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docs(trip): add LA and Vegas stay shortlists

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Maks Snegov
2026-08-30 19:18:25 -07:00
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# Las Vegas — Where to Stay (shortlist)
*Candidate accommodation for the Vegas leg. Nothing booked yet.*
**Dates:** Wed Sep 30 → Sat Oct 3 (3 nights)
**Guests:** 4 adults (2 couples) → 2 hotel rooms, or one 2-bedroom suite
**No car** — this shortlist assumes the rental is dropped at LAX on Sep 30, followed by a flight to Las Vegas, so the group gets around on foot + rideshare. **Position on the Strip matters more here than anywhere else on this trip.**
> ⚠️ **Route conflict to resolve:** the current [`itinerary.md`](itinerary.md) and [`bookings/car-rental.md`](bookings/car-rental.md) instead show keeping the rental through Oct 3, driving LA → Las Vegas, then returning to LAX. Do not treat either transport plan as final until the group confirms it.
> ⚠️ **Resort fees.** Nearly every Strip casino resort adds a mandatory daily resort fee (typically ~$45–55 per room per night) charged **at the property**, on top of the rates below. For 2 rooms × 3 nights that is roughly **$270–330 extra** — enough to reverse the ranking. Confirm the exact fee on each property page before comparing. Listings marked **NO RESORT FEE** below are the ones that avoid it.
>
> ⚠️ **Oct 3 departure airport is still TBC** (LAS or LAX — see [`itinerary.md`](itinerary.md)). If KT & VT fly out of LAX, an extra LAS→LAX hop is needed that morning; that argues for a hotel with an easy airport run.
---
## Location on the Strip
| Zone | Walk to | Hotels below |
|---|---|---|
| **Center Strip** | Bellagio fountains, High Roller, Caesars, Venetian | Horseshoe, Flamingo, Casino Royale, Jockey Club |
| **South Strip** | Sphere-side attractions via tram, MGM area | Excalibur, Luxor, Signature at MGM, Desert Rose, Grand Desert |
| **North Strip** | Fewer sights; longer walks or rideshare | Circus Circus, The STRAT, SAHARA |
---
## Option A — two hotel rooms (classic Vegas)
*Price shown per room / 3 nights, then the group total for 2 rooms. Resort fee extra.*
| Hotel | Zone | Per room | **× 2 rooms** | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Circus Circus](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/circus-circus.html) | North | $250 | **$500** | 6.8 (16,474) |
| [The STRAT](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/stratosphere-casino.html) | North (far) | $257 | **$514** | 7.2 (8,794) |
| **[Excalibur](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/excalibur.html)** | South | $310 | **$620** | 7.6 (30,951) |
| [Luxor](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/luxor.html) | South | $444 | **$888** | 7.4 (22,988) |
| **[Horseshoe Las Vegas](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/bally-s-las-vegas-casino.html)** | **Center** | $469 | **$938** | 7.9 (8,180) |
| [SAHARA Las Vegas](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/sahara-lasvegas-hotel-casino.html) | North | $553 | **$1,106** | **8.4** (11,717) |
| [Flamingo](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/flamingo-casino.html) | Center | $607 | **$1,214** | 7.8 (24,171) |
| [Best Western Plus Casino Royale](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/best-western-plus-casino-royalecenter-strip.html) | Center | $696 | **$1,392** | 8.0 (3,579) |
**Pick of the group — [Horseshoe Las Vegas](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/bally-s-las-vegas-casino.html), $938 for two rooms.** Dead centre of the Strip: the Bellagio fountains are across the road, the High Roller and LINQ are next door, and almost everything in [`vegas_sights.md`](vegas_sights.md) is walkable from the door. Ratings are middling-but-honest (7.9 across 8,180 reviews) and it is far cheaper than the resorts either side of it.
**Cheapest sensible — [Excalibur](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/excalibur.html), $620.** South Strip, connected by free tram toward the MGM cluster; 30,951 reviews at 7.6 make it a known quantity. Costs an extra ~15-min walk (or tram) to reach the centre.
**Skip Circus Circus and The STRAT** despite the price — both sit at the far north end, where every evening ends in a rideshare.
---
## Option B — one suite / apartment for all four
*Whole unit, 2 bedrooms, kitchen. Often no resort fee, which closes most of the price gap.*
| Property | Layout | 3 nights | Rating | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **[Grand Desert Resort 2BR Villa](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/grand-desert-resort-2br-villa.html)** | 2 bed · 2 bath · 4 beds · 95 m² | **$596** | 9.6 (29) | Best value on this page — but only 29 reviews |
| [Wyndham Desert Rose 2BR Apartment](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/wyndham-desert-rose-resort-2br-apartment-with-resort-access.html) | 2 bed · 2 bath · 79 m² | **$630** | 9.0 (59) | — |
| **[Desert Rose Resort](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/desert-rose-resort.html)** | 1 bed + living room | **$599** | **9.0 (4,724)** | **NO RESORT FEE** · by far the most reviewed |
| [GetAways at the Jockey Club](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/getaways-at-the-jockey-club.html) | 1 bed + living room | $707 | 9.1 (2,859) | **NO RESORT FEE** · centre Strip, next to Cosmopolitan |
| [The Signature at MGM Grand — All Suites](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/the-signature-at-mgm.html) | Suite + balcony | $889 | 8.5 (1,567) | Non-smoking, no casino in the tower |
**If the group would rather share one place** — the way they have all trip — [Wyndham Desert Rose 2BR](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/wyndham-desert-rose-resort-2br-apartment-with-resort-access.html) at **$630** gives two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen for less than two hotel rooms cost once resort fees land. Desert Rose sits on Harmon Ave, a short walk east of the Strip. The Grand Desert villa is $34 cheaper and better rated, but 29 reviews is thin.
The two 1-bedroom options (Desert Rose, Jockey Club) only work if one couple takes the living room — fine for three nights, worth agreeing in advance.
---
## Not on Booking for these dates
Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Venetian, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Park MGM and The LINQ did not return availability on Booking.com for Sep 30 – Oct 3. Other MGM/Caesars properties did (Excalibur, Luxor, Flamingo, Horseshoe), so this is an inventory quirk rather than a sold-out Strip — **price those directly on mgmresorts.com and caesars.com** before deciding.
**Own search:** [Booking, Las Vegas Strip, 2 rooms, Sep 30 – Oct 3](https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?ss=Las+Vegas+Strip%2C+Las+Vegas&checkin=2026-09-30&checkout=2026-10-03&group_adults=4&no_rooms=2&group_children=0&order=price)
---
## Still to sort for this leg
- **Day trips need wheels or a tour** — Hoover Dam, Red Rock, Valley of Fire and the Grand Canyon all require a booked tour or a separate Vegas rental (see [`vegas_sights.md`](vegas_sights.md)).
- **Shows** — Cirque residencies sell out; book before arrival.
- **LAX→LAS flight on Sep 30** is still TBD in the itinerary.
---
*Prices checked Aug 31, 2026 for Sep 30 – Oct 3, excluding resort fees — re-check before booking.*