Despite Scoffing, Ritz Named Vegas' Best Hotel
Top Hotels Make You Want To Tell Your Friends
Updated: 10:12 a.m. EST December 29, 2003
Choosing the best hotels in Las Vegas is not an easy task. Take almost any of the major properties that didn't make the Vegas4Visitors.com top 10 list this year and put them in any other city and they'd be considered palaces. But here, the competition is fierce between what are some of the best hotels in the world.
To make it on to our top 10 list, a hotel has to have that something special, something that is not easy to define. It's about quality, certainly, but it's also about the overall experience of staying there. It's the kind of experience that makes you want to bore your friends with stories once you get home and makes you want to return. Each of the hotels on the list offers a unique, unforgettable experience and, therefore, earns the title of one of the best hotels in Las Vegas.
1. Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas. Not so long ago, if you had suggested we would fall in love with an expensive hotel that is miles from the Strip with no casino, we would have scoffed. But stay at the Ritz-Carlton once and you'll be a convert to a totally new way of looking at Las Vegas. Luxurious in a way that the megaresorts can only pretend to be, this hotel has stunning yet comfortable and well-appointed rooms; breathtaking views; unparalleled service and attention to detail; a world-class spa; shopping, gambling and recreation right next door; and an almost Zen-like atmosphere that will make you realize you're on vacation, so shouldn't you just sit down, take a breath, and relax for a little while? It's not cheap to stay here, but the prices are usually less than the high-end places on the Strip, and this is a better hotel in all of the ways that are important and in quite a few ways that aren't. It's a package that is impossible to resist.
2. Paris Las Vegas. If you're going to stay on the Strip, you'd have a hard time finding a better hotel than Paris Las Vegas. By combining terrific accommodations with an almost endless supply of dining and entertainment options, the hotel has the formula for success already. But then it is all wrapped up in a charming turn-of-the-century Parisian package that almost demands you to drop your cynicism at the door and give in to the romance. Paris measures up with the more expensive hotels nearby on every level and is such a good overall package it could almost make you start liking the French again.
3. Green Valley Ranch. Hey, if Michael Jackson likes it, how can it be bad? Okay, set that circus sideshow aside for a minute and focus on how great this hotel really is. It has beautiful rooms with the most comfortable beds in all of Las Vegas, lots of terrific restaurants, a great casino, and one of the nicest pools in town, plus a friendly staff with absolutely zero attitude, which is refreshing at an upscale hotel.
4. Las Vegas Hilton. This hotel has become the red-headed stepchild of the Caesars Entertainment chain, which has been trying to get rid of it for years. That's too bad, because it really is one of the best values in town. For prices that rival some of the bargain hotel chains, you get generously appointed rooms with stunning views of the Strip (if you get one on that side of the building), lots of good restaurants, a friendly staff, and a couple of funky and often rewarding casinos, plus a players' club that is the most generous in town. Throw in the new monorail station that will open in a few weeks and this becomes an even better option for Vegas visitors, one we hope will remain as such when the new owners, whomever they may be, take over.
5. The Mirage. There have been rumors that the corporate parents of this hotel want to make it over into one of those hip, youth-driven places that are all the rage these days. We are horrified by that idea, since the Mirage offers a level of luxury and style that can't be found elsewhere for similar prices. We'd hate to see this graceful and tasteful hotel become just another place where the see-and-be-seen crowd hangs out, since they would be too busy looking at each other to notice how truly spectacular this hotel still is. Leave the Mirage alone! We like it just fine the way it is.
6. Bally's. At one point, Bally's was considered to be one of the finest and most expensive hotels on the Strip. As the market moved upward, Bally's held its ground and now it can be a relative bargain. Recently redone rooms offer a touch of style, a glittering high-tech casino offers fun, and the location right at the heart of the famous Four Corners can't be beat.
7. Luxor. The Luxor still makes us shake our heads and smile at the sheer silly audacity of the whole thing. Who would've thought to build a giant pyramid in the middle of the desert? OK, well, who would've thought to put a high-energy casino, tons of entertainment and dining options, and some unique and well-appointed hotel rooms inside? Vegas has gotten too serious lately, so we're glad the Luxor is still there to make us smile.
8. New York-New York. Speaking of smiles, New York-New York does a pretty good job in that category, too. The over-the-top Gotham theme, with faithful recreations of everything Big Apple is a hoot, and the world-class restaurants, comfortable rooms, and comparatively moderate prices make the whole thing worth coming back to again and again.
9. Caesars Palace. While other Las Vegas hotels of its era have fallen to the wrecking ball or faded into obscurity, Caesars has kept up with the times with more than a few face-lifts to keep it fresh. While we're sad to see some of the classic old stuff get painted over, it's impossible to deny that the level of accommodations, dining, entertainment, shopping, and service here is as good as hotels one-tenth its age. A true Las Vegas classic.
10. Golden Nugget. The Grand Dame of Downtown has gotten new owners who promise (or threaten, depending on your point of view) to make this glamorous lady into a fun, energetic and hip old-school Vegas hotel. We're going to give them the benefit of the doubt for now, because it would take a lot to mess up this truly fine example of why Fremont Street is still a force to be reckoned with. The Mirage-level rooms, the terrific restaurants and the friendly service would be notable even if you couldn't get them at a price that must be measured in fractions to what you'll pay on the Strip.
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Q: One major Strip hotel opened its doors the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. What was it? ANSWER
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Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors