Octavius vs. Aria vs. Bellagio
Started by veenstra56 on Friday, 18th January 2013 12:58 pm
Just want to solicit some opinions regarding hotels. My wife and I are low rollers who spend the majority of our Vegas vacations at the pools and restaurants, with a bit of gambling sprinkled in.
We currently have 5 nights booked at Aria (where we've never stayed) but my wife is so-so about what we've seen from their pool. I am also interested in Caesars' Octavius and Augustus towers, based on the Octavius room review I read on this fine site. We've also stayed at Bellagio and love it.
I would like some candid opinions on Aria and Octavius/Augustus; how do they compare to Bellagio? Where would you stay?
Dorian responded on Friday, 18th January 2013
I stay at Octavious regularly, and I have also stayed at Aria and Bellagio many times. I would co to the Octavious tower at Caesars. Huge Roman tubs in each bathroom, great views and they are quiet and away from the casino. The pool area is the best of the three and the food choices are vast and run from high end to food court. You will love it.
coybotjr replied on Friday, 18th January 2013
Agreed, especially if the pool is one of your main goto's. The pool at Caesars is second only to Mandalay Bay. Good food, great shopping, and right in the heart of the Strip.
veenstra56 replied on Friday, 18th January 2013
Dorian, what is the difference between Octavius and Augustus, other than the age of the towers?
vespajet replied on Friday, 18th January 2013
Octavius is just a little bit more luxurious and refined than the Augustus Tower. Both towers are very nice and being away from the hustle and bustle of the casino makes them seem like a hotel within a hotel. I stayed in a room in the Augustus Tower a little over a year ago and was quite impressed. I really wanted to try out the Octavius Tower for my trip in May but the room rates at Caesars for that weekend are outrageous even at a TR rate(They want $1300 for five nights in the Forum Tower just to give you an idea of how jacked up the prices are the weekend of my trip.).
The Palace Tower is a nice alternative to the Augustus Tower as they share similar styles and the Palace Tower is geared more towards the convention market as it is located near their convention area.
Chuckmonster responded on Friday, 18th January 2013
Lots of good comparing of VT readers opinions can be found in the BattleRoyale. Here's ARIA vs Bellagio, Bellagio vs. Caesars, ARIA vs Caesars.
Which reminds me... if you're reading this, now would be a great time to update your MyVegas favorites.
parchedearth responded on Saturday, 19th January 2013
These are all good options. Remember that the pools are barely even open for the next couple months. I personally like the Aria rooms a little better than Augustus (which are the same as Octavius). All three have good restaurant options. I'd keep your current reservations.
vespajet replied on Saturday, 19th January 2013
The rooms in the Octavius Tower are not the same as the Augustus Tower.
donnymac66 responded on Saturday, 19th January 2013
I would pick Aria. Caesars is kinda meh to me, haven't stayed there but the casino doesn't really work for me, however I do like some of their restaurants. I really like Bellagio but give the edge in rooms to Aria.
HedgedBettor responded on Saturday, 19th January 2013
I can't speak to all of the elements you care about - but remember, when you stay at the Octavius tower you accept all the drawbacks of Caesars, particularly its awful casino/dining/shopping layout (the result of decades of additions rather than one comprehensive design like Aria).
One issue with the Aria pool area that I've had, on the other hand, is that it tends to get a fair amount of noise from the stupid pool club. (The golden rule of pool clubs is that they're great to be at and terrible to be around). The pool club bass is so strong it even affects the atmosphere in Aria's spa.
veenstra56 responded on Tuesday, 22nd January 2013
Thanks to everyone who posted. I just booked Octavius Luxury for $156/night. I am partial to MGM properties (having stayed at Bellagio, Mirage, MGM, and TI many times when it belonged to Wynn and then MGM), and have steadfastly refused to stay at Harrah's properties because of the generally horrid hotel reviews, but Caesars Palace has always intrigued me, and I guess I just want to like it, in spite of the Harrah's connection. The excellent Octavius review on this site sealed the deal - it looks magnificent - and if I don't like it at least I can say I gave it a shot.
Now I just need to figure out which is the better view - south strip view of the fountains or north strip view of the pools and, well, the north strip.