Staying off the Strip
First-time visitors, and even second-timers, will prefer, as they should, to stay on the Strip or Downtown, hang the cost (most of the time anyway). But if you can't get a room price to your liking, or if you are a three-peater (or more), you might want to consider some alternatives. The following are out of the way, relatively speaking, but each hotel makes up for it with rack rates you just aren't going to get -- well, not that often -- on the Strip. We're talking as low as $49 a night. Maybe even lower. The rooms aren't anything to write home about, which is why we didn't bother writing much about them, but they are clean, comfortable, and sufficiently (in some cases) easy on the eyes. And several of the hotels, particularly those that are part of the Station chain, have so many extras to offer that they really could compete with some of the big boys on the Strip. However, you trade away location; for the most part; once you leave the hotel property, you enter a vast nothingness. So what? Get in that rental car -- or take the shuttle that many of the hotels provide -- and drive 15 minutes to the big boys' free parking lots, and use the money you saved to see O, or to eat at a fancy restaurant, or to gamble. But, hey, even gambling is cheaper out here in the vast nothingness!
In northwest Las Vegas, the JW Marriott, 221 N. Rampart, Las Vegas, NV 89128 (tel. 877/869-8777 or 702/869-8777; www.jwlasvegasresort.com), was the Resort at Summerlin but was bought out by the Marriott chain. With a handsome Spanish Mission-style building, fabulously landscaped grounds, and tricked-out rooms, this is much more of a true resort property than any Strip destination. But then again, what you gain there you lose in location -- with traffic, it could take 40 minutes to get to the Strip. The Fiesta Rancho, 2400 N. Rancho Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89130 (tel. 800/731-7333 or 702/631-7000; www.fiestacasino.com), has a friendly local touch that used to be found in Downtown but is rarely seen there these days, plus a performance venue that frequently has some decent names, and a Mexican restaurant with more than 300 different kinds of margaritas. Palace Station, 2411 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89102 (tel. 800/634-3101 or 702/367-2411; www.palacestation.com), has long been a favorite with locals for gambling. Its extra friendliness makes up for the fact that it's not quite as crammed with diversions as some of the others. All the rooms are in the process of being redone.
East of the Strip
In this area, we cover hotels near the Convention Center, along with those farther south on Paradise Road, Flamingo Road, and Tropicana Avenue. Note that in the area around Paradise, there are more than a dozen chain-style hotels -- various Marriotts (Courtyard, Residence Inn), a Budget Suites, and many others -- any one of which is going to provide comfortable, reliable, utterly undistinguished lodging, and all of which often go for more money than they ought to. We've singled out a few here, but they are really quite interchangeable. Do some searching around online, and don't hesitate to try to play them off each other in an attempt to get a deal.
