Best Hotel
Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa
400 Cannery Row, Monterey
(831) 920-6710, montereyplazahotel.com
Circus Circus Las Vegas opened in 1968 as one of the first family-friendly casinos on the Strip, with a casino on the first floor and carnival games for children on the second. The hotel was added in 1972, and over the years it has morphed into a full-scale entertainment center, with amusement rides and daily circus shows featuring death-defying aerial acts, clowns and performances of feats of strength. At Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa you’ll find no high-flying acts or amusing clowns, just a luxurious hotel with excellent service and stellar views of Monterey Bay and its wildlife. It includes an outstanding restaurant, Coastal Kitchen, led by Executive Chef Michael Rotondo, as well as the more casual Schooners Monterey, which all help to explain why readers said Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa is the best. There is no entertainment center necessary.