6.7 KiB
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.mdandbookings/car-rental.mdinstead 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). 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 | North | $250 | $500 | 6.8 (16,474) |
| The STRAT | North (far) | $257 | $514 | 7.2 (8,794) |
| Excalibur | South | $310 | $620 | 7.6 (30,951) |
| Luxor | South | $444 | $888 | 7.4 (22,988) |
| Horseshoe Las Vegas | Center | $469 | $938 | 7.9 (8,180) |
| SAHARA Las Vegas | North | $553 | $1,106 | 8.4 (11,717) |
| Flamingo | Center | $607 | $1,214 | 7.8 (24,171) |
| Best Western Plus Casino Royale | Center | $696 | $1,392 | 8.0 (3,579) |
Pick of the group — Horseshoe Las Vegas, $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 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, $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 | 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 | 2 bed · 2 bath · 79 m² | $630 | 9.0 (59) | — |
| Desert Rose Resort | 1 bed + living room | $599 | 9.0 (4,724) | NO RESORT FEE · by far the most reviewed |
| GetAways at the Jockey Club | 1 bed + living room | $707 | 9.1 (2,859) | NO RESORT FEE · centre Strip, next to Cosmopolitan |
| The Signature at MGM Grand — All Suites | 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 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
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). - 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.