My husband and I are planning our first trip to Vegas. We'll be celebrating our 10th anniversary and want to splurge a bit. Where should we stay? Any "must sees" or fantastic restaurants? We plan to gamble a little, sight-see a little and just relax a bit too. Also we're pretty flexible on when we go -- anywhere from May to Nov. of 2007, is there a best time to visit?

We were there this Labor Day and stayed at THEHotel at Mandalay Bay. It was a lovely room and well worth the money. We also saw the Cirque du Soleil show "Love," which was AMAZING. Have Fun!

There have been many discussion about this, but our favorite hotel is a lakeview room at Bellagio. We have tried other options from high-end like The Hotel at Mandalay Bay to medium range such as Monte Carlo, but Bellagio is still our favorite.

If you are flexible on your dates, your could go to the Bellagio website (or any other hotels for that matter) and enter their email list. Then wait until you get a special offer from them. If you are not locked into a weekend, you could get a better rate as well. Most of the hotels have a calendar on their websites with the prices on each day.

We recently received a snail mail from Bellagio offering rooms at $149/night (from Sunday to Thursday).

I would start with a spin through the Las Vegas info on fodors.com. Then I'd do a tour on this wonderful site:

www.cheapovegas.com

It's a funny, unvarnished look at everything Vegas has to offer.

For your first trip, I'd stay on the Strip, fairly close to the center. The Newest Thing is the Wynn, the Five-Diamond Experience is Bellagio, the Best Theme Park Experience is the Venetian, and the Venerable Class Act is Mirage. Any of these would be just fine.

The Vegas restaurant scene has remarkable turnover, and trendy eateries have shockingly short shelf lives. Bellagio has Picasso, which is pretty wonderful if you have the money. Other posters can suggest alternatives.

When to go? If you like heat and lots of it, anytime between May and early October. If you want it cooler, mid-October through November.

Do not underestimate how HOT it will be during the summer. When it is 110 Deg F is does not matter that it is a dry heat. It feels like your skin is on fire if you are outside for any length of time. The pools fill up by 10 am.

I prefer early May and late September to maximize the pool time with warm/hot temperatures but not unbearable.

Go mid week (Sun - Thurs) to get the best hotel rates. Weekends can be 2-3 times more expensive.

Check out the Wynn, Bellagio, Venetian, Ceasars, Mandalay Bay. Other good hotels that are a step below those would be Paris, Mirage, MGM, Luxor.

Somewhere near the middle of the Strip. Although I favor MB, I would never suggest a first-timer stay there, mainly due to location. I'm partial to Paris myself.

Stay center strip. May will be very hot, I'd recommend Nov. I just returned last night from my umteenth time in Vegas and I normally stay at the Mirage or Treasure Island. This visit was the Mirage, two weeks ago T.I. THEHotel may be lovely, but it is just too far location wise. Check dates/rates for Mirage, Paris, Bellagio, T.I., Venetian - all are good choices.

If you're in Vegas for an adult weekend, I highly recommend Caesar's Palace. Their Palace and Augustus Towers are very luxurious, and many rooms have jacuzzi tubs. This is not a hotel that caters to families, so it is perfect for an anniversary weekend! Be sure and tell the staff it is your anniversary and they will treat you even better! The pools are gorgeous, and one offers a topless area.

Do check out www.cheapovegas.com for reviews. That is one of my favorite Vegas sites!

There are SO many great restaurants that it really just depends on your budget and tastes. Shows also offer many choices and prices. We like to see the headliner comedians (Jay Leno was our very favorite) and many people like the Cirque de Soleil shows.

Don't go in July and August unless you can stand severe heat. To me, May is the perfect month in Vegas.

Since you mentioned splurging a little bit, I would recommend Bellagio first and foremost. After that the Wynn, THEhotel, Venetian, maybe Caesars.

I would get tickets to O at the Bellagio (or maybe Mystere or LOVE) for a very special night out.

There are so many top restaurants that its hard to pick one, but search chowhound or other websites for tons of suggestions.

I would nominate the Mandalay Bay or the Bellagio....upon entering the Mandalay Bay you are greated with the most heavenly smell---sort of like a casino wide aromatherapy---you hardly ever smell cigarette smoke in the casinos at Mandalay Bay or The Bellagio---and the breakfast buffet and bellagio was absolutely heavenly

I say stay in the middle of everything, which, in Las Vegas, means mid-Strip.

Caesar's is mid-Strip as are nearby hotels; however, keep in mind that maps of Las Vegas are deceptive in that it is about half a mile from one hotel to the next.

Without a doubt, the Wynn is the best resort on the Strip.

Don't even consider anywhere else, particularly for a 10th anniversary (with no children, presumably).

www.wynnlasvegas.com

Thank you all so much for the great info. I've already gotten onto some mailing lists to keep up with specials and such. We'll probably end up visiting in November since we have 3 kids, and that's kind of a quiet time with all their activities and I'm really not into excessive heat. Yes, this is definitely a kid-free vacation -- the first we've taken so I'm really enjoying the planning. Thanks again.

gekko, tell me about the Wynn rooms! I have a reservation there for an anniversary, but like I said in the Ritz Lake Las Vegas post, I can't get over that the rooms look really strange in the pics...am I the only one who thinks that? Do they look better in person?

The rooms at the Wynn are very large, plush, elegant, user-friendly and extremely "new" (obviously).

The bathroom -- huge, with separate room for the toilet, double vanity of course, jacuzzi tub with separate all-glass shower stall, etc.

My favorite feature -- the blinds, both the solid and sheer, operate remotely, so you can let the sun shine in from your bed.

In addition to the rooms, the Wynn itself is far and away the best property on the Strip, in my opinion. The grounds, restaurants, casino, pool, club, lounge ....

Finally, I presume its "newness" means few discounts, and that fact is reflected in the clientele.

thanks for your reply, gekko.

You have some great suggestions. As someone who likes to relax a bit, I find the pool to be important. Although I love hot weather to be out by the pool, Las Vegas is extremely hot in the summer (albeit great for poolside activities). Also, this tends to be low season for hotel rates.

I recommend the summer for the best rates (if the heat isn't a real problem for you) and to arrive on Sunday and stay 3-4 nights, cheaper than the weekend. Probably easiest to get a awesome upgrade to a suite etc. at some of the nicer hotels.

The one must see item in Las Vegas is a Cirque de Soleil show. I have been to O at the the Bellagio, and it is terrific.

I tell this because you should book a Cirque de Soleil show when booking your hotel room because they sell out quickly.

Also, if you stay at the Bellagio, they give you preferential seating for O.

I have also heard great things about the Cirque de Soleil's Ka at the MGM.

Le Reve, at the Wynn, is incredible. It is not Cirque, but it is just as good as "O" if not better.

Enjoy!

Did you read about Steve Wynn poking a hole in his La Reve Picasso? Poor guy, but I'm sure it was insured...


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