Vegas?

hz80408 · January 2011

So DH and I have a few US cities that we've never been too (or atleast never been to together) and Vegas is one of them.

This morning I had the crazy idea of surprising him with a trip to Vegas for our 25th bdays (our bdays are 5 days apart).

So, who has been to Vegas and where have you stayed?

I know it depends on your preference, but do you think 3 days (Th-Sun) is enough time there? What would you say an average meal (not McDonalds but not 5-course either) costs?

I debated btwn NYC (I've been twice and love it, he's never been) and Vegas, but from a quick Orbitz search, NYC would be double Vegas flight+hotel cost

nfp147 · January 2011

We went to Vegas for our honeymoon in October. We stayed at the Monte Carlo. The rooms are clean and very average. The hotel's in a good spot on the Strip. My parents just returned from Vegas and stayed at the brand new Vdara. They loved it and their room pictures looked great.

We paid $1000 round trip with taxes, etc. for 4 nights. We also flew out of Syracuse, NY, so you'd likely get a better deal out of Chicago.

We're foodies, so our average meal price was likely more than most people like to spend. But, you really can find anything ranging from McDonald's to a high priced dinner.

Tisharp · January 2011

I went to Vegas for the first time, just a few years ago. I can't remember the name of the hotel, but I don't think it's there anymore anyway. It was on Freemont, not on the Strip.

Three days is technically enough time, but we went for 3 days and I really wished it had been more like 5. There's just SO MUCH to see.

We saw one of the Cirque Du Soleil shows and it was really fun. I think we saw Mystere (I think that was the name of it).

hz80408 · January 2011

Nice, thanks! For the dates I'm looking at, it was a lot cheaper than I expected! I recognize some hotel names, like Excalibur, and that was $360/person including flight, which seemed really good!

I'll have to look into the hotels you recommended and see how their pricing compares.

I hope this isn't just a lofty idea and is actually somethign I could afford to do

ead1975 · January 2011

We went a few years ago, and we stayed at the MGM Grand. I liked it - the room was fairly spacious and clean, and it was one of the very few places on the strip that didn't try to sell you something the minute you set foot in the place. There are always deals, too, so sign up for their newsletter. I think we paid $149/night for a junior suite.

My inlaws go all the time, and they've stayed at a few different places. They like Mandalay Bay and Caesar's best. Caesar's is a little more centrally located on the strip than MB or MGM.

We were only there three days, and it was plenty, but we really only focused on the strip. We had really bad luck with food, though, so I can't help there. We did have the most amazing breakfast at the Venetian - the waffles were to.die.for. Seriously.

Honestly, Vegas is one of the most surreal places I've ever been. I stepped off the plane into the airport and immediately thought, "yeah. This is why the rest of the world hates us." heh.

Edited to add - Be sure to read all of the hotel reviews really carefully. Some of those hotels you recognize have been around for ages, and haven't been upgraded. In particular, a friend of mine stayed at the Excalibur a couple of years ago, and she said it was a dump. They are also constantly tearing down old hotels and building new ones, and the newer ones often have really good deals.

kjhharris · January 2011

I've been a number of times, and stayed lots of places (it's only a 5 hour drive from San Diego), and my best friend got married at Bellagio, so we went out a few times for planning.... Synopsis of places:

Circus Circus - awful, never stay there again. Crappy rooms, far from everything (only stayed there because it was for New Years Eve and everything else was exorbinant)

Hilton - not awful, not great. Probably better now that the Star Trek thing is gone, but not a great location.

Bally's - good location, affordable rooms, but rooms are nothing special

Caesar's Palace - nice rooms, nice casino, good location, a bit pricey

Venetian - great location, gorgeous rooms, not cheap. Great casino. Spa was so-so - didn't live up to the hype

MGM - good location, affordable rooms, good (not great) rooms... I'd stay here again. Spa was nice.

The Signature - attached to MGM but doesn't have casinos in it's downstairs section - GORGEOUS rooms that weren't exorbitant. Would stay here again in a heart beat.

I've seen the rooms at Paris, and they're quite lovely, and it's a great location; the City Walk is supposed to be very, very nice and decently priced as it's brand new. Wynn is pretty pricey, as is Bellagio.

For me, 3 days is more than enough. You can walk the strip, watch the Bellagio fountain show, ride the roller coaster at New York, New York...

I'd definitely try to get in to a Cirque du Soleil show - I really enjoyed "O" (which is at Bellagio) and Ka (which is at MGM), but wasn't a huge fan of Zumanity (at NY, NY).

You can find food for breakfast/lunch for ~$15-$40, depending on what you're looking for. MGM has a sandwich shop that's great for lunch. I LOVE getting crepes for breakfast/lunch at Paris - it's not super expensive and what's not to love?

I'd splurge on a nice dinner at one of the hotels (there are TONS of choices), but I'd budget $100-$250, depending on what your food and drink preferences are (1-2 cocktails each, vs. 3-4 cocktails each vs. bottle of wine)....

The nightclubs are kind of what you'd expect - I've done Ghost Bar at The Palms (circa 2003 in its hay-day) which was nice, one at the MGM (it was fine, but nothing to rave about or I'd pay admission for), and Club Dre's (the after-party location, located in the Barbary Coast).

Let me know if you have other questions...

hz80408 · January 2011

Wow, thanks for all of the input, especially the list of hotels Kenna! I'll definitely research and be in contact!

hutchsl · January 2011

If you go and do not get/find cheap attraction tickets before getting there, 1/2 price tickets for the day of the show are sold for a good number of the shows on the strip. There are two places on the strip that sell them. We went to a couple extra shows after finding this since option.

Patineuse1124 · January 2011

hutchsl:
If you go and do not get/find cheap attraction tickets before getting there, 1/2 price tickets for the day of the show are sold for a good number of the shows on the strip. There are two places on the strip that sell them. We went to a couple extra shows after finding this since option.

I was just thinking this. We got cheap tickets to Cirque du Soleil and Blue Man Group this way.

We stayed at the Hilton and the Luxor. I wasn't impressed by either and if I went to Vegas again I'd stay somewhere more central on the strip. The Bellagio was our favorite casino, mainly b/c the air filtration system there seemed to be the best and cigarette smoke really bothers me (which is why I'm in no rush to go back to Vegas). The Bellagio also had a very yummy gelato shop in it. I think 3 days is enough, unless you want to squeeze in a few day trips, like to the Grand Canyon, in which case you may want to go for a longer period.

Sapphire1002 · January 2011

I think 3 days is plenty of time.. though it is so much fun, it's definitely "sensory overload" in some ways. As PP mentioned, if you wanted to do other things outside of Vegas (Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, etc), then tack on another day or so. Definitely try to get tickets in advance.. I saw "Blue Man Group" an "KA" and really enjoyed both.

In terms of hotels:

The Hotel @ Mandalay Bay - pricier than regular Mandalay Bay, but nice. You're at the end of the Strip x from MGM, but next door to Luxor.

Venetian - lovely, lovely rooms and it can be pricey. I loved the location and have stayed here twice.

Wynn/Encore - this was near the other end of the Strip (by Trump), but x from the mall. It was pretty much connected to Palazzo/Venetian and close to Treasure Island, The Mirage and liked it b/c it was a bit quieter.

Last time we were there, I think we spent about $2k (including airfare, hotel, meals, shows, cabs, etc).

Have fun!

heathbar10210 · January 2011

I went some years ago and stayed at New York New York. I loved it! The hotel was awesome and the rooms were very nice

) Of course I have not been there in some time so it may be a little different now. Happy vacation hunting!

campergrlsugar · January 2011

We went to vegas in May and loved it...the weather was gorgeous...we stayed at harrahs and I totally would NOT recommend it....the service was terrible and we had no internet! I had an emergency at work and they actually told me to go to mcdonalds and use their internet LOL now thats nuts..

Paris is Beautiful it is a really fun city.....we would go back but only spend 3-4 days...if you do go to vegas...i highly recommend you rent a car and head to the red rock conservatory....its a national park and oh my word is it amazingly beautiful!! HTH

ETA:I have pics of our trip up on facebook both red rock and vegas.....and Paris had the best dueling piano bar!! I will post more as i think of more fun things we did LOL

jena.n.ross · January 2011

Ross and I went a couple years ago - we stayed with my sister, BIL, and our niece, since she was stationed there.

But we spent one night at the NY NY, because we got tickets to the sexy adults only Cirque show. Which I HIGHLY recommend. But if you do it, I suggest if possible to splurge the extra $$ and get couch seats. They have several 2-person couches around the stage, and they do a lot of audience interaction. Here's a video with some of the tamer stuff:

http://espanol.video.yahoo.com/watch/3950228/10729486

We also saw Quest for the Holy Grail and a STOMP show. The STOMP show was absolutely amazing. We ate dinner at Mario Batalie's (I'm too lazy to find a link), and it was our most costly dinner at about $150. We loved Madame Toussad's

gingern · January 2011

Don't stay at Excalibur or Luxor...I've only walked through there, but they smelled bad and just felt dirty.

We always stay at Paris...highly recommend! Not super cheap, but not comparatively expensive either. Of course Bellagio and Venetian are fabulous, very expensive though. Bally's is ok for a budget option and it is in the center of the strip. (Paris is in the center too.) Paris is a Harrah's property (many all over the place). Get a Player's card and while it won't help you for this trip, eventually you will get special offers on rooms and stuff.

Fremont Street is neat---think of it as the original Vegas place to be. The Golden Nugget (actually has a ginormous golden nugget on display) has a fabulous pool.

Another tip, most places will give you $10 or so in free slot play when you sign up for players cards at the different casinos for the first time. A lot of them are actually owned by the same parent company though. For instance, Paris, Caesar's, and Bally's are all Harrah's (now called Caesar's Entertainment Corporation). We love Vegas and usually go a couple times a year!

KBaker421 · January 2011

So far DH and I have stayed at Planet Hollywood and MGM. We didnt' like MGM, WAYYYY to big and you have to walk 10 miles just to get from your room to the lobby.

For our age, and yours, we agreed that Planet Hollywood or Paris would be your best bet.

We refuse to stay anywhere but those two places from now on

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