Las Vegas - A trip report, albeit a bit belated
Mar 2nd, 2005, 11:13 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,986
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Las Vegas - A trip report, albeit a bit belated
We went to Vegas 2/8-2/12 and had a blast. Here's a summary:
Getting there - No complaints. Flew Spirit from Detroit to Las Vegas. Took off and landed approximately on time. Took a taxi from the airport to our hotel (Tropicana) for around $13 after tip. Would have been $10 for a shuttle, and this was so easy!
Hotel - Tropicana, Island Tower room for $49 T-Th and $109 Friday. We asked for and got a room with a strip view, and it was a really great view. Looked from Excalibur up through NYN and MGM, with a bit of Paris in the background. We mainly chose this hotel for the 24-hour outdoor hot tubs. The room was OK - it was very large with a king-sized bed, sofa, chair, dresser and TV. The bathroom was also pretty large, with a large corner tub. The room did not seem dated, though the decor was tropical cheesy, as expected. The windows opened for foresh air or a cleaner view. The bed was pretty crappy, and this is my main complaint about the hotel. We ate at the hotel's 24-hour diner, Calypso, twice. Once the night we arrived as it was late and we just wanted a quick bite. The late menu is pretty limited, but the food was decent. We had an omelet, and waffles. My husband loved his omelet so much that we ate breakfast here 2 days later. Both had omelets that time, and both were good! The casino area smelled pretty badly of suntan lotion and was otherwise uninspiring. The location of the hotel is not bad, but not great. I'd stay somewhere else next time, more central. Also, it would be fun to stay someplace like Paris and get to walk through that every morning when leaving the hotel, rather than the Trop. But all in all, a good bargain. Not bad at all for the price!
Food - We are definitely not foodies, so we didn't eat too many notable places. We did enjoy the Paris buffet so much that we ate lunch there twice. It was enough food to keep us full until midnight-ish both days. Besides the Calypso, we ate two other pretty late meals. It's harder than I thought to find decent food late in this town! Shortly before midnight we hit a little Mexican place in NYNY. The food was decent, but nothing to write home about. But apparently they close at midnight, because a couple nights later we needed food about 1am and couldn't go there, so we ended up at America's in NYNY - their 24-hour diner. The selection was a little better here than Calypso's. We both had sandwiches, and they were decent. One buffet that I'd highly recommend avoiding - Fremont Casino downtown. It was $9.99 for dinner (so cheap, for a buffet) but was pretty bad food. Cafeteria quality mainly. Even the desserts were only so-so.
Hoover Dam - We rented a car on Thursday to drive to Hoover Dam and do their tour. The dam was amazing to see, but the tour pretty much stunk. I wouldn't do it again, and wouldn't recommend it unless you're a real fan of the dam. It's very short. You do get into a little museum with it, but that part was pretty boring. Maybe because we had already seen a couple of TV shows on the making of the dam. It was totally great to see the dam, though. Very overwhelmingly large! And driving around in a convertible was fun, even if it was only 60 degrees out.
Downtown - We headed downtown with our rental car after the Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, we spent too much time inside and missed the light show, but we did see one commercial on the overhead screen and that was pretty neat to see. We gambled at the Fremont. It was fun to play blackjack at a table where you hold your cards. Would like to spend more time gambling downtown on a future trip and see more casinos. We only had a few hours to spend before we had to get back for a show.
Shows - See Mystere!!!!! It was so amazing. After walking out I said I'd turn around and pay $100 again right then to see it again. It was worth every penny, and like nothing I'd ever seen before. We also saw Folies Bergere at Tropicana and La Femme at MGM, both for half price. La Femme was a bit artsy, and would not have been worth it at full price. But it was entertaining despite the table next to us who talked loudly to each other throughout the show until I finally asked them to stop. Folies Bergere was a lot of fun. Beautiful women in beautiful costumes, with beautiful sets and beautiful dancing. No complaints!
Other - We just spent a LOT of time walking. We walked one day from Tropicana up to Venetian, then back down to MGM. We gambled at a couple of those locations, but mainly enjoyed seeing the casinos, hotels and shops. We spent another day walking our way all the way up to the Stratosphere over the course of the day. We did ride two of the rides at Strat - XScream and Big Shot. The High Roller (coaster) was down for repairs. The Big Shot was fun - it was a great, great view if you like views. Not the best thrill ride I've ever been on, but I live near Cedar Point. X-Scream was totally, totally lame. We rode with another couple and 4 10-year-old girls. None of us screamed or even enjoyed it at all. It was eery, only because I've never been on a nearly completely silent thrill ride before. Usually at least one person screams! 
There was just no thrill to that one at all.
Getting Home - Another cab back to the hotel was super convenient. The flight was on time, but I have big beef here with Spirit Airlines! This flight was a red-eye back to Detroit. So, how many pillows and blankets (wrapped in plastic, so presumably clean) do they have on the plane? About 4 - one for each upper class seat. None for us peons. And there are supposed to be little fabric flaps velcroed to the tops of the seats where your head rests. Not on this plane. Just the hook side of the velcro, totally exposed, to grab my curly hair repeatedly. Finally, I'm 5'5" and the seat was too short for me. To rest my head I had to tilt it quite a ways back. Think of my poor 6'4" husband!
That's all I can think of for now. Questions? If I think of more I'll add it here.
Getting there - No complaints. Flew Spirit from Detroit to Las Vegas. Took off and landed approximately on time. Took a taxi from the airport to our hotel (Tropicana) for around $13 after tip. Would have been $10 for a shuttle, and this was so easy!
Hotel - Tropicana, Island Tower room for $49 T-Th and $109 Friday. We asked for and got a room with a strip view, and it was a really great view. Looked from Excalibur up through NYN and MGM, with a bit of Paris in the background. We mainly chose this hotel for the 24-hour outdoor hot tubs. The room was OK - it was very large with a king-sized bed, sofa, chair, dresser and TV. The bathroom was also pretty large, with a large corner tub. The room did not seem dated, though the decor was tropical cheesy, as expected. The windows opened for foresh air or a cleaner view. The bed was pretty crappy, and this is my main complaint about the hotel. We ate at the hotel's 24-hour diner, Calypso, twice. Once the night we arrived as it was late and we just wanted a quick bite. The late menu is pretty limited, but the food was decent. We had an omelet, and waffles. My husband loved his omelet so much that we ate breakfast here 2 days later. Both had omelets that time, and both were good! The casino area smelled pretty badly of suntan lotion and was otherwise uninspiring. The location of the hotel is not bad, but not great. I'd stay somewhere else next time, more central. Also, it would be fun to stay someplace like Paris and get to walk through that every morning when leaving the hotel, rather than the Trop. But all in all, a good bargain. Not bad at all for the price!
Food - We are definitely not foodies, so we didn't eat too many notable places. We did enjoy the Paris buffet so much that we ate lunch there twice. It was enough food to keep us full until midnight-ish both days. Besides the Calypso, we ate two other pretty late meals. It's harder than I thought to find decent food late in this town! Shortly before midnight we hit a little Mexican place in NYNY. The food was decent, but nothing to write home about. But apparently they close at midnight, because a couple nights later we needed food about 1am and couldn't go there, so we ended up at America's in NYNY - their 24-hour diner. The selection was a little better here than Calypso's. We both had sandwiches, and they were decent. One buffet that I'd highly recommend avoiding - Fremont Casino downtown. It was $9.99 for dinner (so cheap, for a buffet) but was pretty bad food. Cafeteria quality mainly. Even the desserts were only so-so.
Hoover Dam - We rented a car on Thursday to drive to Hoover Dam and do their tour. The dam was amazing to see, but the tour pretty much stunk. I wouldn't do it again, and wouldn't recommend it unless you're a real fan of the dam. It's very short. You do get into a little museum with it, but that part was pretty boring. Maybe because we had already seen a couple of TV shows on the making of the dam. It was totally great to see the dam, though. Very overwhelmingly large! And driving around in a convertible was fun, even if it was only 60 degrees out.
Downtown - We headed downtown with our rental car after the Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, we spent too much time inside and missed the light show, but we did see one commercial on the overhead screen and that was pretty neat to see. We gambled at the Fremont. It was fun to play blackjack at a table where you hold your cards. Would like to spend more time gambling downtown on a future trip and see more casinos. We only had a few hours to spend before we had to get back for a show.
Shows - See Mystere!!!!! It was so amazing. After walking out I said I'd turn around and pay $100 again right then to see it again. It was worth every penny, and like nothing I'd ever seen before. We also saw Folies Bergere at Tropicana and La Femme at MGM, both for half price. La Femme was a bit artsy, and would not have been worth it at full price. But it was entertaining despite the table next to us who talked loudly to each other throughout the show until I finally asked them to stop. Folies Bergere was a lot of fun. Beautiful women in beautiful costumes, with beautiful sets and beautiful dancing. No complaints!
Other - We just spent a LOT of time walking. We walked one day from Tropicana up to Venetian, then back down to MGM. We gambled at a couple of those locations, but mainly enjoyed seeing the casinos, hotels and shops. We spent another day walking our way all the way up to the Stratosphere over the course of the day. We did ride two of the rides at Strat - XScream and Big Shot. The High Roller (coaster) was down for repairs. The Big Shot was fun - it was a great, great view if you like views. Not the best thrill ride I've ever been on, but I live near Cedar Point.
X-Scream was totally, totally lame. We rode with another couple and 4 10-year-old girls. None of us screamed or even enjoyed it at all. It was eery, only because I've never been on a nearly completely silent thrill ride before. Usually at least one person screams! There was just no thrill to that one at all.Getting Home - Another cab back to the hotel was super convenient. The flight was on time, but I have big beef here with Spirit Airlines! This flight was a red-eye back to Detroit. So, how many pillows and blankets (wrapped in plastic, so presumably clean) do they have on the plane? About 4 - one for each upper class seat. None for us peons. And there are supposed to be little fabric flaps velcroed to the tops of the seats where your head rests. Not on this plane. Just the hook side of the velcro, totally exposed, to grab my curly hair repeatedly. Finally, I'm 5'5" and the seat was too short for me. To rest my head I had to tilt it quite a ways back. Think of my poor 6'4" husband!
That's all I can think of for now. Questions? If I think of more I'll add it here.
Mar 2nd, 2005, 12:08 PM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,986
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We rented the car through Dollar and picked it up at Bally's. Some of the big companies have locations right on the strip to pick up a car, so check them out mainly on price. We got a deal of $27.88/day for a convertible, but I'm certain you could not get that by walking up to the counter. You might be able to book online same-day, though, so you still might get a good deal deciding relatively last minute that way.
When researching, I found that Alamo & Thrifty did not have strip locations. Avis, Budget and Dollar did. I couldn't get the websites for Enterprise, Hertz and National to work from my computer, so am not sure about them.
When researching, I found that Alamo & Thrifty did not have strip locations. Avis, Budget and Dollar did. I couldn't get the websites for Enterprise, Hertz and National to work from my computer, so am not sure about them.
Mar 4th, 2005, 06:04 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi.
Could you reply to me at [email protected] ?
I'd love to ask you a few questions about your trip and your room.
I just got a very nice offer for a room at the Trop for a reasonable rate.
Thanks,
Mark
Could you reply to me at [email protected] ?
I'd love to ask you a few questions about your trip and your room.
I just got a very nice offer for a room at the Trop for a reasonable rate.
Thanks,
Mark
Mar 5th, 2005, 06:02 AM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,986
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
manduss - The great thing about a forum like fodors is the sharing of info for everyone to use. Unless the info is very personal (in which case I'm not comfortable sharing it by email either) I'd prefer to share it publicly. Either post the questions here, or in a new post, and I'll be happy to discuss!
Mar 5th, 2005, 09:02 AM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi JLM.
Here is the dilemma. My girlfriend and I are taking a weekend trip to see a show in April. We have reservations at the Flamingo since the price and location fit our plans. The Connection Card discount at the Spa helps, too.
I got a better offer from the Tropicana for the same time period. When upgraded to an Island Tower room, the prices are about the same. In the images on the website, it looks like the Island Tower Rooms have mirrors above the bed. Is that true?
The location of the Trop leaves a bit to be desired, but the mirrors and a great view of the Strip would be worth switching to the Trop. The Spa at the Trop also offers some things that the Flamingo Spa doesn’t.
We will have to take a taxi to a few places regardless of where we stay, so the location doesn’t effect our main mission.
I greatly appreciate any feedback you might have.
Thanks,
Mark
Here is the dilemma. My girlfriend and I are taking a weekend trip to see a show in April. We have reservations at the Flamingo since the price and location fit our plans. The Connection Card discount at the Spa helps, too.
I got a better offer from the Tropicana for the same time period. When upgraded to an Island Tower room, the prices are about the same. In the images on the website, it looks like the Island Tower Rooms have mirrors above the bed. Is that true?
The location of the Trop leaves a bit to be desired, but the mirrors and a great view of the Strip would be worth switching to the Trop. The Spa at the Trop also offers some things that the Flamingo Spa doesn’t.
We will have to take a taxi to a few places regardless of where we stay, so the location doesn’t effect our main mission.
I greatly appreciate any feedback you might have.
Thanks,
Mark
Mar 5th, 2005, 10:37 AM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,986
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
manduss - I didn't realize the Trop even had a spa! Yes, the room we were in did have a mirror on the ceiling over the bed. The headboard was a mirror that went all the way up to the ceiling and met the one over the bed. In addition, there was a large mirror on the wall next to the side of the bed.
The Flamingo is a better location definitely, but it wasn't terrible at the Trop. It's less than a mile to walk up to the Aladdin/Paris area. You can also hop on the monorail behind MGM Grand.
I promise you're not the only one who views the mirrors at the Trop as a bonus.
Enjoy your trip!
And be sure to spin the free slots outside Tropicana to try to get buy-1-get-1 tickets (or maybe even free) to Folies Bergere.
The Flamingo is a better location definitely, but it wasn't terrible at the Trop. It's less than a mile to walk up to the Aladdin/Paris area. You can also hop on the monorail behind MGM Grand.
I promise you're not the only one who views the mirrors at the Trop as a bonus.
Enjoy your trip!
And be sure to spin the free slots outside Tropicana to try to get buy-1-get-1 tickets (or maybe even free) to Folies Bergere.
Mar 5th, 2005, 12:17 PM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
JLM - Thanks for the info.
Part of the offer from the Trop includes 2-for-1 to Folies Bergere. We are planning on taking advantage of that. Folies has been on my list for a long time.
I figured we would finally get to ride the monorail, too. It was down for most of my trips last year.
The change in location will definitely effect what we do on the trip, but I think that could be fun, too.
Thanks,
Mark
Part of the offer from the Trop includes 2-for-1 to Folies Bergere. We are planning on taking advantage of that. Folies has been on my list for a long time.
I figured we would finally get to ride the monorail, too. It was down for most of my trips last year.
The change in location will definitely effect what we do on the trip, but I think that could be fun, too.
Thanks,
Mark
