Palazzo/Venetian vs Vdara

[Paltir]

Hello all. I find myself in a difficult position. I am mostly unable to decide which hotel I should be staying at this upcoming trip to Sin City the end of November. It is for my birthday, and as a few people in the group are unable/unwilling to pool resources to get a few bigger rooms/suites, we decided to book individually. We would all like to stay at the same hotel though, so for lack of letting this linger too long, it's up to me. I have run all the numbers and it appears that there is little to no financial difference between the Venetian and Vdara.

As I am not much of a gambler, the great rooms in Vdara, especially at the price (and a good range of prices) are amazing. I'm gonna try and sandwich myself from a city corner to a Panoramic suite if possible. The whole hotel seems to be very clean, bright, with tons of bars/clubs close by and a fairly central location.

The Venetian on the other hand has a much more classic Vegas feel. Everything is warm, expensive looking, and I love the arrangement of the rooms, especially with the sunken living room.

Since both are very close to the Bellagio, it's a good central point to stay it seems.

Before I flip a coin or decide another way, I thought I'd ask you guys, since this is the best place for advice I've found.

[Chuck]

Vdara is by the free TRAM between Bellagio and Monte Carlo which is a plus. If you don't mind not having a casino or being able to smoke on the property the Vdara is a good choice. I love the City Center area, so I'd go with Vdara in your case.

[bobu]

Vdara should be much cheaper than the Venetian. What dates are you going and what prices are you getting.

Also, Vdara is a 5 min walk directly to Bellagio, significantly closer than the Venetian.

I enjoyed the Vdara on my last stay, was quiet, had a nice cafe downstairs, and was short walk to Aria and Bellagio. Rooms were very nice and highly recommended.

[Sorry4Partying]

i've stayed at both and they aren't both that close to Bellagio. Vdara is connected to Bellagio with alike a 5 minute walk, Venetian is pretty much a cab ride to Bellagio. I have stayed at both and I would say that the perks of Vdara is that theres no casino meaning there no smoking so the place smells very nice. Venetian's rooms are significantly bigger and has a casino

[JCase]

Most of my trips consisted of us staying at the Venetian/Palazzo so I'm a little biased. Vdara doesn't have a casino and doesn't allow smoking so it's a lot cleaner of a place.

I'd prefer the Venetian but Vdara should be a good chunk of change cheaper, especially if you're not looking to get anything huge. Do you know where you were planning to party and so forth?

[Jhaulotte]

Even if you are not a gambler, a casino floor does have more of fun atmosphere. More people hanging out along with the bars and lounges connected to it. My vote is for Venetian

[gingerbread]

+1 to Jhaulotte's comment. I'd have trouble staying in a non-casino hotel (except for maybe Mandarin Oriental, I hear it's really nice) even if I wasn't playing at all. It's just part of the Vegas vibe.

[Paltir]

I'm gonna agree with Jhalette pretty much 100%. There is no substitute for atmosphere at the place you are staying, even it it's bigger, cleaner and 'nicer'. It's Vegas, so the hotel itself should be a party right?

I'd prefer the Venetian but Vdara should be a good chunk of change cheaper, especially if you're not looking to get anything huge. Do you know where you were planning to party and so forth?

On the Party side.... well that could actually mean a change in our choices for hotel at this point. There isn't a good consensus on WHAT people want to do. Shopping during the day for the women, easy, since theres bars and alcohol everywhere for the men to enjoy while the women shop. At night though, I'm really at a loss. I'm going on a Sunday and Monday night, which typically aren't big party nights.
I've only been to Vegas once, so my club knowledge is lacking. Got bottle service at LAVO, and then went to Ghostbar in the palms (where we were staying). I myself would like to get dressed up and attend a club, and I think everyone else will too.

[Chuck]

If you're going to be there Sunday and Monday then I'd suggest staying at Vdara since you'll be going to the Bank on Sunday and Marquee on Monday. I'd suggest at least looking at the "How to get Cosmo Cheap" thread to see if you can swing Cosmo though.