What's Your Approach to Exploring Gay Las Vegas?

Choosing the right hotel in Las Vegas depends, as you might guess, on what you're looking for. Other than very occasionally dropping $10 or $20 in slot machines, I'm not much of a gambler. In fact, as often as I travel to Las Vegas, ostensibly to research the lodging and dining chapters of Fodor's Las Vegas, one of my annual guidebook gigs, I generally spend as little time as possible in the casino sections of the city's hotels. So this plays a big role in where I end up staying. I sometimes venture out to see what's happening at the city's gay bars. I always check out what's new with the dining scene (I always try to pay a visit to Border Grill at Mandalay Bay, which is co-operated by one of the nation's great lesbian chefs, Susan Feniger), both on and off the Strip. Sometimes I visit with friends. Every so often I stay somewhere far, far from the center of the action and enjoy a more relaxing Vegas vacation than many travelers ever may have thought possible.

Depending on when and why I'm going, my approach to visiting Las Vegas can vary considerably. And this may be the case for you, too. With that in mind, here's a primer on how to choose the best Vegas hotel according to the sort of experience you're seeking. Armed with this advice, you may or may not get lucky in Vegas, but at least should enjoy the time you actually spend inside your hotel room.