Our family of four, including two kids under 10, checked in for a week in late July. Here's what we loved, and what we didn't:\n\nRoom: Super nice. We got the 2-bedroom suite. Comes with two king beds, two bathrooms (master bath has a double shower. Everything was very clean, very modern, very new. Bed was REALLY comfortable, but the pillows sucked, so we bought new pillows from Brookstone which made all the difference. We were on the 5h floor--had a partial view of the strip and never even knew the planes were passing by unless we were outside.\n\nGrounds: None to speak of, which means you don't need to meander endlessly through gardens, casinos and a maze of restaurants and kiosks to get to your room. No landscaping at all, but really, there's so much on the strip, I appreciated not having to battle a bunch of looky-loos to get inside. Parking was plentiful and close by, and it was great to have the stores in the mall right beneath us. Breakfast from the bagel shop, lunch from Subway, dinner from Due' Pizzeria (which was very good and VERY reasonably priced). Having the ABC Store right there was great to keep the room stocked with drinks and snacks at low prices.\n\nPool: My kids loved the indoor pool because they didn't have to wear sunblock, and there was a water basketball hoop that my whole family had a great time playing with. There were times where I just wanted to sit and read, but most of the time, the area was too hot and stifling. The outside deck area was just pavement with some random umbrellas. They have a bar called \"Amelias\" by the pool, but it's only open on Friday and Saturday...maybe because nobody wants a cold beer on any other day of the week??\n \nStaff: They were fine. Had very little interaction with them, but they were helpful when needed. Upon checking in, we were given keys to our room. We opened the door only to find a girl sitting on a couch, reading a book. Not sure who was more shocked--the girl or us! We went right back to the desk; they gave us a different room, some chocolates and apologies. Enough said.\n\nTips: I wouldn't recommend relying on the shuttle to take you to the MGM Grand (although there is one). The guy who drove the shuttle took forever to get us the few blocks to MGM because he was prattling on about Vegas history, holding the mic with one hand and steering a 20-person shuttle with the other. When we tried to catch the shuttle back to the hotel, he drove right past the pick-up point; I ran screaming after him with my kids in tow before he stopped. If you can, drive to MGM and get the Monorail pass--we got the 3-day pass for $28/each. There are coupons available at different kiosks that will save you $7 per pass--find one before you purchase!\n\nAlso suggest the Buffet of Buffets for a great food fest. We did Paris, Harrah's and Rio. Rio was definitely the best one; Paris has ambiance but not much else. Harrah's was just blah, but Rio had an amazing assortment to choose from. They merge into dinner menu at 3:30, so you can get the freshest food right then. Get the Harrah's Rewards Club card first so you can save on each B o' B ticket ($10/each, I think). Note: It's a great deal for adults, not so great for kids. We paid the same amount for our 5-year-old, and she didn't come close to eating $40 worth of food.\n\nBasically, it's a great place to stay off-strip. Clean, quiet, modern and great for a family. We took the advice of other posters and didn't subject ourselves to the sales tour, and I'm glad we didn't. Time with my family was the reason I was here, NOT to spend 2.5 hours trying to fend off an aggressive salesperson.\n\nWord!
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