What happens in Vegas should happen near the airport and not cost too much.

February 9, 2012 7:03 AM

Can you suggest a decent-but-not-terribly-expensive hotel in Las Vegas where I can stay at the beginning and end of a road trip? Proximity to the airport is a must.

Heading out for a big road trip in April and I'll be flying in and out of Las Vegas. We won't have time to see much of Vegas (possibly a bit on the last day) so it doesn't need to have a casino or anything else.

There will be four of us. Me, my wife, my son (9) and my mom (80).

Things I need, in order of importance:

1) Clean. I've read reviews about places with bedbugs. NO BED BUGS. Got me?

2) Easy to get to from the airport. We will be arriving late and leaving early. Easy cab ride, quick shuttle, whatever.

3) Inexpensive. Doesn't need to be a $50 fleabag but I don't need to stay at the MGM Grand either. If I can get away with $100 - $150.00 per night that would be swell.

4) Not so many of those guys I've heard about who hand out hooker advertisements. See the part above about my son and my mom.

5) Suites would be good, so we all don't have to share one room. Separate rooms are doable if it's not too expensive.

6) Safe area and parking. I may or may not have a rental car with me at either end of the trip.

I don't mind staying at a large hotel or a casino if the price is right and it meets my other requirements.

Also, since we might have a few hours to kill in Vegas, suggestions for one or two family-friendly things to do would nice. Places to eat as well, especially chains like In-n-Out that we don't have here in New England that I should try while I'm out there.

posted by bondcliff to travel & transportation around Las Vegas, NV (16 answers total)

Stay at the Excalibur, your son will love it, and it's not far from the airport. Saw prices around $64/night average at the end of April.
posted by Grither at 7:10 AM on February 9 [2 favorites]

As a bonus the in and out burger is just a few blocks (not walkable but cheap cab ride) past Excalibur.
posted by saradarlin at 7:28 AM on February 9 [1 favorite]

The fountain in front of the Bellagio (from Ocean's 11!) is free and goes off every 10 or 15 minutes. It's just down the strip from Excalibur.
posted by maryr at 8:16 AM on February 9

I think you'll be a lot happier if you are not staying on or near the strip. Traffic is a pain in the ass and it's pretty easy to bus from the airport to the strip if you want to take in a little bit of Vegas, though really the airport has enough Vegas in it for just a taste. I've mostly stayed in no-longer-around hotels, but a quick look at the map points to the Best Western near the airport [decent ratings, suites, super cheap, free wifi and breakfast] may be your best bet. There's also the Desert Rose that has little Suites/condos which is, again, a block or two from the strip but far enough off of it that it won't be nuts and also, hey a pool! Both of these will not have the hooker-advertisement guys [though that is a little tough to avoid just the hooker advertisement TRASH everywhere] are within your price range [Vegas is cheap for hotels] and at least the BW has a shuttle to the airport.
posted by jessamyn at 8:17 AM on February 9

Terrible's on Paradise. My mom stays there when she's in town, and she's gotten rates as low as $20 per night, although $60 is more common. It's right across from the Hard Rock, and 5 minutes to/from the airport.
posted by coolguymichael at 9:21 AM on February 9

Terrible's is not a great idea with a kid and mother. I stayed there once and it was pretty skeezy. Just a data point.
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:54 AM on February 9

3) Inexpensive. Doesn't need to be a $50 fleabag but I don't need to stay at the MGM Grand either. If I can get away with $100 - $150.00 per night that would be swell.

You have a warped sense of expensive and how much hotels in Vegas cost. MGM grand you can get a room tonight starting from $90.

They make their money on the casino floor. The rooms are so gamblers have a cheap place to stay while they empty their pockets.

Also slip the person at the check-in desk a $20 and ask if they can comp you an upgrade when you check in. That can often be the cheapest room of all.
posted by Talez at 10:40 AM on February 9

FWIW, an "inexpensive" hotel room in Boston is one under $150. Finding $65 hotel rooms in Texas blew my little Masshole mind.
posted by maryr at 10:55 AM on February 9

I'm not sure where you folks are finding these $60.00 rates. I've yet to find one for under $100.00 at that time of year.

Also, what maryr said.

And I fully intend to attempt the $20.00 sandwich while I'm in Vegas. Just because.
posted by bondcliff at 11:01 AM on February 9

www.orbitz.com
posted by Grither at 11:38 AM on February 9

I'm aware there are sites on the internet like www.orbitz.com. I'm looking for a personal recommendation, thanks.
posted by bondcliff at 12:06 PM on February 9

Terrible's is not a great idea with a kid and mother. I stayed there once and it was pretty skeezy. Just a data point.

When did you stay there? I've only seen the rooms there once (about a year ago) and they were at least equal to a Best Western. The hallway inexplicably smelled like a swimming pool, though, and of course the casino is thick with smoke. Decent (and cheap) breakfast place, but I've only eaten there in the wee hours while semi-intoxicated.

Prices on the website start at $30 right now. But like all business towns, if you want to stay here while there's a major convention in town, you'll pay a premium.

I generally tell people to stay at Harrah's (often only $30) if they want the Strip, but that's not nearly so close to the airport.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:07 PM on February 9

We've had good luck at the Alexis Park Suites, though it has been a couple of years. We like that there is no casino, but it is close to the strip, has pools, and all the rooms are suites. The prices look to be around $75/night at that time.
posted by freezer cake at 3:19 PM on February 9

What dates in April? Rates vary dramatically depending on what else is going on in town. For instance, my favorite place to stay, Bill's Gambling Hall, has rooms for $40/night from April 1-12 but then for the weekend of the 13-14 they shoot up to $140/night. Bill's is on the Strip, directly across from Caesar's. Crap casino but decent rooms (recently remodeled). My favorite feature? They're so small (just four stories) that checking in is quick. I've had to wait for hours at MGM or Caesar's before if I happened to get caught in a convention crush.
posted by zanni at 3:09 AM on February 10

bondcliff: "I'm aware there are sites on the internet like www.orbitz.com. I'm looking for a personal recommendation, thanks."

You asked where we were seeing prices like we were, and I simply replied with the site where I found the $64/night price that I quoted above. My apologies.
posted by Grither at 4:15 AM on February 10

What dates in April?

Friday, April 13th and Friday, April 20th. Two Fridays during spring break, which is probably why I'm having trouble finding those $60.00 rates.
posted by bondcliff at 6:43 AM on February 10