Las Vegas hotels - spring break

[keweenawlove]

I do owe this group an update but short story is DS is home and we're so in love with him! We won't be able to get his passport for a little while but really want to do a warm weather spring break and Vegas ended up making the most sense to hang by the pool and explore some hiking trails. 

With the goal being an awesome pool for kids we can explore the strip from, what hotels should we consider? I've been looking the most at Mandalay Bay and MGM. Mandalay looks really nice but a long walk from things. DD might also be just a little too short for the wave pool. I stayed at MGM a few years ago and remember liking it but the reviews on TripAdvisor are all over the place and sounds like it can get a little crazy. Kids will be 2 and 6. 

[VillainV]

Do you need to be close to the strip? For pool and hiking I really like Red Rock Resort. Its in Summerlin, so not on the strip, but they do have a free shuttle to the strip. But it’s an amazing hotel with a great pool.

[icedcoffee]

Omg--ya'll are adorable. (I have and love that swimsuit too!)

[kdubs923]

No recs, but congratulations! What a beautiful family!

[clairebear]

Aww so happy for you guys!! Congrats. 

I would not recommend Mandalay Bay. It is the exact opposite of relaxing. It is on the far end of the strip so definitely a lot of walking. Also, I hated the pool area. We were there for one day over July 4, 2021 and so. many. people. It was wall to wall people, I would not feel comfortable having my kids (4 and 6) be any further than arm length away. Definitely would not feel comfortable sitting in chair by the pool with them swimming. The lazy river was a solid block of people. You also have to buy the intertubes to float on, for like $37 bucks. Maybe you can bring your own though?  I'm sure the holiday made it more crazy than usual, but it seemed like it was be busy no matter what. 


I'd try to find a smaller hotel with a quieter pool scene.  

[keweenawlove]

Dec 14, 2022 8:56:03 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Do you need to be close to the strip? For pool and hiking I really like Red Rock Resort. Its in Summerlin, so not on the strip, but they do have a free shuttle to the strip. But it’s an amazing hotel with a great pool.

Not necessarily. My H had it in his head we could take turns exploring the strip individually during naptime but he's realizing that might not be the most important thing. I had checked Red Rocks and it was full but Tahitian Village looks like it could be a good fit.

[keweenawlove]

Thanks for sharing your experience clairebear! I'm guessing MGM would be even worse from the reviews so we might be better off somewhere quieter.

[shauni27]

We did the Mirage with a 5-year-old and LOVED it. We stayed by the pool 90% of the time, which was fun for her. They had kid activities and was walking distance to things like the ferris wheel. Vegas is not typically our scene but we really enjoyed it because we just relaxed by the pool and ate our way around

[hbomdiggity]

I just stayed at MGM for a conference and I can’t imagine staying there with young kids. It’s huge. Everything is so expensive. And the cigarette smoke is so overwhelming. But that’s probably all of Vegas.

[ellipses84]

Congrats! The Mirage is my fav. for pool / central strip location. The Flamingo is also a good location and had a family pool and water slide, although I don’t think it’s that great (verify this since we stayed there a long time ago, the water slide was separate from the pool and the lazy river was further away and adults only). The MGM is similar although it’s further down the strip, that end of the strip has tons for kids to do. We’ve done the Cosmopolitan which I love but we had some snafus with check in and they didn’t seem to be the most family friendly. The rooftop pool was nice and good for kids, with some shallow areas. MGM and Cosmo get a little more of the party crowd, but most hotels have separate private pool club areas now. Paris has a massive rooftop pool and my kids liked it, but it wasn’t the best for tiny kids. I know a lot of families rec Tahiti Village and some friends stayed at Club Wyndham Grand Desert (apartment type suites) which are both off the strip and family friendlier. I’ve heard Mandalay is worth it for the pools, but I personally hate staying that far down to one end of the strip, especially with kids in car seats you can just hop into a cab or Uber with if you are tired (having my youngest big enough for a mi-fold was life changing last time).

The Container Park near Fremont St is amazing for kids. We also love the Neon Museum nearby. We’ve gone to Vegas a lot with kids so let me know if you need more recs.

[ellipses84]

Also Congratulations again!!!! I’m so happy for you and excited you get to plan a family vacation!

[ellipses84]

Dec 15, 2022 12:30:17 GMT -5 hbomdiggity said:

I just stayed at MGM for a conference and I can’t imagine staying there with young kids. It’s huge. Everything is so expensive. And the cigarette smoke is so overwhelming. But that’s probably all of Vegas.

A lot of the casinos are like that. In general, the older the hotel is, the worse the smoke is going to be in the casino area which you have to walk through (worse HVAC and even if they remodeled the smell stays). I find Paris and NYNY awful for smoke. MGM does have some separate newer towers that may be better and not require casino access, but they are also set further behind the strip so a longer walk. The Park MGM is one of the newest hotels across the street and down a block is non-smoking (and maybe the only non-smoking hotel / casino on the strip but IDK anything about the pool).

[shauni27]

also, I do not recall any cigarette smoke in mirage. I am sure there was some, but I specifically commented on how nice it was not to have to deal with that.

[quesyrah]

We stayed at Tahitian Village and my kids loved it.

The pool with the beach entry was a particular hit with my youngest.

[keweenawlove]

Thanks for all the info ellipses84 that's exactly what I needed. I was looking at the balcony rooms at the Cosmo so good to know the hotel isn't the most family friendly.

Have you done any hiking witb your kids? We're looking at a day at Red Rock but considering Mount Charleston and Valley of fire too. I need to make a carseat plan though. We just spent almost 4 weeks in Colombia and they're non-existent there so I keep forgetting about that aspect of vacation planning!

[keweenawlove]

Dec 19, 2022 11:53:09 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

also, I do not recall any cigarette smoke in mirage. I am sure there was some, but I specifically commented on how nice it was not to have to deal with that.

We ended up with a reservation here. Just need to hope the pool is open the last week of March. It's in the process of transitioning to a Hard Rock hotel so they're not giving a solid answer. I just stayed there for a conference in September and was originally thinking the pool wasn't as exciting as MGM but for our wants, I think it will be perfect. The walk from the room to pool was significantly less at Mirage compared to MGM so that might be a winning point alone!

[shauni27]

Dec 20, 2022 21:56:15 GMT -5 keweenawlove said:

Dec 19, 2022 11:53:09 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

also, I do not recall any cigarette smoke in mirage. I am sure there was some, but I specifically commented on how nice it was not to have to deal with that.

We ended up with a reservation here. Just need to hope the pool is open the last week of March. It's in the process of transitioning to a Hard Rock hotel so they're not giving a solid answer. I just stayed there for a conference in September and was originally thinking the pool wasn't as exciting as MGM but for our wants, I think it will be perfect. The walk from the room to pool was significantly less at Mirage compared to MGM so that might be a winning point alone!

oh good! I am glad you guys are doing this. What a fun family trip! We took the 5 year old we were with to the cirque show for the beatles and she loved it.

[keweenawlove]

Dec 21, 2022 8:15:35 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Dec 20, 2022 21:56:15 GMT -5 keweenawlove said:

We ended up with a reservation here. Just need to hope the pool is open the last week of March. It's in the process of transitioning to a Hard Rock hotel so they're not giving a solid answer. I just stayed there for a conference in September and was originally thinking the pool wasn't as exciting as MGM but for our wants, I think it will be perfect. The walk from the room to pool was significantly less at Mirage compared to MGM so that might be a winning point alone!

oh good! I am glad you guys are doing this. What a fun family trip! We took the 5 year old we were with to the cirque show for the beatles and she loved it.

Thanks! We're like you and Vegas doesn't scream our style at all but I think we'll be able to make it a super fun trip! We were planning to go to Paris this year before the adoption referral. DD was really excited to see the Eiffel tower so at least she'll still get to see it.

[shauni27]

Dec 21, 2022 22:42:45 GMT -5 keweenawlove said:

Dec 21, 2022 8:15:35 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

oh good! I am glad you guys are doing this. What a fun family trip! We took the 5 year old we were with to the cirque show for the beatles and she loved it.

Thanks! We're like you and Vegas doesn't scream our style at all but I think we'll be able to make it a super fun trip! We were planning to go to Paris this year before the adoption referral. DD was really excited to see the Eiffel tower so at least she'll still get to see it.

 this has me howling for some reason