Going to Las Vegas

[DragonKnight]

Heading out to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving weekend. It'll be my first time heading out there on my own with a friend. Need some advice in terms of what hotels to stay in, what places to check out, etc. Planning on walking around, check out a show or two, drink up, and do a little bit of gambling. We're hoping for a hotel on "The Strip".

Much thx for any advice and tips. :wink:

[moJo]

i usually stay at the cheaper hotels on the strip, like Excalibur or Stardust or similar, cuz i feel like it's pointless to spend all that money on a room that you use to just sleep. (rich, you better be out having fun or stuffing your face at 1am instead of sleeping!)

but i've been wanting to stay at either the Venetian or Hard Rock Cafe (just off the strip), if i wanted to splurge. of course, the ultimate splurge is Bellagio, i think?

[kimpossible]

My one bit of advice is to book online and check out the difference in price between the room you get and the next one up. I think I bumped up to a suite for only $50.

I like Bellagio but I'd say all the big hotels are pretty swank. More a matter of personal choice.

Regarding gambling, I totally suck at it so I'll leave that to someone else but after Vegas I did get a couple of books from the library about slot machines and some of the signs they give when a jackpot may be queueing up. It also had a blurb about getting those cards that record the amount you gamble or spend for getting rewards/comps.

I will specifically recommend the buffet at The Flamingo (I think that's what it's called). $14.95 and all the crab you can eat. For $6 more we got a lobster. You don't have to stay there to get into the buffet.

Ooh, and I liked the M&M/Skittle store. I'm sure that's what a young guy and his buddies are dying to do in Vegas. :)

[deez nuts]

i recommend the bellagio too.

check the bellagio website for weekend get away deals too.

and "O" was pretty good too.

[VV o n g B a]

game to play: texas hold'em all the way. u won't get odds any better than that. there's some REALLY bad players u just suck money from. at the low limit tables anyways. high limit players are pretty hardcore.

site to catch: bellagio water show

hankering for asian food?: there's an asiatown w/ a great korean place and boba. boba wasn't great tho.

[ism]

Excalibur has decent rates and is in a good location, between Luxor and NY-NY, but avoid the eateries there. It's just a place to crash. Bonus for self check-in (most big hotels have long check-in lines). Treasure Island isn't bad either and is near the Mirage and Venetian. The Luxor is cool just for the fact that it's a pyramid and the elevators are really incliners but it's semi-pricey. I second Kim's recommendation to compare prices online.

The LV monorail is semi-useless most of the time, unless you're headed to somewhere more than 5 casinos down the strip with two or fewer. A taxi would be more competetive. There's a tram between Mandalay Bay-Luxor-Excalibur. The LV monorail starts at the MGM Grand.

Sights. Not sure what you're used to. The volcano in front of the Mirage is pretty cool and fairly frequent. The free shows at Treasure Island are nice but you gotta get there pretty early for a good view. I wasn't too impressed with the fountain and laser shows at Caesar's. There are two white tigers at the Mirage (Siegfried & Roy's) and a huge ugly bust of the pair. If you like animals there's a lion habitat at the MGM Grand. The Roller Coaster at NY-NY is pretty cool, especially at night. The Stratosphere kinda sucked mostly by virtue of being hella far from everything, but the X-Scream was some of the most fun I've had. Didn't get to go on the High Roller due to high winds.

Asian food... well, there's Wolfgang Puck's Chinois in Caesar's Forum Shops. Mish-mosh of Asian fusion. Skip the sushi but the pad thai is pretty good. I like Border Grill in Mandalay Bay -- Mexican fusion. The drinks vary by bartender but the Margaritas and Mojitos are good. Diego in the MGM Grand is also Mexican fusion and is a super-trendy place with an amazing tortilla soup that constitutes a meal. Aureole at Mandalay Bay had a $60 price fix menu and a massive wine selection -- ultramodern minimalistic decor.

Drinking... didn't really get to see too many proper bars on the Strip. Nine Fine Irishmen at NY-NY had a good selection. All the $5 drinks I got on the casino floor were hella small... like 6oz cups or something.

Shows... Zumanity is the shit unless you're a total prude. Get a seat near the stage for interaction with the performers. O is pretty nice with an amazing water stage and if you've never seen Cirque du Soleil, that would epitomize their work. Grab the early show. The theatre is damp with sweat in the 2nd showing. I wasn't too keen on Mystere. If you've seen their other stuff, Zumanity takes it in a whole new direction.

Blue Man Group is cool too but I think you can catch the same show near LA? The BMG theater at the Luxor is a lot larger than the one in NY but otherwise was just as fun.

[onnihs]

major hotels on the strip like the bellagio, mgm grand, venetian, mirage, hard rock, etc are going for around $340 a night right now. for some reason vegas raised their rates. holiday season?

you will find some decent deals by looking at hotels like Stratosphere (off strip), The Orleans (off strip, but currently my favorite), Imperial Palace, The Sahara, Aladdin, Excalibur, Balley's, Treasure Island just to name a few. You may even find deals for like, $60/nite, but usually their going rates hover around $100/nite. You can get some info on all hotels in Vegas HERE (http://www.lasvegas.com/hotel/browse_hotels/index_hotel_alpha.htm) .

and yes, play texas holdem, if you know how to. $60 will last you a very long time. they don't offer a poker room in every hotel, but major ones have em, along with Imperial Palace and The Orleans for sure. If you're not a poker nut, then play $1 Black Jack, although you'll hardly find them in most hotels (they're all $10 and up, with occasional $5 tables). The Sahara has $2 black jack tables.. but you'll find many more $1 tables downtown, which is only a cab ride away.

[thaite]

The buffet at the Bellagio will be the best 30 bucks you spend.

[younggiftedandblack]

Heading out to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving weekend. It'll be my first time heading out there on my own with a friend. Need some advice in terms of what hotels to stay in, what places to check out, etc. Planning on walking around, check out a show or two, drink up, and do a little bit of gambling. We're hoping for a hotel on "The Strip".

Much thx for any advice and tips. :wink:

If you're a real bad ass you'll do a bar crawl from one end of the strip to the other.
:biggrin:

Book early it gets pretty busy around that time of year. Most clubs cost about $20 just to get in and drinks run about $7.

As far as shows book those on-line early also they tend to sell out fast.

Check out
Vegas.com (http://vegas.com/)

[mrazntre]

The best thing about Vegas is that you can walk around with a drink in your hand ANYWHERE!!!!

[annie]

cool! ill be there that weekend:)

[ellsworth81]

The best thing about Vegas is that you can walk around with a drink in your hand ANYWHERE!!!!

and a call girl.

[deez nuts]

and a call girl.


and the business cards/fliers for the hookers, the bunny ranch etc etc that they hand out.

[mrazntre]

Crazyhorse Iii !!!!!!

[kimpossible]

I'm surprised. I thought you guys would have recommended more sex booby stuff to him by now.

Dragon, if you want to catch something like O book it now. It might be sold out if by the time you would try to get a ticket in person.

[younggiftedandblack]

I'm surprised. I thought you guys would have recommended more sex booby stuff to him by now.

Dragon, if you want to catch something like O book it now. It might be sold out if by the time you would try to get a ticket in person.

The strip clubs here are expensive. But if he wants that experiance check out the Olympic Gardens right by the Stratosphere.

Some good clubs are Seven which is right on the strip. I like the Brew Pub in the Monte Carlo myself. After hours there's Drais. Also checkout Studio 54 in the MGM and Rai's in the Luxor.

[tommyhtown]

and the business cards/fliers for the hookers, the bunny ranch etc etc that they hand out.

No need to get fliers. They are on the casino floors. If a girl you just met is overly nice to you she prolly is a hooker. j/k :biggrin:

[truMp]

If you like buffets, Paris has the BEST thanksgiving buffet in my opinion; although the price may be hefty I still think it's worth it. I've had it twice now and its freaking good. Make sure for any buffet that you get a 'line ticket' early or you won't be having a great thanksgiving dinner.

Or you could just go to the local sam woo =)

[deez nuts]

No need to get fliers. They are on the casino floors. If a girl you just met is overly nice to you she prolly is a hooker. j/k :biggrin:

i saw this one girl being overly friendly to this one guy that was tearing it up at my blackjack table and literally like two minutes later i saw security escort her out.

I'm surprised. I thought you guys would have recommended more sex booby stuff to him by now.

Dragon, if you want to catch something like O book it now. It might be sold out if by the time you would try to get a ticket in person.

our reason for going was my friend's uncle hooked us up with tickets for the AVN awards.

if it wasn't for the avn awards show and how we promised our gf's at the time that we spend one evening together to justify this trip and hanging out with a buncha of porn stars hence why i even saw "O" in the first place; my ass would've been camped out at the blackjack table the whole time.

[etcj]

Well, if you're not big on seeing shows, then you can just get any hotel on the Strip. As folks suggested, Excalibur's the cheapest place you can stay at...they offer package deals that include airfare, shuttle bus, and hotel. I think I've eaten at nearly every buffet on the Strip...it's exhausting. I think the food stops at Paris are so yummy...so head there if you want some moderately-priced French goodies.

As for O, you can get tickets for the day of the showing...provided that you do rush seatings. It's not much of a saving, but any savings can be parlayed for the gambling, right? Besides, there really isn't any bad seats in that theatre anyways..

[younggiftedandblack]

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL has a adult show at New York, New York called Zumanity. My lady and I checked it out last year. It was HOT!!!!! :biggrin:

I thought it was much better then "O".

[DragonKnight]

(rich, you better be out having fun or stuffing your face at 1am instead of sleeping!) Lol, I'll most certainly be out having fun. Especially with a crazy friend like the one I'll be going with. :biggrin:

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. They provide a TON of help in figuring out what to do there. Right now it looks like Zumanity might be the show we'll check out. Looks good.

Oh yeah, if anyone wants to join us, lemme know. I'm trying to get a few of my Norcal friends to come down and my crazy friend is flying in out of state. Gonna caravan from LA.

[Bishop]

Yo, you might want to check www.expedia.com bro, they've been having some killer hotel deals! If you're gonna be driving you definitly want a hotel with a parking garage, thefts are real bad in the parking lots! Ever watch Bumfights? Nuff said.....

[amietron]

play golf?

[amidaladown]

i think mirage has the best prices for the size of the room you get. the rooms at treasure island are very cramped. i usually go once a year, so i've stayed in all sorts of hotels. The best room has to be at mandalay bay. the bathroom is the the size of your room, plus they've got a great wave pool and it's the only hotel i can remember that doesn't smell like cigarettes.

[pikachupacabra]

Is it too late to recommend Rum Jungle (Mandalay Bay), Studio 54 (MGM), RA (Luxor), Light (Bellagio), or Rain (Palms)?

Hell, what am I saying, pretty much EVERY club in vegas is sweet. I'd just recommend getting there early, get your hand stamped, and then come back in a few hours and just go right in.

[mingo]

Crazyhorse. :biggrin:
and the Palms hotel.