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Would you "force yourself" to stay at a different Vegas strip hotel?
DH and I are going to Vegas for my 40th birthday in May. We live close enough that Vegas could be a regular vacation destination, but last year was the first time we went together. We stayed at Harrah's.
So this time, I think 3 nights instead of 2 will be more relaxing, and we'll have lots more time this time to casino hop during the day - not neccessarily gamble, but check the different casinos out, and do some window shopping. We didn't really have time for that last time.
We're planning on catching Phantom and O, and tickets aren't cheap. The third night makes a difference too. Here's the thing - easily the best deal for where we'll be most of the time is Harrah's, again. And we were really, really happy with Harrah's before. No wandering in circles in the casino trying to find the elevator banks, room was large and quiet, and we're not foodies - I frankly loved their buffet. And the spot on the strip is hard to beat, right in the middle, with the crosswalk across Las Vegas Blvd right out the front entrance.
But I told DH it somehow feels wrong to not try staying at other hotels, that we can't become seasoned Vegas travellers unless we do. Harrah's is about $80 per night, and other places I'd be interested in are $115 - $165 a night. (Only other one close is Flamingo, where DH has stayed and is not interested in, or IP, where *I've* stayed and am not interested in staying again).
My mom told me once that we should avoid always doing the same thing on vacations, because we always went to the same hotel in San Diego every year when I was a kid. I find I have a hard time NOT applying her advice to every single vacation now.
What's your opinion? Are we losing out on some Vegas experience if we stay at Harrah's again? Would you make yourself try something new and different, even if you liked what you had before?
Re: Would you "force yourself" to stay at a different Vegas strip hotel?
I've already researched prices for the dates - Harrah's would be $80/night and the others $115 - $165/night.
Would you still stay somewhere different if it were you?
Treasure Island, Mirage, Venetian, Bellagio, Caesar's, NYNY (although farther away).
The key to my question is, would you make yourself stay somewhere different, for the sake of the experience, even though it cost more....even though we were really happy with Harrah's last time?
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Have you considered priceline or hotwire? You can pick a 5 star hotel on the North Strip and put in a bid of $90 a night (higher if you are willing to pay a bit more), and if you win you are guaranteed Wynn/Encore or Palazzo/Venetian. Check out betterbidding.com and do some research there to see what people are paying for the various resorts and how they bid (i.e. 4 stars, north strip; 5 stars, south strip). Keep in mind that trips during the week are much cheaper than the weekends.
With hotwire you can't see the resort but you can see all of the amenities and using betterbidding.com you can pretty much figure out which hotel you are viewing.
I say if you aren't particular you can score a great deal using these sites. We've stayed at the Wynn for $90 a night and the Treasure Island for as little as $49 (although there was a $20 resort fee, which you won't have with Harrahs).
I've stayed at Harrahs and there are far better places to stay IMO.
I agree that priceline is a great option, but I also think it is totally fine to stay at Harrah's again if that is what you want to do. When we were in Vegas, we didn't spend a lot of time in the room, (we stayed at TI, it was fine, nothing special) and as long as is is clean and safe, I wouldn't care much. We enjoyed walking around the other hotels to look at them, but you can do that without shelling out the extra money.
So, I think it is really a personal preference. If the fancy room is important to you, try somewhere else, or try priceline. But, if I had found a less expensive option that I was fine with, I personally would absolutely choose to spend the money somewhere else like a nice meal, a show, or the blackjack tables. A central location is very important to me as well. For me, the "Vegas experience" had very little to do with where we slept. But, I realize other people have different priorities. You'll have fun no matter what!
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You sound like a creature of habit. If this is what you're like, do what makes you happy.
There is no reason to stay at another hotel simply for the sake of staying at a different hotel.
If you stay at a different hotel, it should be because you really want to try it.
You mentioned that you wanted to see Phantom of the Opera and O? Many hotels will run show specials if you stay in their hotel, so even though the room might be more expensive, the show could be much cheaper and you'd end up coming out the same price wise.
H and I did this, we stayed at the Venetian (which is an awesome hotel) and saw Phantom (great seats), for around the same price per night as I saw on some travel sites, so it's something you should definitely look into.
However, if the deals aren't that great, I don't see anything wrong with staying in the same hotel. If you were happy with their service, price and location, then go for it. You can still have a very different Vegas experience while staying in the same hotel.
I wouldn't stay somewhere else just to stay somewhere else if you really don't want to. But I do think it is good to stay at new places for comparison sake and because maybe you only think you like the one place you have stayed because it's all you know.
The Mirage has a great location as well, and a great pool area. In May, that would probably be my pick.
I used to live in the Phoenix area and Vegas was our go-to spot for weekend or long weekend trips. Easy drive or quick flight. Have fun!
I think you should do whatever you guys feel comfortable doing and fits in with your budget. I'm an advocate of trying new things if they seem appealing to you but I don't think you need to stress over this decision.
We've stayed at The Venetian twice (after staying at MGM, IP, Luxor, and Bally's) It's our favorite so far.
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