Are you sure you weren't drunk the previous night and reverted back to your breaking and entering ways, passed out and there you were?
Oh, I am all over this. I go to Vegas two or three times a year and just got back from a 10-day trip last week. Whether the fight happens at the MGM, Mandalay or Thomas & Mack Center, your best bet from a walking standpoint is the ExCal. It's an MGM property, as are both Mandalay and (obviously) the MGM Grand. Access is super easy from one to the next, and you're easily walkable to the clubs at those places as well as the bars at New York, New York, which seems to attract an international clientele the times I've been there. The ExCal gets ragged on because of an inordinately high number of children, but I find this to be overstated. Yes, they dominate the pool, but it's December and even in Vegas is not great pool weather. They are legally not allowed on the casino floor. The IP has a weird, funky charm to it, and I prefer its vibe to the ExCal, but for a fight, it's farther north and is a solid 20-25 minute walk each way to the MGM. It is closer to the Wynn, Bellagio, Caesar's Palace and the Venetian, which are huffity uppity places, but your location toward the south also is fine. If you do go to the Excal, DO NOT eat the buffet. It's horrendous. Also, check out [url]www.cheapovegas.com[/url] for insider info. Tripadvisor posters are pretty clueless when it comes to Vegas. Feel free to ask any more questions!
I've stayed at what are probably the two trashiest hotels on the strip- Imperial, and The New Frontier (which actually was closed down recently). I mean, yeah, there are dozens of places that are much, much nicer. But I kind of started to enjoy being there after I got used to it. People are right when they say that it's kind of unnecessary to spend a lot of cash on a hotel, because if you are there for a weekend, you won't be in your room all that much. And I also wouldn't let location dictate where you stay because cab rides from one end of the strip to the other don't cost that much. At the Frontier, my buds and I sat there for hours watching games on the big screen and drinking glass after glass of Hennessey, watching desperately as our parlay bets went down in flames. Damn that was a good time.
The Imperial Palace is a dump but the location can't be beaten. IMO you should try staying at Cesears Palace a true Las Vegas classic. But if you're on a budget try Harrahs, Flamingo or Monte Carlo all of these are in the middle of the strip.
Try the signature at mgm grand. It's a bit off from the strip but they have those tunnel/horizontal escalator thingies you could use. I had a great time over there.
Imperial Palace is so-so. Staying at a nice hotel is secondary to me, anyway. If you're looking for a good buffet, Bellagio is the best one I've been to.
