Which Hotel: Bally’s, Paris or Planet Hollywood?

And… The Sexiest Rooms in Vegas (read on)

If you are about to book your Vegas vacation and are considering the specials from the Caesar’s Entertainment Group (often through their players card membership, but not only that way), you will probably be tempted to consider one of these three choices, especially since one of these is considered a very sexy hotel indeed: Bally’s, Paris or Planet Hollywood.  If you like the mid-Strip area of Las Vegas (who doesn’t?), you will definitely be tempted to choose between these three, though PH is slightly more ‘South’. Before going further, I hasten to say that there are may be other options for you, even better options, but for now let’s concentrate on choosing among these three and, at the end, we’ll highlight alternatives.

Bally’s Resort Vegas Review: Outside Area Issues

Not Sexy, middle of the road and reasonably affordable for the area but…What about the ‘outside’ issue?  Being mid-Strip is a fantastic place to be because, among many reasons, you are facing the great Bellagio (with its stunning ‘lake’ and fountains, its divine restaurants and good quality buffet). Bally’s Vegas per se is not a luxurious resort and now, with the new ‘entrance’ looking more like a not-so-attractive market set on making it even harder for you to reach the casino & hotel (or to leave it) it’s even less so.   The new trend in Vegas, set by the Linq, is that of having outdoors-style shops, bars and restaurants outside the resort itself; however this can be done elegantly and in order to enhance the visitors’ experience or… Not.  In the case of Bally’s, it’s the latter:  you have a mini-maze of budget-looking stores in a barren area (it looks more like a car part than the outside of a resort) all the way to the casino.  The actual ‘door’ to the casino is pleasant but, if you choose to enter Bally’s via the Strip, it will take you forever before you reach it, especially now that they have removed the long ‘comfort’ walkway.  If you arrive by taxi or shuttle you will be dropped at the side entrance so you will avoid this problem but, the moment you want to walk to the Strip, it will not be that easy nor that pleasant anymore.   I am a fan of the Bellagio’s electric walkways along the stunning lake, so you can enjoy the views and be hastened to your resort. In brief:  Bally’s is perfectly mid Strip but in practice it’s quite far back from the Strip, rendered particularly long by the removal of the walkway; furthermore, some of the towers are even further back; this means that, getting to your room to the Strip is a work-out.  Walking fast and jetting through the obstacles up to your room in a ‘back tower’ can take you 15 minutes; this means that, if you are seeking a way to lose your pounds, a few brisk walks from the Strip to the Bally’s rooms will do the trick, though now, with all those metal boxes (stores) scattered in front, you will be forced to walk slowly.

The casino at Bally’s is now ‘average’, since they don’t offer the huge variety of new slots which you can find in many other casinos. But for that we have written a page on best Vegas casinos.

Bally’s rooms

are usually (and pleasantly) very large; not all of them have been remodeled so, for the low prices, you are likely to be in a spacious but ‘out-dated’ room, with a potentially uncomfortable bed (ours certainly was!) and certainly without the luxury you may be expecting from an upscale Vegas resort. Of course, you can be upgraded to better rooms; however, I would say that this resort is not the most luxurious, even after the remodeling; it’s a low to mid range Strip resort (depending on which rooms you book) in a great location, albeit ‘far back’ from the Strip.

Bally’s Restaurants

They have a Sunday buffet which will set you back a significant amount of money; however, some people swear by it as the must-go eating extravaganza. Personally, I’d rather go to the nearby Bellagio buffet anytime, also because it’s open every day rather than once a week and because it’s actually more affordable, even on weekends.   For a buffet extravaganza experience I’d go to the nearby, super-expensive Bacchanal, just because of the variety.  However, the Bally’s Sunday brunch buffet is loved by many ‘regulars’ because of its unique specialties and its smaller, upscale ambiance, maybe you should take a peak before you decide, it may be what you are really looking for.

If you are a spa-gym lover, none of these Caesar’s Entertainment resorts are ideal for you, in my opinion; they’re more or less all outdated and don’t offer the extensive range of equipment which you can find at the best Vegas gyms; you can use the jacuzzis in the spa (included in your resort fee), which is an advantage compared to some of the MGM group Vegas resorts, but I would not say you get the top-notch pampering experience that some other resorts offer; for that you may want to read our page on the best Vegas spas. Finally, both close far too early, at 7pm (sometimes even 6pm!): this is, simply put, ridiculous; other establishments close at 8pm or even later (and some others stay open 24 hours!).   Some of you go to Vegas for a 24-hour partying experience; however, others go for an overall holiday experience, which includes luxurious pampering and fitness; those latter guests may find most of Caesar’s resorts in Vegas not suitable.

Paris Resort Vegas Review

Sexy and Fun to look. Well, we all love this Disney-like version of the real Paris! It’s simply fun to see and, albeit in miniature size, all relatively authentic, at least if you happen to remember a remote yet picturesque French village! We love the theme of Paris Vegas because it takes us very far away from daily life and, after all, isn’t it what Vegas is supposed to do? Despite the general trend to modernize every Vegas resort (to the risk of every one looking the same, I might add, and to the risk of making Vegas look like any modern city in the world), Paris Vegas is (at least for now) retaining its unique, somewhat even sexy character; this, in our opinion, is worth the extra dollars. Their rooms can be beautiful & sexy too, depending on which one you get, their suites can also be beautiful, their check in area is beautiful (we love the white marble feels and the chandeliers); moreover, their buffet is visually truly unique (a must-see) and generally good ‘enough’ (with annoying line ups).

Note on the Paris’ remodeled rooms: the standard rooms and most of the suites are being remodeled.  The decor is white-based with colored accents and of course, very modern.  I still prefer the Red Rooms, for a sexier atmosphere 😉

Location – mid-Strip facing Bellagio. The fantastic Bellagio with its lake, with the amazing fountains (and great buffet/restaurants) on one side and… The Parisian theme on the other: it does not get any better than this. With the Venetian Vegas/Mirage spot being a good second, the Paris-Bellagio spot is the best in Las Vegas.

Paris Vegas Restaurants

they have many mid-range restaurants in their picturesque village-walk and, of course, they have their absolutely picturesque buffet, without question one of the most popular in Vegas. A bit too heavy, I’d say, but all in all a must-go, although be prepared for the very long line-ups. More on this Vegas buffet on the page Paris Village buffet.

Paris Vegas Casino

the only let down in our opinion is their casino; for some reason I never seem to enjoy it, maybe because it seems to have very few of the highly popular, modern penny slot games (but this seems to be a characteristic of all Caesar’s Entertainment casinos I noticed, perhaps with the exception of Planet Hollywood). If you are into casinos, we have written a page on the best Vegas casinos.

Gym/Spa – now part of the resort fee, you can access their gyms and jacuzzis (in the spa section). However, they close ridiculously early at 7pm (as opposed to the 8pm or even 10pm of other resort groups in Vegas) and, last but not least, they are not the the best gyms in Las Vegas, politely put. In my opinion the majority of the Caesar’s Entertainment gyms (Bally’s, Paris, Planet Hollywood and so on) are quite poor in quality from all perspectives: outdated and small to say the least. My favourite gym in the low to mid range Strip resorts is Excalibur by the way, in that it is by far the best value for money and it has equipment for all needs.  Of course, the overall best gyms are at Aria (so modern and high-end!), as well as at Bellagio (which is only open to guests, unfortunately), with Aria’s possibly taking the crown.  The best cardio room was at Mirage, with state-of-the-art machines with a dedicated video/audio console with many channels (though these days they squeezed them all into one small room). You can read more on Best Vegas Gyms page.

Our Planet Hollywood Vegas review page (which has a link to our video walk-through of the resort) goes into details about this resort.

The Sexiest Upscale Resort? We particularly like Encore (and Wynn) as an upscale alternative if plush sensuality is something you seek, though more expensive.   Mandalay Bay is beautiful under most aspects (except for its pitiful cardio room) but it simply is not ‘sexy’, though its spa is a delight.  The same can be said for Bellagio and other beautiful resorts such as Cosmopolitan and Aria (all with some of the best spas in Vegas).  Perhaps Mandarin Oriental could be a resort which, on the sensuality scale, could compete with Encore and Wynn (also to its great spa); click on the titles for details or check our Vegas Hotel Reviews (with comparisons) section on our left side menu.

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