Good deal on a hotel in Las Vegas on the Strip.?

If you want good access to everything on the strip, I would not stay downtown, you have to rely on the bus to even get to the strip and depending on the time of day, it can get backed up down there. Downtown is more of a place to visit once or twice while you are in Vegas, not to stay, at least not for me because like you I prefer the main attractions of the strip.

I am the same way, I don’t need anything fancy, I would rather spend my money on things to do while I’m there. But at the same time, I don’t want a dump. So we stay at Excalibur. It’s located on the best end of the strip across from MGM Grand and NY-NY, and connected to Luxor and Mandalay Bay. It is a short, scenic 15 minute walk to the center of the strip (Bellagio), but you can definitely get a decent room there. Especially if you upgrade to their widescreen room for an extra $10-$20/night, you won’t know you aren’t staying in a nicer hotel. Their casino is also big and openly laid out, you don’t get lost like at other casinos. They have 4 pools, one designated for adults only, and one with a small waterslide, and they also have a beachside restaurant. It is a very welcoming atmosphere and I can’t stress the great location. We have never paid more than $50/night to stay there, and in the last year they have been running a lot of specials from $22/night.

Check out this link for an offer I received from them in my email. This specific offer must be booked by Jan. 11 but they have rates in May from $33/night. If you can book now, this is a good deal, if not there will be more like it before your trip. https://reservations.mgmmirage.com/bookingengine.aspx?pid=EXC&host=offer&code=x1228

I recommend signing up at their website (excalibur.com) for email offers so you immediately receive any offers they put out. I also recommend becoming best friends with this website http://smartervegas.com/ which has the most up to date codes for all of the Vegas hotels. There’s not really much on there right now for May, but as the dates draw closer, more will come up, just check it regularly. You can usually find the best rates within 2 months of your trip.

For airfare, I stick to Southwest, Airtran, and Delta. Keep in mind that Southwest is the only airline that does not charge for checked baggage, with any other airline you are going to be paying at least $15 per checked bag per way. I have never found a better rate in a package deal than booking airline and hotel separately because no matter what company you go through, they can not give you the deep discounts at the hotels that the promotional codes do.

Here is a map of the strip so that you can get an idea of the location of everything http://www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/stay/planning-information/maps/?map=5 just click on “select another map” at the top of the map to view the different areas of Vegas. Excalibur is the white castle on South Strip.

Hope this helps!