text: This is a *family* review of the hotel.\n\nWe chose the Excalibur because it was cheap and it was a Castle---the easiest choice for any parent taking their 4-year-old princess to vegas.  (We chose this over Circus Circus because of the proximity to M&M World & Rainforest Cafe). \n\nI was leary of all the negative reviews, but we took the chance anyway.\nHere is our 2 cents:\n\n1.  The 2-room suite in Tower 1 was updated and very nice.  King bed was super comfortable; two bathrooms, extra large jacuzzi tub; two tv screens.  Very clean.\n\n2.  The double-queen room was NOT updated, but was VERY clean.  Bathroom was large, no tub, nice shower.  Nothing special, but for a $40 price tag on the strip, we had no complaints.  (There just wasn't anything \"pretty\" or \"special\" about the room.\n\n3.  The pools are located near Tower 2.  If you want a room near the pools, then expect to pay a higher price because Tower 2 is considered \"contemporary\" accommodation, meaning ,they've been upgraded & remodeled.   Convenience is key when you want the pools, otherwise you'll be walking a mile from Tower 1 thru the heart of the casino each time you come/go.\n\n4.  The Excalibur is NOT the hotel for the young & hip.  Most of the crowds we noticed are older adults, or families.   This was nice--we were not barraged with obnoxious drunkards or \"sex.\" as stated in other reviews.  \n\nYes, there are a lot of rednecks here, but this has a few positive benefits!\na.  Rednecks spend most of their time playing the slots, so they don't bother you.\nb.  obnoxious youngsters trying to get laid do not hang out where the rednecks stay\n\nI will say this:  our weekend stay was quite pleasant.  The kids & families around the pool were polite (i'm really not kidding) and friendly.  We never once felt that we needed to shield our daughter from anything.  \n\nBased on other reviews we thought this would be the skankiest hotel ever, but it was quite the opposite.  I think theme-hotels are outdated, but there was nothing wrong with this hotel at all, unless you want to compare it to all the swanky $400/night hotels down the strip.\n\nBONUS:  convenient walkway to the Luxor--which is a huge hit for youngsters.  Also, a tram connects Excalibur, Luxor & Mandalay.\n\nM&M World is 0.5miles away from the front entrance of Excalibur.