Need Vegas help

[DaisyD]

My DH just told me that he wants to take me to Vegas for our 20th anniversary. I LOVE to gamble so this is a dream come true! Now I need to plan! What hotel can anyone recommend? I want to be on the strip and the cost doesn't matter. We are only going for 4 days as we are doing a cruise that month and are squeezing Vegas in. I love to plan everything myself but I'm wondering in this case would it be better for me to let a travel agent do all the legwork since I'm in the dark about all this. We also need a car for sightseeing, tickets to a show, and plane tickets. Where do I start? I can hear those slots now! ching ching, ching ching! Music to my ears~ LOL!

 

[Bob Slydell]

A good place to start, IMO, is http://www.lvol.com/

Flights and rental cars are easy -- there should be no shortage of decent priced flights and cheap rental cars available most of the year. The one thing to try to avoid is a big convention week (you can look for what's on the schedule here: http://www.freevegasguide.com/conventions/index.html ). When there's really big conventions (20,000+ people), hotels tend to jack up prices and it's harder to get show tickets, dinner reservations, etc.

If there's a specific show you're interested in, assuming it's a popular one, you should book it pretty far in advance. Some of the more popular restaurants will require a reservation in advance as well.

As far as hotels go, everyone has their favorites. If money's not an issue and you want a romantic location, go to Bellagio.

 

[taterules]

If cost didn't matter, I'd probably stay at the Bellagio. It's gorgeous, and there are lots of neat things to see on-site. Try to get a room with a view of the fountain show. Don't miss the conservatory, and check out the ceiling in the lobby. Also, it's a convenient location for getting to other casinos that you might want to see.

And, even if you don't normally like buffets, give the Bellagio buffet a try. It's really, really good.

 

[rascalmom]

Anniversary? Vegas? Cost doesn't matter?

Bellagio - lake view room!

A couple of websites you might check out are: www.cheapovegas.com (they review hotels at all price points in a funny, irreverant way) and lvtalk.com - a discussion board centered on Vegas.

Shows? Any of the Cirque shows are good - "O" is at Bellagio, so if you stay there you might be able to snag a package. Tickets for the shows can be booked with the resort website where the show is located. We loved Mystere' at Treasure Island. Mamma Mia is great too!

I wouldn't do a car for a first time visitor - traffic in Vegas can be pretty hectic. We do get one now as we like to visit a few places off strip (we have family in Vegas )& I don't like the smokey cabs, but if is not necessary. Cabs & the monorail should work & be the least stress free for a newby. Might think about a limo from the sirport if you want to "see" the strip in style. Presidential is supposed to be good.

Have fun! Ching! Ching! Ching! Ching!

 

[lecach]

Bellagio lake view most definately! Great hotel, beautiful decor, really neat water show, and awesome mid-strip location. Plus they have $5 blackjack and a lot of hotels dont have that anymore. Its a definate plus for me.

 

[MoniqueU]

I have stayed in a suite with a cabana at Bellagio, while nice, Wynn wins hands down. The restaurants are better, the pool is about the same, actually the cabanas are better the rooms are to die for, the whole layout of the hotel is better. I can reccomend the SW steakhouse as a superb restaurant. Bartalotta gets great reviews too. I just love wynn. We will be headed to vegas this weekend but sadly wynn was booked up. So we will be headed out later this summer.

 

[antmaril]

I sent you a p.m.

 

[flynnibus]

since cost is no issue

ventian
bellagio
or mandalay bay (just for the pool!)

Skip the car unless you want to goto the grand canyon (and there are tours for that). Cabs are everywhere for up/around town.

Just walk the strip.. check out the hotels.. and figure out which shows you want to see. Look ahead to see if any big-names are in town.. and book tickets in advance. Be prepared for sticker-shock on ticket prices for shows.. but the ones I have seen (Penn&Teller, Amazing Jonathan, Mystre, ++) have all been worth it.

 

[cryssi]

get a suite at the Wynn...

we stayed there for our "mini-moon" since we didn't have a long honeymoon. We had a tower suite and wow! The restaurant Tableau is for tower guests only for breakfast and lunch - I highly recommend the kobe beef short ribs eggs benedict.

I haven't seen "O" but really, really want to! Also, if you are a buffet afficionado like we are, I recommend the Wynn buffet for it's selection of fancy stuff and the Aladdin for their desserts! Aladdin has the best desserts! Haven't tried the Bellagio weekend fancy buffet so can't tell you about that yet...

 

[LoraJ]

I highly recommend a car. Unless you like to walk long long long blocks in 100+ degree heat. If you just plan on hanging around where your hotel is, then I guess no car is fine. But if you want to see Vegas, visit lots of casinos and Freemont St, plus maybe go to the Hoover Dam, then a car is the way to go. Cabs can get expensive after a while and the lines to wait for them can be long. Especially after shows let out. I would never go to Vegas without having a rental car. In fact the first time I went, we didn't have a car and hardly saw anything outside of the hotels right by ours because we didn't want to deal with cabs.

 

[Sherri]

I loved Harrahs and that was a great location. Ceasers looks beautiful to.
I would do it on my own by going to usairvacations.com
they seem to have a lot of options.
We are going in July and I love Vegas too. We were just in Atlantic City over Memorial day weekend and I can't wait to be playing blackjack again

 

[Snow Brite]

We stayed at the Luxor and I loved it. The inclinators alone were worth it! It is down at the far end however. But the Bellagio, Venetian, Manadalay Bay, New York, MGM or Wynn would all be nice.

Bring your walking shoes and don't rent a car. We had a car because we had driven there. We parked it and didn't get it back out again for 3 days. The monorails are easy and convenient. The one by the Luxor is free. The one on the other side costs a little bit of money, but much less than a cab.

Check out the clubs, most of them will give you a little free money to play the slots if you join. We skipped around and signed up for most of these. On the nickel slots, it can last a while, so that was fun.

There are so many shows it is hard to pick just one. We went to the adult Cirque show, and while it was interesting and beautiful, it was not what I was expecting. If you don't get embarassed easily it might be fun for an anniversary trip, but it was VERY racy. Any of the other Cirque shows are going to be amazing. There were people standing in all the casinos giving things away. Tickets to shows, coupons for buy 1 get 1 drinks, etc etc.

Have a great time!

 

[My2Cinderellas]

$$ no object? I definitely add to the recommendations for the Bellagio or Venetian, I haven't been in the Wynn but have heard nothing but good things about it.

Sticker shock hit yet????? Ways to lower your hotel bill - go during the week. Friday/Saturday night rooms are 50-100% higher than the rest of the week. Can't quite do the Bellagio? Caesar's is usually a little cheaper, but not always. What do you want from a hotel? that will narrow things down.

Monte Carlo has a monorail to Bellagio and is much less expensive. TI and Mirage are across the street from Venetian and lower in price - of the 2 I prefer the Mirage. I also like Paris and Alladin. DH highly recommends Mandalay Bay, and the Luxor is connected to Mandalay and decent also.

Don't miss the breakfast buffet at Paris - and I normally HATE buffets, but this one is fabulous!

Casinos - some people go for where the blackjack or poker is cheap, I'm more of an atmosphere person. I find the nickel video poker machines and have fun. I like the casinos that are not smoky - the ones with high ceilings are better for that, and not overly crowded. One's I don't like are MGM Grand, Bally's and TI. I really like the Monte Carlo, and Alladin.

I prefer to be at the center of the strip, so you can walk everywhere - but beware of outside temps. In late September it's still in the 90's and can really sap your energy if you aren't used to it. Also - the "blocks" are enormous, and distances are deceiving. We take cabs to/from the airport (about $15 with tip) and to/from a show if it's more than a block or two away ($8-10 with tip on the strip). Parking at the hotels is usually free, but strip traffic is nuts. I would consider renting a car just for the days we wanted to go elsewhere, instead of the entire trip. I keep saying that we are going to do this next time, but usually just take a 2-3 day trip and relax.

 

[antmaril]

Monte Carlo has a monorail to Bellagio and is much less expensive.

It is my understanding that the monorail between Bellagio and Monte Carlo is no longer running.

I do not recommend renting a car. The traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard is horrible - bumper to bumper - not my idea of a vacation. Wear comfortable shoes and take a cab when necessary.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

It is my understanding that the monorail between Bellagio and Monte Carlo is no longer running.

bummer! We were definitely considering the Monte Carlo for our next trip, and one of the reasons was the easy transportation to the Bellagio. On our last trip, it was so hot and windy, that it felt like I was getting rubbed down with sandpaper walking outside.

Maybe DH will get to attend a conference later this summer at Caesar's, I'm going to tag along! SIL has offered to watch the kids so we're set. Just need to get the OK from his boss and I'll book my ticket.

 

[lulugirl]

We recently stayed at the Venetian. It was lovely, has a great selection of restaurants and shopping, fabulous location.
I agree w/ the other posters, I wouldn't rent a car. You can grab a taxi anywhere.

 

[mamacatnv]

Cost no object - The Venetian would win hands down, with Bellagio coming in 2nd.

 

[KLAIT]

Have to agree with most posters. Would not rent a car. Between the hectic traffic and parking the darn thing, you waste so much time. I also say put on a good pair of walking shoes and hit the streets...we felt like while driving there was so much traffic that we couldn't really appreciate anything anyway.

 

[Chris2597]

I love LV....I dont think you could pick a bad place from the list that has been posted....They are all fab hotels....

I disagree about the rental car.....Be sure to Rent One....we didnt rent a car for our first couple of trips but on our last trip decided to try a rental....and it made the trip so much more enjoyable....LV is horribly hot in the summmer and the walk between hotels is huge. All of the hotels offer free parking in a lot or parking garage and spaces are more than ample...We rented a car for a very reasonable price.

 

[PooohBear]

Everyone has their own taste in hotels, I would check out each website and look at the pictures, Venetian can be had via priceline for $99 during the week, check out the travel bidding website for more info there ! The Wynn is new and beats Bellagio as far as the rooms go, If you are a pool person, well there's plain and boring or there's tropical, again, check the pictures on the web sites !
Shows, well, that a personal preference too, the Cirque shows (Ka, O, Mystere) are good but might not be your taste, Danny Gans is great, but so is A Tribute To Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean !
I would check out the cheapo vegas website someone wrote about earlier as well as lasvegas.com, vegas.com and the lasvegasadvisor.com forum
I would also consider renewing your vows since it's your 20th ! my DH & I did that in Vegas last year !
Have a great trip !!!!!!!!!