Hi there. I'm planning a trip to Las Vegas at the end of March with my wife. I want to know the following:

1. What restaurants to avoid. By this I mean what restaurants do you think are not worth their value (price for meal, setting, rude wait staff, etc...). What restaurants/buffets absolutely are wretched in taste. What restaurants do you think should be closed down because the food would gag a roach.

2. What attraction is most overrated? What attraction should ba avoided at all costs?

3. What is the worst casino in terms of rooms, bars, etc...?

4. What else should one avoid when going to Las Vegas?

Thanks for your input. No, I am not trolling. I'm trying to find out how to not waste the short time that I have in Las Vegas. I'm only interested in serious replies.

Margaritaville Dan

Hi,Dan, maybe it would be easier for some people to list what they like about LV instead of all the things to avoid.In my mind, there is a lot to avoid, but what that might be, is probably what a lot of people like-so this question might be re-worded
I have been going to LV twice a year,for a few yrs now-on 4-5 day trips.We stay at either the Rio,Ceasars or Bellagio.We eat in the more popular restos that we read good reviews on or want to go back to,Circo,Olives,Emerils,Coyote Cafe,Voodoo Lounge,Spago..some small neighborhood places that are not in hotels, Lotus of Siam,and a Mexican place that I cannot remember the name of.We gamble, we like Ceasars,Bellagio,Bally's,the Mirage and the Rio. We try to stay away from the "kiddie " hotels(Excaliber),and NYNY,Luxor,Alladin,Harrahs.We like Mandalay Bay for its Acquarium and the tram to and from Ballys.The Paris Hotel/casino is connected to Ballys and is also nice.I like to shop-especially when we are winning=the Forum at Ceasars is good,the Venetian,and when we are reeeally winning-the shops in Bellagio.We always rent a car and get out of the area for a day-going to Lake Mead,Mt Charleston or Red Rock Canyon.We never get tired of RRCanyon,it is good for a hike,watching the climbers,the wild burros pop up sometimes,and I like the desert.
Before we went for the first time in years, I found the UNLV site, NEON and read that and every site on LV...try those, and go through the lists on NEON for the 200 best/worst things in LV..that is great! I will try to find my old sites and will post again with that info for you-
Hope this helps a little,Good Luck!
*you may read other peoples thoughts on LV and will notice that a lot of people complain about the way people dress in the hotels and bringing kids to LV...skip that and get down to the real stuff that is important to you

Hmm, how about some buffets? We've found that the buffet at Luxor is not very good. The one at Monte Carlo isn't as bad, but is disappointing and not worth going to. (And I hate to say that because otherwise I love the Monte Carlo and always stay there). I also thought the buffet at Paris was way overrated and overpriced.

But to keep this post from being completely negative...I would whole-heartedly recommend the buffet at Mandalay Bay, which we've been to 5 or 6 times and have always thought was incredible. The selection is outstanding, the service is good, and most of all the quality of the food is first-rate. Everything I've had there I've thought was good enough that I would be thrilled with it if I ordered it off the menu at a regular restaurant. The Chinese and Mexican stations are especially good, and the dessert is, as they say, to die for. The Rio buffet is often described as the best in Vegas, and I agree that it's excellent, but for my money I'd much rather go to Mandalay Bay (which is a lot easier to get to than the Rio, too).

There you go! not so many negatives!Now-as for entertainment...it depends on what you like, but the ones we liked were Cirque de Soleil Mystere and "O"..Danny Gans...George Carlin...Jerry Lewis (he was really funny!)...forget the Cage au Follies thing,yuck..not because we have probs with impersonators,this was just bad!..sometimes there are bands in casino lounges-sometimes they can be really good and are not "known" name bands at all.

positive - shrimp cocktails at the golden nuggest downtown.

A quick correction to Tatesmom's post above -- there's not a monorail from Mandalay Bay to Bally's. There's one that connects Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur. A separate one on the other side of the street (and farther north) connects Bally's and MGM.

Thanks Rich-we rode the Ballys monorail one night, in March, it was cold! and I remember being sooo glad to be on that thing instead of walking on the strip in the wind!

Stay away from the "Escorts". Way overpriced and some of em aren't real women, if you know what I mean.

The mall at Caesar's Palace is worth a see. Also, the pirate show at Treasure Island is great even if you're not a kid, especially at night. Also, the volcano at the Mirage is a must, especially at night. Also, Hoover Dam is worth the drive and the tour! We went three times in one week and it was an awesome site every time. I'm envious. Have a great time!!!!

Speaking of monorails (and I just said something similar on a different Vegas thread the other day) -- my one beef with the Bally's-MGM monorail is that you have to walk about a million miles through MGM to get there from the Strip, or vice versa.

I actually prefer the monorail (or, as they call it, "Tram") on the other side of the street that connects Monte Carlo and Bellagio. You don't have to walk nearly so far from the Strip to the tram stop at either end, and if you get off at Bellagio then voila, you're right there at Bally's. Plus I think the casinos in Monte Carlo and Bellagio are nicer to walk through and easier to navigate than the MGM.