Tell Me About Las Vegas
 

Wondering if anyone would be able to share some info on Las Vegas. I'm looking for a good place to get package deals as well as opinions on the best places to say, shows to see, etc.

My husband and I are looking for a short get away and have never been to Vegas. We are in our early thirtys and are thinking 3/4 days, no car, on the strip in a nice hotel. We aren't big gamblers or partiers, but are interested in seeing some shows, eating a few good meals (although we are by no means foodies) and just perusing the "over the topness" of Vegas. Any thoughts/opinions are appreciated.

Do a search. Just type in Las Vegas in the search box. There must be 200 threads about las vegas. Most of your questions will be answered.

I went to Vegas for the first time a month ago for a friend's wedding. We stayed at the Mandalay Bay - I highly recommend it. It's at the end of the strip, but there is a free mono-rail that takes you up to the Excaliber. From there we walked all over the place. Bring your walking shoes!
We're not gamblers either. We visited the shark tank at Mandalay, and walked through most of the hotels/casinos - Bellagio & Venetian are a must see.
We had dinner at Delmonico in the Venetian - my fillet was wonderful.
If you have time, go down to the Hoover Dam. We didnt get a chance to.

We have found SouthWest Airlines Vacations have the most reasonable packages. The Flamingo Hotel is very central on the strip and mid priced.

The evenings and nights are wonderful on the strip.......food is good and plentiful in all the newer casinos so you have no worry about what you can explore into.

If your not gamblers sometimes the wonder is to rent a car and head out to the dessert for a few hours in the daytime. Hoover Dam is a good idea but so is Fire Valley and the ancient villages that you'll come across. Just a drive up into the mountains (very different experience from driving in the mountains of B.C.).

Your hotel will have maps and be able to show you where to go for lovely views.

The first time we were in Vegas (a few years back) there was a big sports event happening so we would drive out for the day and always be back to enjoy the game on the large screen tv's in Caesars Palace where the buffet dinners where spectacular.

It will be an adventure no matter what you choose to do (a helicopter ride down into the Grand Canyon is a thrill...lunch and champagne on the bottom!). Go enjoy!!! A first visit to Vegas is always a great time.

I would not choose Mandalay Bay for a first time visitor, while it's a very nice hotel it is simply too far down the strip. Try for a more central location, we normally stay at the Mirage or Treasure Island but have pretty much stayed at all the hotels at one time or another.

Center strip hotels depend on your budget, there are the Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn's and Caesar's which are more expensive most of the time, then there are the more mid-range hotels like Mirage, TI, Paris. A bit lower in price (usually) are Flamingo, Bally's, Harrah's. I'd totally avoid places like Imperial Palace (super dump), Tropicana (too far down strip), Frontier (dump), Riviera (not good anymore). The Monte Carlo is a decent hotel but with the construction going on next door not sure I'd choose it right now. Personally I would not stay at the Luxor, again too far down the Strip for me. The MGM Grand is a place you could consider if the price was right -again, not my favorite, but it's OK. NYNY is and OK hotel but the noise from the rollar coaster can be bad if your room faces the front.

Being Center Strip allows you to walk in either direction easily and the Strip is simply easier to walk then any other way of getting around.

Many times you can get better rates from the hotel itself then packages, you need to check websites constantly. If the rate you book goes down call and have it lowered. If you are an Auto Club member some (not all) hotels will take 10% discount if you show them your card (and if the rate is not a package or promotional rate). We use our AAA card at the Mirage and TI often. SW Airlines has decent packages, but I have noticed their hotel rates are generally the same as the hotel websites.

There is so much info on Vegas out there that it is impossible to cover it all on this board. If you have specific questions do not hesitate to ask tho.

As a frequent visitor to Vegas I would say I think the monorail is useless, it runs too far behind the major strip hotels to be of any value (it is also expensive). There is a bus (Duece) that runs on the strip ($2/ride or $5 day) that stops in front of the major hotels. There is a FREE tram between Mirage and TI, also FREE tram from Mand. Bay-Luxor-Excaliber.

I forgot to mention, regarding shows simply go to the hotel website and book via them, it is all very easy. You can pick your tickets up at the "will call" window before the show. "Best" shows is relative, it depends on what you think of as "best". Me - I am not fond of Cirque de Soliel and the city is full of those shows. The new one "Love", is at the Mirage (based on Beatles music). I saw it in Oct. and would recommend sitting in the mid-range seats, too close is too close for that show. Phantom of the Opera is at the Venetian, it is a spectacular production and even if you have seen the show before (I have many times)) it is still very enjoyable. The special effects, the theater, the chandelier, etc. are all fantastic. For magic Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo is good (very low-key, down home kind of guy). Gordie Brown is an impressionist/comedian who is at the Venetian. He is very good. Shows like Elton John, Celine Dion and Barry Manilow are pretty expensive and to me you have to be real fond of them to want to spend that much :-) Again, it is a personal opionion. You just need to decide what you want to see, "headliners", Cirque, magic, revues and go from there.

Great advice Lori!
I would stay center strip as well. My personal choice would be the Venetian or Bellagio which as luck would have it are the only two 5 star hotels listed on priceline for the strip which makes bidding priceline very easy. (5* only!!! www.biddingfortravel.com for help bidding on priceline.
We did use the monorail but found it just as Lori said...expensive and out of the way unless you are staying at one of the stops.
Also agree with timlin as to the drive out of the city. We went to Hoover Dam then down to Kingman where we took Route 66 through Oatman (a wonderful town with wild mules and lots of interesting stores) thwen back to Vegas. It took about 7 hours to do the trip but it was well worth the trip and Route 66 really has some great views in the hills.
Have fun!

I do not gamble nor an I a big partier, so I am like you on those two fronts. I went to Vegas for the Elton John show, stayed at TI, shopped at Bellagio, Caeser's, Luxor, etc. Usually, I like unique cities and I really love good theming, and I also thought I'd like Vegas for the shopping and food. Good show, but I really did not like Vegas at all, and it was the same for the friend who was with me. Crowds and sensory overload everywhere you go on the strip. I was so ready to get out of there after two nights, I ran screaming to the airport.

I am going to a resort in Utah next week and am flying in to LV and staying one night before meeting up w/the same friend as last time to drive into Utah the next day. I couldn't stand the strip last time so I am staying in a hotel by the airport and not going near the strip this time.

So just be aware that you might get there and get tired of the hustle, glitz, and sensory overload quickly. Not everyone ends up loving Vegas. I don't think I could have known I would have this reaction til I went there.

I can't tell you about Las Vegas becuz I signed the contract that "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" Sorry and have fun!

Here is another vote for the Mirage. I go every year and stay there (I'll be leaving again in 2 weeks!) Maybe you should cosider seeing a Cirque de Soleil show like Mystere (at treasure island) or O at the Bellagio. I've seen both and enjoyed them. There are other Cirque shows as well.

I love Vegas, but I'm also a big gambler. There is a lot to do besides gambling though. You can spend forever just walking the strip and seeing the hotels. If you stop in the Venetian you can take a gondola ride, see the tigers at the mirage, watch the fountains at Bellagio and definitely go into their atrium, shop at Caesars forum shops, see the lions at MGM, etc. Check out the new Wynn hotel too.

Have a great trip!

No one has mentioned "over the topness" as in topless. My husband and I went one year ago and thought about going to the topless show at the Tropicana, but ended up going for the edgier "Skin" show at Harrah's. It was all couples, not a peep show and it was very good. We also went to a Cirque du Soleil show (we saw Ka) and enjoyed it very much, if you've never seen Cirque du Soleil I recommend one, you'll wonder who thought of these unusual gymnastics incorporated into a story.

We stayed at Wynn, which is way down the strip, but it's very nice and there's great shopping across the street.

Actually the Folies Bergiere show at the Trop is one of (if not the) best show of that type on the Strip.

I highly recomment the following websites. You will find tons of information on everything Las Vegas.

www.cheapovegas.com. This website has reviews of hotels, hotel rooms, hotel service, casinos, buffets, restaurants, etc. with an eye on value.

www.ratelasvegas.com. This website has customer ratings and reviews of hotels, restuarants, buffets, and shows.

www.lasvegas.com. This site has basic information about everything from hotels to transportation to day trips beyond Las Vegas.

Good luck and have a great time.

Of course, I did do a search and read many things before posting this message. I am new to the US boards but have been on the Europe boards for years.

Thanks so much for all of your replys. Very useful information. I'll look to stay in the center of the strip. Great tips. Any other ideas welcome. I can't wait to go!

My favorite place to stay is the Venetian. You can get a decent rate if you stay during the week but the rates can be pretty obscene on Fri & Sat nights unless you book a long time in advance. It is a beautiful property plus it is at a great location on the strip. I love the Cirque de Soliel shows so I'd lean that direction for a show. I also agree with the Hoover Dam suggestion which you still wouldn't need a car if you took one of the 1/2 day tours out of LV. Have fun!!!

I've been to Vegas several times and would recommend staying central strip. Paris is great, eat at Monami Gabi and sit outside (if it is not to cold) and watch the foundations at the Bellagio and watch as people walk by on the strip. There is a mall next door at the Aladdin, eat dinner or lunch at Max's at the back of the mall, $3.99 lunch specials and $6.99 dinner - great food! Have a great time.

I stayed at Bally's 2 years ago, and spent a lot of time at Paris and Alladin. Also, liked Mon Ami Gabi, the 24 hour cafe and the crepe place at Paris. I didn't eat at the buffett, although I've heard it's very good.
I also would pick Center Strip, or the north part of south strip (NYNY & MGM as my south most locations).

On a return trip from Zion and Bryce, my husband booked a Las Vegas Hotel through one of those general discount Vegas reservation phone numbers. The room was so inexpensive, I was unhappy and sulking, thinking it was going to be awful. It was a room at Bally's and it was a gorgeous, huge, deluxe room on the quietest floor imaginable - we think it was because we asked for non-smoking! The location was perfect - it adjoined Paris (which has an amazing breakfast buffet!) and we could walk everywhere. The concierge helped us locate a perfect restaurant for dinner and also advised us about shows and arranged the tickets. I hate Vegas but we really did have a fun night there!

Southwest does have some decent packages. Depends on where you are coming from whether they beat getting air and hotel separately. From Kansas City, our home, it's always been less expensive to buy plane tickets and hotel separately. For Flamingo, Ballys, Paris, Rio, Harrahs, check out special room rates at http://www.harrahs.com. Look for the "Hot Deals" section and click on "other hot deals." Unless you qualify for a casino rate, the specials they offer on-line are, I believe, the best you'll find. You can check out the MGM hotels (MGM, Bellagio, Mirage, etc.) at http://www.mgmgrand.com which has links to the other hotels. Rates vary tremendously from one day to another, one week to another, for the same room. We like the central strip, Bellagio - Ceasars Palace - Flamingo - Bally's corner, and stay at the Flamingo for price and location when we're not staying at our Hilton Grand Vacations Club timeshare. Bellagio is beautiful. Other people like the Venetian better, and don't mind the walk - some even consider the Venetian to be "central strip." Our favorite shows are "O" and Mystere. Good luck, have fun, sign up for all the players clubs, and don't take anything in Vegas seriously (except your safety).