A Family Favorite in Las Vegas – Excalibur Hotel

Las Vegas Excalibur Hotel appeals to families with kids due to its medieval theme. Read here about our stay at this famous castle.

We often stop at Las Vegas on our road trips from California to Utah or Arizona. We have tested quite a few hotels in town and one of them is Excalibur Hotel & Casino.

Since so many ask me about what was it like, I though I would write a review of the hotel based on our experiences.

Excalibur is one of the theme hotels on the Strip, the main road in downtown Las Vegas. It has traditionally been popular especially among the families traveling with kids.

It is built in medieval theme and looks like a fun, colourful castle. And I can tell you, it was very easy to find it in the evening because the castle towers were lit and looked amazing. Excalibur also attracts families with its entertainment.

Exscalibur is located at the southern part of the Strip, so for people arriving from California it will be one of the first big resorts after Mandalay Bay and Luxor.

EXCALIBUR HOTEL & CASINO

Excalibur Hotel and Casino first opened its doors in 1990. At that time it was the largest hotel in the world with its 4000 rooms. Since that it has lost its spot on the list but the resort is still big enough to make you get lost while trying to find your way out.

Even though the hotel has gone through multiple renovations in some parts it felt outdated and very dark. It is definitely not one of our favourites in Las Vegas but it also wasn’t as bad as people have made it sound in social media.

One of the biggest downsides in my opion is the location. If you like walking around the Strip and checking out what different hotels and casinos has to offer, it’s quite a walk to the most funnest ones. In location wise I prefer staying at the middle of the Strip.

There is one advantage of being at this end of the Strip though. It is very close to The Fabulous Las Vegas sign and we were able to walk over to it while there were no lines.

When you arrive to the hotel you can leave your car either to valet parking or to self parking. Self parking price is $18 and valet is $35 a day (2022). If you are a resident of Nevada and you have Nevada licence plates, you will get 3 hours for free.

EXCALIBUR HOTEL LAS VEGAS ROOMS

Since we travel with two kids, we always choose a twin queen or twin king room. These rooms are most practical for us and usually available in most hotels. We do have a travel bed for our baby too, but when staying in a twin room we don’t really need it.

While checking in to the hotel, we were offered an upgrade to the Royal Tower for $10 per day. And since my husband had been a little doubtful that the Excalibur would be outdated, we decided to go ahead and upgrade. I thought that all the rooms in the hotel had been renewed lately, but we were told that the Royal Tower had rooms that were remodelled just few years ago.

Later I realised that I should have asked for a room where we could see the colourful towers outside. The view from our room was to the Strip and there weren’t that much to see by Excalibur.

The room was very basic and to be honest, it had already seen its better days in my opinion. And in that regard, overpriced as well. But that was not a surprise for us since most hotel rooms in Vegas seem to be old and used. I felt exactly the same in Luxor few years ago.

Overall, be prepared for the Vegas hotels taking your money every possible way they can. You will end up paying extra for most amenities you would get elsewhere for free, like coffee or even wi-fi.

The room prices vary hugely depending on the time you go. If you are able to go during the week you might be able to stay in Excalibur for as cheap as $40 when the weekend prices are can be over $200 per standard double room. A resort fee will be added to the price.

The room price includes use of the Fitness Center and the outside pool area. Unfortunately when we visited in November, the pool was closed for the winter season.

They do also have a spa which is open all year around and it offers a hot tub, sauna and different treatments. This is not included to the room price.

EATING AT EXCALIBUR

There are plenty to restaurants to choose from when looking for food in Excalibur, but be prepared to wait. There are almost always lines to get in to the restaurants. If possible, it is worth making a reservation beforehand.

The first night we ate at Buca di Beppo, which turned out to be a great family restaurant with good Italian food.

Many people recommended us the Dick’s Last Resort but after seeing it, it didn’t seem like a place we would like to take our kids. They offer obnoxious service in a funny way and guests get paper hats while they eat. It was very loud and more like a bar area. It was full of people partying and drinking.

Other restaurants at Excalibur are Drenched Bar & Grill, Vagabond and The Buffet at Excalibur. Or you can just choose to crab something fast from the food court.

Finding breakfast turned out to be even more challenging than dinner. Since kids are not good at waiting in huge lines and they didn’t take reservations, we ended up getting some breakfast sandwiches and coffee from Starbucks in Luxor.

Going out to eat in other hotels is not difficult in Vegas but plan ahead so you wont be stuck in the lines.

THINGS TO DO IN HOTEL EXCALIBUR

Like most hotels in Las Vegas, there is of course a casino in downstairs. And the ones in Las Vegas are especially complex, so that you will get lost many times while trying to find places. At least we walked many extra miles on our visit.

The Mandalay Bay Tram is a free and it will take you from Excalibur to Mandalay Bay or Luxor which are both part of MGM Resorts. Luxor is a fun place to visit since it is shaped like a pyramid and has an Egyptian atmosphere.

If you are travelling during summer months the pool area with kids is nice. They do have some cabanas and a water slide.

Otherwise you can look into spending some time at Excalibur Family Fun Center. They have all kinds of activities from mini golf to go karts and laser tag.

They also have something called Fun Dungeon which has over 200 games for all ages. Most are arcade games but they also have sports and redemption games, and a section for smaller kids.

The most popular of Excalibur shows is the Tournament of Kings which is perfect for families. Also their magic show would probably be fun with kids. For adults they have a Thunder from Down Under and The Australian Bee Gees Show.

❊❊❊

Las Vegas can be really fun and there is of course a lot to do outside of the resort too. Here are our top things to do in Vegas with kids.

If you are ready to venture outside of the city and like hiking, definitely check out the the Valley of Fire because it is amazing! Here are our tips for hiking with kids.

Las Vegas is a great stop on any of the road trips between California, Utah and Arizona. Many people combine a visit to Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon or even Sedona.

If you end up all the way to Antelope Canyon, don’t forget to visit Horseshoe Bend and the little less known Toadstool Hoodoos. They are both worth a stop!

OUR USA TRAVEL RESOURCES
🗝 We use this site to book hotel rooms when ever we travel.
🚗 We use DiscoverCars for car rentals everywhere in the world.
🗺 When looking for tours we use either Viator or GetYourGuide. They are both great.
✈️ With Priority Pass membership you can access over 1300 airport lounges all over the world.
📞 If you need a data package to navigate or make calls, Airalo works well for that.

I know there are some negative reviews online about Excalibur but our experience there was ok. Nothing bad or especially good that stood out on our stay.

Even if the hotel didn’t make impression to us adult, our 6 year old still remembers her night in a medieval castle. It was just another hotel like any others down the road.

Have you been to Excalibur Hotel or what is your favourite hotel in Las Vegas?