This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
The range of hotels in Las Vegas is mind-boggling, from national landmarks that dominate the skyline with more than 5,000 rooms, typically near the Strip’s neon signs, street performers, slot machines and rock stars, to chic boltholes tucked far from the crowds. Downtown Las Vegas, which includes Fremont Street, is about a 20-minute drive from The Strip, offering travellers everything from less-gimmicky, lower-stakes gambling and authentic dive bars to unbeatable opportunities for people watching.
1. The Conrad at Resorts World
Best for: food adventures
Resorts World is one of the newest mega casinos to open on the Strip, with some 3,500 rooms spread between three Hilton properties. The Conrad is the mid-range option of the bunch, offering the most amenities for the price tag. The palatial, modern rooms, most with sweeping views over the city lights, are secondary only to the unique dining on offer here. Singapore hawker-style Famous Foods offers the best kuey teow (stir-fried rice noodles) and roti canai (Indian flatbread dish) stalls this side of Malaysia, alongside Texas barbecue and Nashville hot chicken spots. For splashier dining, options include Wally’s for California cuisine paired with an epic 3,000-strong wine list, and chef Nicole Brisson’s lauded Italian dishes at Brezza. Rooms from $167 (£137).
2. The Cosmopolitan
Best for: sophisticated glamour
Step into The Cosmopolitan, in the middle of the Strip, and you’ll feel like a movie star. Front and centre is the three-level Chandelier Bar, which sits inside an enormous chandelier comprised of over two million crystals, and the Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub, which hosts some of the best DJs in town. Throughout the complex, you can find innovative works, hidden speakeasies and other visual surprises, like the transforming digital art columns in the lobby. Rooms are a cut above Vegas norms, too, with bold patterned fabrics and the only balconies on the Strip. Rooms from $120 (£98).
3. The LINQ Hotel + Experience
Best for: budget travellers
This modern resort is on the busiest part of the Strip and is a prime choice for those preferring to spend their dollars on all that Sin City has to offer. Perks include a casino, an adults-only party pool with a live DJ, and the 550ft High Roller, the highest observation wheel in the world. Rooms mirror the young and fun crowd here, with loud, 1980s art on the walls and comfortable platform beds. Dining is budget-orientated and includes Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips. The ubiquitous sparkle in communal areas is a constant reminder of being in the heart of Vegas. Rooms from $25 (£20).
LINQ Hotel + Experience is one of the best budget-friendly places to stay on the Strip.
Photograph bt Trevor OShana
4. NoMad Las Vegas
Best for: introverts
This 293-room boutique hotel atop the Park MGM mega resort feels like a secret hideaway. There are velvet- and mahogany-swathed corners that are perfect for some quiet time with a book, as well as private cabanas at a Marrakech-style swimming pool and roulette wheels at a Tiffany glass-covered gaming salon. The rooms here are decidedly European, with a collection of sophisticated art on the walls, steamer trunk mini bars and Carrara marble bathrooms with pedestal bathtubs. The Strip is on the doorstep, as are myriad dining options, such as chef Roy Choi’s fun Korean food at Best Friend. Rooms from $155 (£127).
5. MGM Grand
Best for: party animals
This resort is like its own city, with over 5,000 rooms, a massive casino, a six-acre swimming pool area and ever-evolving restaurant, bar and entertainment options. While the rooms won’t win any creativity awards, they come in a vast array of options and all are comfortable, spacious and perfect for some much needed downtime from the entertainment overload. Should you wish to explore beyond the hotel, the location at the southern end of the Strip means you needn’t go far to experience the colourful boulevard — hop on the Las Vegas Monorail to be zipped to its other attractions. Rooms from $59 (£47).
6. Wynn Las Vegas
Best for: luxury
Walking into the world of Wynn is a little like when Dorothy reaches Oz and everything turns technicolour. The grounds include a flower-filled atrium, a number of cocktail bars with creations by maestro mixologist Mariena Mercer Boarini and the Strip’s only golf course, a par-70 Championship-level dazzler. Every room has floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the city’s twinkling lights and sizes start from an enormous 640sq ft. Dine at Delilah, a Gatsby-esque supper club where you might spot celebrities chatting over Wagyu beef or watch an animatronic frog singing Sinatra. Rooms from $299 (£245).
Wynn Las Vegas is the ultimate luxury experience. The supper club, Delilah, is inspired by the earliest 1950’s showrooms of Las Vegas.
Photograph by Robert Miller
7. Circa Resort & Casino
Best for: sports-lovers
Opened in 2020, Circa is the first new resort in Downtown Las Vegas since 1980. It offers an adults-only experience where the pleasures of poker and gambling on sports are the raison d’etre. Stadium Swim, a six-pool complex with capacity for up to 4,000 people, is dominated by a 143ft-high screen that shows big games. There are plenty of non-sporty amenities, too, including an open-air lounge on the 60th floor with breathtaking views of the city. The two-storey-high neon sign of kicking cowgirl Vegas Vickie has even been restored recently and welcomes all. Rooms from $139 (£114).
8. El Cortez Hotel & Casino
Best for: old-school kitsch
Off famous Fremont Street, the birthplace of Las Vegas gambling, this 1941 time capsule is the only casino to make it onto Vegas’s list of historic places. Wandering here is like stepping through a portal to the past. Peruse photos of old mobsters, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack at the Parlour Bar or enjoy prime rib at Siegel’s 1941 restaurant. There’s no pool or flashy sights, and rooms are unsurprisingly old fashioned, b s quiet and well placed for exploring some of the liveliest budget casinos, dive bars and street scenes Vegas has to offer. Rooms from $39 (£30).
9. Four Seasons
Best for: romance
A serene sanctuary, this elegant hotel is on five upper floors of the gleaming Mandalay Bay Resort at the southern end of the Strip. Even the standard art deco rooms here have floor-to-ceiling views, many of the desert rather than city, and start at a huge 500sq ft. There’s no party at the oasis-like, guests-only pool, and you can get a massage or spa treatment al fresco or in your cabana. Enjoy one of Vegas’s best breakfasts at Mediterranean-inspired Veranda, which has celebrity regulars. Guests also have access to the bolder Mandalay Bay facilities if they crave more action. Rooms from $275 (£225).
Published in the Classic USA guide, distributed with the March 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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