The East Strip in Las Vegas
These are hotels near the Convention Center and most are chain hotels with a couple of exceptions. Look around for a good deal in this area and see what you can find.
The first hotel that is in this area is the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. It boasts 657 rooms and has plenty of Hollywood and music industry memorabilia. If you like having the casino close by, you will appreciate this hotel. The lobby borders around its casino. The hotel also has a great pool setting. Several pools joined by some sandy beach and a lazy river.
The Las Vegas Hilton is about two blocks off the main strip. Barry Manilow performs here at present in the Headliner Showroom. Also out front, you will find a statue of Elvis Presley outside the doors, and as you walk in, you will see one of his sequined jumpsuits. He played over 837 sold-out shows at the hotel. Also, you will find the Star Trek Experience here. You may even run into some Borg, Andorians, or Klingons. They have several packages to choose from and in one behind the scenes tour, you get to see an actual bridge set used in “The Next Generation.” They have hundreds of props, paraphernalia, and articles of clothing from the television series and the movies.
There are several chain hotels that you can stay at relatively cheap if you don’t need the casino glamour and all its casings. There is the La Quinta Inn, Residence Inn by Marriott, Best Western Mardi Gras Inn, the Emerald Springs Clarion Hotel Suites, Fairfield Inn, and a Motel 6. All of these offer clean rooms, a bath, in some cases, a suite with a living room area and some have a continental breakfast.
The North Strip of Las Vegas
The north end of the strip is known for its inexpensive hotels. There are several to choose from and some are older hotels that have been around since the 1950’s.
The Riviera was the first high rise hotel opening in 1955. Liberace and Joan Crawford hosted the ceremonies. This is an adult oriented hotel and they advise against bringing your kids. They have many wonderful shows such as Crazy Girls, and An Evening at La Cage. Splash has ended its run at the hotel. It is located right across the street from the Circus Circus.
The Circus Circus is definitely a hotel for families and welcomes kids. They have circus acts that perform over the casino floors which the little ones can also watch from the second floor. There is the Adventure Dome complete with roller coaster and other exciting rides on the second floor too. They also have a midway arcade that is quite popular.
A little further down the strip and you will find the Sahara. This hotel has a huge roller coaster wrapped around the front of it as well. Inside they have quite the Nascar collection above the eatery. They have cars, shirts, posters, autographed pictures, and keyrings. This hotel is done in Moroccan décor and Arabian Night themes.
The Stratosphere is a unique hotel due to its awesome size. It is 1,149 feet high. The building has 109 floors. On the top floor, there are three rides for the adrenalin junkie. They have the High Roller which is a roller coaster that goes around the outer rim of the top of the hotel. The Big Shot which is a free fall ride that sends passengers back and forth at 45 mph, also at the top of the hotel. And the last is called the X-Scream. This gives you the feeling of falling off the side of the building from 109 stories up.
The South Strip of Las Vegas
The South Strip could be considered the expensive end. Most of the hotels on this end are resorts and are more elaborate than the hotels at the other end of the strip or on Fremont Street. These are hotels with huge towers and everything from shopping to spas to convention centers. Let’s take a look at the sights on the south end of the strip.
The first hotel you will see when going north on the strip is the Four Seasons hotel. These people do everything in a big way from the entrance way to the cotton sheets on the beds. There is also no clanging or ringing of a casino to overload your senses as you walk through the door.
For casino sounds that are quite abundant, follow the signs and go through the side door of the Four Seasons and you walk right into the Mandelay Bay’s casino and gaming tables. If you walk a little further into the lobby, you will see a huge aquarium that advertises for the hotel’s Shark Reef Experience. If you have an hour or two, go and see the wildlife ranging from crocodiles, pirahna, sharks, jellyfish, and even some baby rays you can touch.
The next hotel you come to will be the Luxor. You can’t miss this one with the big pyramid and Sphinx sitting in front of it. This hotel is decorated with Egyptian tones and has a unique lobby inside. The rooms go up the outside of the pyramid and the elevator which is called and INCLINATOR actually travels at a slant up the floors.
The Excalibur Hotel is out of King Arthur days. It is a huge fairy tale castle complete with dragons and pageantry on the inside. Make sure to eat the Tournament of Kings medieval style buffet complete with a jousting attraction.
