# Asking for opinions- Las Vegas



## squeeze (Mar 4, 2012)

Looking to make a reservation in Vegas.

Can anyone from that area or those who have been to the resorts in that area comment on the following?

Polo Towers vs. Polo Villas & one of these 2 vs. Desert Paradise Resort

I really like the the Tahiti Village or Club de Soleil, however, what I needed was not available for the dates I was needing. So I am considering changes my dates, If someone could comment on these Resorts.

I have read the stickies up top and I have read the reviews. Just seeking a little more input. (really hoping to find a great 'affordable' spa and catch a couple of shows)


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## momeason (Mar 4, 2012)

I stayed at the Monarch Cancun Resort which is near Tahiti Village. It has a great pool and the units were nice if you don't mind being several miles off strip. We decided we want to stay on the strip so we are going to the Marriott Grand Chateau this year on April 7. Some of the rooms at the Polo towers have a view of the Bellagio Fountains, but others have a view of a wall. I have not stayed there.


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## timeos2 (Mar 4, 2012)

Polo Towers is extremely non-descript and not particularly inviting from the exterior. But the units are actually quite nice & its an excellent strip location. Of the two you list that is an easy choice. Polo Towers by far.


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## squeeze (Mar 4, 2012)

timeos2 said:


> Polo Towers is extremely non-descript and not particularly inviting from the exterior. But the units are actually quite nice & its an excellent strip location. Of the two you list that is an easy choice. Polo Towers by far.



so, is that the tower suites or the villas?

do you like them better than Tahiti Village?

I was thinking Club DeSoleil probably had live shows (I thought it listed that, but maybe not).


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## heathpack (Mar 4, 2012)

Squeeze, it there a reason you are not considering Marriotts Grand Chateau and Planet Hollywood/Elara?

I think they are both decently easy trades.  I like PH better, but they are both very good.

We did send a friend to Tahiti Village on a Getaway, she said it was great.  I can get more details from her if you'd like.

H


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## squeeze (Mar 4, 2012)

heathpack said:


> Squeeze, it there a reason you are not considering Marriotts Grand Chateau and Planet Hollywood/Elara?
> 
> I think they are both decently easy trades.  I like PH better, but they are both very good.
> 
> ...



That would be great if you could get some info. from her.  (or someone whose actually been there).

Also, can you post some comment here on PH and Grand Chateau for others who may search this same topic in the future?


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## dougp26364 (Mar 5, 2012)

Differences between the Suite's and Villa's at Polo Towers.

The Suites are towers 1 & 2. Tower one has the majority of it's rooms facing west (towards the strip) and some facing east. Tower two faces north and south. Anything 5th floor and lower on tower 1 facing west has a nice view of the concrete wall of the building in front of it. The north side of tower 2 is the side where the trash trucks pick up the garbage VERY EARLY in the morning. At least they use to stop by and make a lot of noise around 05:00 AM every day. There use to also be a large generator for the Travel Lodge just north of Polo Towers that made it noisy for the north facing rooms of tower 2. It's been over 5 years since I've been there so things could have changed.

The Villa's are the newest units and are in tower 3. The majority of tower 3's units face east while some face west towards the strip. They have a nicer bathroom with dual vanities and a deep soaking tub. The amenities in the Villa's is a little more luxurious if you will. 

The Suite's have been completely renovated in the last couple of years and have a contemporary, if not somewhat plain look to them. The sofa in the living room is a sofa sleeper. In the Villa's, the sofa is C shaped and there is no sofa sleeper. Instead there is a more comfortable Murphy Bed. that pulls down from the wall. 

Between the two, the Suite's offers better views, unless you have one of the east facing rooms. The Villa's are probably offer a little more luxury. We personally prefer the Villa's but, we don't really need the view of the strip. With the Suite's, I really prefer a south facing room in tower 2. They've almost always seemed quiter (except when there was an outdoor dance club many years ago) and I enjoy the view of MGM Grand and the airport. I have not stayed in tower 1 since City Center was completed so the view is probably better from tower 1 now. 

Neither the Suite's or the Villa's have washer/dryers in the units. Pay washer/dryers use to be on about every 3rd floor assuming my memory is reasonably intact. I've always found this to be the most inconvenient thing about Polo Towers.


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## squeeze (Mar 5, 2012)

dougp26364 said:


> Differences between the Suite's and Villa's at Polo Towers.
> 
> The Suites are towers 1 & 2. Tower one has the majority of it's rooms facing west (towards the strip) and some facing east. Tower two faces north and south. Anything 5th floor and lower on tower 1 facing west has a nice view of the concrete wall of the building in front of it. The north side of tower 2 is the side where the trash trucks pick up the garbage VERY EARLY in the morning. At least they use to stop by and make a lot of noise around 05:00 AM every day. There use to also be a large generator for the Travel Lodge just north of Polo Towers that made it noisy for the north facing rooms of tower 2. It's been over 5 years since I've been there so things could have changed.
> 
> ...





Wow! That's an amazing recap. Thanks. 

Now, if I can get someone to comment on the Club DeSoleil I think I will be nearly set to make a decision. 

I am really curious if the DeSoleil has live shows (it mentions it does), and what an opinion might be about this resort.


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## Soccer Canada (Mar 5, 2012)

Just a quick note on Tahiti Village from an RCI Exchange viewpoint.. 
Staff was not very helpful or accommodating to us (had problems with the Internet, a closet door wasnt closing right, a few other minor things that they basically said it is what it is and nothing they could do).. 
The tower we stayed in we got a room at the VERY end of the hallway, there seems to be 2 short hallways of units and one VERY LONG hallway, probably a 4 or 5 minute walk especially if you have groceries or shopping etc, and only 1 elevator that takes you to a main corridor on each floor. We would have used the stairs, however you could only go DOWN and out the stairs, it was a one way door with no lock or handle on the Outside side..
Parking was very hit or miss and with the Denny's taking up much of the Premium parking especially (they have a parkade, but with where we were, if you had to park in the parkade, walk all the way down the LONG hall on the first floor (because you couldnt get into the stairwell from outside), take the elevator up, and then walk all the way down the LONG hall back to your room..
As far as the rooms were concerned, they were small but very adequate, very clean and well kept. Comfortable beds, decent sized bathrooms.. Flat Screen TV's in the small living area, and the bedroom were also nice plus's.. 
Location to the strip and shopping was nice (the outlet malls right across the street to the south, Las Vegas Blvd right in front of you to the west, maybe 5-8 minutes drive to the major area of the strip)

We have stayed at Wyndham Grand Desert which is about 3 blocks east of PH on Harmon.. Very nice accommodations, nice staff, nice pool, parking is the pits.. You can walk to PH in 10 minutes and your right in the heart of the action..
We have also stayed at Grandview, easy parking, nice middle sized units, lock offs (which is nice if 2 families are vacationing together).. South Point right across the street to the north (good food, decent gambling, not a very Vegas' feel to it compared to the major strip Casinos).. But its downside is its a 15 minute drive to the strip Casinos at best..
Robb


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## momeason (Mar 5, 2012)

*On strip or off strip*

IMHO, you first need to decide if you want to be on the strip or several miles away. Traffic can be a nightmare and that few miles can take 20-30 minutes at times plus you have to park and walk to your destination. We did enjoy the peacefulness of Monarch Cancun and the pool was great, but the driving was a problem. We were there in Sept,2011.

Marriott, Polo Towers, Jockey Club and Elara/Planet Hollywood are all where you can walk to most attractions. Wyndham has a resort w/in walking distance also I believe. 

To me, staying where Tahiti Village and Monarch are is a totally different experience than staying on/near strip. There is lots of free or almost free entertainment available on the strip. We tried a couple of $5 shows and some big name shows. You get what you pay for. The $5 shows wasted time I could have been seeing something worthwhile...ie  Do not waste your time on Nathan Burton. I do not know what entertainment is at Club Soleil but my guess is that it is not great. There are some good shows which are reasonable, but free or almost free are not usually great! Check out threads about Las Vegas. We do love the free Bellagio Fountains and they have many different shows to different music. If you are on the strip you can see that beautiful site multiple times.


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## Karen G (Mar 5, 2012)

momeason said:


> I do not know what entertainment is at Club Soleil but my guess is that it is not great.


I don't recall hearing about any shows there, and I certainly wouldn't choose to stay there just because of a show on site. There are so many shows to choose from all over town and better locations for timeshares, in my opinion.  Don't stress about trying to "see it all." We've lived here for five years and we haven't done everything there is to do yet. But, it's sure a lot of fun to try!


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## squeeze (Mar 5, 2012)

Karen G said:


> I don't recall hearing about any shows there, and I certainly wouldn't choose to stay there just because of a show on site. There are so many shows to choose from all over town and better locations for timeshares, in my opinion.  Don't stress about trying to "see it all." We've lived here for five years and we haven't done everything there is to do yet. But, it's sure a lot of fun to try!



So, it sounds like you have visited many of the TS there. Can you comment on which ones might be the more 'plush' (if that's a good word for it) with a great spa? Not really looking to neccessarily avoid children, but maybe something more adult oriented and peaceful rather than a lot of small young children running under your feet.  (I love children, but just trying to plan a more relaxing quieter getaway for this particular trip.)

I know casino's are exactly quiet, but it is def. more an adult atmosphere, then I was figuring heading back to a TS instead of a hotel would be much quieter. (excitement when wanted and quiet when needed).


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## Karen G (Mar 5, 2012)

squeeze said:


> So, it sounds like you have visited many of the TS there. Can you comment on which ones might be the more 'plush' (if that's a good word for it) with a great spa?.


The only II timeshare I've gotten to stay is in the Marriott Grand Chateau and it was great. Loved the unit and the location. The RCI ones I've stayed in are Grandview, Desert Rose, all three HGVC, Wyndham Grand Desert, & Cliffs at Peace Canyon.  I enjoyed my stays in all of them and can recommend any one of them for a comfortable stay. I've visited a friend who was staying at the Worldmark on LV Blvd. and the unit I saw there was really nice. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend that one either.  

As for which is more "plush," it's hard to say. I thought they all were pretty similar with maybe an edge toward the Grand Chateau. I don't believe any of them have a spa. There are spas at all the big hotels, but I don't have any personal experience with any of them to be able to give a recommendation.

I think it boils down to what your plans are as far as getting a rental car. With a car, any of them will be fine. Cliffs at Peace Canyon would be the furthest from the Strip of the ones where I've stayed, and I wouldn't recommend it for a first visit because of the driving distance. Without a car, the Grand Chateau or HGVC Flamingo would be the best location.  At the Desert Rose, you'd be in good walking distance of the MGM Grand, NYNY, Excalibur, Luxor, & Mandalay Bay if you like to walk.


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## SunSand (Mar 6, 2012)

In the last couple of years, I've stayed at both the Polo Tower Suites and Tahiti Village.  The difference is, that Polo Tower Suites is more of a high rise hotel experience, and Tahiti Village is more of a "resort" experience.  Polo Suites were kind of dull for Las Vegas.  Close to all the action, nice rooms, but a lacked something.  More like Harrah's than Wynn.  On the other hand, Tahiti is more of a relaxed vacation spot.  Lazy river, resort pool, etc.  Further away from the action, but they have a shuttle.  Just depends on your mood.


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## dougp26364 (Mar 7, 2012)

SunSand said:


> In the last couple of years, I've stayed at both the Polo Tower Suites and Tahiti Village.  The difference is, that Polo Tower Suites is more of a high rise hotel experience, and Tahiti Village is more of a "resort" experience.  Polo Suites were kind of dull for Las Vegas.  Close to all the action, *nice rooms, but a lacked something*.  More like Harrah's than Wynn.  On the other hand, Tahiti is more of a relaxed vacation spot.  Lazy river, resort pool, etc.  Further away from the action, but they have a shuttle.  Just depends on your mood.



Part of the reason PT's "lacks something" is likely due to the refurbishment. When originally built, the units were "trendy" at the time. Unfortunately, trends changed and people started refering to them as "dated" in appearance. The refurbishment was paid for with an expensive (>$1,000 per 2 bedroom unit) special assessment. I believe the thinking at the time may have been to use a more generic design that wouldn't become dated so quickly, thus keeping MF expenses down for owners. 

The Villa's are more plush and have more of an Italian flair yet, they remain contemporary enough so as not to get that "dated appearance" label so quickly. I prefer the comfort and design of the Villa's because it's a little more plush than the Suite's, although I will admit I've only seen pictures of the Suites and can't say I've ever set foot in one since the refurbishment.

I would agree that Tahiti Village is more of what most think of when they're thinking timeshare resort. The resort is on a larger footprint and has more amenities than probably any of the resorts that are actually on or very near the strip. I would imagine TV also has larger units than anything on the strip. With Polo Towers, the land was expensive and they maximized the number of units and minimized the size of the units and resort amenities. For instance, a 2 bedroom unit at Polo Towers, either Villa's or Suite's, will only be around 900 Sq. Ft. Most timeshare units we've spent the week in have been at least 1,200 sq. ft.


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## tashamen (Mar 8, 2012)

TimeshareGuys said:


> For families, Tahiti Village has an amazing pool with a beach entry area. Palm trees surround the pool. It's got a very Hawaiian type feel to it. It is a much bigger footprint than Grand Desert. It's only about a mile south of Mandalay Bay, but it's across the freeway so don't expect to walk. The rooms are very nice size. The bigger 1 bedroom units have a steam shower. No spa on site. Closest spa would be at Mandalay Bay.



There is a spa onsite at Tahiti Village - Mahana Spa.  I'm planning on using their services when we go there in May, and it was one of the reasons we chose that resort over some others.


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## momeason (Mar 8, 2012)

dougp26364 said:


> Part of the reason PT's "lacks something" is likely due to the refurbishment. When originally built, the units were "trendy" at the time. Unfortunately, trends changed and people started refering to them as "dated" in appearance. The refurbishment was paid for with an expensive (>$1,000 per 2 bedroom unit) special assessment. I believe the thinking at the time may have been to use a more generic design that wouldn't become dated so quickly, thus keeping MF expenses down for owners.
> 
> The Villa's are more plush and have more of an Italian flair yet, they remain contemporary enough so as not to get that "dated appearance" label so quickly. I prefer the comfort and design of the Villa's because it's a little more plush than the Suite's, although I will admit I've only seen pictures of the Suites and can't say I've ever set foot in one since the refurbishment.
> 
> I would agree that Tahiti Village is more of what most think of when they're thinking timeshare resort. The resort is on a larger footprint and has more amenities than probably any of the resorts that are actually on or very near the strip. I would imagine TV also has larger units than anything on the strip. With Polo Towers, the land was expensive and they maximized the number of units and minimized the size of the units and resort amenities. For instance, a 2 bedroom unit at Polo Towers, either Villa's or Suite's, will only be around 900 Sq. Ft. Most timeshare units we've spent the week in have been at least 1,200 sq. ft.



Someone I know stayed at Tahiti Village and said the units were small and a little dated. May depend on the building. Earlier I commented that Polo Towers had a view of the Bellagio Fountains. It is one side of the Jockey Club that has the view. Jockey Club is small and non-descript between high towers across a side street from the side of the Bellagio.


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## squeeze (Mar 8, 2012)

when looking at the resorts there is a Tahiti and a Tahiti Village. What's the difference between the two?  I am supposing one is newer than the other, but I think they are the same resort, correct?


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## tashamen (Mar 8, 2012)

squeeze said:


> when looking at the resorts there is a Tahiti and a Tahiti Village. What's the difference between the two?  I am supposing one is newer than the other, but I think they are the same resort, correct?



No, they are under the same management, but are totally different resorts miles apart.  Tahiti Village is a few miles south of the Strip, and Tahiti is a few miles west of the Strip.


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## squeeze (Mar 8, 2012)

tashamen said:


> No, they are under the same management, but are totally different resorts miles apart.  Tahiti Village is a few miles south of the Strip, and Tahiti is a few miles west of the Strip.



which one is newer, nicer, better amenities, better location?


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## SunSand (Mar 8, 2012)

Tahiti Village is close to the Outlet Mall on far South Strip.  The "Village" has the lazzy river, resort pool and resort facilities.  I've stayed in a 1-bedroom and a 2-bedroom in Tahiti Village, both condos were new, and well decorated.  "The Tahiti" is a completely different timeshare, can't speak to that one.


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## LAX Mom (Mar 9, 2012)

I've stayed at the Grand Chateau several times, but none of the others. I loved the Grand Chateau!! The location is great for exploring the strip and the units are very nice. The roof top pool is a joke and there is no spa. 

However, if you are wanting "plush" and a great spa maybe you should consider a hotel. You can find some great deals on Vegas hotels. Priceline is also a good option.


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## dougp26364 (Mar 9, 2012)

LAX Mom said:


> I've stayed at the Grand Chateau several times, but none of the others. I loved the Grand Chateau!! The location is great for exploring the strip and the units are very nice. The roof top pool is a joke and there is no spa.
> 
> However, if you are wanting "plush" and a great spa maybe you should consider a hotel. You can find some great deals on Vegas hotels. Priceline is also a good option.



Grand Chateau is great........so long as you don't require a pool. The pool at Grand Chateau is barely a cement pond. It's not a lot bigger than the hot tub and the hot tub only hold 10 or so guests at a time. The roof top bar is great but, they're a little high (no pun intended) on their drink prices.


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## Margariet (Mar 9, 2012)

If we prefer to stay on the Strip we choose the HGVC Flamingo. When we don't want to stay on the Strip, when we want to stay longer, we choose the Grandview. The apartments in the Grandview are bigger and more modern than the Flamingo. The location is great, next door to SouthPoint. RCI has often promotions or last calls for Grandview. Last year we stayed there for less than the exchange fee. Very cheap and terrific value.


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## dougp26364 (Mar 9, 2012)

Margariet said:


> If we prefer to stay on the Strip we choose the HGVC Flamingo. When we don't want to stay on the Strip, when we want to stay longer, we choose the Grandview. The apartments in the Grandview are bigger and more modern than the Flamingo. The location is great, next door to SouthPoint. RCI has often promotions or last calls for Grandview. Last year we stayed there for less than the exchange fee. Very cheap and terrific value.



Judging from the OP's selection of resorts, I think we're limited to I.I. resorts, although Grandview also exchanges through I.I. Or am I getting Desert Paradise mixed up between the DRI resort and Wyndhm resort?


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## Galtha58 (Oct 28, 2012)

Just got back from a week at the Desert Paradise Inn near The Strip but not on it.  Was very nice. Rooms was clean and they supply a mid-week maid service for no additional charge. 2 pools plus a kiddie water play area. Workout room and nice office area that includes several rooms to play pool, relax or watch a large TV. Free coffee in the mornings in the office area. Our unit included all the usual silverware, dishes and appliances. The office staff was VERY nice, polite and accommodating. Overall a GREAT experience and would visit this place again in a heartbeat. You would need to drive to The Strip or take a car, taxi or a bus to get their easily though. But, the fact this resort is not on The Strip is nice as you can get away form the action and the masses of people when you want to. Several grocery stores close by as well as a drug store. 
Heard some horror stories about the area this resort is in being in a higher crime area. However, the crime statistics and personal experience does not bear this out. Just the same, I would not wander about, outside the gates after dark or even in the daytime, just in case. But really no need as most everything you need is right there or a short drive away. Give them a try. I bet you will be pleasantly surprised.


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