Though some people would never dream of staying off the Strip, staying a few blocks to the east or west (along Paradise Road, which runs parallel to the Strip, or on Flamingo Road west of I-15) does have its advantages. Some of the coolest casinos -- Hard Rock, the Palms, and Rio -- are all off the Strip. Because these properties want to keep you on-site (so that you won't take your money elsewhere), they have great restaurants and nightlife, player-friendly rules and good payouts in the casinos, and lively atmospheres. Other properties, like the Westin Casuarina and Renaissance Las Vegas, provide calm, serene settings -- something you don't find a lot of on the Strip. The downside to staying off the Strip? Staying off the Strip. At some point you'll probably want to get yourself over there, which means you'll be taking cabs if you don't have a car. That said, this area is far less congested than the Strip -- for instance, if you need to get to Wynn Las Vegas, sometimes it can be more difficult, depending on traffic, to get there from Mandalay Bay than from the Palms.
