7.9 KiB
Las Vegas — Where to Stay (booked + alternatives)
Booked: Wyndham Desert Rose Resort 2BR Apartment, reserved by KT. Alternatives are retained below for reference until the free-cancellation deadline.
Dates: Wed Sep 30 → Sat Oct 3 (3 nights) Guests: 4 adults (2 couples) → 2 hotel rooms, or one 2-bedroom suite Car available — the group drives in from LA on Sep 30. KT & VT fly from LAS on Oct 3, while MS starts the drive back to San Francisco and returns the car at SFO on Oct 4. Position on the Strip still matters, but hotel parking must now be included in every comparison.
Prices below are all-in. The comparison rates are Booking.com totals including taxes and resort fees for the whole group (2 rooms or 1 unit), Sep 30–Oct 3. Most comparison quotes were shown in CAD and converted at ~0.72. The booked Wyndham confirmation shows approximately CHF 509 and states that the property will charge in USD; the confirmed cancellation amount is US$630.
⚠️ Parking still varies: free where marked; MGM/Caesars properties (Excalibur, Luxor, Horseshoe, Flamingo, Signature) charge extra per night with the fee set at the property.
Booked choice and leading alternatives
- ✅ Wyndham Desert Rose 2BR — BOOKED. $630, 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms + kitchen, free parking. Free cancellation through Sep 15; US$630 cancellation charge from Sep 16.
- Horseshoe — centre Strip at the Flamingo Rd corner, next to Paris, fountains across the road. $1,025 all-in + paid parking. Free cancellation until Sep 28, pay at the property.
- Flamingo — same intersection, LINQ/High Roller behind it. $1,274 all-in + paid parking. Free cancellation until Sep 28, pay at the property — but only 1 room was left at the checked rate.
The Wyndham booking now sets the price floor. Re-checking alternatives is only useful before its Sep 15 free-cancellation deadline; after that, cancellation costs the full US$630.
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)
All-in group total for 2 rooms × 3 nights, taxes and resort fees included.
| Hotel | Zone | All-in × 2 rooms | Parking | Free cancel until | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circus Circus | North | $500 (C$694) | Free (1 spot/room) | Sep 28 | 6.8 (16,474) |
| The STRAT | North (far) | $576 (C$800) | On site, fee TBC | Sep 27 | 7.2 (8,794) |
| Excalibur | South | $637 (C$885) | Paid | Sep 27 | 7.6 (30,951) |
| SAHARA Las Vegas | North | $934 (C$1,297) | Free (self & valet) | Sep 27 | 8.4 (11,717) |
| Horseshoe Las Vegas | Center | $1,025 (C$1,424) | Paid | Sep 28 · pay at property | 7.9 (8,180) |
| Luxor | South | $1,056 (C$1,467) | Paid | Sep 27 | 7.4 (22,988) |
| Flamingo | Center | $1,274 (C$1,770) | Paid · 1 room left | Sep 28 · pay at property | 7.8 (24,171) |
| Best Western Plus Casino Royale | Center | $1,391 (C$1,932) | Free · no resort fee | Sep 27 · pay from Sep 25 | 8.0 (3,579) |
Cancellation deadlines apply to the flexible rates checked Aug 31; cheaper non-refundable rates exist (e.g. The STRAT). Circus Circus and The STRAT also take refundable check-in deposits ($200/$300 per room).
With fees included the ranking changed. Horseshoe (centre Strip, walkable to nearly everything in vegas_sights.md) is now $1,025 + parking — no longer the bargain it looked. Excalibur at $637 stays the cheapest sensible hotel (South Strip, free tram to the MGM cluster, 30,951 reviews). SAHARA at $934 has the best rating (8.4) and free self + valet parking, but sits north.
Skip Circus Circus and The STRAT despite the price — both sit at the far north end, where every evening ends in a rideshare. Note MGM/Caesars hotels also take a refundable deposit at check-in (e.g. Circus $200/room, STRAT $300/room).
Option B — one suite / apartment for all four
Whole unit, 2 bedrooms, kitchen. All-in totals, taxes and fees included.
| Property | Layout | All-in 3 nights | Rating | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Rose Resort | 1 bed + living room | $598 (C$831) | 9.0 (4,724) | NO RESORT FEE · free parking · by far the most reviewed |
| ✅ Wyndham Desert Rose 2BR Apartment | 2 bed · 2 bath · 79 m² | $630 (approx. CHF 509) | 9.0 (59) | BOOKED by KT · free parking |
| GetAways at the Jockey Club | 1 bed + living room | $775 (C$1,076) | 9.1 (2,859) | NO RESORT FEE · free parking · centre Strip, next to Cosmopolitan |
| The Signature at MGM Grand — All Suites | Suite + balcony | $839 (C$1,166) | 8.5 (1,567) | Parking paid · non-smoking, no casino in the tower |
| 2 bed · 2 bath · 95 m² | — | 9.6 (29) | ❌ No availability Sep 30 – Oct 3 |
The booked choice gives the group two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen for less than two rooms at any centre-Strip hotel. Desert Rose sits on Harmon Ave, a short walk east of the Strip, and includes free parking.
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 — the through-rental is available for Hoover Dam, Red Rock and Valley of Fire (see
vegas_sights.md). - Shows — Cirque residencies sell out; book before arrival.
- Oct 3–4 return drive — choose MS's overnight stop / endpoint and coordinate the Oct 4 SFO car return with the SFO → YVR flight.
All-in prices (taxes + resort fees) re-checked Aug 31, 2026 on Booking.com for Sep 30 – Oct 3 — parking fees at MGM/Caesars properties still excluded.