Checking into Las Vegas: Where to Stay in ‘Sin City’

 

When you plan a trip to Las Vegas, one of the first things you’ll have to decide is which resort to stay at (or whether to opt for a cheaper hotel off the Strip). If it’s a special trip, we recommend aiming for the resorts. Sure, it’s more expensive, but really the whole point of Vegas is to experience the luxurious accommodations and gaudy attractions of the Strip.

 

Choosing a resort to stay can be tricky—after all, you’ll have a comfortable bed no matter where you wind up—but some of the city’s resorts are undeniably built for more pleasant guest experiences. So, if you want to get the most out of a visit to ‘Sin City,’ here are our own picks for four resorts that are sure to please.

 

1. The Mandarin Oriental

 

The Mandarin Oriental hotel in Las Vegas opened in 2009, and is still one of the newer resorts in town. It has fast gained a reputation as one of the best, as well. Though it’s just about the only prominent resort without its own casino, it has just about everything else you could ask for. There’s a renowned spa, there are pools with terrific Vegas views, there are comfortable rooms and desirable amenities. Separated just slightly from the busiest parts of the Strip, and attracting fewer passing visitors because it lacks a casino, the Mandarin Oriental is thought of by some as an oasis amid the bustling Strip.

 

2. The Wynn Las Vegas

 

If you were to seek out the most well-rounded resort in Vegas, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more appropriate answer than the Wynn, which is part of a chain that spans the world and happens to include a few of the biggest casinos on Earth. The casino facilities are top-notch, the fine dining is virtually unrivaled (even in Vegas), and the facilities are surprisingly calm. As was written in one review, “it’s perhaps the first Vegas hotel to master the feeling of seclusion rather than “themed chaos.” It should be noted however that the Wynn also has a reputation for being pricey, even for Las Vegas.

 

3. The Bellagio

 

Simply put, the Bellagio is classic; perhaps the most iconic and recognizable resort on the Strip, it’s best known for its appearance (a towering hotel with a world famous fountain display in front of it) and for being the perfect place for any poker fan. While the table limits can be a little high (it’s a haven for high rollers), this is still an awesome place to hang out if you want to get a taste for Vegas casino culture and potentially bump into a few celebrities. As for the hotel, the only real knock on it is that it’s almost uncomfortably large, but the public spaces are the picture of elegance, the rooms are wonderful (despite the hotel being a bit older), and the spa is a hit with guests.

 

4. The ARIA

 

The ARIA is another brand new resort, by Vegas standards, that offers a little bit of everything. The pools, the spa options, the shopping center attached to the resort, the restaurants… all of these features are among those most commonly recommended to modern travelers. If you really want to splurge on a trip to Vegas, you might check out the ARIA’s Sky Suites. Despite the resort’s relative youth these rooms already have a reputation of being among the largest on the Strip and certainly the most impressive.

 

 

*This article is a contributed post by a guest writer.