Rating The Best Budget Hotels On The Strip
It’s true! Everything does sparkle in Vegas, no matter which casino you choose to stay at! On the Las Vegas Strip, each casino does it’s best to pull your attention. Sometimes it’s through a theme like Excalibur which is made in the shape of a castle, while other times it’s that renovated room that has floor to ceiling windows like Flamingo! Whichever Las Vegas Strip Hotels Best For Budgets that you choose, the reality is that in this 24/7 town, you will only be there to sleep anyways! So just go for the best deal so you can spend your money on other things!
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For these budget hotels, there are two major locations on The Strip to choose from.
Caesar’s Budget Hotels are located in the middle of The Strip. In my opinion, the nearby casinos in this area (like the Venetian, Caesars Palace, The Wynn, and Bellagio) are not really budget friendly. This area is a bit more expensive, with massive casinos, higher betting limits, and a luxurious feel. It’s also because most of the popular clubs are in this area, as are the popular upscale shopping areas, and upscale restaurants. (AKA people are usually dressed to impress as they go for dinner and then out to the clubs.)
For sightseeing purposes, being in the middle could be ideal. One day you could head the direction of Resorts World and The Strat and the next day you could head down to MGM Grand and the more themed casinos. The location makes it very easy to get back to your room when you’re right in the middle of the action.
MGM Budget Hotels are located at the south side or bottom of The Strip. This is where you will find the majority of the themed hotels (which are mostly the budget hotels.) The cool thing about these casinos, is that they are all connected. Most are connected by a covered, air conditioned walkway, and by trams.
MGM Grand connects to the main monorail that makes stops all the way up to the Sahara. You don’t have to take any escalators up to cross the 8 lane main road to only come back down to walk more to enter the casino because the outdoor walkway already connects you to the next casino.
Flamingo recently went through a renovation of their rooms and is now almost fully renovated! The odds of you getting a newer room is the best in this budget hotel! If all that pink will drive you crazy, The Linq comes in as a close second, with recently renovated rooms and floor to ceiling windows just like Flamingo’s. New York New York comes third, with comfortable beds and a good amount of space. I think I’m a bit partial because they remind of NYC apartments!
Excalibur is fourth, with big windows and decent room structures. The views you can get at this casino make up for any shortcomings. Harrahs comes in fifth with a general smoke musk which lingers throughout the casino. They are working on renovations so who knows, maybe upon completion they will beat out Flamingos!
Last place goes to Luxor. These rooms are just old. Their newly renovated rooms basically look the same as their old rooms. Even though you have the tilted pyramid windows, (which is awesome) the room still feels dark because the windows are tinted. It’s cool to do for the experience, but other rooms on The Strip have more to offer.
Caesar’s Budget Hotels – If you’re looking to go out nightly, then this area is ideal for you. The Cosmopolitan is THE most active spot for nightlife featuring the Chandelier Bar and nightclubs like Marquee Day and Night Club. Caesar’s Palace is home to Omnia Nightclub. The Cromwell hosts Drais which is the hottest after hours right now. If you’re going to be partying all night, you will want to aim to be on this side of The Strip so you can just walk home.
If you’re looking for more of a laid back nightlife, Harrahs’ tables are all in front of the casino and often attract a late night gathering. There’s also The Linq which has its promenade that’s always busy at night, as is the outdoor live music venue on the opposite side of it. Plus, there’s O’Shea’s where you can gamble while you party! They have table games inside the bar!
MGM Budget Hotels – Except for Hakkasan in the MGM Grand and Light in Mandalay Bay, there is not that nightclub vibe going with long lines and lots of boozed up groups falling out of the clubs on this side of The Strip. It’s mostly more of a bar/lounge scene down here with Coyote Ugly inside NYNY, Foundation Room inside Mandalay Bay, and the speakeasies feelings of Park MGM.
If you’re looking for more of a laid back nightlife, the bar scene down here is awesome! All the center bars in each casino are always pumping (except Excalibur, their main spot is Dick’s Last Resort, which isn’t really my scene.) The Luxor and Park MGM are my favorites to hang out at. They usually have live entertainment – like an electronic violinist/DJ at Luxor! There’s also an awesome Irish Bar in the Shops At Mandalay Bay called Ri Ra where you can get a fresh pint of Guiness.
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Let’s be real, all casinos in Vegas have great food options, so it just depends on your preferences! Most casinos contain a buffet, steak house, Asian cuisine, burger bar, and food court. However, if you’re planning to eat breakfast 24/7 some casinos will fit you better than someone who is looking to take a pizza pie up to their room. Here’s how I rate them for each category.
NOTE – With Covid restrictions, things are opening and closing at all different times now so double check availability beforehand.
When you stay at any casino, the pool is included as part of your resort fees, so there is no additional cost to go in. When you start adding DJs and lounge areas, this is where the additional costs come into play. It could be something simple like $10 to go into Excalibur’s “adult only area,” or it could be $100s of dollars if you rent a bungalo and get bottle service.
Flamingos is definitely going to be the all around most action. I’d say it’s the biggest pool of the 6 with a lazy river! It also has a Guest DJ area in case you get in the mood to hit the Day Club action. The only drawback is that there is usually a line to get in. It’s a popular spot to go.
The Linq is a close second. They have a small pool, but the action is everywhere! There are rooms that walk out into the pool area, so you’ll see people having their own parties in their balcony area, and going back and forth from the pool back to their rooms. They are all about the social aspect here! Before you know it, you’ll know everyone else staying at The Linq. They have a number of poolside games and even have floating bean bag chairs!
Next comes NY NY. Their pool has a ledge that goes all around the pool. Even if you can’t get a lounge chair, there is plenty of space for you to just chill in the pool by sitting on the ledge under the water and it also makes it easy to enter and exit. There’s a beach ball volleyball net across the middle of the pool which gives you an opportunity to be social. But, if you want to just chill, there’s plenty of space to be away from the action too.
Excalibur comes in fourth with a huge pool area. The major downfall to this casino’s pool is that they try to get you to pay to go to the adult only area, by shutting down half of the pools. Otherwise, it’s a great pool set up!
The Luxor comes in next with a pyramid in the middle of it! There’s plenty of space here but for some reason people are always complaining about fighting for poolside seating. When I go on vacation, I don’t want to have to fight for a way to be comfortable poolside. If you get up on the early side, it shouldn’t be a problem for you.
Last comes Harrahs. Their pool is small and pretty basic. Harrahs also attracts an older crowd so the vibe is super chill and more of a quiet vibe at this pool. With all the renovations coming to The Strip, they could easily renovate this pool soon, who knows!
NY NY comes in first for entertainment at the bottom of The Strip. I mean, there’s a roller coaster on top of it, doesn’t that just prove how fun it is there? They are right in front of the Arena, so whenever anything lets out, they head into Park MGM and NY NY. There’s The Park which has a bunch of food trucks and picnic tables to gather at. Then, inside NY NY, they have Dueling Pianos and the Hershey’s Bar. There’s all kinds of things in this area to keep you busy at all hours of the day!
Second is Excalibur. They have Thunder From Down Under AND Tournament of Kings dinner show! Let’s be real ladies, for a girls trip there’s nothing better than your group of gals watching men throw axes and sword fight and then going to watch male strippers. Let’s just say I still carry the memories from our girls trip! You can get some really good deals on Groupon and Tix4tonight.com!
Third comes Harrahs with Big Elvis! He is a legend on The Strip and you have to see him! You can see the shows from the street or from inside the casino too, so it’s a very immersive environment. Harrahs also has a number of shows like Dueling Piano Twins, Saxman Duo, and Karaoke! They always have a great vibe in the front of the casino too with music, lots of table action, and people walking through on their way around The Strip.
The Luxor comes in fourth with Blue Man Group, the OG of The Strip – Carrot Top, and plenty of action and music coming from the lobby and Lobby Bar. House of Blues is also always popping and that’s right next door at Mandalay Bay.
Fifth, we have a tie with The Linq and Flamingos. Rupaul’s Drag Race Live is a blast! Otherwise, you just have Brooklyn Bowl and the High Roller. There are some comedians in the area but if it’s a group of girls, I think there’s better things to spend your money on. (Sorry Linq and Flamingos!) They may soo move up on the list though as their newly renovated street side bars become more of an attraction.
Wherever you choose to stay, as I said, you will only be in your room to sleep. Vegas has so much to do and keep your attention that you definitely wont get bored. You will just be happy to make it back to your room, sleep, and do it all over again the next day! Just be sure you don’t have too much fun and miss your flight!
Have a safe trip!
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