Otherwise pick something between Desert Inn Road and Tropicanna. Get Google Earth and do a flyover of the strip. It’s amazing how it can help you plan your trip. booklearned

Planet Hollywood has a mall within the hotel. Treasure Island is next to a major mall (The Fashion Show Mall). The Mirage and Treasure Island are connected by free tram to each other, and The Mirage has many activities within the hotel, as well as being in a prime location on The Strip.

If a pool is important, The Mirage has one of the best pool scenes on The Strip, although, all three hotels do have pools. Dining options within all the hotels are plentiful, and varied. Also, because of their locations, you also have a lot of dining options around each hotel.

On the far ends of The Strip… Excalibur has recently undergone a major renovation. But the rooms are last on the list to be done. So make sure you upgrade to a “Widescreen” room, otherwise, you will be stuck in their standard rooms which really are dreadful! Excalibur is connected by free tram to The Luxor (my favourite Vegas hotel) and Mandalay Bay. As with Excalibur, The Luxor has been renovated, but also as with Excalibur, the Pyramid rooms are last on the list, and not completely done. While the Pyramid rooms are not nearly as in need of renovation as the standard rooms at Excalibur, you might be far more comfy in the Tower rooms, which are bigger, brighter, and have bath tubs, not just showers.

There are many shopping, dining options at Mandalay Bay, Excalibur and The Luxor. Of these, Mandalay Bay, has the The Best Pools in Vegas, including a beach and wave pool (up to 6ft waves) and a river. While many will tell you that the location of these three hotels is “too far”… It’s actually not that far removed. Don’t hesitate to stay at this end, it’s very convenient and also safe to walk here at all hours. Also, the Las Vegas Monorail, station is across the street, by MGM Grand. All four resorts have the same owner (MGM/Mirage)

The area to avoid if you can, is the North end. From Circus Circus to The Stratosphere, (Especially surrounding The Stratosphere and Sahara) this neighbourhood is not the best, and at night, it’s not safe at all. During the day, it’s ugly, but relatively safe-ish. If you choose to stay around here (The rates are cheapest on The Strip), use cabs at night. Don’t walk here at night.

Caesars, is also great, but it can be pricey if you’re on a budget. The Wynn, and Encore are also fabulous, and pricey. But for a teen… Wynn and Encore may be a bit too sophisticated and not as fun, since both are designed to appeal to a more mature crowd. Also on the South end across from Excalibur, New York New York is also a good choice when traveling with teens, and near to the Showcase Mall. Center Strip, The Venetian is also a great choice that offers much for both the teen and mature crowd. Donna

#2 Wynn, Encore, Venetian, or Palazzo since they are across the street from the huge Fashion Show Mall.

#3 Mandalay Bay / THEhotel since it has a small row of shops (Mandalay Place) and is interconnected with Luxor, Excalibur, NY NY, Tropicana and MGM Grand.

Wynn and Encore are really SUPER nice though, unbelievable in the attention to detail. The whole resort is basically a three dimensional work of art. So if being very close to shopping is not critical, I recommend Wynn and Encore as the #1 choices for atmosphere and amenities.

I have quite a few recent photos I shot around that area 2 weeks ago posted here: UrbanPhotos

Venetian - great pool, Grand Canal Shops with fo9od court & wandering minstrels, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, walking distance to Fashion Show Mall, walking distance to Forum Shops at Caesars Palace with two free anatromic statue shows and great shops

Circus Circus manor (not one of the hotel towers - with pool right outside the door and easy walk to Adventure Dome Amusement Park (indoors) banananose_89117

High Budget
Mandalay Bay from $99/night (best pool in Vegas with lazy river, wave pool, and 2700 tons of real sand.
Bellagio from $109/night (best in Vegas and centrally located)
Caesar’s Palace from $90/night (great high-end mall!)
Venetian from $129/night

Moderate Budget
Mirage from $85/night (central location)
MGM Grand from $70/night (great pool area)
Flamingo from $69/night(central location)

Low Budget
Excalibur from $36/night (upgrade to their widescreen room and you won’t be able to tell the difference- connected to Mandalay Bay’s mall)
Luxor from $50/night (connected to Mandalay Bay’s mall)
Treasure Island from $59/night (great location- next door to Fashion Show Mall)

In order to have more money for shopping, I would opt to stay in one of the less expensive hotels and then visit all of the other hotel malls. None of the hotels listed are bad hotels, and they all have nice rooms (if you stay at Excalibur, you must upgrade to the Widescreen room to get a nice room). All hotels have decent pools, and plenty of food options.

However, if you have the money, I definitely recommend staying at Bellagio for the location and the fountains, or Mandalay Bay for their mall and Beach. Here are the best promotion codes available

Here is a map of the strip so you know where everything is I know some things look far apart, but that is only because the hotels are huge. For example, it would only take about 15 minutes to walk from Excalibur to Bellagio.

Good Luck! Aubrey A