La and Vegas hotels

[JanTheJam]

We are going to la and Vegas in March for a work expo. DH's manager and his gf are coming too. I'm in charge of hotels.

DH and I have been to la before and stayed in Santa Monica. Dh wants to go to universal studios and maybe Hollywood. We are in la for 2 full days plus travel days on eithe side. Looking for somewhere with good restaurants around. Any suggestions for where? I would happily stay in Santa Monica again but dh wants to try somewhere new.

Then we are in Vegas for 6 nights. Dh expo is at the Mandalay bay but we can stay anywhere. I've never been to Vegas and have no idea at all about accomodation. Any suggestions would be welcome - on strip, off strip- no idea what's best.

Our budget is $250usd per room per night so I know the Beverly Wilshire is out sadly!

Las Vegas - four seasons or Bellagio

We stayed at the Kimpton Shorebreak at Huntington Beach in January. Might be over your budget though.

creampastry

I think we are going Bellagio. Agent has rooms in budget. Is it brilliant? Or just quite lovely?

moose I'll have a Google, thank you.

Bellagio, ask for fountain view rooms.

I loved Bellagio when I stayed there. Get yourself in the mood by watching Ocean's Eleven.

We've stayed at four seasons and Mandalay bay both lovely! Four seasons has more kids than Mandalay which is more of an adult feel. Depends what you're looking for really.

Four Seasons was lovely - totally away from the madness, really lovely and calm. Gorgeous fresh food, beautiful pool, staff amazing.

Also, its the same building as Mandalay, so will be very easy for your DH to hop up to his room in lunch breaks etc.

Absolutely not looking for child friendly.

First child free holiday since dc1 was a bump so definitely not worried about child friendly.

I think 4 seasons is above budget. Will look again.

I would choose the Bellagio. Also would go back to Santa Monica out of choice, my favourite bit of LA by far.

Last year we stayed at Fairmont Mirimar in Santa Monica which we didn't like! Wouldn't recommend it. Wish we had looked more into Shutters on the Beach.

In Las Vegas we stayed at the Vdara which we loved. It's not a gaming hotel so feels nice not to have all that there yet has a walkway directly libked to the Bellagio so it's in the thick of it still, loved it.

We've stayed in shutters on the beach in Santa Monica - just lovely

In LA we stayed in the Beverley Hilton, we enjoyed it but it might be a bit far out for what you're looking for?

We stayed at the Beverly Garland in LA, its very close to Universal Studios and the hotel runs a free shuttle to it. It stops at the metro station first, from there its only one stop down to Hollywood Boulevard to for sight seeing.

LA - I heartily recommend the Magic Castle Hotel - just have a look at the reviews on TripAdvisor! It was recommended by another MNer. Not flash, just super-friendly. A bit retro and quirky.

It is ten minutes on a direct metro line from Universal, and a block from Hollywood Boulevard.

I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental in Vegas last year - it was gorgeous because it's not a Casino hotel, despite being on the strip.

It was like walking into a serene oasis of calm after doing battle with the crowds on the strip. The pool is fairly small, but it's all geared up for relaxation. No kids running round. Lush.

The only downside with the MO was it's near the southern end of the strip, a bit of a walk from the main attractions. We're going again this year, so I'm thinking either Encore at Wynn or the Bellagio because they're more central.

If you have any spare time, I'd highly recommend a show. We saw the Cirque du Soleil show O! at the Bellagio - it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen.

We stayed at the Ramada Plaza in West Hollywood. A very cool area and was safe even at night. Lots of restaurants(including Shake Shack across the road) within a short walk. It was about a 10 min uber ride (3 miles ish) to Hollywood Boulevard. Far enough away to not be 'edgy' but close enough to easily get to.

Universal was about a 20 min Uber. It was pretty easy by bus too, but the difference in cost meant it was not much difference to be driven directly.

Yeap Bellagio would be a good hotel to go for if in your budget. To be honest most of the hotels on the strip are very grand. We stayed at The Venetian which was lovely too. If I were going again I would look at the Bellagio.

Mandalay is amazing. Luxor isn't. That budget should get you any of the hotels on the strip. I paid about $100 a night at the Mandalay and that was for a huge room with two kingsize beds in it. Midweek is a lot cheaper than weekends in Vegas and the quality of the hotels is out of this world in my opinion.

Yes definitely better to stay in Las Vegas midweek. We drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a Sunday and I couldn't believe how much traffic there was driving from Las Vegas across the desert. Also when we tried to make restaurant reservations they said it would be no problem midweek but totally different at weekends. Even midweek it seemed busy to me so I'd hate to see it at a weekend.