North Rim) with flights/stays in and out of Las Vegas during the last week of August. Will be there with my wife and two boys - 9 and 6 at the time. Single night stays.

We do not plan on doing any gambling and do not need access to high end shopping and restaurants. Probably won't see any shows either. They Vegas nights are really intended to simply be respites from travel.

Ideally, I'd like an easy walk to the strip, so we can just stroll by some of the sights; clean comfortable rooms; good value; and nice pool for families. I'd prefer not a behemoth that takes 20-30 minutes just to walk through, and something with decent parking options, as we will at minimum have rental car the first night, and may have one at the end of the week also. I assume most of these hotels run an airport shuttle, but it doesnt really matter with ride shares and car services.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

The wife and I did that trip in reverse. It's one of the best we've ever done and it was in a tent, without reservations, and in freezing cold temps. I'm very jealous.

We did the Luxor at the beginning of the trip because we were attending a wedding and everyone was staying there. I'll have to ask the wife if she can remember the joint we stayed (off the strip but not terrible) at the end. We aren't Vegas types so a bed was really all we needed. And the seafood buffet at the Rio.
 
So, here's where I am (waiting on others to way in). I am a Hyatt rewards member (whatever it's called) and they have a relationship with M-Life, which is the rewards program for MGM. So at this point, I am mostly looking at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, and Excalibur. All three have some drawbacks, but the first two are supposed to have awesome pools and entertainment for kids, and the last is kinda a cheepy, kitschy option. I will look more at the Tropicana as well, given the price point and location. I will say some of the photos i saw on google maps painted a kind of raucous picture, which was a bit of a turnoff (i know its Vegas, but I'm not talking about bros out at the Spearmint Rhino, more like the Trailer Park Boys at a chuck-e-cheese).

In reality, we'll only be there for a half-day on a Saturday after we fly in, and a half-day on a Friday after we drive back from the North Rim. So the stay is pretty minimal.

For price point, i look for bang-for-the-buck. I'm not opposed to spending $300 a night, but I need to get something in return. Likewise, I won't spend $35 per for a decrepit joint either.

Caesars, Wynn, Venetian & Palazzo are all like $100/night plus their stupid fees if you want something nice. Otherwise the Flamingo is like $60 + the fee for 2 queens with their "high roller view" and would solve everything you are looking for.
 
Caesars, Wynn, Venetian & Palazzo are all like $100/night plus their stupid fees if you want something nice. Otherwise the Flamingo is like $60 + the fee for 2 queens with their "high roller view" and would solve everything you are looking for.

I dont know why i said the Tropicana. I meant the Flamingo. I am leaning towards the Mandalay Bay or MGM for the last day of my trip. My wife might have issues with the connotation to staying at the Mandalay.
 
I dont know why i said the Tropicana. I meant the Flamingo. I am leaning towards the Mandalay Bay or MGM for the last day of my trip. My wife might have issues with the connotation to staying at the Mandalay.

Mandalay and MGM are nice enough. I also stayed at the Flamingo a couple years ago and it wasn't as bad as you might think. Totally adequate, and bonus points for being old-school and manageable in size.

As for the North Rim, it's fun. Accommodations are spartan and the food is mediocre. But it's beautiful up there, way different from what I expected. Long drive from LAS, unless you're traveling via Zion. (That's a very nice drive on 15, btw.)
 
Mandalay and MGM are nice enough. I also stayed at the Flamingo a couple years ago and it wasn't as bad as you might think. Totally adequate, and bonus points for being old-school and manageable in size.

As for the North Rim, it's fun. Accommodations are spartan and the food is mediocre. But it's beautiful up there, way different from what I expected. Long drive from LAS, unless you're traveling via Zion. (That's a very nice drive on 15, btw.)

So the itinerary is basically this:

Day 1- Fly into Vegas and chill. Need hotel. The Flamingo is going to be over $250 per night so am leaning towards using Hyatt Points and staying at Excalibur.
Day 2 - Drive to Zion and do something. Staying at the Hampton in there.
Day 3 - Full day at Zion. Pool time.
Day 4 - Bryce. Staying in lodge inside park. Have heard the night sky is amazing.
Day 5 - GC North Rim. Staying in the cabins there.
Day 6. - GC North Rim.
Day 7 - Back to Vegas. Probably staying at the MGM. Will likely again use Hyatt points. (booking with points gets rid of all the extraneous fees and taxes [except parking, but may ditch the rental car before heading over]).
Day 8 - Flying home. Still will have the benefit of the Labor Day weekend.

I have my reservations about whether my 6-year-old will be able to handle the hiking and parks. Both boys are good for flying and car rides. But the older son is going into fourth grade and will be eligible for free parks pass for the entire family. Figured we'd vaca at National Parks that year, then again when the little guy hits fourth grade.
 
Zion and Bryce are spectacular. So is Arches if by any chance you can squeeze that one in as well.

Haven't been to North Rim, but Grand Canyon is incomparable.

I am really not a big Vegas fan, so I don't have hotel recos, but if at all possible, the Dam is a can't miss.
 

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