  Red Rock Station was chosen as the top hotel in Las Vegas. |
Off-Strip Hotels Dominate Top 10 List
Red Rock Tops List In First Year
Posted: 11:19 am EST December 19, 2006
The year is winding down, and that means it's time once again for the Vegas4Visitors Top 10 Awards, the 8th annual edition.Keep in mind that just because a hotel, show, restaurant or whatever places at No. 6 instead of No. 3 doesn't necessarily mean I think it's not as good, and certainly doesn't mean that you won't like it better.Now, it's true that I've been writing about Las Vegas for a decade now and that I've visited every single one of these places, often many times, and that gives me a perspective that many Vegas visitors don't have. Ultimately, it's still just my opinion. You don't have to agree with me, but until you get your own Vegas column, you're just going to have to put up with me pontificating.No. 1 -- Red Rock Station
If this hotel was located about 10 miles east of its location and cost about $100 less per night, it would be perfect. Truly perfect. With its deliriously luxurious rooms, amazing views of the city or Red Rock Canyon, a stunning casino, multiple choices of very fine to casual dining, terrific nightlife, a beautiful pool and spa, and world-class service, Red Rock is what most Vegas hotels want to be when they grow up.And it did all that in its first year of existence.Once you have all that, the location and cost issues barely register on the radar. This is the Best Hotel in Las Vegas.No. 2 -- Green Valley Ranch
This place just keeps getting better and better. A recent expansion has added even more shine to an already sparkling gem of a hotel. Like its sister, Red Rock, luxury is the key here. Also similarly, location and cost can be prohibitive for some Las Vegas visitors. But if you're going to spend more than $200 a night for a hotel room, don't you want one that pampers you, surrounding you at every turn with the type of amenities, service, and appointments that qualify as "resort" level?It's hard to do that in a hotel with 3,000 rooms -- as with the supposed resorts on the Strip -- but Green Valley Ranch proves the old maxim that bigger is not always better.No. 3 -- Bally's
What if they built a hotel with comfortably sized rooms, modern furnishings and conveniences, a large but not overwhelming casino, and plenty of good restaurants, and then plunked it down in the heart of all of the Las Vegas action and priced it at about half of what its neighbors are charging?They did, more than 30 years ago, and Bally's continues to be the best bargain on the Las Vegas Strip, providing upscale accommodations and service without the upscale prices.No. 4 -- The Mirage
It's hard to overstate the importance the Mirage had on the evolution of this city. Before it, the concepts of luxury accommodations, fine dining, premiere entertainment and simple matters of scale were virtually nowhere to be found. But the Mirage changed all that. While many hotels came along afterward and overshadowed it, they were still capitalizing on lessons learned and even created at this hotel. Now, the Mirage has undergone a dramatic multimillion dollar upgrade, turning what had become a B-level hotel -- strictly in comparison, mind you -- back into an A-level player. The Mirage has once again stepped into the limelight.No. 5 -- The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas
We're spending a lot of time off the Strip so far on this list, but one visit to this little slice of heaven and you'll understand why. The rooms are a sensorial feast -- the feel, the look, and even the scents are all top mark. But, really, the thing that sets the Ritz apart from other hotels in this city is the level of service you receive; it's almost as if every employee knows you personally and considers you to be the most important person on the planet. It's a great feeling, and one that makes a stay at the Ritz unlike any other.No. 6 -- The Golden Nugget
You may be shocked to see this hotel on this list, but if you are you haven't been there recently. The owners have just completed the bulk of the work on a top-to-bottom overhaul that turned what had become the epitome of "faded glory" back into the grande dame of the downtown. But putting that downtown qualifier on there is no longer necessary. With its beautiful new casino, showroom, restaurants and more, this hotel can now compete with the big boys on the Strip.No. 7 -- THEhotel
Still hate the name; still love the hotel. Every room is a true multiroom suite, and all of them come with the type of upscale amenities that will make you never want to leave. The fact that you can get in and out without ever stepping foot in a casino is a big bonus for some, and the fact that said casino is just a short walk down a hallway is an even bigger bonus for others. Expensive but worth it, THEhotel remains a top choice for luxury accommodations on the Strip.No. 8 -- Wynn Las Vegas
Wander around the public areas of this place and it's easy to wonder where the $2.8 billion spent to build it went. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful hotel, filled with lots of luxury details, but in the end it's not all that different from Bellagio or many of the other palaces on the Strip -- just the paint colors and fabrics are different. Then you go to your room and you say, "Ohhhhh, now I see it." These monster-size accommodations swaddle you in luxury, from the pillowy beds to the rock-star bathrooms. True, with rates like these -- usually the highest in town -- they better be good, but here's the good news: They are.No. 9 -- Caesars Palace
No, it's not just because the hotel is bringing in Bette Midler and Cher to replace Celine Dion in 2008. Instead, it's because it would have been easy during the massive, multi-billion-dollar renovations of the last few years to lose what made Caesars famous in the first place: Its sense of bacchanalian excess. It would have been even easier to tear it down and start over. Instead, the folks who run this place improved upon it, adding truly luxury accommodations, world-class dining and entertainment and more. Rome never looked this good.No. 10 -- Main Street Station
Just because the Golden Nugget has once again asserted its dominance in the downtown playground doesn't mean you should overlook this gem of a property. The rooms are simple but very comfortable, the casino is terrific, dining options are fantastic, and rates are bargain-basement. If you're looking for a truly affordable Las Vegas vacation without sacrificing so much that you no longer enjoy yourself, call Main Street Station.The Full Story
If this hotel was located about 10 miles east of its location and cost about $100 less per night, it would be perfect. Truly perfect. With its deliriously luxurious rooms, amazing views of the city or Red Rock Canyon, a stunning casino, multiple choices of very fine to casual dining, terrific nightlife, a beautiful pool and spa, and world-class service, Red Rock is what most Vegas hotels want to be when they grow up.And it did all that in its first year of existence.Once you have all that, the location and cost issues barely register on the radar. This is the Best Hotel in Las Vegas.No. 2 -- Green Valley Ranch
This place just keeps getting better and better. A recent expansion has added even more shine to an already sparkling gem of a hotel. Like its sister, Red Rock, luxury is the key here. Also similarly, location and cost can be prohibitive for some Las Vegas visitors. But if you're going to spend more than $200 a night for a hotel room, don't you want one that pampers you, surrounding you at every turn with the type of amenities, service, and appointments that qualify as "resort" level?It's hard to do that in a hotel with 3,000 rooms -- as with the supposed resorts on the Strip -- but Green Valley Ranch proves the old maxim that bigger is not always better.No. 3 -- Bally's
What if they built a hotel with comfortably sized rooms, modern furnishings and conveniences, a large but not overwhelming casino, and plenty of good restaurants, and then plunked it down in the heart of all of the Las Vegas action and priced it at about half of what its neighbors are charging?They did, more than 30 years ago, and Bally's continues to be the best bargain on the Las Vegas Strip, providing upscale accommodations and service without the upscale prices.No. 4 -- The Mirage
It's hard to overstate the importance the Mirage had on the evolution of this city. Before it, the concepts of luxury accommodations, fine dining, premiere entertainment and simple matters of scale were virtually nowhere to be found. But the Mirage changed all that. While many hotels came along afterward and overshadowed it, they were still capitalizing on lessons learned and even created at this hotel. Now, the Mirage has undergone a dramatic multimillion dollar upgrade, turning what had become a B-level hotel -- strictly in comparison, mind you -- back into an A-level player. The Mirage has once again stepped into the limelight.No. 5 -- The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas
We're spending a lot of time off the Strip so far on this list, but one visit to this little slice of heaven and you'll understand why. The rooms are a sensorial feast -- the feel, the look, and even the scents are all top mark. But, really, the thing that sets the Ritz apart from other hotels in this city is the level of service you receive; it's almost as if every employee knows you personally and considers you to be the most important person on the planet. It's a great feeling, and one that makes a stay at the Ritz unlike any other.No. 6 -- The Golden Nugget
You may be shocked to see this hotel on this list, but if you are you haven't been there recently. The owners have just completed the bulk of the work on a top-to-bottom overhaul that turned what had become the epitome of "faded glory" back into the grande dame of the downtown. But putting that downtown qualifier on there is no longer necessary. With its beautiful new casino, showroom, restaurants and more, this hotel can now compete with the big boys on the Strip.No. 7 -- THEhotel
Still hate the name; still love the hotel. Every room is a true multiroom suite, and all of them come with the type of upscale amenities that will make you never want to leave. The fact that you can get in and out without ever stepping foot in a casino is a big bonus for some, and the fact that said casino is just a short walk down a hallway is an even bigger bonus for others. Expensive but worth it, THEhotel remains a top choice for luxury accommodations on the Strip.No. 8 -- Wynn Las Vegas
Wander around the public areas of this place and it's easy to wonder where the $2.8 billion spent to build it went. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful hotel, filled with lots of luxury details, but in the end it's not all that different from Bellagio or many of the other palaces on the Strip -- just the paint colors and fabrics are different. Then you go to your room and you say, "Ohhhhh, now I see it." These monster-size accommodations swaddle you in luxury, from the pillowy beds to the rock-star bathrooms. True, with rates like these -- usually the highest in town -- they better be good, but here's the good news: They are.No. 9 -- Caesars Palace
No, it's not just because the hotel is bringing in Bette Midler and Cher to replace Celine Dion in 2008. Instead, it's because it would have been easy during the massive, multi-billion-dollar renovations of the last few years to lose what made Caesars famous in the first place: Its sense of bacchanalian excess. It would have been even easier to tear it down and start over. Instead, the folks who run this place improved upon it, adding truly luxury accommodations, world-class dining and entertainment and more. Rome never looked this good.No. 10 -- Main Street Station
Just because the Golden Nugget has once again asserted its dominance in the downtown playground doesn't mean you should overlook this gem of a property. The rooms are simple but very comfortable, the casino is terrific, dining options are fantastic, and rates are bargain-basement. If you're looking for a truly affordable Las Vegas vacation without sacrificing so much that you no longer enjoy yourself, call Main Street Station.The Full Story
- Off-Strip Hotels Dominate Top 10 List
- Rudner's Simple Comedy Show Beats All Others
- Asian-American Mix Featured At Top Restaurant
Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors
What's Wrong With This Photo?
Atlanta Pollen Count
Find Fourth Of July Celebrations Around Metro Atlanta
Take The Drama Out Of Home Buying
Illnesses Going Around Metro Atlanta
First Lady Hosts White House Jazz Workshop
Do You Know What Alcohol Dependence Is?
