A few months ago I asked for assistance regarding my June Vegas plans and many of you were very helpful. Here are a few highlights from my trip (June 2 - June 5):

Thursday morning arrival: There's hotel check-in for Bally's/Caesar's/Paris at the airport (behind Carousel 1). I recommend using this service because it was quick and we didn't have to stand in a huge line at the hotel later that afternoon.

Rented a car and drove to Lake Mead. There's a paddleboat cruise around the lake that also goes to Hoover Dam. The catch is that you see the rear of the Dam so in my opinion, it wasn't too eventful. Overall, it was pretty laid back and is a good way to relax before battling the Strip I recommend grabbing a bite to eat prior to the 1.5 hour cruise. There's hot dogs, pizza and sandwiches (along with a bar) available for purchase but I would prefer eating at a fast food place. There are several options in town (Lake Mead is located in Boulder City).

Lake Mead is part of the National Park Service and we had to pay $5 to enter the park (it's good for five days I believe). After the cruise, we drove around the park which was beautiful. If we had more time, we would have definitely returned on a separate day. We took great pictures and would have liked to go to the beach. But the focus of the trip was not to go camping but to hit the Strip!!!

Arrived at Bally's later in the afternoon.
Although we had checked in at the airport, we still had to pick up the room keys because one room was not available. We initially declined the option to upgrade to a renovated room --- BIG mistake...Our original rooms were in the South Tower and we had views of Paris' pool. Unfortunately, the room's furniture and carpeting were very worn and the lighting was poor. We were celebrating my birthday and I don't think I could have stayed there for 3 straight nights (regardless of how little time I would be in the room). We transferred to the North Tower where the rooms were renovated and 100% better. Our entire group agreed that it was the best $20/night that we had ever spent. I would say that the South Tower rooms were comparable to a 1980's motel room where the renovated rooms were more like Marriott.

After freshening up in our new, clean room...we took the bus downtown to gamble and see the Freemont Street light show. I hadn't visited Vegas in over 5 years and I didn't realize all of the changes (new construction -- condos are going up EVERYWHERE) that had taken place. The bus was a quick cheap way of seeing the Strip and I would recommend using the service or take a cab. We had a car but there's alot of traffic and most of us were drinking so we left the car at the valet.

My report is getting a little too long (and I've only discussed day 1) so here's a quick summary...

Shows: A few members of my group saw Gladys Knight at the Flamingo. It was a good show although it's not necessary to buy the $80++ seats. The showroom is pretty small so I don't think there's a bad seat in the house (plus, the Friday night show was not sold out). Gladys Knight has such a strong/beautiful voice, her band was good and she seemed to enjoy performing for the limited crowd.

Cheap gambling: There weren't serious gamblers in our group but for us cheapskates, we recommend the casinos on Fremont Street or Barbary Coast --I also found a $1 roulette table at the Palms which surprised me.

Bally's --- Overall, FANTASTIC LOCATION. I stayed there years ago and I didn't remember how convenient it was to the entire strip. There's underground access to Paris (as a Bally's guest you can use the services (spa/pool/room charge) at Paris. The hotel is across the street from Bellagio and Caesars. We also thought it was easy to walk to the south part of the Strip (MGM, NYNY) but the monorail is also available. There are numerous taxis and bus stops right outside so if you don't stay in the South Tower rooms, I would recommend Bally's at anytime. There were several bars, restaurants and shops right on location. Bally's is not a themed hotel so don't expect waterfalls, nightclubs, pirate shows, etc but all of these activities are close by. The service was good also. Some employees were more outgoing than others but overall, it was good solid service by the valet, front desk, maids, restaurant staff. If we were paying
Bellagio prices, we would have expected more butt kissing The pool and pool bar was okay. We visited later on Saturday afternoon. Some places weren't as clean (spilled drinks, dirty towels) as they could have been but there were employees trying to clean things up. I doubt this would be a problem if we had gone to the pool earlier in the day. Once again, there weren't any bells and whistles but if you want to simply layout in the sun or go for a quick swim, this pool will do. I didn't think it was as pretty as Monte Carlo's. The advantage is that there is a deep end -8ft??)

Paris Hotel: On Friday, I had a massage and Mud Wrap at the Mandara Spa -it was my birthday!! I enjoyed the services (although cleaning up after the mud wrap was time consuming). This was only my second spa experience so there wasn't much for me to compare against. Overall, the staff and facilities were nice.

Strip hotels: Most of us had visited Vegas in the past so there were only a few new hotels that we wanted to visit (Aladdin, Wynn and Palms). Aladdin --- we liked the Desert Passage mall but many of the stores are typical of an every day mall. Of course, the boutique stores were fun to visit although I would never consider buying anything there ---I guess that's why it's called window shopping. Wynn --- . We only saw the common grounds but it is a beautiful hotel. Very much like the Bellagio (yes, I know they have the same owner). Very close to the Fashion Show Mall. Palms --- Very fun....I was surprised by the wood floors in the casino and the number of seniors who were gambling there. I imagined a young, hip clientale (I watched too many episodes of The Real World). There's a movie theater and "traditional" food court (McDonalds, subs/sandwiches, chinese food) so I would definitely consider staying there. Plus, I won $80 so it made for a quick, profitable afternoon visit. I didn't get to the nightclubs or bars so I can't comment on them.

Nightclubs: Most of our evenings were at the hotel bars (free entertainment and incredible people watching) but we did go to the nightclub "Pure" at Caesars Palace. Overall, it was a nice, chic club which played techno, r&b, rap, and pop in different rooms. Of course, all of the women were thin, young and beautiful and the men were watching their every move. The drinks were overpriced (but isn't everything on the Strip). The club closed late (after 5am), the music was good, it was great that you could come and go if you had a stamp on your hand--- overall, everyone had fun...

Food: This is perhaps the most uneventful part of my trip. It's not anyone's fault but my own but we really didn't eat at the great restaurant locations in Vegas. There are numerous choices and we planned to dine at a couple of the better known spots, but somehow, it never fit into our schedule. Bally's had a couple of good sandwich shops (Noches ?? and Johnny's), Paris's Le Cafe de St. Louis was relatively good for a 24 hour restaurant (plus the service was really good). We wanted to eat at Mon Ami Gabi but there was a 2 hour wait on a Saturday night. For lunch, we at at a restaurant in Aladdin called "The Cheeseburger Oasis". From the advertisments, we thought it would have the juiciest, tastiest burgers on earth ---WRONG...The burgers and fries were bland and dry. We were disappointed but it was lunch. Fortunately, most of us live in Minneapolis so we can partake in a good dining experience right in our own backyard.

Overall, it was a good trip although I'm not in a rush to return. Our last visit to Vegas was 5 years ago and alot has changed in that time ---more people, construction, obnoxious behavior. Perhaps our prospective has changed because now most of us girls are in our early 30's versus the wild 20's. Oh well

Thanks for the report. I notice that a lot of people spend WAY too much time obsessing about the food in Vegas. If you live in an area that is a vast dining wasteland then I understand, but if you don't, and you are gonna make your vacation all about the food, then why not JUST STAY HOME and go restaurant hopping? Why miss all the sights and sounds of Vegas just to stand in line for a meal?

Great report, honest and down to earth.

Joesource, I couldn't agree with you more.

IMO people are way too obsessed with food.
As you said, unless one lives in a vast dining wasteland,
food to us is a means to refuel and recharge our batteries
to see and do more.
We can indulge at home.

JMO (and joes )

Indulging on food in Vegas in much cheaper than comparable indulgence where I live (NYC) so I really do look forward to dining there. When I'm home, I can cook great meals in my kitchen but have to eat out in Vegas, but why eat hamburgers when there are so many great choices? If you're going to eat burgers in Vegas, at least go to In and Out or Fatburger, especially if you live in the East.

Just an observation, but I think it really stinks that you had to pay *extra* not to have an unacceptable room!! Am I alone in this opinion? If the room was that sub-standard, they have no business trying to rent it out at all!!

socialworker - The quality of a room is quite subjective, but lower quality, inexpensive rooms abound all over the country, including in Vegas. Not everyone can afford more luxury, and these lower end rooms are an option for those who can't afford to spend more or prefer to put their money toward something other than their room.

It's certainly not a crime for a hotel to offer both low end and higher end rooms in the same hotel, and at two different prices. I'm certain that plenty of people stay in the South tower rooms there and are satisfied that they've gotten a room worth what they've paid for it. I just think it's great that an upgrade option was available to grouptravel that satisfied them all for it's price-perceived value ratio.

Grouptravel-
Happy birthday!! I'm glad to hear your trip was enjoyable.

Here's a few comments I have. First, Bellagio is no longer owned by Steve Wynn, but was designed and built by him. (Small distinction, but some have said the service has slipped at the Bellagio since Wynn sold.)

Second, I found your comments about the Palms interesting. Did you go during the day? It's really a different group of people at night. The movie theater/ food court is a hangout for local teens and the other side of the casino is completely filled with people going "clubbin". During the day though, it really is mostly older people and families. Here's an indicator of a healty night life - we tried to eat at Garduno's there (New Mexican food - I highly recommend it) at 10pm and it was a 1 hour wait for a table.

Do you remember how much the paddleboat ride was on Lake Mead? Did they do the tour guide thing or was it more just sitting and enjoying the view?

Thanks for the great trip report!

HI jlm_mi--my point was not that low priced rooms and the lesser quality of them are inherently unacceptable, if that was the understanding one had when one made their plans. However, I got the impression that this person received a kind of "bait and switch" treatment where they were, in effect, shaken down--to put it a little dramatically--to pay extra in order to have an *acceptable* room. After all, they were not checking into a Motel 6 or some other bargain basement chain....

Bally's is known to be one of the lower end hotels on the strip. And "acceptable" is totally a matter of opinion. It's common practice in Vegas, and probably elsewhere, to offer upgrades to higher quality rooms at checkin when the guest has reserved a lower end room.

The upgraded room was described as a "renovated" room. There is a great difference between unrenovated and unacceptable. Hotels have always charged more for renovated rooms. However, if you want to keep the cost down, you may opt for one that has not yet been renovated. This is not "bait & switch"; they were not "shaken down" to pay an additional $20 per night. They made a choice.

GREAT burger place on Tropicana, I think. It's a western themed hotel, very old and looked to have NEVER been renovated. $1.99 for a burger & fries combo, and it was terrific!

Thanks for a good trip report. LOVE LV!

I guess I was unaware that one could/should expect to receive a "shabby" room there. Good to know for future reference....

Nice report, thank you, GroupTravel, sure I'll be in Vegas at some point and this report will be helpful, and not only for me. Glad you had great time there.

Leona - Are you thinking of the Wild Wild West?

Yes, I think that's the one. We actually stopped there on the way to the airport. It was super!

Maybe they have just one shabby room that they send everyone to, knowing that they can then get $20 per night more out of them for a regular room?

Bally's website says nothing of good rooms and bad, no choice of standard or deluxe and makes it look like all rooms are of deluxe quality. I agree, you should have refused the room and asked for another without having to "upgrade" for $20

You did not book a substandard room.

Other hotels offer standard or deluxe, if you choose standard you should expect something not-so-stellar I suppose.

Jbee --- to answer your questions. I believe the cost was approx. $20/adult. However, if you go to Lakemeadcruises.com, you can print off a coupon and recieve $2 off per person. There was a pretape recording that was played during the cruise which provided information about Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and Vegas. I'm sure if you want more details, the staff would have been happy to offer the information.

Honestly, our group didn't feel as though we were "taken advantage of" by having to pay for the room upgrade. We booked our rooms online and they were listed as a standard room. I agree that some individuals definition of "standard" is different than others and we weren't happy with the standard rooms offered at Ballys. Perhaps some of you more "experienced" travelers could have pressured the hotel to offer the upgraded rooms at no add'l cost but we didn't. We were happier with the new room and didn't have a problem paying the add'l cost.

I forgot to address another question: Yes, we went to the Palm's on Sunday afternoon which could be why the clientale was older. I'm sure we would have had a different opinion if we were there on a Friday/Saturday. From what I saw, I would consider staying there because of the amenities.