Family Hotel?

We are looking to go to Vegas next year for my husbands 40th and are looking for a suitable hotel (not Circus Circus) in which to stay with our son (he will be nearly 10) - we previously stayed at MGM many years ago but am not sure what child friendly facilities the other hotels offer as didn%26#39;t bother checking these out on honeymoon!!!

Any advice would be much appreciated, also what kind of weather can we expect in October and are there any US holidays to avoid?

Family Hotel?

Orleans has a movie theater, bowling alley and I think an arcade. It also has many food options. It is off strip but they do have a free shuttle. It is very child friendly. South Point is also supposed to be child friendly-although I have never been there.

Weather- it can vary a great deal in October. The average high- mid 70s to high 80s- depending on when in October you will be going. The highs can range from the 50s to 103! You will just have to check a weather site to find out what the weather will be like during your stay.

www.wrh.noaa.gov/vef/climate/page12.php

Holidays- Halloween and Columbus Day. Columbus Day is a three day week-end for many people. I wouldn%26#39;t worry so much about holidays. October is a convention month and that may have an affect on hotel prices. I am not sure you can check a convention schedule for next year.

Family Hotel?

Here%26#39;s a link to the latest convention schedule.

lvcva.com/meetings/convention-calendar.jsp

On strip, I would also suggest Mandalay Bay because of the pool area (wave pool, lazy river).

With the exception of Wynn, which is rather child un-friendly, any property will likely provide enough diversion for a well supervised 9-10 year old.

The problem comes with the parents that are looking for a property that will ';babysit'; their tike with distractions and activities, while mommy and daddy get wasted and play video poker. If that%26#39;s your plan, then you%26#39;re going to have trouble anywhere. But if you are looking to have a good time with your kid, together, then you have a lot of good options.

I was just scanning the convention schedule for June, when I will be there.

Am I the only one who thinks it%26#39;s REALLY FUNNY, the ';AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ADDICTIONOLOGY %26amp; COMPULSIVE DISORDERS'; has a meeting at IP in Vegas?????

Many years ago I saw a convention or meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous at the Riviera! I could only assume (or hope) that the convention/meeting was for people who treat alcoholism- not the alcoholics themselves!

Go to ;

MGM Signature

MGM .

Mandalay Bay.

MonteCarlo.

Luxor.

Excalibur.

in that order of preference.

Oct weather should be 25 deg. high, or more.

Sept or early October best if you like pools, 25 deg. will feel chilly poolside in the desert

Many thanks for all the suggestions - the Mandalay Bay looks lovely I think the pools will appeal to our son and the sharks!

Excuse my ignorance but what effect does %26#39;conference season%26#39; have on hotel choice and room availability and prices?

We are hoping to come for at least five days or so but my husbands birthday falls on a Sunday so would want to spend the whole weekend there at least - will this be a problem?

Not sure about American school holidays but our son gets one week off - usually the third week in October - is this the same in America or will it be quiet on the kiddy front? (this is just out of interest as he will be glued to our sides, our idea of a family holiday is to spend time together and experiencing each others joy not the slots!)

Large conferences can cause a jump in prices, weekends tend to be more expensive than a weekday. Like most places, it is all about supply and demand. Being flexible helps the most but if you want a specific weekend book it early.

In most cities hotel prices don%26#39;t vary a lot if at all other than maybe from high season to low season. However, Las Vegas is different, the room prices can change daily or hourly. The rates are based on supply and demand. If you want to be there when there%26#39;s a huge convention going on or over a holiday weekend, then prices are going to be much higher than they would be otherwise. Fri-Sat night stays can be 3-4x as expensive as Sun through Thurs night stays.

MB or MGM would both be good choices of places to stay for your family. Whatever you decide on, you will have a good time. There%26#39;s a %26#39;sticky%26#39; thread at the top of the 1st page of this forum for families, lists all sorts of things to see and do.

Unless the American students are on a year round program (and few are), there are no holidays at that time for American students. The only holiday I know of is Columbus Day and that is October 13 this year.

Also, you may find that the weather is a bit cool for swimming if you are looking for that as something for your son to do.

lipgloss