[yo vanilla]

My wife and I areplanning an extended weekend for June and having trouble deciding where to stay. Definitely want to be on the strip, on the southern end. Here is my short list:

Mirage
Caesars
Planet Hollywood
Treasure Island as a long shot (stayed there already)

I've browsed the websites and searched my memory from my visit last year. Some of our remaining deciding factors are food - we will want to at least eat breakfast where we stay - the pool, and entertainment/nightlife (but we aren't going to spend all night in some club either). So who's got the best breakfast of the bunch? I like PH so far but how are their pools - their website doesn't show much and the google maps picture shows them looking like moldy oldies from the Aladdin, and completely shaded by the building.

Or, any other suggestions for hotels in that section of the strip? We're the young and hip type, but more laid-back than cosmopolitan. The Hard Rock would be our style but we don't want to be so far off the strip, mess around with cab rides all the time, etc. (The tram doesn't get to Hard Rock, does it?)

[Wing Feathers]

Planet Hollywood is my favorite on your list. They have Spice Market, which is the best buffet in town. They also have the best shopping center. It is as young as Hard Rock without having to be isolated off strip. They also have some great deals when you first join their player's club - the best I've had yet on the strip (other than Encore).

[RedRockAAAA]

I would vote for Planet Hollywood. I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Duece (double decker bus) has a stop there. You can ride the entire strip getting off and back on all day for about $5.
When we moved here, we spent an entire day riding the Duece and visiting various casinos to get a feel for the strip. That gave us a real headstart on planning future outings. It was a terrific way to 'sightsee' the entire strip. I think if you go from point A to point B on the Duece on the strip its $2.

[BergenCountyJohnny]

Can't go wrong with Mirage or Caesar's, both have nice pool areas, too. If you want SOUTH strip then I'd recommend MGM or Mandalay Bay. If you want to save some $$$ and don't mind a lower-end room then the Tropicana which does have a very nice pool. Monte Carlo was OK, pool area has a lazy river.

I love the Flamingo - center strip, convenient to a lot of things, nice gardens in back and a very nice, sprawling pool complex w/ slides, waterfalls, grotto, plenty of bars and drink service, and a "Flamingo" pool (more of an adult pool). Prices are generally a bit lower than their neighbors, also, but again I don't know if money really matters to you.

I don't know about TI but haven't heard anything special about it, and last I stayed at PH it was the Aladdin and the pool was just OK, big and nice but nothing special.

[lvkewlkid]

Mirage or Caesars, they both have nice pools

and like Johnny said, the Monte Carlo, Flamingo, and Tropicana have just about the best pools on the Strip, as well as MGM or Mandalay Bay...

PH's pool isn't anything great, that's for sure

[Woody7]

Mirage has a nice pool with a nice mix of People, not to wack.

[radraja]

The Hard Rock also has a really nice pool area.

[yo vanilla]

Thanks everyone. I think I like the PH hotel best, but my wife isn't impressed by the pool area. But we both like the Mirage so it is tentatively tops on the list. More suggestions are welcome!

But here's another question, and I think I know the answer - how crowded is it down there over Memorial Day weekend (Thurs - Sun).

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by yo vanilla

Thanks everyone. I think I like the PH hotel best, but my wife isn't impressed by the pool area. But we both like the Mirage so it is tentatively tops on the list. More suggestions are welcome!

But here's another question, and I think I know the answer - how crowded is it down there over Memorial Day weekend (Thurs - Sun).

First, you said you wanted to be at the south end of the Strip, but all the hotels you mentioned are center Strip. You sound like you would really like Mandalay Bay which is south end. Great pool, several different food venues, House of Blues and lots of other good entertainment, Shark Reef, Herpes Emporium...I mean night club, lots of good stuff there. My favorite hotel if I ever had to stay in a hotel here.

I haven't seen the pool at Planet Hollywood since before it was the old Aladdin, let alone the later one, and I even worked there. It was back when they tried to be the only hotel on the Strip without gaming...some English Tudor theme ...can't recall the name. But the hotel now has a lot more going for it than a pool. You'd like it too.

You might also like the new Palazzo. It seems kind of laid back with a lot of class, but something about it I couldn't put my finger on is sort of old Las Vegas. But...you don't seem to have a problem with cost, so why not the Bellagio?

Memorial Day weekend is traditionally one of the busiest of the year. Hard to say in this economy, but we hope it holds up.

[yo vanilla]

Ok, I suppose I meant center strip. I was counting that area as south (as opposed to way north like Circus Circus or the Stratosphere). Looked at Bellagio a little bit and I actually thought about the Palazzo (I think it was still in construction when I was there last year April). Thought those two were a little polished for my vacationing tastes. But I'll look again, and at Mandalay too - I think Travel Channel named them the #1 pool.