Where's the best place to stay when going to Vegas?

First timers i would say on the strip at the Flamingo, Mirage, MGM, Paris, Luxor, Planet Hollywood or Mandalay Bay, hotels are cheap right now so i'm sure you can find a good deal.. My first time i stayed at Treasure Island which is now TI! Pool is now so good but it was a fun hotel!

The Polo Towers is on the strip between the Hard Rock Hotel and the MGM. There is also the Jockey Club on the strip, but the Polo Towers was just redone. www.Polotowers.com You can save yourself a lot of money and rent directly from someone who owns a time share there instead of staying at a hotel. You can search at www.tug2.com, redweek.com and http://www.timeshareownerscommunity.com/ Timeshareowners will allow you to put an ad for free to let people know you are looking for a time share in that area. The owners will rent it to you for a lot less than a service.

The hotel rates are going down right now because of the downturn in the economy. You should have many choices in your price range if you are going from Sunday through Thursday. I would check out the Monte Carlo or Mirage or MGM or Mandalay Bay in your price range.

Below is a website to check out for discounts.

I recommend MGM or Mandalay because of their great pool scenes. Before you go I would check the current hotel promotions codes in order to save some money. A good source for this is http://www.vegas-hotels-online.com/ - it has the latest promo codes.

I don't think there is much to do besides the strip, however there are many activities to do outside of the strip. There can be recreational activities like hiking going to museums checking out the libraries, ya know..