Help me plan a Vegas surprise!

[TinkBride]

Hi everyone,

I have NEVER been to Vegas. Here is a little background, DH and I were married at WDW in 2007. Every year we have went back to WDW to celebrate our anniversary. Before we were married I promised DH a Vegas trip before we had kids. After each Disney trip he always asks "When are we going to Vegas?". Well we had plans for June to go to Vegas with his extended family. Those plans have since fell through due to a death in the family and other misc. reasons. DH and I are planning on TTC in the fall. So, he has resigned himself to the fact that we are not going to get to Vegas before we have kids, and he has asked me if we can go for our 10 year anniversary.

What he doesn't know is that I am planning a trip for just him and I for the first week of August this year! His birthday is July 31 and it is his 31st b-day - so I have booked flights for 7/31 - 8/5.

Here is my dilemma. DH is very budget concious. VERY. But we usually overindulge when it comes to vacations. Over the weekend we got into a discussion about Vegas and him being bummed we arent going as planned, etc, etc, etc. I asked him, when we do finally go where he would want to stay since I have never been. His choices were Ceasars, Bellagio, and Paris. Problem is, I currently have a room booked at Mirage (strip view). I checked Bellagio - and I am thinking about booking a Lake View room there. But the difference is about $60.00 per night.

So - being that my only information is glossy internet pictures, I wanted to know from all of you Vegas goers........would it be worth an extra $60.00 per night for a Bellagio Lake View room over a Mirage strip view room? (If I do change to the Bellagio I want it to be for good reason....not to stare at a rooftop or parking lot......so anything outside of a strip view or lake view is not an option.)

Also I am going to book reservations for a birthday dinner the night we arive. DH is a big meat and potatoes kind of guy, no fancy schmancy food for him. I would like to go to a nice steakhouse - any suggestions??

 

[usnuzuloose]

I have stayed at the Bellagio once. It is a very nice hotel. But the question is how much time are you spending in the room. I would rather stay where it is a little cheaper and have the extra money for other things. If you go to resturants.com you can sign up for free and look for the resturants in vegas. Sometimes you can buy a 25 gc for a few dollars. Sign up for emails. I love it. I dont eat at steakhouses. I know there are some good ones. You can google free things in vegas and come up with all kinds of things. There is so much to see and do. Me and my husband will be going in june. I am so sorry for your loss. You dont have to gamble to have a good time. At the MGM you can view the lions for free and take pics. Take your camera. You can ride the bus for dollars a pp for 24 hrs. It will take you down to freemont st and you can see the light show. Its the older part of vegas but its neat to see the show. They also have a zipline. If you have other questions just ask. I am sure someone can answer as well. There is so much to see and do.

 

[TXMemaw]

We've stayed at both the Bellagio and the Mirage and while the Bellagio was nice, it just didn't wow us like we thought it would. A lake view room there would be nice but you want to be sure that it is a higher up lake view room to really appreciate the view. Mirage is very nice also. I don't think you can go wrong with either hotel, although for $60 more per night, I'd stay with the Mirage and spend the extra money doing other things in Vegas. We really don't spend that much time in our room, so while the view is very nice, I don't think I'd pay too much extra for it. I guess really the determining factor would be how much time you'll spend enjoying that view and is the additional amount worth that much to you?

We have also eaten at many of the restaurants and steakhouses in Vegas (we go 4-5 times a year) and a few that are very nice are: Hugo's Cellar in the basement of the Four Queens downtown (very old time Vegas with waiters in tuxes and private booths), the Top of the World Restaurant at the Stratosphere (rotating restaurant at the top of the tower with beautiful views of the strip, especially if you get there right before dusk) and the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris (great views of the water ballet show at the Bellagio). I would second getting a free membership to Restaurant.com and watch for their specials (usually at least 70% off, and sometimes 80%) for gift certificates.

Have fun!

 

[skiingfast]

I think the first two posters had good points about how much that view will really be worth in the Bellagio.

I've had a lake view granted from across the street. I was excited to get that view but in reality the fountain show looked tiny from so far up. And mostly what I saw was roof tops and airconditioning with strip view rooms. Nothing splendid like you see in movies of vegas. Best view I had, and room I spent the most time was actually looking east over the city. I spent time enjoying drinks watching planes approaching the airport.

All in all my preferences in rooms have changed over time. Anyone that goes to Vegas will usually find one thing true you will probably spend less that 11 hours a day in your resort casino/hotel and 13 hours somewhere else. Doesn't matter how nice a pool, casino or room you have, the city is more fun to go out and explore.

 

[HETRICKL]

I agree with the above posters comments. One other thing I consider when choosing a hotel is the cost to gamble there. Usually, we are at our hotel a little more than other casinos, say in the am or after dinner in the pm when you're just hanging out a bit more. The Bellagio's tables are very expensive. The Mirage's aren't cheap, however, definitely more affordable IMO.

My last trip, we ate at the Steakhouse in Monte Carlo. I was VERY pleasantly surprised at how good it was. It is right in the middle of the casino, but it ended up not really bothering me.

If you decide you want to splurge, I always would recommend at least 1 show that you usually can't take in somewhere else. The cirque shows are really awesome. My favorite was always the original Mystere, until recently when we saw Love (the Beatles) one. This may in fact be at the Mirage if I remember.

I'm sure you will have a great time, whatever you decide. I wouldn't put too much stress on which hotel you pick. None of the ones you mentioned will be a bad choice.

 

[TinkBride]

Thank everyone - I think we may actually go to the Mariott Grand Chateau behind Planet Hollywood and 1/2 block from the strip - we have a lot of Mariott points saved up and can stay there for free.....which means more money to have FUN!

Does anyone know anything about this hotel?

 

[everylastbreath]

Thank everyone - I think we may actually go to the Mariott Grand Chateau behind Planet Hollywood and 1/2 block from the strip - we have a lot of Mariott points saved up and can stay there for free.....which means more money to have FUN!

Does anyone know anything about this hotel?

I have no idea about this hotel, but as long as it's within walking distance to the strip because if you have take a cab back and forth to the strip it will get expensive. We LOVE the Rio, but when staying there we always find ourselves going back and forth to the strip (even though they have a shuttle, sometimes you just don't want to wait) it ran into quite a bit of $, so now as much as we love the Rio, it's better for us to visit it.

If the hotel is clean I would say go for it, there is enough things in Vegas to spend your money on, if you don't have to pay for the room - why not! Believe me, you will only be sleeping in it, there is so much to do!!!

Great Steakhouse- Nero's in Caesars ($$ but worth it) and Paris has a great one too (don't remember the name, Le...something)

HAVE FUN!! Vegas is the best!! Feel free to ask anything, been there dozens of time & love to talk about it! Actually we are in the planning stages of a trip the week after yours!!

 

[klacey1]

Thank everyone - I think we may actually go to the Mariott Grand Chateau behind Planet Hollywood and 1/2 block from the strip - we have a lot of Mariott points saved up and can stay there for free.....which means more money to have FUN!

Does anyone know anything about this hotel?

Personally, I'd only stay on the strip. Everything in Vegas looks close-- it's not! Your husband brought up Caesars-- have you compared that price-wise to the Mirage? It's absolutely beautiful. The casino is great, as are the rooms (we tipped the front desk agent $20 to get us a free upgrade!), pool, and location (midstrip, right in between the Bellagio and Mirage).
Personally, for me, being in Vegas is about enjoying the opulence. Spending money on the resort there is important to us in a way that spending $$ on that in Disney isn't.
I've heard really good things about the steakhouse at Circus Circus. It's not a nice hotel, but apparently the food is great. We also like Red Square at Mandalay Bay. DBF is a strictly meat and potatoes guy, too, and he LOVED our dinner here. He enjoyed a great steak and mashed potatoes with bacon in them (one of the best sides either of us have ever had). The pretzel bread is served to you hot by a waiter-- very yummy!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Hi everyone,

I have NEVER been to Vegas. Here is a little background, DH and I were married at WDW in 2007. Every year we have went back to WDW to celebrate our anniversary. Before we were married I promised DH a Vegas trip before we had kids. After each Disney trip he always asks "When are we going to Vegas?". Well we had plans for June to go to Vegas with his extended family. Those plans have since fell through due to a death in the family and other misc. reasons. DH and I are planning on TTC in the fall. So, he has resigned himself to the fact that we are not going to get to Vegas before we have kids, and he has asked me if we can go for our 10 year anniversary.

What he doesn't know is that I am planning a trip for just him and I for the first week of August this year! His birthday is July 31 and it is his 31st b-day - so I have booked flights for 7/31 - 8/5.

Here is my dilemma. DH is very budget concious. VERY. But we usually overindulge when it comes to vacations. Over the weekend we got into a discussion about Vegas and him being bummed we arent going as planned, etc, etc, etc. I asked him, when we do finally go where he would want to stay since I have never been. His choices were Ceasars, Bellagio, and Paris. Problem is, I currently have a room booked at Mirage (strip view). I checked Bellagio - and I am thinking about booking a Lake View room there. But the difference is about $60.00 per night.

So - being that my only information is glossy internet pictures, I wanted to know from all of you Vegas goers........would it be worth an extra $60.00 per night for a Bellagio Lake View room over a Mirage strip view room? (If I do change to the Bellagio I want it to be for good reason....not to stare at a rooftop or parking lot......so anything outside of a strip view or lake view is not an option.)

Also I am going to book reservations for a birthday dinner the night we arive. DH is a big meat and potatoes kind of guy, no fancy schmancy food for him. I would like to go to a nice steakhouse - any suggestions??

I am going back next weekend and then again in June if there is something you would like a pic of I would be happy to take a pic for you so you may see it.