The Best Hotels for Kids in Las Vegas

Vacationers dreaming of Las Vegas often wonder if it is right for families. After all, "Sin City" does not get its name without warrant. How does one find activities for kids amid smoky casinos, liquor and pole dancers? Where are the best places to stay? Fortunately, there are four Vegas hotels that are perfect for families, offering nonstop activities for children as well as casino action for adults - all for great prices!

Stratosphere, on the North Strip, is popular for its space needle-like tower. It features thrilling amusement rides and roller coasters, most hanging over the tower, itself. The rooms at the Stratosphere are good. "Select" rooms offer bath robes and a dedicated housekeeping staff that provides a higher level of service. A pool on the eighth floor is big and family friendly. A smaller pool on the 25th floor is for adults only. Heed that advice, as it welcomes topless bathers.

The downside to Stratosphere? The far North Strip can seem isolated and unappealing. Mid-strip hotels like Caesars Palace are amid the bustle of people. Stratosphere feels like a long walk away. Yet, this can be an advantage for visitors who want a buffer between Vegas activity and family.

A $15 nightly resort fee gives four people unlimited tower admission and fitness center access. It also lowers the cost of an all-day ride pass to $25 (regular $39.95).

Mandalay Bay may not be cheap in the traditional sense, but remains an exceptional value for the dollar. The rooms, decor and service make average guests feel like millionaires. Rooms are enormous - from 550 to 725 square feet - with gargantuan bathrooms to match. Ask for a room that faces the strip, and you'll get one of the best views in all Las Vegas.

What makes Mandalay Bay a great option for kids and families? How about a beach? With 2,700 tons of sand, a 1.6 million gallon wave pool and cabanas for rent, a day in Vegas can double as a tropical beach vacation.

Restaurants at Mandalay Bay are staffed by professional chefs, including James Beard Award-winning chef Shawn McClain at Libertine Social and Lupo by Wolfgang Puck.

Mandalay Bay has a $28 nightly resort fee that doesn't include much beyond the usual amenities like WiFi and fitness center.

For kids who like "knight in shining armor" themes, Excalibur enchants. Located on the South Strip, the hotel is convenient to Luxor and Mandalay Bay. With promo codes found online, it can be one of the best values in Las Vegas. Rooms are small with few amenities - perfect for guests who don't often stay in big, expensive hotels and don't need luxury as much as a pillow and a bed.

The resort fee is $17 nightly and does not include WiFi. Be prepared to spend every dime on family-friendly arcades, shows and restaurants, including Dick's Last Resort with its surly, sarcastic waitstaff.

Circus Circus will forever be the top Las Vegas hotel for families and kids. The resort is affordable and packed with activities. The pink Circus Circus Adventuredome is an indoor amusement park complete with midway. Pizza restaurants abound. The pools are packed with children around the clock. Decor ranges from garish circus colors to muted wood tones, depending on the section of the building. This is not an ideal hotel for couples and honeymooners - but you can bet there's a wedding chapel - and with a tasteful English garden theme, to boot.

A $10 resort fee offers good value and includes WiFi, a ride at the amusement park and two midway games, drink specials and two fitness room passes among other things.

The adult-oriented Vegas of history is disappearing with each passing year. Millennials are trading memories of drunken weekends for new ones with young families, and Las Vegas entertainment complexes are growing up with their clientele. A perfect Vegas vacation begins with these four Vegas hotels that are good for families, which offer good value, low prices, or both.