I, too, walk the tightrope - - my own natural cheapskate instincts v. keeping "she-who-must-be-obeyed" smiling my way.
Vdara proved to be a very nice compromise. When we stayed there, I popped for a buy 3 nights, get one free offer. There are some rates they're offering now for as low as $109 per night - which is pretty tough to beat for a suite on the Strip I would think.
We had the room with the divider between the sitting area and the bed - giving you a living room/bedroom feel - with flat screens both ways. I did like having the kitchenette, as the fridge came in handy for our stock of drinks and any leftovers. Had a great view of the fountains next door.
Depending on the point of view, the lack of direct in-house gaming can be a plus or minus. Without it, obviously the traffic flow of people is CONSIDERABLY less, allowing for a pretty calm experience navigating through the lobby, to elevators, to the room. More quiet and laid back.
On the other hand, if you want to roll the dice and pull the handles you have to do a little walking. The walk to Aria is really not that far - and well lit - but if someone prefers to NOT walk alone outside in the wee hours of the morning - then that could be an issue.
You'll also have a bit of a walk from hotel to the strip proper. We had different routes - one of my favorites was down some steps between the two buildings, then along the side of Cosmo past the parking entrance to the Strip. Problem is, there isn't sidewalk the entire way, so you do have to have a little faith in your fellow man not to turn you into a hood ornament. Fine during the day, but at night, I took one of our other routes!
Not sure if this matters or not, but no self-park, valet only. Self-parking is available at Aria.
We like to get some walking in, so the fact that we had to hike a bit didn't bother us all that much. What you do lose is the ability to cash in your chips when you're on one of those late-nighters, and simply walk (stagger?) a short distance to the elevator and get to your room without too much navigation.
For example, one night it was cash in the chips at Bill's, walk across the street, all the way through Bellagio, decide we (I at least) were hungry, get on the tram, go to the Monte Carlo, hit the food court (and have another Heineken), walk back through Aria (stop and play slots and win $20), until FINALLY arriving "home". All about logistics.
But - - all things considered - - would we stay there again? Absolutely. Have also stayed at Encore, which had a similar room layout less the kitchen - and a better location in proximity to the "action" - but thinking I might choose Vdara over it because of the kitchenette. All up to the individual I guess!
