Best Hotels in Vegas: Best 5 Resorts in Vegas
Best Hotels in Vegas: before the quick list below, we must stress that almost all high-end Vegas hotels will be able to provide a sensational experience, if you don’t have a tight budget.
For a more tailor-made choice, we invite you to read the section titles ‘Best of Vegas’ (see menu on top of the page), since it’s meant to help you choose according to specific features. However, quick lists are popular and the one we’ve compiled below is based on both popular choice and our own opinion:
♥ Mandarin Oriental. (one of the very, very best hotels in Vegas): for those seeking total sophistication and an overall more relaxed setting (no casino, no night club but… Please read on for our ‘footnote’) whilst being in the middle of everything. Spacious rooms, elegant, luxurious and spacious bathrooms, both with all the modern, high-end features you may expect; quality materials, luxurious touches; one of the very best spas in Vegas. The location is very good, in the city center, though of course not ideal if you plan to spend a lot of time playing at the Venetian, for example. You will have access to plenty of good casinos nearby (such as Aria) as well as 2 very good buffets. I have heard that a few people have been disappointed by the lack of action by management following incidents such as noisy room parties; this seems to be a trend following the obvious efforts of Vegas resorts to attract alcohol-and-party crowds: the drink-and-party-hard crowds have arrived, but resort management have generally failed to provide suitable guidelines (and to put them into practice) which ensures that all guests have a good time. Party crowds should have plenty of options to enjoy themselves at all hours without having to leave their resort, whilst sleeping guests should be guaranteed a good sleep; this is hard to obtain in mid range Strip resorts (though if you complain firmly enough you will be given a free lunch, for example, at least in resorts where customer service is decent); however, high-end resorts such as Mandarin Oriental should offer high-end customer service. Generally speaking, to be fair, Mandarin Oriental will provide all you expect; the exceptions mentioned above may remain just that. Our advice is never stop complaining if you did not receive what you expected, especially in a high-end resort.
♥ Encore (& Wynn) (a clear contender for the top of the best hotels in Vegas). Another stunning, high quality resort with great service. It’s beautiful inside and outside. We love the large, elegant, exquisitely appointed (with quality materials) rooms at the Encore. Modern, unmatched room amenities are provided, from the high number of HD TV channels provided to the high quality mattresses. When we were there every inch (or centimeter) of the room was perfectly maintained; the overall trend of attracting drink-and-party crowds (such as the loud pool parties by Encore) may well affect this well-maintained resort. The only less-then-perfect aspects of this magnificent resort is probably the fact that their ‘beach club thumps loud music and from some rooms you will hear it’; it’s a trend everywhere in Vegas, that of abandoning pampering its visitors and embracing loud parties everywhere. The Wynn/Encore spa is luxurious but does not match the spa at Mandarin Oriental or even at Four Seasons. The location of Encore/Wynn is less then ideal, still, despite new developments coming up in the area, being at the far end of the main Strip area; this will change once the new property in front will be complete, around 2020 (the date keeps being postponed all the time), though until then it’ll be facing a building site or some dirty concrete land with dead trees (beautiful trees were placed along this area to cover its ugliness but they seem to have been un-watered and left to die). I have plenty of videos updating on the development (or lack thereof) of this area. Keep an eye on my updates page and my videos page.
♥ Palazzo. A higher-end version of the beautiful Venetian, it’s an all-around exquisitely appointed resort offering a stimulating environment for all your senses, luxurious suites and large marble bathrooms. It is one of the very best hotels in Vegas given the visual experience it provides, although there are aspects which make us wonder (see further down). At Palazzo you will also enjoy a large variety of delicious, gourmet restaurants in beautiful settings; its sister property Venetian is a very lively resort with a strong nightlife, so it’s arguably a good resort to stay if you don’t want to go outside much. The location is good because, although still on the Northern side of the Strip, it faces the Mirage and it’s not too far from the heart of the Strip (Caesars and Bellagio). However, I am not too keen on its gym/spa facilities, which are actually not their own but rather part of the Canyon Ranch chain; although delightfully open late, the gym is a significant let down once you walk past the cardio room; the spa is still not a match to the best spas in Vegas. The indoor Jacuzzi available (which seemed to be trying to copy an imaginary Venetian tub) was very large but surrounded by a barren and far-from-luxurious feel.
♥ Four Seasons. Incorporated into the Mandalay Bay resort, it’s still a separate section retaining all of its original, all-around 5-star class, service and refinement. It features an excellent spa, one of the very best breakfast restaurants in Las Vegas, luxury rooms and bathrooms and a non-gaming atmosphere. The location is not great if you plan to walk anywhere on the Strip, since you’ll need to use their fast shuttle to Excalibur; however, if you stay at Four Seasons you’ll probably be using taxis or renting a car; however, if it’s your first time in Vegas, you may want to opt for a resort which is surrounded by more Vegas magic. If you have been in Vegas many time and you are only seeking luxury, then Four Seasons is definitely an option.
♥ Delano. So sexy, so sensual; its suites are comfortable (especially the bedrooms), delightfully sensual and offer real privacy given their ‘separate rooms’ layout. 2 bathrooms but no real kitchenette to speak of and average amenities.
♥ Aria. Beautiful rooms (but zero sound-proofing, so avoid connecting rooms if noise is an issue for you), a beautiful yet un-themed modern resort. Personally, I dislike the location and the fact that you have to walk quite a bit to get onto the Strip. The shuttle to Bellagio and Park MGM is useful, but you do have to walk quite a bit to get to it. The amenities are very good; the pool is open in winter thankfully and its gym is by far the best, largest and most modern, equalled only by Caesar’s. Its buffet is still one of the best buffets in Las Vegas.
♥ Caesars Palace. I simply love the Octavius Tower and the Augustus Tower. The Palace tower is great too but you have to walk far too long to reach the spa. Their rooms (most of them, not all) are huge and many of them have 2 bathrooms. Their gym is as good as Aria’s or almost as good (which means excellent). For these reasons it’s still one of the very best hotels in Vegas, set in a great location too, next to Bellagio and Mirage. I dislike the maze-like lay-out (it’s so huge!).
♥ Bellagio. One of the best hotels in Vegas for ambience, service, the grandiose grounds, it’s a safe choice if you seek the best in every aspect, from exquisite restaurants to beautiful pools, a modern, beautiful spa. Bellagio is a stunning resort inside and out, elegant through and through, replicating the highly picturesque North Italian lakes areas (not Tuscany, as some have written!) very well. The standard rooms at Bellagio are beautiful, large but not the best nor the largest, nor the most comfortable at present. I particularly liked the switch which allows you to follow the fountain show if you want and, if you don’t, allows you to have total silence, a rarity in Vegas resorts, since many Vegas resorts are not sound proofed (they want you up gambling or paying for something…!). Of course, the location is probably the best in Vegas although personally I prefer the location where Mirage is. The property is huge so occasionally we hear stories of service not being as excellent as expected (this definitely happens in their buffet), but I still remember they they personally sent me, by post at no charge to me, the jacket I had left in the room, all the way back to Canada! I have never encountered this service anywhere else. I am not saying that this will happen to everybody, but it’s the only resort which did that to me (I often leave items in the room, not on purpose but given that we change hotels often and we stay in Vegas for extended periods of time). A note on the mattresses: when I check in last, through a myVegas reward (which – from experience – seems to mean you are assigned the worst rooms of any participating resort), my mattress was far from perfect. Well, after asking for a mattress topper, which they did not have in a king size, they actually changed the mattress! That is a 5 star service. The following can be considered part of the best hotels in Vegas for one reason or another:
Vdara: some of the larger suites of this non-gaming property are simply impeccable and perfectly furnished with high-end washing machines, dishwashers and full size fridges. But the amenities of this resort leave a lot to be desired, such as it’s pitiful gym or the small pool area; for this reason it cannot be consider one of the very best hotels in Vegas overall, though the suites are probably the best. Moreover, you will have to walk through a less-than-nice area to get to the Strip.
Cosmopolitan: great views from its high-floor balconies (especially from the tower closer to the Strip) but… Not much soundproofing for those many suites far too close to the thumping ice skating rink in winter or other noise-creating venues in the summer. Also, especially on weekends, it’s a loud resort. The buffet is pretentious but far from the best in Vegas, with an annoying 1.5 hours limit. Yuk.