Las Vegas--First Visit
 

Hi. I am thinking of taking my first trip to Vegas. 40 yr old, single guy from NY. It would be during the week of April 16, and I have several questions:
1) Length of stay: I was thinking of taking a Sunday morning flight in, and leaving on a red eye thursday morning. Is that a god length? too long? too short?
2) Hotel: I have rooms booked at MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. I have nto seen many posts on rhere about those 2 hotels. Also, Luxor seemed to have some moderately priced rooms those nights.
3) Will it be warm enough in mid-April to lounge at the pool?
4) Is Hoover Dam a good trip to take?
5) Rent a car, or just tram and cab it around?
6) can one really spend three days walkign in and out of hotels and casinos, or are there otehr activities people recommend?

Thanks

Stu

1. just right!
2. I hope you'll stay in one hotel without losing 1/2 day to move
3. probably
6. yes, you can, and yes, there are other activities, search the Internet

I was there around April 20th a few years back for
four nights. I arrived in the mid afternoon and the temp high was 84F. My mom and I were going to swim the next day. The weather changed the next day, with drizzling rain to highs around 58/60F for the rest of our stay. The point of my story is that weather is unpredictable. Although, looking at the averages, you stand a good chance to have some pool weather. :-)

A red-eye flight leaves at night, so I'm not sure if you meant leaving Wednesday night to arrive home Thursday night, or leaving Thursday night. If you mean leaving Wednesday night, that will give you approximately 4 full days in Vegas. I wouldn't go for more than that, and one day less wouldn't be bad. Our first trip was 4 days, and it felt like a lot! Vegas is very intense.

Mandalay Bay is discussed a lot here. It's a very nice hotel, with an excellent pool area. The others are not covered as much, but you can get more info on them at www.tripadvisor.com and www.cheapovegas.com

Hoover Dam is an OK trip. If you rent a car for that day it gives you the flexibility to go when you want for as long as you want, and you can use the car to see a bit more of Vegas if you choose. You won't need a car the rest of the trip, but some people prefer to have one. I think it's a hindrance due to traffic, and because it's more fun if you don't have to worry about drinking.

Walking in and out of hotels will get tiring quickly, but do check out the suggestions on this site and at sites like www.cheapovegas.com www.vegas.com and www.lasvegas.com in addition to the destinations section of this site to learn about options. Don't forget to check out a trip to the old strip (Fremont Street) as well.

Hi, just to add my 2 cents...there is no such thing as "the old Strip" as jlm has posted, there has always only been 1 Strip and it is and always has been located on LV Blvd, what jlm is referring to is Fremont St. (always been known as downtown)...some tourists refer to it as the Old Strip, never been that it has always been Fremont St....sorry, just a little pet peeve of mine! :) Now, I think 4 days is good for a first time. I would recommend renting a car for at least 2 days so you can take in some scenery away from the Strip. Check with your hotel both MGM and MB have rental cars on property. If you decide to get a car, I think Hoover Dam is great for half a day, nice to see if never been. I also think that a drive out to Valley of Fire would be nice for the other day. MB has a beautiful pool. Both MGM and MB are located at south end of Strip, very nice area. Make sure to visit the Venetian and of course NY, NY since you hail from NY. They have a great deli inside! April can be iffy with the weather, it is slowly warming up right now. We had friends in from Idaho this last week and they were in shorts every day, not me too cold still for me, but April can be warm during the day and still chilly at night. I think 3 entire days inside the hotels/casinos is a little much, perhaps spend a full day seeing some of the nice properties then a day sight seeing outside of town, then a day relaxing at the pool! Have fun!!!

www.cheapovegas.com gives great advice!!

1. Sun-Thurs is good, and the table limits will be lower and less crowds during the week.
2. MGM has a better location if you're looking to walk the Strip. MB is WAY out on the end by itself...and so is Luxor.
3. Maybe
5. You won't need a car. Honestly, the CAT bus runs a loop of the Stirp and downtown (#102) and it is very cheap, about $2 a ride. There are also the monorail, and cabs.
6. You bet!! Just wander around and be a tourist!! :-)

I LOVE Vegas! Your length of stay is fine!

I have stayed at the MGM - it was very nice. I heard Mandalay and Luxor were both great! MGM has a stop for the main monorail - that could be a plus.

Only rent the car FOR ONE DAY to go to the Hoover Dam. I also recommend Red Rock Canyon. It's a nice drive. If you like to ride horses, there is a ranch near there.

Also....make sure you catch some shows. You would have to book the big ones in advance.

Here are some of the things each of the hotels have to offer. The hotels / casinos are incredible sights.

Bellagio: Fountains at Bellagio
Every evening, a water and music show plays again and again in the fountains filling the quarter-mile-long lake in front of the Bellagio.

Caesars: fountain show at Caesars (inside in the main market area). Plus great shopping!

MGM: Lion Habitat at MGM Grand - free

Treasure Island: The Sirens of TI, located at the front entrance of the casino. 5:30, 7, 8:30 and 10 p.m. nightly.

Mirage: Volcano erupts every hour after dusk. Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is great, small fee.

Paris: The Eiffel Tower Experience, time it so you can watch the fountain show at the Belagio from the top.

Venetian: Gondola Rides - inside or outside of the casino / hotel. I've done the inside trip.

Flamingo: Flamingos and other type of animals habitat - free

Harrah's: Best table games IMO...the party pit is fun! If you are a beginner, no problem, they take care of you!

Vegas.com has a ton of info.

8-)

4 days is fine. The Luxor and Mandalay Bay are too far down the strip in my opinion and for a first timer, and I do not like the MGM, so I would stay more mid-strip. It's just simply easier to walk in either direction from that point. I'd see what was available at Aladdin, Paris, Mirage, Flamingo (that one is about dead center) or Bally's. You might also consider Treasure Island.

You don't want to have a car - one day is enough. The major hotels have Dollar rental office, it's best to reserve ahead tho (go on line and do it).

Yes, you can spend 3 days walking in and out of hotels :-) All are huge, all have many stores, attractions (free and otherwise), restuarants, etc. I go to Vegas often and we are never bored.

Buses stop in front of the major hotels, they are $2 a ride and are brand-new double decker called "the Duece". Cabs are plentiful but you cannot just hail one in the street. I personally do not find the monorail very useful as you still need to walk miles (or so it seems) to get to/from it to most locations. There is a free tram between Mandalay Bay-Excaliber-Luxor. Another free one from Monte Carlo to Bellagio. Another free one between the Mirage and Treasure Island.

I meant to add that if you want a cab it is best to just go into a hotel and get one there - all have taxi stands.

Thanks for the help so far. More questions:
Is it a bad idea to split my stay between 2 hotels to get better rates at each?
Also, if anyone is just joining the thread, please go to the top to read my initial questions. Thanks.
And feel free to add any otherinfo you think I might find helpful.

Stu

DON'T split your stay between 2 hotels. It would be a pain to have to move halfway through, and there's really no point unless the rates go sky-high.

No No No - do not even consider splitting you time between 2 hotels. You will waste alot of time you could be using to have fun :-)

Is the quality of the hotel important to one's first visit?
Also, are therre any recommended old-time Las Vegas burlesque/revue type shows, and are those entertaining?

Also, is a drive to the Grand Canyon worth it for the day? Again, this would be my first trip to Vegas

I have friends who were just in Vegas. There are new double decker CAT buses, and it was $5.- for a day pass. That's all they used when they were there and they said it was very on schedule. :-)
I'd look into NYNY or the Monte Carlo as well.

i don't think it's a bad thing to switch hotels. we had a great rate at bellagio that would end and then a great rate at NYNY so we switched. did it the day we had the car, didn't take half a day and that way we got to experience two totally different hotel environments and different parts of the strip all in the same trip

To me, the quality of hotel IS important. I don't like places that are dirty/worn/dingy, and in Vegas, location is also very important to me. I want a quiet room with comfortable bedding, thick towels, and in a centrally-located hotel. So far, my favorite has been Caesar's Palace.

There are several girlie shows in Vegas. Riviera's Splash and Bally's Jubilee, and Harrah's Skintight are a couple. www.cheapovegas.com has reviews.

A trip to the Grand Canyon will take the WHOLE day. Honestly, I'd let it wait for another trip.

I've stayed at the MGM and found it to be great. It was beautiful, clean, views great, and nice central location. The only drawback is that it's sooooo big that it can take 10 minutes of walking just to leave the hotel to go to the strip. Stay in one place wherever you go!

I would NOT rent a car...I found buying a bus ticket that was good for 24 hrs worked the best. It goes up and down the strip all the way up to Freemont Street (which I would recommend to do one night)

Staying in Vegas for a few days is the right amount of time...it is so fun that it can be exhausting!!

We took a Hoover Dam tour on a bus and it was preferable over driving ourselves. The Dam is ok and is almost one of those things you have to do... Also, in a year or so you won't be able to stand on the Dam anymore because of a bypass over the top that they're building (for security reasons?). It's a whole day committment, though.

We were disappointed going to the Follies Bergre (at Tropicanna) the oldest revue...hokey songs, dance, etc. They were topless, but it was no big deal b/c these dancer's bodies were flat! If you want burlesque, go to something a little more sensual. Whatever you go to get a discount!

Have fun!

Length of time seems about right.

MGM was awesome. Nice room. Great hotel. Great location. Easy access.

You asked in later post about day trip to Grand Canyon. That is really NOT a day trip in my book. YOu could stop at Hoover Dam on the way, but Its roughly about five hours from Vegas to Grand Canyon, if I remember correctly. If you're going to do that, spend the night at Grand Canyon so you can catch sunset and sunrise next morning.

I would NOT split your stay between two hotels. We did that, staying at MGM for two nights and moved to Sams Town for the third because the price difference was so significant. It was a pain and more trouble than the cost difference was worth.

Vegas is unlike anywhere else. Enjoy the WOW factor like all firsttimers do!

Hey Stu! This is your third "first trip to Vegas" since November. What's up with that?!