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Who here is a Las Vegas expert?

C

Clair de Lune

Banned
Going with GF... (2/15-18) I have two questions:

1. What is the best way to find airfare + hotel? I'm using FW Vegas hot deals, kayak.com, farecast.com, and priceline.com. Even the FW hot deals doesn't particularly yield great savings vs using priceline and others. I get about $1300-1500 for a couple- air (From Boston $400pp x 2) and hotel ($150~ x 3 nights at top tier hotels on strip).

I'm sure I can do better. Can you recommend me a good site for finding better deals? I'm sure there is a dedicated Vegas vacation forum of sort...

2. What to do in Vegas? What are some MUST-SEE/MUST-Dos? I've done my research and came up with the following. Please feel free to contribute:

*Obligatory threesome with GF + hooker and blow (let's get this out of way)
*Dine at Stratosphere for great view
*Watch 1 or 2 shows: 'O', Le Reve, Zumanity, Ka, Penn & Teller, etc. AVOID the shitty Believe by Criss Angel
*Planet Hollywood buffet, recommended by cheapovegas.com
*Gondola ride with GF at Venetian
*General sightseeing (please feel free to point particulars)
*Gamble
*Possibly visit Hoover Dam. I read here Grand Canyon is worth a visit, maybe- too far.

Vegas experts, what am I missing? Thanks!
 
Originally posted by: Clair de Lune
Going with GF... (2/15-18) I have two questions:

1. What is the best way to find airfare + hotel? I'm using FW Vegas hot deals, kayak.com, farecast.com, and priceline.com. Even the FW hot deals doesn't particularly yield great savings vs using priceline and others. I get about $1300-1500 for a couple- air (From Boston $400pp x 2) and hotel ($150~ x 3 nights at top tier hotels on strip).

I'm sure I can do better. Can you recommend me a good site for finding better deals? I'm sure there is a dedicated Vegas vacation forum of sort...

2. What to do in Vegas? What are some MUST-SEE/MUST-Dos? I've done my research and came up with the following. Please feel free to contribute:

*Obligatory threesome with GF + hooker and blow (let's get this out of way)
*Dine at Stratosphere for great view
*Watch 1 or 2 shows: 'O', Le Reve, Zumanity, Ka, Penn & Teller, etc. AVOID the shitty Believe by Criss Angel
*Planet Hollywood buffet, recommended by cheapovegas.com
*Gondola ride with GF at Venetian
*General sightseeing (please feel free to point particulars)
*Gamble
*Possibly visit Hoover Dam. I read here Grand Canyon is worth a visit, maybe- too far.

Vegas experts, what am I missing? Thanks!
Click to expand...

So where do you fit in?
 
1. Go to every hotel you wanna visit, sign up for their email promo's.
1.5: cheapovegas.com
2
- Bouchon, 10th floor venezia tower @venetian, get sourdough waffles. open for breakfast/dinner, brunch on weekends.
- Check sites for cheap CDS tickets, you can find 33-50% off all over the internet. We saw Ka @50% off, awesome.
- If you need other foodie recs, pm me, I did alot of research

My old thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=38&threadid=2225704
 
I stayed at this Motel 6 on the east side of town the one night I spent in Vegas, non-smoking rooms available. I got carry out from a pretty decent Persian restaurant that I think was on Flamingo. There really isn't much to do in Vegas, maybe go hiking at Red Rocks or head to Death Valley or the Mojave National Preserve.
 
Originally posted by: Ns1
1. Go to every hotel you wanna visit, sign up for their email promo's.
1.5: cheapovegas.com
2
- Bouchon, 10th floor venezia tower @venetian, get sourdough waffles. open for breakfast/dinner, brunch on weekends.
- Check sites for cheap CDS tickets, you can find 33-50% off all over the internet. We saw Ka @50% off, awesome.
Click to expand...

1. Sound advice. I'll do that.
1.5. Read every word on that sites. A great resource and will continue to look.
2. Ooo! Thanks to you, GF and I are excited to do just that and eat waffles there.

3. What sites? I read another thread here saying discount tix at the strip is near impossible due to constant demand. Where can I get that 50% off?

Thanks.
 
Originally posted by: ironwing
I stayed at this Motel 6 on the east side of town the one night I spent in Vegas, non-smoking rooms available. I got carry out from a pretty decent Persian restaurant that I think was on Flamingo. There really isn't much to do in Vegas, maybe go hiking at Red Rocks or head to Death Valley or the Mojave National Preserve.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm aware you can stay at cheaper places off-strip, but GF wants the typical Vegas experience and sleep on-strip. I just know I can do better with research to save more $.

I'm sure the nature stuff is great, just not now with GF. 🙁
 
Call vegas.com or a travel agent. They can help you by moving your dates and finding prices. I normally get the best prices by simply talking to an agent rather than using a website.
 
Hotels.com coupon codes

or

Go straight through the hotel. I know NYNY and MGM were running promos on their own website, you have to look around the banners on the site.


 
There are discount ticket places like tickets2nite and tix4tonight (they're like TKTS) - my friend and I went to see Zumanity and got a decent discount but we also paid $25 VIP to get to the front of the line. (probably would've waited at least 1-2 hours) As for the show itself, it's not bad, but her and I have been great friends since freshman year of college and it was just a liiiiiiiittle awkward being there with her and not someone I was romantically interested in. It's perfect for couples though.

We ate at the Bellagio buffet and it was as good as everyone says. Gambled mostly at Bill's since they have cheaper tables and she didn't know how to play.

Hoover Dam is about 20 minutes outside of town I think, but there was crazy traffic going into Vegas and leaving, so plan accordingly.
 
Originally posted by: Clair de Lune
Originally posted by: Ns1
1. Go to every hotel you wanna visit, sign up for their email promo's.
1.5: cheapovegas.com
2
- Bouchon, 10th floor venezia tower @venetian, get sourdough waffles. open for breakfast/dinner, brunch on weekends.
- Check sites for cheap CDS tickets, you can find 33-50% off all over the internet. We saw Ka @50% off, awesome.
Click to expand...

1. Sound advice. I'll do that.
1.5. Read every word on that sites. A great resource and will continue to look.
2. Ooo! Thanks to you, GF and I are excited to do just that and eat waffles there.

3. What sites? I read another thread here saying discount tix at the strip is near impossible due to constant demand. Where can I get that 50% off?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm too lazy to sort through these results

http://www.google.com/search?q...&rls=org.mozilla:en-US😱fficial&client=firefox-a
 
I'm no expert but here's my 2 cents:

Get a reservation at MESA in Caesars Palace. The food is expensive but worth every penny. Every time I eat there, I order a different meal and have yet to disappointed--every meal has been exceptional.

Last year I had the NEW MEXICAN SPICE RUBBED PORK TENDERLOIN the first night and the GRILLED LAMB PORTERHOUSE CHOPS: Cranberry-Roasted Jalapeno Sauce, Pumpkin Tamale + All Spice Butter the third night.

In 2006, I had the MANGO + SPICE CRUSTED TUNA STEAK: Green Peppercorn-Green Chile Sauce + Toasted Pinenut Cous Cous

Check out the link for everything you need to know: costs, menus, phone # is on the bottom of the web page, etc.

Not saying it's a must, but this is one of the best "fancy" (read as expensive) places to eat in Vegas; to me this is a must every vacation. You may not need a reservation, given that you will there Sun-Wed, but it wouldn't hurt to call in advance if you decide to go there.

As for other events/places...
The Bellagio light/water show is a must to see at least once (Bellagio is next to Caesers) Linky
The M&M store is a nice if you or your GF are M&M'oholics; the Coke store is right next door to it (it was under construction last summer so the second floor should be finished by now).

But everything else is up to you and depends on your preferances.

And FYI prices should be rock bottom since Vegas seems to be hurting right now--we went in November and even Caesars said they were hurting.
 
I've been three times, but that doesn't make me an expert I guess. I'll just comment on a few of your ideas:

1) Definitely see "O" and/or Ka. Great shows.
2) Hit Hoover Dam, but don't leave during rush hour. It's not far and it's worth the visit. You can leave in the morning and be back by lunch.
3) I'd take a day and go to the Grand Canyon. We took the helicopter ride, so we were back in time for dinner and had plenty of time for gambling, etc. in the evening.
4) Go do the "Fremont Experience". It's a worthy visit.
5) Try some restaurants off-strip if you can. I always say this, but I hit Ferraro's everytime I'm there.

I think that's it. I've already seen most everything, so when we go we just hit a few shows, eat and gamble a bit. It's a fun time. I'm not a fan of the buffets. It's not worth it unless you're a complete and total glutton and there is much better cuisine to be had elsewhere; however, it's an experience you probably have to try at least once.

We like Bill's or Bellagio for gambling. Bill's is fun to me for some reason. I always win something at Bellagio. And by always I mean some of the time.
 
Originally posted by: Clair de Lune
*Gondola ride with GF at Venetian
*General sightseeing (please feel free to point particulars)
*Possibly visit Hoover Dam. I read here Grand Canyon is worth a visit, maybe- too far.
Click to expand...

I'll comment on these three, in order. My wife and I went to Vegas on our honeymoon 3 years ago. She wanted to do the gondola ride at the Venetian, but after walking around and seeing it, it looked incredibly lame. That seems to be more of a "gametime" decision if you want to do it, but I don't really see it as something grand enough to put on the itinerary.

As for general sightseeing, one thing that my wife and I missed and wished we hadn't was going to Freemont St.

The Hoover Dam isn't too far away, but you are right, visiting the Grand Canyon is definitely an all day event. However, with our living in KY, that might be our only chance in our lives to see it, so we dedicated a day to it. Plus, it gave us an excuse to rent a car and drive up and down the strip when we got back. We picked up the car at 8am, left shortly thereafter, and got to Grand Canyon almost 4 hours later. Spend some time out there, got back to Vegas about 9 that night, so it was a full day. My point being, the Grand Canyon was amazing, and it was well worth spending a day of our honeymoon to see it. Plus, the drive out there was amazing in our convertible we rented.

Finally, we decided we wanted to eat at one fancy restaurant and throw cost to the wind. We made reservations at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris Las Vegas hotel. We got a table right next to the strip 11 floors up, and was able to enjoy the nighttime views of the strip plus the Bellagio fountains across the street. It was awesome, and the rack of lamb was pretty amazing.

EDIT: We stayed at the Luxor, and while it was a fine hotel, we didn't stay in the pyramid, we stayed in the newer hotel extension on the north side of the property. It was a nice room, but it was so far away from the middle of the Luxor where everything is. It literally took 10 minutes to get there from our room. One morning I walked to the McDonalds inside the Luxor to get some breakfast, and I finally got back to the room 40 minutes after I had left due to travel and waiting time.
 
Like someone mentioned, Tix4Tonight has tickets for today's shows. They have almost all the Cirque shows and the discount is roughly $20-$30 off the full price. I doubt you'll get 50% off the original price for the Cirque shows - some others probably. They also just started offering Grand Canyon tours at Tix4Tonight (I think it was $120 and it's a 10 hour trip with the dam tour and Grand Canyon tours and meals included) that went through Hoover Dam and to the Grand Canyon.

A lot of hotels are going for cheap now with the crappy economy. I was there about a month ago and stayed at the Palms for $79 for 2 nights. Bellagio was only $129/night and they were offering a full suite for only $100 more.
 
second the recommendation to MESA Grill. everyone loved their dishes there. liked it more than emerils steakhouse in the venetian (tho if u do eat there get the salad with the homemade bacon). not sure where we are eating this year, but we just may do MESA again.

i still have not been to the old strip, but i promise myself i will go every year...

gf always wants to go to the gun store to shoot machine guns...

if you are in vegas for more than 2 or 3 days you WILL get bored, and if you havent seen the hoover or grand canyon both are worth it IMO. i went when i was younger, and havent been during any of my vegas trips but it is another thing that comes up every year as something to do

bellagio buffet is great IMO, if you time it right you can go in for lunch or brunch, and get grandfathered into the dinner service if you take your time. had mandalay buffet last year, did not like it as much, but was pretty wasted at the time. supposedly rio has a very good seafood buffet.

walking the strip itself is quite an experience

only show i have seen in penn and teller, really enjoyed it but i am a big fan

sports books can be a great place to relax and get some free drinks. most places will comp you or give you drink tickets for betting on the horses. it looks complicated, but can be really simple and you can put down really small bets (1 or 2 bucks IIRC). we did it to kill some time a few years ago and all got hooked.
 
i've been to vegas about a dozen times in the past four years. Here are my recommendations

Hotel- priceline is the ONLY way to go. go to betterbidding.com and look at their nevada archives. You will not find a better price. Can get a really nice hotel for ~50-60 a night. Places like paris, planet hollywood, MGM. Or u can got for a 5 star (bellagio, venetian) for ~100 a night.

Shows - I've seen almost every cirque de soleil show in town. "O" is the best. Other fantastic ones are Love and Le Reve. I would not recommend KA, Zumainty, or Penn & Teller, they cost about the same and are not on par with the top shows. If you are looking for a comedian on the cheap, the amazing jonathan is pretty damn entertaining.

Restaurants - Agree with someone above who recommended Bobby Flays MESA grill, it really is wonderful. Other good selections include Olives @ Bellagio (sit outside if weather permits and watch water show), Mon Ami Gabi (Paris) is also very good. you really cannot go wrong in Vegas, the food is amazing. I would go to a local bookstore and try to find a las vegas zagats, it comes in very handy.

Buffets - only do one, they really are not very good, and they are expensive (~30 a person), you can get a nice meal at other restaurants for that price.

Things to see - Bellagio water show, Bellagio flower garden, Venetian, Mirage fire show, fremont street experience, big shot on top of stratosphere, new york new york rollercoaster is cool at night, Pallazo, Wynn.

Just walking up and down the strip, into every casino is really a blast. Every hotel has their own draw, check them all out. We have done a couple different fun things for visiting everywhere. either stop in every hotel and get a different drink, play one hand of blackjack, or one pull on a $1-5 slot. These keep it fun while sightseeing. Keep in mind, you might get pretty drunk with the first plan, but its worth it.

Gambling is about the same everywhere.

As for Hoover damn, its a sight to see, but if you are only in Vegas for a few days, I would not recommend it.

Hope this helps, PM me if u have any further questions.

<---- Vegas is my favorite city
 
As a former resident and paramedic there, these are my thoughts.

Hoover Dam, only an hour outside of town.
Red Rock National Park, about 30 min if there is traffic off the strip.
Cirque da Solei (or however its spelled)
Blue Man group is a blast.
If you are going to the top of the stratosphere, may as well do the "big shot" ride. (It's amazing)
Gondola ride...meh.
If you want a real ride take one of the helo tours of downtown. (They leave from the executive airport.)
Don't listen to cabbies, they get kickbacks for dropping people off at certain places.
etc, etc, etc...
 
I've been several times in the last few years. The only things I ever do are eat, drink, and gamble.

KT
 
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