Best place to stay for group of 3?

Will be in vegas with 2 others in October and was wondering what the best
value might be for hotel rooms or suites?

We are 3 male friends looking for 3 beds (sofa bed
would be fine) so I have been contemplating
booking a large suite at a near strip non gaming
hotel instead if booking 2 hotel rooms at a on strip
resort.

Has anyone been to vegas with an odd (numerically
speaking) party and where have you stayed?
I would be particularly interested to hear from
anyone who has stayed at the polo towers, jockey
club or similar establishments.

Our group consists of 2 non gamblers and me who
clocked up 50+ hours playing table games last trip.
I would take location over luxury. Kitchen facilities
are not too important and would be a bonus but
the extra space is what we are looking for.

Sorry, but you would be best off getting a very large room at a gambling hotel rather than going off to some condo for space and facilities since you really won't be making much use of the kitchen facilities or jacuzi stuff. Or just get three rooms at a gambling hotel. Remember, if you don't have a taxi stand at your hotel be sure to get your driver's cell phone number when you arrive. Calling him can be better than calling a Taxi Company if there is no Taxi Stand at your Condo.

Tuscany Suites is just off strip and has large rooms, South Point is way down South but has large very clean rooms.
Don't overlook the higher grade rooms at a place like Eastside Cannery on the Boulder Strip where a two queen room would be one bed too few but a Two Room Premiere Jacuzzi Suite (specially booked by telephone only) would give you two queens plus an eight foot couch, plus Jacuzzi. So what if the music is mainly Latin oriented.

Many of the Loft Suites at The M Resort are two bedroom but some are configured as Three Bedroom Loft Suites. Yes, at the M its going to be a bit pricey particularly on weekends. And if only one of you gambles then any room comps are based on his gambling.

Tuscany is on the shortlist, although I couldn't
see any specific mention of a 3rd bed. I would
imagine there will be a sofabed or some type of
temporary bed they could supply for their huge
rooms.

Only considering strip or perhaps 15 walk from strip
as furthest distance as we want to maximise our
vegas experience without the hassle of travelling
around too much. We will be flying in from the uk.

Two queen beds at Rio should suffice. They throw in a couch as well and it's cheap.

never thought about the rio. that might work.

now if i could only time time it so that i get to see
penn and teller this time it would be perfect.

I have stayed at Tuscany and it is nice.
About a 15 minute walk from the Strip
so that meets your criteria.

Also, see the article on ELARA on the
home page. If you are coming all
the way from the UK then why not
splurge on a nice room ?

I would live to splurge but the others are tightwads
so it's unlikely.

Good to see the review of the non-gaming hotel
elara in the articles section.

Suggestion for the wizard - how about expanding
the hotels section to include other non-gaming
hotels in vegas particularly those that are close
to the strip.

Quote: s2dbaker

Two queen beds at Rio should suffice. They throw in a couch as well and it's cheap.

I second this. Stayed there a year ago. The couch was older but still comfortable when I lounged on it watching a football game.

You might need to score some extra sheets & blankets though. Even queen bed had 2 pillow, but no extra blankets. I remember waking up cold in the middle of the night and not finding any spare blankets in the room to use.

Those rio rooms do indeed look enormous.

Would you say that the rio is too much of a party
resort for 2 non-gamblers aged 45 and 55?

Incidentally what time do the shuttle buses to the
strip run until? Are they 24 hours?

Several years ago I stayed at the Tuscany and there was a fairly large couch, good for a small person, other than my bed (I chose one bed over two doubles).

Quote: jonfourtwenty

Would you say that the rio is too much of a party
resort for 2 non-gamblers aged 45 and 55?

If you take it as a given that you are in Las Vegas and will be exposed to a lot of the general Vegas stuff, then Rio is not at all too much of a party resort. My wife and I are late 60s and very small-time gamblers, but we have frequently stayed at Rio, mostly because of the attractive rates we can get and the fact we love the rooms.

A couple of warnings: At Rio, and perhaps at all Caesars hotels, such things as "2 Queen" rooms constitute your preferences, not a guarantee, even if your reservation confirmation states that type of room. There is always the possibility that you will be told at check-in that they do not have the requested type of room available. They have a couple of night clubs at Rio that you should steer clear of if you want to avoid the party environment. They also have their carnival parade, for which the current name may be Show in the Sky. Or maybe not; I tend to get out of date. It's only in one section of the casino and can be a bit of fun for even fuddy-duddies, but if you really don't like party environments, keep in mind to be elsewhere. I think they are only doing that now on weekends, but the info should be available on their web site.

I always have a rental car in Las Vegas, so I know nothing about the shuttle schedules.

>Those rio rooms do indeed look enormous.
Yes, I'd say Rio is probably your best bet.

>Would you say that the rio is too much of a party resort for 2 non-gamblers aged 45 and 55?
Not at all. They can readily go elsewhere anyway. Particularly during the day and evening.

>what time do the shuttle buses to the strip run until?
10:00am to 1:00am. (About every half hour... pick up at the Rio is near the Buffet Entrance)

As to time: If you come from the UK you might have jet lag or not. Tourists often adopt their own time patterns. Remember the usual tips: have an extra pair of walking shoes, ingest plenty of water. If you are going around gawking at things you will do alot of walking and you will take your rest breaks when and where you need them, no matter how well made your plans were.

IF you splurge for the Elara I don't see you as gaining very much. I'd stick with the Rio.

Quote: jonfourtwenty

Those rio rooms do indeed look enormous.

Would you say that the rio is too much of a party
resort for 2 non-gamblers aged 45 and 55?

Incidentally what time do the shuttle buses to the
strip run until? Are they 24 hours?

No, they end at 1am. If location is important to you after 1am, I would consider picking a strip property over the Rio. If all 3 of you are together late at night, splitting a cab back to Rio from Ballys wouldn't cost too much. If you would find a strip hotel, I think Bally's is a reasonable combination for price/location. But I have also always booked a South Tower room and slipped a $20 at the check-in desk to move to a nicer, more expensive North Tower room.

I stayed at the Rio last trip for Saturday night, and the hotel was great, except its location from the strip.

And October? I wouldn't book the room now unless you're forced to as a package. And in October, Flamingo has the cheapest rooms for a CET property right now except for the Quad, which I would avoid.

Have you been to LV before ?

If not, I think you would be better off at a
Strip property than at Rio (which I have
stayed at before and liked, by the way).

There is so much to see and do (non-gambling)
on the strip that you can walk to.

So one consideration is that you will waste
some time taking the shuttle bus back and
forth from Rio.

So I am back to thinking that Tuscany
or Elara may be your best bet.

Caution: I think Tuscany may have a
resort fee that is not included in their
room rate. The large rooms there
will give you some space, and it is
a reasonable walk to the strip.

Quote: tringlomane

And October? I wouldn't book the room now unless you're forced to as a package. And in October, Flamingo has the cheapest rooms for a CETproperty right now except for the Quad, which I would avoid.

We need to book flights before jan 22 to save about $300
but do not need to book hotel just yet. I have also
noticed the extremely good rates at the flamingo
for booking very early and would put this at the
top of my list if we decide to get 2 rooms or anothrr
person to come.

Quote: JohnnyQ

Have you been to LV before ?

All three of us have been before but, whereas I was
in vegas summer 2011, the others have not been for
a long time. In fact one of my friends says he stayed at the sands
when he was last here!

We would be spending most of the day exploring
the strip with a few side trips to downtown,
pinball museum etc. so close to the strip would be best.

Also for myself I would like to be close to my
favourite casinos bellagio, aria and mgm grand
for some decent blackjack rules.

I would still consider somewhere like the rio if
they made me an offer too good to turn down.

I stay at the Rio almost all the time. I always rent a car, VERY CHEAP in Vegas. Cabs in Vegas are quite expensive. Although not guaranteed, I have never not been given two queens. I am no party animal, am 52, and always feel comfortable at the Rio. One of the outdoor pools was heated, which was EXCELLENT in October.
Do NOT prepay for any hotel. You may get lucky and find a WoV member who will be in town concurrently, and perhaps you can get what they call a 'Friends and Family" rate. Two years ago a friend came and got a room at the Rio for $40 per night. I will likely be in Vegas in October, work schedule permitting, and if our dates match, you can be my 'friend".

Thanks that's a very generous offer.

Still at the early stages of booking so no idea about
dates yet. It would probably be 21 oct to 30 nov
to get the discount flights.

Alternatively if this trip doesn't happen I may
instead come by myself in march as I'm starting
to get that itch.