Where to Stay in Las Vegas: Our Honest Take After 12+ Trips — Part 1

If there’s one thing we’ve learned after more than a dozen trips to Las Vegas, it’s that where you stay can completely change your Vegas experience.

We’ve stayed all over Las Vegas, from massive resorts in the heart of the Strip to luxury properties, family-friendly favorites, and even adults-only Downtown Vegas. And after staying at so many different properties over the years, we have A LOT to say about where to stay.

So much, in fact, that we're breaking this guide into two parts.

In Part 1, we're sharing our firsthand experiences at Treasure Island, Resorts World, Mandalay Bay, and MGM Grand; four very different resorts that we've stayed at for everything from couples getaways and trips with friends to family vacations with our kids.

Then, in Part 2, we'll continue with more of the Las Vegas hotels we've personally stayed at and finally answer the big question: Which ones would we recommend for your next Vegas trip?

Because while we’ve enjoyed something about almost every property, we can tell you this: there is no single “best hotel” in Las Vegas.

The hotel we’d recommend for a couple celebrating an anniversary isn't necessarily where we'd send a family with kids. Someone planning their first Vegas trip may want to be right in the middle of the action, while a repeat visitor might prefer a little more space, luxury, or a completely different Vegas experience Downtown.

That’s why instead of simply ranking these hotels from best to worst, we’re breaking down who we think each Las Vegas hotel is best for, what we loved, what we didn’t, and whether we’d stay there again.

If you're trying to decide where to stay in Las Vegas, consider this your shortcut. We've done the hotel hopping so you don't have to.

The Las Vegas Hotels We’ve Stayed At

Over our many trips to Las Vegas, we've personally stayed at:

• Treasure Island

• Resorts World Las Vegas

• Mandalay Bay

• MGM Grand

• New York-New York

• The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

• Circa Resort & Casino

• The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort

• The Mirage (Sadly, no longer a Las Vegas resort)

Each offers a completely different experience, which is exactly why choosing your hotel based on how you want to experience Vegas is so important.

For each property, we’ll share:

Best for: Who we think will love it most
What we loved: The things that stood out during our stay
What to consider: Anything we think travelers should know before booking
Location: How we felt about its location and getting around
Would we stay again?: Our personal verdict

And once we've covered them all, we'll make it even easier by sharing which hotels we'd choose for families, couples, first-time visitors, pool lovers, luxury travelers, Downtown Vegas, and more.

For now, let's dive into the first four.

Treasure Island, Las Vegas

Treasure Island: A Great Choice for Your First Las Vegas Trip

Best for: First-time visitors, budget-conscious travelers, and anyone who wants a convenient Strip location without paying luxury resort prices.

Treasure Island holds a little nostalgia for us because it was the very first hotel we ever stayed at on the Las Vegas Strip. At the time, we were two young parents looking for an affordable way to experience Vegas, and Treasure Island checked a lot of boxes.

One of the biggest advantages of staying at Treasure Island is its location and easy access to the Strip. After staying at several much larger Vegas resorts over the years, we've realized just how much this matters. Some properties require what feels like a hike just to get from your room, through the casino, and finally out onto Las Vegas Boulevard. At Treasure Island, getting out to the Strip felt relatively quick and easy, which made exploring especially convenient on our first visit.

Another highlight was seeing Mystère by Cirque du Soleil right at the resort. We loved the show, and having such a great entertainment option without needing to travel to another property made our stay even better.

Treasure Island also offers free parking, which can be a great perk if you're renting a car and planning to explore beyond the Strip.

What We Loved

• Affordable compared with many other Strip resorts

• Central and convenient location

• Relatively easy access from the hotel to Las Vegas Boulevard

• Mystère by Cirque du Soleil

• Free parking for guests

• A great introduction to Las Vegas for first-time visitors

What to Consider

If you're looking for the over-the-top luxury experience Las Vegas is known for, Treasure Island probably wouldn't be our first choice. While we found the hotel to be very clean, some of the furnishings and overall design felt more dated compared with newer or more luxurious properties we've stayed at.

Longtime Vegas visitors may also remember the iconic pirate show that once took place in front of the hotel. Sadly, the show is no longer running. It was such a classic piece of old-school Las Vegas and definitely added to the personality of Treasure Island.

Would We Stay at Treasure Island Again?

Yes, with the right type of trip.

After experiencing so many other Las Vegas resorts, Treasure Island probably wouldn't be at the top of our list for a luxury getaway. But for someone visiting Las Vegas for the first time, trying to keep hotel costs reasonable, or simply wanting a clean and conveniently located home base on the Strip, we think Treasure Island can still be a great option.

And because it was where our Vegas adventures started, it will always have a little sentimental value for us.

Resorts World Las Vegas: One of Our Vegas Favorites

Best for: Couples, friend groups, pool lovers, foodies, and travelers looking for a newer, upscale Vegas experience.

We absolutely love Resorts World. In fact, it's one of the few Las Vegas hotels we've chosen to stay at more than once.

Our first stay was on a trip with another couple, and we loved it so much that we returned again for a completely different kind of Vegas trip—this time with a large group of friends. Resorts World worked incredibly well for both, which says a lot about how much this property has to offer.

One of the first things you'll notice is simply how beautiful and unique the resort feels. It's modern, upscale, and has a completely different atmosphere from some of the older, more traditional casino resorts along the Strip.

And the rooms? On one of our stays, we were upgraded to a stunning suite that was so beautiful it made our own primary bedroom at home look a little shabby. It was spacious, luxurious, and exactly the kind of room that makes a Vegas getaway feel extra special.

What We Loved

The pool complex is easily one of our favorite parts of Resorts World. We loved spending time by the pool, ordering drinks, and having a place where we could relax during the day before heading out for the evening.

We also noticed that during our stays, the resort didn't feel overly crowded with kids. While families can certainly stay here, the overall atmosphere felt more geared toward adults, couples, and groups of friends, which worked perfectly for the trips we were taking.

Another huge win is the food. The dining options at Resorts World are excellent, making it easy to spend a surprising amount of your trip without ever needing to leave the property. We've also consistently had wonderful experiences with the staff. The service has been superb and contributes to the upscale feel of the resort.

What to Consider

The biggest drawback for us is the location.

Resorts World sits farther north on the Strip, so we wouldn't consider it a centrally located hotel. If your Vegas plans involve walking up and down the Strip and hopping between many of the major resorts, you'll want to factor that into your decision.

For us, it isn't enough of a downside to keep us from returning, clearly, since we've already stayed twice, but it's something we would point out to someone visiting Las Vegas for the first time.

Why We Keep Coming Back

• Beautiful, modern resort

• Incredible suites and accommodations

• Fantastic pool complex and drinks

• Excellent dining options

• Superb service

• Great atmosphere for couples and groups of friends

• Upscale feel without being stuffy

• Plenty to do without leaving the resort

Would We Stay at Resorts World Again?

Absolutely! And we already have.

Resorts World is easily one of our favorite properties we've stayed at in Las Vegas. If your priority is being directly in the center of the Strip, there may be better options. But if you're looking for a beautiful resort where the hotel itself is part of the vacation experience, Resorts World is hard to beat.

We especially love it for a couples getaway or a Vegas trip with friends. Between the pools, drinks, restaurants, beautiful rooms, and overall atmosphere, it's the kind of resort where we're perfectly happy spending an entire day without ever leaving the property.

Mandalay Bay: A Beautiful Resort at the South End of the Strip

Best for: Couples, families, travelers who want plenty to do at their resort, and anyone who doesn't mind being farther from the center of the Strip.

We stayed at Mandalay Bay during a Las Vegas trip with another couple, and while its location is a little removed from the heart of the action, there was still a lot we loved about this resort.

The hotel itself is beautiful, clean, and feels very much like a destination of its own. With restaurants, entertainment, nightlife, attractions, and an impressive pool complex, Mandalay Bay has plenty to offer without needing to leave the property.

One of our favorite spots during our stay was The Vinyl Room. Overlooking the Strip, it was such a fun place to hang out, dance, grab drinks, and, of course, take plenty of pictures. It ended up being one of those memorable little experiences that stood out from our stay.

What We Loved

Mandalay Bay offers a nice mix of things to do, making it a property we could see working for several different types of Vegas travelers.

One of its most well-known attractions is the Shark Reef Aquarium, which gives families in particular something completely different to do without even leaving the resort.

Mandalay Bay is also famous for its pool complex. Unfortunately, we visited in February, so we didn't get the full pool experience during our stay. It's definitely one of the reasons we'd consider returning during warmer weather.

Another fun perk of the location? Mandalay Bay is near the southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard, making it one of the more convenient Strip resorts if you want to stop for that iconic photo at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.

What to Consider

The biggest consideration with Mandalay Bay is definitely its location.

It's located at the far southern end of the Strip, so we wouldn't recommend choosing it specifically because you want to be centrally located. If your plans involve walking between Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Cosmopolitan, The Venetian, and other resorts in the middle of the Strip, Mandalay Bay can feel pretty far removed.

On the other hand, if you're happy spending more time enjoying your resort and using rideshare or other transportation when you want to explore, the location may not bother you nearly as much.

Why We'd Consider Mandalay Bay

• Beautiful and clean resort

• Plenty of dining and entertainment on property

• Shark Reef Aquarium

• Famous pool complex

• Fun nightlife and places to grab drinks

• Great option for couples or families

• Convenient to the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign

Would We Stay at Mandalay Bay Again?

Yes, especially during pool season.

We really enjoyed our stay at Mandalay Bay and thought the property itself was beautiful. The location would probably keep us from choosing it for a trip where we planned to spend most of our time exploring the center of the Strip on foot.

But for a trip where we wanted to enjoy the resort itself? We'd absolutely consider it again, and next time, we'd make sure it was warm enough to finally experience that pool!

MGM Grand: A Vegas Resort That Works With or Without Kids

Best for: Families, couples, entertainment lovers, pool time, and travelers who want enough dining and entertainment to stay busy without constantly leaving their resort.

MGM Grand is another Las Vegas hotel we've chosen more than once, but our two stays couldn't have been more different. The first time, it was just the two of us. The second time, we brought our kids along, and surprisingly, MGM Grand worked really well for both trips.

One of the things we appreciate most about MGM Grand is that it feels like a destination in itself. It's a massive resort with so much happening inside that, especially when we visited with our kids, we never really felt like we needed to leave the hotel.

There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, a great pool area, and some fantastic entertainment options. When we stayed with the kids, we took them to see KÀ by Cirque du Soleil, which they really enjoyed. On another trip, we saw David Copperfield, so we've been able to experience some of the property's entertainment both as a couple and as a family.

What We Loved

The rooms at MGM Grand have been spacious and comfortable during our stays. When it was just the two of us, we were even upgraded to a beautiful suite, which made that particular trip feel a little more special.

We also really enjoyed the pool complex. If you're planning a Vegas trip during warmer weather and want to build in some relaxing pool time between activities, that's another reason we'd consider MGM Grand.

But what stood out most when traveling with our kids was simply the convenience of having so much under one roof. Vegas can involve a LOT of walking, especially with kids, so having restaurants, entertainment, and the pool right at our hotel made the trip much easier.

What to Consider

Here's the tradeoff: MGM Grand is huge.

While we like that the hotel itself feels somewhat tucked back from Las Vegas Boulevard, that also means getting from your hotel room to the actual Strip can be quite a walk. When you're looking at a map, your hotel may appear to be right there on Las Vegas Boulevard, but in Vegas, there's a big difference between your hotel being on the Strip and your hotel room being anywhere near it!

MGM Grand is also located farther south on the Strip than some of the properties we'd consider truly central. We wouldn't call the location a deal breaker, but it's something to keep in mind if your itinerary involves a lot of walking to resorts farther north.

Why We'd Choose MGM Grand

• Works well for both couples and families

• Spacious rooms

• Beautiful suites available

• Great pool complex

• Lots of restaurant options

• Excellent on-site entertainment

• KÀ by Cirque du Soleil

• David Copperfield

• Enough to do that you don't necessarily need to leave the resort

Would We Stay at MGM Grand Again?

Yes, and we'd stay here with our kids again, too.

Having experienced MGM Grand both as a couple and as a family, we think it's one of the more versatile resorts we've stayed at in Las Vegas.

We especially appreciated it when traveling with our kids because we didn't feel like we needed to spend the entire trip walking up and down the Strip looking for things to do. We could enjoy the pool, grab a great meal, see a show, and head back to our room, all without leaving the property.

The walk from your room to the Strip can definitely feel long, and the location isn't as central as some other hotels we've stayed at. But neither of those would be a deal breaker for us.

If you're looking for a Vegas resort where the hotel can be a big part of the entertainment, MGM Grand is one we'd happily recommend.

Wrapping Up Part 1: Which Hotel Would We Choose?

Four hotels down, and if there's one thing these stays have reinforced for us, it's that the right Las Vegas hotel really depends on the kind of trip you're planning.

If you're visiting Vegas for the first time and want an affordable hotel with easy access to the Strip, we'd consider Treasure Island.

For a couples getaway or trip with friends where the resort itself is part of the experience, Resorts World remains one of our favorites.

If you want a beautiful resort with plenty to do on property and don't mind staying farther south on the Strip, Mandalay Bay has a lot to offer, especially if you're visiting during pool season.

And if you're traveling with kids or simply want enough restaurants, entertainment, and amenities that you don't have to leave your hotel constantly, we'd happily recommend MGM Grand.

But we're only halfway through our Las Vegas hotel stays.

Part 2 is coming next, and we'll be sharing our experiences at New York-New York, The Cosmopolitan, Circa, The Palazzo, and The Mirage.

And once we've covered them all, we're going to put our Vegas experience to the test and share our picks for the best hotel for couples, families, first-time visitors, luxury travelers, pool lovers, Downtown Vegas, and more, including which Las Vegas hotel we'd personally choose to stay at again.

Stay tuned for Part 2!