Vegas for a Parisian
 

My friend from Paris will be visiting the states sometime between September and November. He is flying into Minnesota, and has his heart set on seeing Las Vegas while he is here. I have never been there myself. It seems there are a ton of packages on the internet that include hotel and air, and some with a few shows, but I'm not familiar at all with the city or any of the hotels and the price ranges between them are pretty wide. Cost is, of course, importance, but since this is probably a one-time trip, it's more important to me that it's some place that's closer to the high end than the low end and that he has a good experience there. For you that have been there, would you recommend a certain location or a certain hotel for two newbies? It would be preferable if we could get by without a car -- is the city mostly walkable or at least taxi-able? Is it relatively safe at night? Any suggestions or links to existing threads that cover a lot of this would be appreciated! It's hard to know where to start when it's a total unknown to me. Thanks!

For ease of walking from place to place, book a room mid-Strip, such as Caesar's, Bally's, Monte Carlo, and Paris.

A hotel and air package would be a good deal if you get a hotel located mid-Strip.

If you plan your visit for Sunday-Thursday, rooms are MUCH cheaper, unless there is a big convention in town.

Visit sites devoted to Las Vegas travel for information about the shows that will be playing while you're in town: http://www.lvchamber.com/home.html

I would recommend staying mid Strip also. The 4 hotels at the intersection that is generally considered most central are Bally's, Caesars, Bellagio and the Flamingo/Bill's. Out of those four hotels, the Bellagio is the nicest (and priciest).

By the "city" being walkable - do you mean the entire city, or just where the casinos (Strip and Downtown) are? If you plan to stick to the casinos, I don't really see the need for a car.

As far as it being safe at night, if you mean around the casinos and resorts, then it's safe.

For mid-strip locations, I think the Paris is the nicest hotel with the lowest price. At the higher end, the Venetian is also central and a great place to stay (rooms are suites with a living room area as well as bedroom area). Very unusual, very comfortable. Check out vegas-promotions.com. The site has a lot of hotel info and good deals. cheapovegas.com also has some unusual and interesting hotel info. I've always made my own air/hotel reservations separately as I've managed to find better deals that way. If you like Cirque du Soleil, I highly recommend O at the Bellagio. The stage/pool was specially constructed for the show, so you won't see it anywhere else. Another very unusual Vegas attraction is/are the roller coasters on top of and out and over the Stratosphere Hotel (near downtown). I wouldn't go near them, but my friend just got back and loved them. You only need a car for the Hoover Dam, and you could probably find a tour for that. Have fun!

I think it would be ironic to take an actual Parisian to stay at the Paris hotel in Vegas. Can you imagine? I guess it depends on your friend's sense of humor or lack of one. I would recommend the Venetian, it is impressive and just a little further from "home". If you get my drift. I would also recommend the "O" show at the Mirage, dinner and the fountains at Bellagio...book in advance if you want a view of the show during dinner. Vegas strip area is walkable, as long as you take it in bits and pieces. Taxis abound. Go downtown one night for the light show, fun. But, don't stay to gamble...its a bit yucky! Have fun.

If you can get a good deal and/or a room with a good view, I would recommend Planet Hollywood. We loved it, mainly because of the fact that from our room, we could see the Paris balloon, the Eiffel Tower, and the Bellagio fountains. Awesome view!

Yes, you have to take him to the Paris hotel and casino. I'm sure he'll get a kick out of the whole place. Plus, it is the only place to get a good croissant. There is a great little bakery/coffee shop on the main floor where we would get pastries for breakfast every morning. So if that interests you, I would stay at Paris or near there. Paris is in a great location. You can see the Bellagio fountains across the street and it is in the middle of the strip.

No one (practically) gets a car when there. The airport is very close to the strip and everything is walkable. Just have very comfortable shoes. The next casino down will look like it is right there, but it is probably a half mile away.

You can spend a few days just walking the strip and seeing what there is to see. You have to go into every casino and see what their theme is. Many of the casinos have things you can do or see inside the casino. Mandalay Bay has a great aquarium:

http://www.mandalaybay.com/entertainment/sharkreef.aspx

The place is safe at night because Vegas never sleeps. There is always a crowd at anytime of day or night.

Definitely try to see "O". It was very cool. Get tickets for that now. They are pricey, but I think worth it. Plus Vegas is cost effective in other ways. If you are gambling, drinks are free. And every casino has a promotion of some sort.

There are free shows that you won't want to miss. The Treasure Island Pirate show, the erupting volcano at Mirage, and the fountains at Bellagio to name a few. These are all outdoor things that you can see at certain times of the day. Check the hotel websites for times.

In fact, I would recommend checking every website of every hotel along the strip. See what they have to offer and sort of plan your walking around time accordingly.

You might also want to learn a few games to play if you aren't familiar. Pai Gow Poker is a favorite of mine. You can usually play for awhile if the minimums are low. Let It Ride is another you can play for awhile if the minimum is $5. And don't be intimidated by the poker rooms. We spent most of our Vegas trip last time in the Monte Carlo poker room. I think we played 2-4 limit hold em. Basically it means that every time the deal made its way all around the table, we had to put in $4 once and $2 once. And if we wanted to bet, there was structured betting with maximums. Anyway, basically you were on the hook for $6 about every half an hour and could do what you want in the meantime. They will let you watch to get the hang of it and the dealers and players were really nice about helping you out. It was very fun.

Check out the Flamingo or Harrahs. If you are on a budget these would be good places to check out and theycentrally located on the Strip. An alternative to "O" would be Le Reve at the Wynn. IMHO it is so much better then "O". Theatre in the round (no bad seats) and more reasonable prices. Another good website to check out is www.VEGAS.com.

I second Planet Hollywood. Great location, great price

kelliebellie - if you like croissants, you need to try Payard's at Caesar's Palace. The best croissant I have ever had (along with other great pastries, desserts).

Mmmm...pastries. I will try to remember that for our next visit. We haven't been for ages. I need to get my roulette-crazy mother-in-law on board for another trip soon.

Sorry I meant "LOVE" not "O", as a show recommendation. Theatre in the round, cirque de solei and Beatles music. FABULOUS!! At Mirage.

I agree 100% with the comment that kelliebellie made about Paris Las Vegas.

I also agree that it would be a bit ironic to take your friend there, but his would not be the first (native speaker) French that I heard there. But if he doesn't have a good sense of humor then he probably wouldn't appreciate Vegas no matter where you went.

You can get a taxi to Paris for about $12. The shared ride vans would be $6 each.

Yes, Planet Hollywood would also be a good choice. It would be better for a couple of single guys than Flamingo.

mrwunrfl!!
"...But if he doesn't have a good sense of humor he probably won't appreciate Vegas no matter where he went..."
OMG I almost chortled aloud. Funny stuff there! So true, that is the point of Vegas right?
It's a joke, a fantasy.
" Adult Disneystyle entertainment on crack with stripper poles and giant "Wheel of Fortune" machines, all plopped down in the middle of the desert where no people would ever live by choice, without the lure of winning big $$$ and seeing Hef and the "Girls Nextdoor" over at the Palms!!

Exactly!

Rio would also be a good choice, and tho it is not on the strip they have free shuttles.

Kherman

Just my little ole 2 cents....

MLT/Champion air has packages to Las Vegas. Check out their website.
I vote for Bally's. It's a great hotel not too huge and it's right on the strip. I did like Planet Hollywood too, but very expensive.
You must take your friend Donwtown Vegas too.

Have a great time and if your friend has time bring him to Detroit! And you all can go over to Windsor Canada too.

Theresa