Shari

I'd like to surprise my husband for his birthday and Father's Day with a 4 day trip to Vegas in August. Which Strip hotel do you recommend and where can I get a good rate. Any ideas on where to get good airfare prices from Milwaukee or Chicago O"Hare? I've heard of FunJet. WebSites??

Tricia

Hi, I think you and your husband would like the Excalibur or the Rio. The Rio has the best buffet in town and also the Entertainer of the Year. Now is name has escaped me. The Rio is on the other side of the freeway though. Excalibur has a medieval theme but it also has an excellent steak house and classy country line dancing. They have jousting tournaments there as well. Caesar's Palace is just a few hotels down. Be sure to go shopping there! I answer airfare questions in the Eurotrip website and have tons of websites at my disposal. Haven't heard of Fun Jet. Southwest Airlines has a website and great fares and is the #1 Airline for service and safety voted by American consumers. E mail me and I'll roll off some of those website. If you go into EXCITE search engine and type hotels in Vegas or travel to Vegas, a host of websites well come up. There are coupons, discounts and 1/800 numbers you can call for discounts. Good luck.

diane

I have been going to Vegas for the last 8 years and I never tire of it. It is alot of fun. Be prepared for very hot weather but dry. I would'nt stay at The Excalibur because it is always a ton of kids there. The Rio is good but you have to take a cab to go everywhere because it is very far. Do go there to see the Carnavale show at night its great. I would stay at Monte Carlo, The Mirage, Ceasars Palace(the new tower) and Treasure Island. They are all first class hotels. Let me know if you need restaurant suggestions. I have eaten at some of the best in Vegas. Have fun.

Frances

I just returned from vegas yesterday. I do not
recommend Harrahs even with all the expensive
renovations completed. The staff was not very friendly altho the buffet is very good and less expensive than others that i saw. The Stratosphere is far from other casinos. Take ALOT of film with you unless you dont mind paying $7.95 per roll. Do NOT miss the "Fremont Experience" downtown at night! The weather was already hot,hot,hot so be prepared! Have fun!

cramer

We also just got back. You must stay at the Monte Carlo. This is our second time at this new hotel. The location is great and the price great. We paid $89 weekday and $139 weekend. It is every bit as nice as Caesars or Mirage. They have a great pool, brewery with live music, Lance Burton ($35) magic show that was incredible. I agree Rio fun to visit but out too far. Yes, kids at Excaliber. Take your husband someplace sexy!! You can take the tram from the MGM down to Caesars, Treasure for their free shows. A shuttle to the Rio is one block down. The Mirage is light and fun. Not a dark, dingy, smoke filled casino. We highly recommend this place to all. We will go back. Las Vegas is FUN! Go to www.lasvegas.com and click entertainment. Go to shows. They have a monthly update of who is playing at the big casinos.

cramer

Sorry I goofed on my previous entry. I meant the Monte Carlo is light and fun--not the Mirage. It also is a beautiful place for twice to three times the money. Spend your extra money on fun and games and still stay at a lovely place. Good Luck!

Tricia

I'll have to check out the Monte Carlo but yes everyone is right- the Mirage is purfect... better for a couple than Excalibur!!

Dennis Holland

We went last September with a tour company called Iris Tours out of Massachusetts. They have a deal with the Tropicana starting at $399.(based on Boston departure) for round trip air, 4 nights lodging, room tax and tickets to the Folies Bergere show including two drinks each person. They offer rates for 5 nights, 7 nights and weekends We had a great time. We stayed in the newer tower and their pool and garden area is very nice, ducks, geese, giant goldfish and other more exotic bird species. Walking from the tower to the casino you pass by other birds and animals. The ceiling of the main casino has an art deco stained glass ceiling. Yes, it is not one of the new luxery hotels but we enjoyed it very much. It's located across from the MGM, Excalibur, New York, New York and Luxor. The buffets were good and reasonable and the coffee shop which is much nicer than the name implies was also reasonable and very good quality food and large portions.
We also did the seafood buffet at the Rio, worth the cost, which is slightly higher than the average buffet.
We had breakfast one morning at Excalibur but it wasn't very good and like a previous poster mentioned, lots of kids!
Iris Tours telephone number is: 800-525-0063 or 508-385-7337. We flew non-stop on America West arriving at 1am and the red eye back which gives you another full day and evening in Las Vegas.

Dennis

Boomer

The Las Vegas Reveiw journal list all the hotels and
contains a survey of tourist as to which hotel/buffet, etc is the best rated. You can find it on the internet. According to their survey, RIO ranks number one in about 10 of 15 categories. It absolutely has the best buffet.
I've stayed at the Stardust, Riviera,Flamingo, Imperial Palace, Ballys. For price and deals, the Stardusst Towers is very nice. However, I plan on spending a little more and going upscale and either stay at Treasure Island or RIO or Monte Carlo.

Boomer

The Las Vegas Reveiw journal list all the hotels and
contains a survey of tourist as to which hotel/buffet, etc is the best rated. You can find it on the internet. According to their survey, RIO ranks number one in about 10 of 15 categories. It absolutely has the best buffet.
I've stayed at the Stardust, Riviera,Flamingo, Imperial Palace, Ballys. For price and deals, the Stardusst Towers is very nice. However, I plan on spending a little more and going upscale and either stay at Treasure Island or RIO or Monte Carlo.

tj

Been to Vegas three times and walked everywhere. And because you will to stay in the middle section of the strip. Either Ceasar's, Treasure Island or the Mirage. The Mirage is my favorite. If you stay north or south of these hotels you will far away from all the other stuff you want to see. Forget the Rio - too far away. And the Excaliber is run down. New York, NewYork was nice and new and across from the MGM, but again on the north end of the strip. Yes see Freemont Street overhead show. But take a trolley from the Stratosphere to get there. Don't walk there because you'll have to go through some bad neighborhoods. Package deals through a reputable travel agent is your best bet. Eat dinner buffet at the Mirage. Cocktails in the Stratosphere at sunset. The forum shops at Ceasars is a must. See the pirate show on the strip at Treasure Island and see the volcano explode at the Mirage.

Connie

I thought the Stardust had the most reasonable rates and had very nice decor. We were able to walk to any casino and just had to drive to downtown.

Ann

We really liked the Luxor. Beautiful new rooms in the towers with 70$ rates. No kids running around the casino, friendly dealers, lots of elbow room. Check out lvol.com for lots of vegas comments.

Richard Murray

I think most of the bigger hotels along the Strip are quite nice and I suppose it depends on what you're looking for which is the best for you. We always stay at the Stardust in the West Tower. The views are absolutely magnificent -- if you're high up on the south side you look straight down the Strip. The views of the mountains are nice during the day and at night the whole city lights up beneath you. The rates are very reasonable, too -- I think they've got $50 per night Tower rooms at the moment, and the rooms are quite large, extremely clean, and pleasant. The buffet is very good, the casino is pretty loose and especially good for low rollers, and there aren't a lot of kids running around everywhere. It's good to go up and down the Strip visiting everything else but we always stay at the Stardust. (BTW, I've heard that the Stardust Motor Lodge isn't great, so aim for the Tower).