The Egyptian experience in Las Vegas. (Luxor Hotel)

Member Name: FairyG

Product:	Luxor Hotel
Date:	14/10/08 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A beautiful pyramid shaped hotel, with a good range of dining and entertainment.

Disadvantages: A long flight, and that's about it really!

If you're planning a trip to Las Vegas it can be confusing trying to decide which resort hotel to go as the choice is so fantastic. For a start, these are not like the hotels you might find in Spain or Greece, with a couple of restaurants, a bar, and maybe a spa and outdoor pool. These really are resorts! Many of them have a massive shopping mall, a range of restaurants to suit every wallet, a spa, pool, theatre, imax and so on.

We stayed in the Luxor Hotel a couple of years ago and can honestly say it was a fantastic experience and we'd go there again. The Luxor is probably the first hotel you'll see when your plane lands, as it's at the end of the strip near the airport. I don't remember any problems with airport noise though, so don't let that put you off.

On check- in we were given a choice of staying in a tall black glass tower, or a fantastic black pyramid with a sphinx at the entrance. I'd already read up about the options online and decided to go for the tower. The reason for this is that the lifts go diagonally in the pyramid and can apparently take a while to get you to your room. Also the pyramid rooms overlook the nightclub and casino areas in the centre of the pyramid, so we were worried about being disturbed by noise at night. Anyway, we had no regrets about the tower. The lifts were quick, and the room was pleasant and spacious with a lovely Egyptian theme. It was also fairly quiet at night.

There's a wide range of restaurants in the Luxor, so if you want fine dining, you can have that. But to be honest we were very happy with the buffet restaurant, which is also Egyptian themed, and although fairly casual, is worth getting your nice clothes out for (some of the buffets in Vegas are a bit canteenish in atmosphere). I can't remember the exact price for a meal, but for around £7 you could eat as much as you like. The only rule in these places, is don't pile your plate up then waste food, as they don't like it. But don't worry, you can go back for a fresh plate of food as often as you like! The tacos in there were great. Another good thing is they serve diabetic cakes and pies in all these American buffet restaurants, a great bonus if you're travelling with a diabetic, like me! On the downside, the non-diabetic cakes were a bit tasteless and never as good as they looked. Apple pies, pecan pies and key lime pies are something they do better in America so I tend to go for those if I can.

Another place that's worth eating is the food court, where you can get a really cheap breakfast of toast, fruit, muffins, pancakes, bagels, coffee, juice tea etc. They also have things like pizza if you want a snack in the evening. Every time they served us they gave us complimentary vouchers which would be enough to buy toast the next morning. Las Vegas hotels often give out freebies like that. Bear in mind that you don't get half board in American hotels, so you're buying all your meals and refreshments, and it can get very expensive! We've found from experience it's not worth buying a big buffet breakfast, as your money just vanishes. On the other hand, Las Vegas is one of the cheapest places to eat out as everything is subsidised by gambling taxes.

For entertainment, the Luxor has numerous Egyptian themed shops, an Egyptian museum, an Imax cinema, a disco, a nightclub, and of course a huge casino. There's also a spa, and two outdoor pools with palm trees and a drinks bar where you can get great iced cappuccinos. Brilliant on a hot day! Towels are provided at the pool for hotel guests.

An advantage of the Luxor is it's just across the road from Mandalay Bay on one side and Excalibur on the other. They all offer very different kinds of entertainment and dining experience. The three hotels are connected by passageways with moving walkways, so if the weather's poor or you are heading back late at night, you don't even have to set foot outside. There was one really blustery wet day we found this really useful!

Overall, we had no complaints about the Luxor. It's clean, beautiful inside and out, and it's a truly unusual experience. And if you get lost on the strip, you can spot the huge beam from the top of the pyramid whereever you are!

Even if you don't stay at the Luxor it's worth a visit to see the fantastic public areas with it's fountains and huge Egyptian statues.

Summary: Great for couples who want a nightlife. Not the best hotel for families with young children.