Hotel Review Thread
Since there are so many questions about hotels, I was thinking it would be useful for people to post the hotels they have stayed along with reviews of the rooms, service, restaurants, poker rooms, etc. There are of course tons of sites on the internet with this info, but this will hopefully be poker and food-centric in keeping with the 2+2 demographic.
My experiences as follows:
Cosmopolitan: Rooms are, IMO, the best in Vegas. If at all possible get a fountain view room, they all have balconies and the views are tremendous. Wraparound suites are super sick but pretty expensive. Everything is very modern so if you're into the traditional look this place is not for you.
Restaurants are terrific. Wide range of options. Pricey but not totally outrageous. STK, the steak place, has a club-type vibe and is loud. The buffet is small plates, very unique. Holsteins has amazing burgers. The fish place has a lunch deal that is the best in Vegas, a 3 course meal for 20 bucks. I have not eaten at the other places but have heard from several people that Jaleo (tapas) is excellent. Would like to hear others' opinion of Blue Ribbon, the sushi place.
No poker, table gaming is pretty meh. This is a party spot more than a gambling mecca.
Bellagio: Solid all around. Rooms were getting dated and have been / are being redone - I haven't been in the new ones. The amount of tourists has always annoyed me here for some reason. Always dumb people blocking the walkways and taking pictures and ****. Tons of Eurotrash.
Restaurants seem fine but are overpriced (Yellowtail, Fix). Haven't done Picasso yet, everyone loves it. The snack bar is right next to the poker room and the food is pretty good and fairly quick as long as you don't go at lunch.
Poker room is very nice but floor and staff are terrible. They are condescending and blatantly favor regular players for lists and rulings. If you grease them you can skip lists. Action generally good and has good mid-limit NL holdem.
Wynn/Encore: Very nice hotel. Incredibly clean and well-managed. Have always received exceptional service here - once had them coordinate an in-room birthday meal / dessert / cocktail for my wife and it was perfect.
Much like Bellagio, restaurants are good but significantly overpriced. Their deli next to the poker room has an incredible $15 reuben sandwich that I get at least once a trip.
For some reason their poker room seems to be dying. It caters to nits I think, which drives away action players. Also they don't seem to be as player-friendly as Venetian and Aria.
Venetian: Rooms are enormous and very nice, but too expensive IMO. I have found the service here to be weak. Have had to wait like 30 minutes for bags to show up, was placed in a double beds room after confirming a king, etc.
Restaurant selection is second to none with reasonable prices. I have always loved Delmonico, Emeril's steakhouse. Get the mushrooms. Wow.
Poker room is huge and excellent. Good tournaments and exceptional customer service. Smoking hot drink girls and fast service. Competent dealers.
Only negative is that this whole casino smells like Vanilla ****. I hate it.
Aria: Have not stayed here but I'm sure the rooms are nice. Only ate at the buffet and it was awful.
Poker room is great. Best drink service in Vegas, good service, competent floor, good tournaments, really hot cocktail girls.
Mandalay Bay: I don't usually like pools but this place has the best pool I've been to in Vegas. Really fun spot. Anyway, rooms are surprisingly nice and there are lots of fun food/party options.
Poker room is small and poorly run. Only 1-2 nl I think.
MGM: Rooms are getting old, think they are being redone. Craftsteak is nice for steak. OK service generally.
Poker room is big but in a horrible spot with annoying noises all the time. They might be moving it?
Mirage: Rooms are meh. Pool is meh. Restaurants are meh, though BLT Burger is awesome. This whole place is meh. Including their meh poker room.
I think those are the only places I've stayed. Would love for others to share their opinions and experiences.
Hello all.
Wasn't sure whether to start a new thread with this but I've just booked a 9-night trip to Vegas in August and am seeking opinions on hotels.
I'm a 49-year-old Brit (will be 50 by the time of the trip) and I've been to Vegas around a dozen times so not a noob, but it's been a few years so happy for any up to date info.
In terms of hotel, I've booked a refundable room at The Orleans for now (stayed there once a long time ago) but have seen the Horseshoe for a very similar price.
I'd like a nice pool area given the likely weather, but haven't stayed at Horseshoe (Bally's) and would be looking to avoid massive "bro" parties 
Any opinions or suggestions for alternatives gratefully accepted.
Thanks
Probably should put something in there about your budget and what, if anything, you're looking for outside of the pool.
Hello all.
Wasn't sure whether to start a new thread with this but I've just booked a 9-night trip to Vegas in August and am seeking opinions on hotels.
I'm a 49-year-old Brit (will be 50 by the time of the trip) and I've been to Vegas around a dozen times so not a noob, but it's been a few years so happy for any up to date info.
In terms of hotel, I've booked a refundable room at The Orleans for now (stayed there once a long time ago) but hav
Orleans has a nice and large pool. More like something from the 1960's but if kinda quiet is preferred then it would work.
Forget the Horsehoe pool area. Very small and bland and no shade. Clearly an afterthought as far as pool areas go.
One of the better pool areas is actually at the Flamingo.
horseshoe's pool is one of the few in vegas that are deeper than 3.5 feet, if that matters to you. but yeah, it's small.
i think the bro parties happen at the fashionable hotels where they try to draw in that crowd, with a club and other amenities. don't think you'll find it unless you go looking for it, especially if you go before late afternoon.
the thing about horseshoe is it's convenient location to many other places. and if you have any sort of caesars record you will get comped rooms
stayed there last weekend for free, perfectly fine if you don't plan on hanging out in the room for any amount of time other than sleep.
Orleans has a nice and large pool. More like something from the 1960's but if kinda quiet is preferred then it would work.
Forget the Horsehoe pool area. Very small and bland and no shade. Clearly an afterthought as far as pool areas go.
One of the better pool areas is actually at the Flamingo.
Co-sign that one of the very best pool areas, especially for a "value" hotel, is Flamingo.
Thanks for all the replies folks.
In answer to the question about budget/plans, I could afford to stay almost anywhere and have, in the past, stayed at Venetian, Caesars, Golden Nugget, Imperial Palace, MGM, Monte Carlo, Rio, Gold Coast and Orleans (possibly forgot one or two others) but don't feel it's worth anything more than mid-range for a solo trip.
Plans are largely to relax by the pool during the day, drinking/poker at night.
I also don't mind a good walk, which is why the Orleans being off strip doesn't bother me.
Will keep my eye out for any good deals, inc. at Flamingo.
I haven’t checked prices for the Mirage since it left M life but that resort has pretty good pools iirc
Mandalay Bay has one of the best pools in Vegas, and generally costs less than similarly nice strip hotels because of its location right at the south end of the strip. Might be worth checking price wise - I've done the pool both there and at the Mirage and MB is way nicer imo.
I also don't mind a good walk, which is why the Orleans being off strip doesn't bother me.
Can't believe I'm the guy saying that but the Orleans is very borderline walking distance in August even if you enjoy walking and don't mind the heat. Even for a fast walker it's 30ish minutes to center Strip. I wouldn't want to do that twice a day, especially not if the walk to the Strip happens in the afternoon after hanging out at the pool.
Re pools, if you want to have all the options MGM has a million different pools. Outside Wet Republic hours the bro party happens at one of the bigger pools towards the entrance but if you want to have it pretty quiet there's always open spots around the lazy river.
Given that's August I don't think the pool areas will be very busy anyway, especially on weekdays.
30 minutes? Barely a light stroll dear boy 😉 (joking aside, it's a fair point about doing it twice a day and will happily take a cab/Uber on the way back)
Wasn't a big fan of MGM when I stayed there on my first trip to Vegas but admit that was some time ago so will keep eyes and mind open. Thanks
i have spent over a year in vegas hotels for the most part and have a gf who liked being at pools so have a good gauge of all the pools in the area.
orleans.
big pool/older crowd/relaxed vibe (unless there is some baseball/cheerleading tournament going on) ,24/7 poker room, awesome action if you playing low limit
mandalay
5 different pools including a 21+ only one , has a lazy river and a fake beach , more families with kids , poker room is open til 330am on weekends and most days (closed on tuesdays i think)
luxor, big pool area, not deep , , they also have sunday lgbt day if you are or not into that , our least favorite, and not for that reason
Excalibur is low key chill,even though they have hits of the early 2000's playing , no pretentious at all (duh its the Excalibur) , kids but they had a 21+ over section (they were working on it last summer so it was closed )
fries and their food surprisingly good for it being the Excalibur. (mgm grand poker room 10 minute walk away)
vdara and aria pool , vdara has the death ray , so its no go , also dont know the aria pool , poker room there though
bellagio. obviously a more upscale ,moneid crowd, but their pools arent that impressive, its nice and relaxing as it doesnt have loud music like some of the other pools do. poker room there as well.
resorts world , i really like their pool , depending on the day its either some kids or a young crowd. its not deep at all but it has some long twist and turns , poker room there too.
golden nugget pool is also nice , has a slide , its the younger crowd of downtown (along with circa) , 24/7 low limit poker room .
i would name the other ones but you probably wouldnt consider them because it falls outside your filter.
South Point is a nice hotel with a nice pool and a nice poker room.
it's on a bit of an island but it does have everything on site so if you are looking for a place to anchor down I think it's a great place.
Can you rank these pool areas for me:
- MGM Grand
- Aria
- Resorts World
haven't seen any of them. all I know is MGMG has a lazy river that interests me.
solo 40yo, don't need to party
Available shade is important but I'm not paying for anything extra
Can you rank these pool areas for me:
- MGM Grand
- Aria
- Resorts World
haven't seen any of them. all I know is MGMG has a lazy river that interests me.
solo 40yo, don't need to party
MGM Grand is kinda busy/crowded.... I was unimpressed. Lazy river is much better at Mandalay (but that's far away).
Aria is sort minimalist but has decently sized pools that you can actually swim in (at least early in the day).
Don't know about Resorts.
No idea about Resorts World. MGM Pool area is absurdly large. I agree that the lazy river isn't that spectacular but there's plenty of space everywhere unless you specifically go to one of the crowded areas.
Aria is pretty nice but feels kinda generic. If it comes simply to pool vs. pool (not area) I agree that Aria > MGM.
At Aria the party is strictly at Liquid rest of the pool area is relatively quiet even on weekends. MGM has a lot of young guests that can't/don't want to afford Wet Republic so one of the regular pools always turns into a second party pool on the weekends.
Resorts World seemed nice, but they had like 5/7 pools closed due to high wind the day I was there, so the remaining pools were crowded. I think 1 or more are adult only. Pretty loud music, IIRC.
I have a room booked at Mandalay Bay and one at PH for 5 nights. The PH room is 1/10 the price of the MB one and I’ll be there for a volleyball tourney at MB and poker. I liked the idea of being closer to the better poker rooms at PH and still being a quick Uber or tram trip to MB for the tournament.
I’ve been told PH is disgusting and not worth the headache of staying there. Is that generally true these days? Haven’t been to Vegas in 20 years so I welcome any advice.
there is no poker room at Planet Hollywood anymore
Mandalay Bay does have a good poker room though
if you are just looking for a room to sleep PH is probably fine
people complain and criticize everything.
