Affordable accommodations in Vegas?

December 17, 2007 3:56 PM

Can any of you recommend a cool, affordable hotel in Las Vegas?

My girlfriend and I are going to a wedding in Vegas, staying 3/21 and 3/22. The wedding has booked rooms at the Bellagio -- because it will be at the Bellagio -- but we're wondering if we can't find something cheaper that's walkable.

We're interested in seedy older vintage Vegas, love rockabilly/Nashville/authentically cool kitschy Americana. We don't need ultimate luxury, but would like to avoid roaches and semen stains.

Can any of you MeFites recommend something walkable to the Bellagio that beats $299 a night?

And while you're at it, recommend anything "can't miss" that's under the radar and really, really cool? Like cool dives, live rock bands, etc.?

posted by chinese_fashion to travel & transportation (28 comments total)

It's not a ton cheaper, but the Artisan Hotel is pretty nice. I've also stayed at the St. Tropez, Luxor, NY NY, MGM Grand and Hilton and I know some people who have stayed at the Westin and thse places are all perfectly fine and a lot cheaper than the Bellagio.
posted by atomly at 4:18 PM on December 17, 2007

Define walkable for you? 5 minutes away? 10? 30?

In my estimation, absolutely nothing on the strip is walkable to anything else, unless you're basically next door. You can stand on the strip and think 'That doesn't look far', and by the time you get there, it's taken 15 minutes. It's especially a problem at night in the winter when it's freezing or in the summer day time when it's hot. Hell, parts of the Bellagio probably aren't what I'd normally consider walkable from other parts of the Bellagio.
posted by jacquilynne at 4:18 PM on December 17, 2007

i kinda the like palms - it's off the strip but was reasonable and nice. there is another nice one way off the strip but has its own casino and was recommended by locals - need to try to remember the name.
posted by specialk420 at 4:19 PM on December 17, 2007

Oh, cool spots:

Art Bar
Bunkhouse
Dino's
Champagne's Cafe
Beauty Bar
Double Down
posted by atomly at 4:19 PM on December 17, 2007

Older Vegas is in Downtown, which is definitely not walkable.

The important thing to remember when you look at a map of the Vegas strip is that it takes a lot longer to walk between things than you'd think. As an example, Bellagio is about 0.5 miles long on the strip.

The closest places that might be called kitschy are the Boardwalk, Bill's Gambling Hall and Imperial Palace. I've never stayed at any of them, but my general impression is that they're (to be polite) not great.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 4:20 PM on December 17, 2007

Look either to the East of the Strip (for instance, Paradise Road), or the Northern no-longer-fashionable end. You should easily be able to find something under $80 a night. For instance, Circus Circus advertises rooms at $69. At the other end, Excalibur is usually pretty affordable— expect to pay about $85 a night there.

You can also use priceline.com to bid for travel - if you start looking early enough, and don't care precisely where you stay, you can find incredible bargains this way. Bidding for Travel shows people getting rates like $50 for Planet Hollywood and even $140 at the Venetian.
posted by ubiquity at 4:26 PM on December 17, 2007

It's not old school vegas, but the Rio All-Suites hotel & casino has been the affordable back-up for my friends and me. It's pretty nice for the relatively cheap price.
posted by mullacc at 4:29 PM on December 17, 2007

i kinda the like palms...

Although it's a nice place and plenty cheap, the Palms is a long schlep to the Bellagio. The last time I walked it it took me half an hour, and I'm a fast walker. Also it's on the opposite side of the freeway, so the route is not always choice.

The closest places that might be called kitschy are the Boardwalk...

Alas, the Boardwalk has been closed for some time.
posted by ubiquity at 4:31 PM on December 17, 2007

The Sahara is cheap, on the strip, and definitely old-school seedy. It's walkable to the Bellagio, although it'll take you 20 minutes or so. Just be sure to triple-check that they give you a non-smoking room, if that's what you want.

There are camels in every room (like camel-shaped lamp bases.) The Beatles stayed there, back in the day...
posted by wyzewoman at 4:36 PM on December 17, 2007

See, I consider the entire Vegas strip to be walkable, but that's just part of "what we do in Vegas" -- we walk the strip. Cut through casinos, play a hand of whatever, pick up a free drink, and be on our way.

And anyway there are eighty million cabs, and when we get tired of walking we hop into one, and it's a few bucks to the next place we want to be. So all I'm saying is that it's really, really easy to get around, as long as you plan your time. It's going to be a certain amount of hassle to get from the Bellagio to even the hotel next door or across the street (plan more than 5 minutes, which is what you'd think it would be -- jacquilynne was right when she said it'd take 15, and that's just to get next door).

Looking at this map I just googled, any of the neighboring hotels will be cheaper than the Bellagio. I'm talking Ceasar's, Bally's, Paris, Aladdin, Flamingo, MGM Grand and the Monte Carlo (but I think this map might be old and one of those might have been replaced with something new -- I'm thinking Aladdin but this is off the top of my head). The thing is that they might even have comparable regular rates, but Bellagio is far less likely to offer any deals.

I liked MGM Grand because we got a spectacular deal and the hotel was nice without being either cheesy or too theme-y.

Seedy older vintage Vegas is definitely farther than any of the newer, regular on-the-strip places. But if you get down there I highly recommend Hugo's Cellar (restaurant) which is at the Four Queens.

I should state that, despite my interest in walking the strip, I'm very disappointed at the lack of urban planning for this so very, very new city. I mean, here they were building a city from scratch and it takes at least 10 minutes to cross the street. The pedestrian walkways, trams, etc, could have totally kicked ass. I guess it could have been intentional, either to keep you in whatever casino you're in, or to fuel the cab industry.
posted by iguanapolitico at 4:39 PM on December 17, 2007

I've always liked the reviews here. I think there are private shuttles that run between downtown and The Strip, and I'm sure there exists such in the way of public transportation.
posted by Tacodog at 4:43 PM on December 17, 2007

Aladdin is now Planet Hollywood. They might be running sales to draw interest to their new joint so I'd check it out. And it's right smack dab on the Strip too.
posted by Tacodog at 4:44 PM on December 17, 2007

Alas, the Boardwalk has been closed for some time.

Yeah, you're right. I think it was a big-ass construction site last time I was there.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 4:45 PM on December 17, 2007

I love walking on the Strip (if it isn't 100 degrees) but there is also a pretty cool bus that stops at each casino, so you can get around very easily even without cabs. I would definitely recommend against the Tropicana. I stayed there last time to save money and it wasn't worth it.
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:45 PM on December 17, 2007

Aladdin is now Planet Hollywood.

Did they clean the place up? Aladdin had the dirtiest chips I'd ever seen. More likely to win a staph infection than money.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 4:46 PM on December 17, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Seedy older vintage Vegas? If you can accept that walkable might be tough wherever you stay and want to go a bit further, you might check out the Golden Nugget downtown.

You'll get to drive by some fantastically kitchey neon, stay in a place that's quite nice, and spend about half of what you have budgeted.

The downside is that you could be a fifteen to twenty-minute ride from the Bellagio. You can put the difference toward cabs or a rental car (cheap, and the casinos have free parking), though, and come out ahead on the room and just a touch behind on the commuting time.

Plus, a car could let you take a last-day excursion to Red Rocks to clear your heads from the festivities.

Some people will tell you never to consider staying off-strip, but I did this last time I was there and - if I'm on a budget again - definitely will in the future.

And - wherever you stay - try the $20 trick. I got a GN suite out of this last time.
posted by asuprenant at 4:51 PM on December 17, 2007

No idea, TaPG, I just heard about it last week from some visiting friends, one of which works at a show in the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino. I don't gamble but I sure hope they gave their casino a makeover--that joint was designed by someone who just hit "default" on all the interior decorating settings. Good buffet though and there was a small movie memorabilia case upstairs, near the poker tables. But it's been over a year since I've been there so I imagine that moved.
posted by Tacodog at 5:04 PM on December 17, 2007

"there is another nice one way off the strip but has its own casino and was recommended by locals - need to try to remember the name."


Probably the Red Rock.
posted by falconred at 5:55 PM on December 17, 2007

Aladdin is now Planet Hollywood.

Did they clean the place up? Aladdin had the dirtiest chips I'd ever seen. More likely to win a staph infection than money.

LOL! From what it looked like to me, the whole building is literally new. Regardless, I'm sure the new place had their own, brand spankin' new chips made. :)
posted by iguanapolitico at 5:56 PM on December 17, 2007

See, I consider the entire Vegas strip to be walkable, but that's just part of "what we do in Vegas" -- we walk the strip.

I've enjoyed walking along the strip and just looking at random things and random people, too. But it sounds more like the asker is looking for someplace he can stay while still making it to various scheduled events at the Bellagio on time, which is a totally different equation.

If you have the afternoon free, and just want to wander, almost anything that's actually on the strip, including Circus Circus is walkable. But if you're trying to make your 7 o'clock reception while wearing heels and still looking, shall we say, sheveled, that's a whole different thing.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:18 PM on December 17, 2007

Check out the Double Down (previously mentioned) and--my favorite--the Peppermill Fireside Lounge.
posted by donovan at 7:56 PM on December 17, 2007

If you go on priceline.com and search for a five-star hotel on the Strip, you'll always get only the Venetian. (Originally found this tip on AskMe, in fact; thanks, whoever you were.) I've been offered room rates of $99 a night this way, and the Venetian is awfully nice for that kind of money.

If you decide to go downtown, my favorite place down there is the Golden Gate. Can't beat 99c shrimp cocktail.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:06 PM on December 17, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've stayed at the Somerset House.
posted by goml at 8:56 AM on December 18, 2007

Yeah, I just stayed at the Tropicana.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 11:03 AM on December 18, 2007

ugh, hit post too quickly! I stayed at the Tropicana and it's easy walking distance, but not too bad. I mean, I've stayed in grosser hotels for sure... Here are rates for the dates you are looking for. It's not far from the Bellagio, but the strip is 4.5 miles long, so bear that in mind if you plan to walk up and down the Strip. I did (and checked out every single thing that looked interesting on both sides) and it ate up 7 hours the last day.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 11:05 AM on December 18, 2007

Any of the older, true-Vegas ones beat the boring, plastic new ones hands down. They're cheaper, too. Good choices include Bally's, the Tropicana, the Sahara, the Flamingo, the Barbary Coast, Imperial Palace, and my personal favorite, Caesar's Palace. Too bad they tore down the Stardust and the Tam O' Shanter...

At any rate, the Trop is a bit of a walk, but the others are all very walkable (they're all on the block next to or across from the Bellagio). If I remember right, there is a covered walkway you can use to cross the street between Bally's/Barbary and the Bellagio. Get a room at Caesar's, cross over to Bellagio for the wedding, then go to the Barbary Coast and play the tables!
posted by vorfeed at 2:47 PM on December 18, 2007

The Orleans is off-strip but is good value and has a free shuttle to the Strip.

I highly recommend listening through the archives of the Five Hundy By Midnight podcast for tips on interesting places to go.
posted by cwhitfcd at 3:24 PM on December 18, 2007

I said it before but feel compelled to repeat: do not stay at the Tropicana. Unless you never take off your shoes and bring your own sheets. That place is icksville.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:16 PM on December 18, 2007