What do you like or not like about Las Vegas as a vacation?

[ryalluvdiz]

I loathe Vegas.

It is just such a sad city. People who live there hate the tourists, yet need them. People visiting are losing more money than they can afford, or winning less than they think they should. Underneath the glitter lies a whole lot of sadness in my opinion.

We've stayed high end there, and while it was fine for a girls weekend, it was not nirvana.

I can think of about a zillion places I'd rather go.

The boutique, resort hotel business is booming all up and down the coast. There are posh, albeit very expensive all inclusive resorts in New England through Florida.

http://www.resortsandlodges.com/resort-type/all-inclusive/usa/index.html

When I'm aching for resort life, I always think of the Caribbean. Love going to Aruba and just sitting and sipping all day, then eating fab food and shaking it in a club at night.

Sorry... Im originally from NY and now live in Vegas..... And no, we do not hate the tourists... We hardly ever see them because we avoid the strip.... I am a teacher so I do not go near Las Vegas blvd unless im acting like a tourist and having a fun night out.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you don't much care for Vegas, have you considered other "resort" destinations in the Southwest? There are many places in Arizona and New Mexico where you can go for a few days of very deluxe hanging out doing whatever you like -- or not doing much of anything at all except soaking up sun.

Personally I prefer the ocean just because it is the ocean, but if distance was an issue and resort comfort was paramount, a desert resort with a really good pool would be a decent compromise for me.

Vegas itself isn't for me or for DH. I've been once and never want to go near the strip area ever again -- the visual and aural cacophony of the place simply exhausted me in not much more than an hour. DH has been three times for business and hated it each time, mostly because his clients wanted to gamble and he hates casinos. I also don't gamble, barely drink, and don't like concerts because the sound equipment is invariably cranked up too loud, so it just isn't my kind of place. I don't mind transiting through the airport on my way to someplace else, but that's about it.

 

[sk!mom]

1)

** We used to go to the Old Las Vegas. People knew you and you
always felt welcome and felt special. Comps were given because
they knew you, not based upon some formula. Once the corporations
took over, it was an impersonal business. Sure, the mob had problems,
but you did feel special when you went. Waitresses, concierge, casino
personnel knew you and remembered you.[/I]

Best line ever on the DIS..."sure, the mob had problems," That's awesome!!!

 

[taaren]

We didn't like the casinos or the smoke. Honestly, we had gone for the food/buffets that I remembered eating in 2000 that were spectacular. When we returned in 2010, the food/buffets were less spectacular but still cool. We're foodies and like drinking, and in general we're the kind of people who like sinning, so you would thing Sin City would be our style, and yet it just wasn't.

However, the hotels are fun if you like opulence for a reasonable price, the shows are outstanding, and we really liked some of the attractions that Vegas isn't known for ... like the giant M&M store, the giant Coca Cola store (though the Coca Cola factory/museum in Atlanta is much cooler).

If we go again, we'll try to hit the Ethel M/Mars factory/museum. And maybe do some hot air ballooning? I've heard good things about both of those.

 

[STLnative]

Just like there are many people out there who don't understand those of us who make repeat trips to WDW, I personally don't find much appeal to Vegas.

I will say the Paris hotel is very nice, and after discovering that Vegas wasn't the place for me, I spent two long relaxing afternoons reading in their pool, in the shade of the fake Eiffel Tower, while my SO attended a conference.

But yeah, I also found Vegas dirty, even inside some of the hotels. The Paris was ok, but the casino floor of the Venetian looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in a month. We stopped outside the Mirage at night to watch the volcano, and I made the mistake of leaning on the railing. When I straightened up, my arm was covered with sticky goop that I can only hope was soda; whatever it was, it was sweet enough to have attracted a horde of tiny ants, a few of whom were also then on me. Nice.

The guys with their slap-cards advertising escorts or whatever seem to be on every streetcorner. Creepy and annoying.

I don't really drink, and apparently find gambling dull, so the two main appeals of the place are lost on me.

We did go to two shows, and Blue Man Group was cool, but I thought WDW's Cirque show (La Nouba) was much better than Mystere, which we saw at Treasure Island.

And the fountains outside the Bellagio are neat, but they lose some charm when "Con Te Partiro" is blaring at levels that keep people awake in the hotel across the street (Paris).

 

[yupikgal]

Here's another vote for Vegas! Although Disney has my heart (always)

My niece, sister and I went to Disney the beginning of Dec, and loved the holiday decor and atmosphere, and then took the Lux Bus (picks you up right at your hotel in Anaheim!) and headed to Vegas for 4 days of relaxing, shopping & eating! We split our stay between the Venetian & Paris, compliments of comps from my sister! The Venetian as well as other hotels had beautiful displays for the holidays, it was amazing! I will post pics sometime once I get back into my picture account..

We went to the North Outlet Mall and I was in heaven at the Disney outlet! My niece & I did a whole spa day at the Venetian, it was wonderful! We ate at Sugar Factory at Paris, ate dinner at Mon Ami Gabi (we got to watch the Bellagio fountains going off across the street from our table!) and for lunch in the Venetian, this Mexican restaurant that was DELICIOUS, http://www.venetian.com/Las-Vegas-Restaurants/Casual-Dining/Taqueria-Canonita/ we shared the Santa Rosa Barbacoa, it was amazing! Tender pork; juicy & flavorful. This is no taco bell! Great chips, salsa & guac too! My niece & I saw Loverboy & Journey at Planet Hollywood, for all you 80's kids out there, haha!

I'm bringing my teens to DL in June, then afterwards we are heading to Vegas so I can take them to see the Cirque Beatles LOVE show, saw it last March it was amazing! I'm also going to see the new Michael Jackson Cirque show, looking forward to this one!! Other than that, we will eat good food, go to an outlet mall, I'll bring them to M & M world, maybe the Coca Cola store, and Freemont street. We head back to Anaheim with the bus after 3 nts in Tinseltown and do a little more sightseeing before heading home to Alaska! Can't wait!!

 

[Happyjen27]

Ouch.

"What do you like or not like about Las Vegas as a vacation?"

I was just expressing my opinions and impressions about what I did not like about Vegas.

 

[ICF]

I reallly enjoy Vegas.

We've stayed on the strip and off and both are fun.

When we last went a couple of years ago we stayed in a condo for a week, one street over from the middle of the strip. We could walk to the casinos or take the resorts shuttle. We gambled some, shopped, people watched, explored the resorts, went to Freemon Street experience and went to the Lion King show.

We had a car and drove to Hoover Dam and Red Rock canyon -- both very cool, and Red Rock is only about 15 mins from the strip. We even took the car and drove to LA and spent the night. It's about a 4-5 hour drive but very little traffic until you were near LA.

It's not for everyone -- which is fine -- but it's a fun place to visit at least once. Being there and doing all we did, we were never bored despite staying a week. If you're not going to have a car to be able to explore then 3 or 4 nights is likely plenty for most people.

 

[eeyoresmom]

We would love to see the Grand Canyon. How far is that from Las Vegas? Can it be done as a day trip?

 

[lurkernj]

We've been to Vegas several times. It's only a long weekend stop for us. We gamble, but not tons. We're also not into "clubbing" (we're too old for that, lol), or high end shopping(too poor for that), but we do have a great time. We went in January, just the two of us (usually we are with a group), and it was so relaxing. We stayed at the Palazzo. We got up each morning (usually around 6 or 7 due to the timechange), went for a walk up and down the strip, stopping for breakfast at some of the patio seating spots. Did a little gambling, took some naps, went to Fremont street (now that's some good people watching), saw Carrot top one night. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed when coming back from a vacation. I don't find it dirty in the least. The guys giving out the dirty cards is my only complaint. I can't stand smoke, but never felt bothered by it here.

My heart is still with WDW, but Vegas keeps DH happy.

 

[rachelmarisa]

I went for the first time a few years ago (I'm 17), and just the weather enough made me love it. I'm that person who's always freezing, and it got up to 117 in July while we were there. I know that sounds awful to most people

Obviously I'm still not old enough to enjoy what most people go to Vegas for, and I still can't wait to return. I do love the glamour, visiting the hotels, flashy shows, and just the atmosphere. It's not for everyone though

 

[madcat]

We went to Vegas in 2011 and we loved it. I did not have high hopes going on the trip, my BIL was getting married and I wasnt even going to go but somehow ended up going. I was expecting it to be dirty and seedy and there are those parts (just like any other place) but for the most part it was nice. We stayed at the Tropicana, they had just completed a huge renovation of the place and it was beautiful on the inside. We do not gamble either (we both spent 40.00 each on slots). My BIL and other family was staying over at the Excalibur. That resort seemed dank and dark. We went to Freemont St. and visited the "Pawn Stars" pawn shop at the request of my father. We spent one day just walking through other resorts. My husband took his brother and some family out for his last night as a single man and my cousin and I (who tagged along on the trip) went out and had an amazing dinner at the MGM, went dancing at one of the clubs and then ended up at one of the bars in the NYNY casino, we ended up walking back to our room as the sun was coming up (and we are not usually stay out all night kind of folks). Needless to say we spent the next morning lounging by the pool and then went to the wedding chapel where the wedding was taking place. The guys handing out the peep show or escort cards are not pushy and really didnt even try to give them to us, they seemed to hand them to guys that were walking by themselves. My cousin and I actually took a picture with one of them. You cannot go to Vegas taking yourself too seriously.

My other cousin lived in San Diego at the time and she came in for a night to hang out with us. Her sister (the cousin that came with me) went back with her to San Diego and my husband and I drove to LA and spent a few days there but we only rented a car on our last two days in LV other than that everything was within walking distance for us.

 

[chimilady]

I love vegas too, though I've never been with kids. I've done vegas all up fancy, and done it on a shoestring, and both times it was amazingly fun.

I would love to bring the kids and maybe do the pools and slides at the flamingo, maybe a magic show or two during the day, and bowling or whatever.

 

[Hanover]

DH, DS11, DS15 and I spent 3 nights in Las Vegas before heading to San Francisco for 2 nights and Los Angeles for a week this past July/August. We stayed at the Mandalay Bay resort. The first night we ate at the hotel buffet and it was amazing but pricey. We hung out at the lazy river/wave pool until it closed at 7 and had an early night since we were adjusting to the time from the East Coast. We are not very big gamblers, but did play the slots maybe an hour, taking turns with the boys. The next day we walked up and down the strip looking at the hotels, seeing what they were famous for and taking photos. We saw the Blue Man Group that evening. The last day we took a bus tour through Papillon to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon. The bus picked us up at the Luxor next door to Mandalay Bay and it took 3.5 hours to get to the Grand Canyon. At the Grand Canyon, we did a helicopter ride, pontoon boat ride and had signed up to do the skywalk. We weren't able to do the skywalk because it had started to lightning. We later got a refund for that portion. We were back in time to have a late dinner at Margarittaville. We decided to walk the strip again but found it to be very dirty and seedy with way too many "girls, girls, girls" topless cards being handed out all over and littering the ground. I must say that they never tried to hand them to the 4 of us. Seemed like a lot of young women were very scantilly dressed (our 15 year old asked several times if they were prostitutes) and the smell of pot was all over. DH is a police officer and couldn't believe the lack of enforcement on the strip. We saw many beggars and people seeming completely strung out. We watched a few sidewalk entertainers and saw the Bellagio fountains. It got to the point where we called it a night because we just thought it wasn't a very nice atmosphere the more we walked. After the entire trip, our sons said they did not like Vegas and didn't want to return again until they were adults. We all very much LOVED San Francisco the most and in hindsight wish we'd have stayed there the 3 nights we were in Vegas. I'd go to the Grand Canyon again in a heartbeat though.

 

[runsandjumps]

Even though I don't gamble or drink or smoke, I think I will enjoy my trip to Vegas. We are going to get away and enjoy our trip as adults. I am going there for the pool, the great restaurants, the activities and the resort. I am looking forward to getting a great room with a great view for a quarter of the price of a disney hotel.

I love disney and I would go there over Vegas if I were bringing my children. But as far as enjoying myself and spending time with my husband Vegas fits the bill perfectly. He doesn't like Disney, but loves Vegas. We are just pool/beach people and I would never in a million years pay to go to Disney to sit by the pool. It just isn't worth it to me.

 

[girli565]

I think I would too, but my passport expired and we wanted to get away the second week of April. Does anyone know the turn around time if I get an expedited passport?

You can still hit up St. Thomas or another USVI location. You don't need a passport for that. Or Puerto Rico!

 

[girli565]

We would love to see the Grand Canyon. How far is that from Las Vegas? Can it be done as a day trip?

The West Rim of the Grand Canyon where the Skywalk is is a day trip away. It took us about 2-3 hours to drive there from Vegas, 4-5 hours exploring and doing the skywalk, and then driving back to Vegas. During the winter it will get dark fast, our last trip was in December and it was dark by 4pm and threatening to snow at the canyon. But when I went the first time in the summer we left extra early, drove to the West Rim, spent 5 hours there, took a helicopter ride down into the canyon, then a boat tour of the Colorado River, and then stopped at the Hoover Dam on our way back to Vegas, took the last tour of the day inside the mountain, and still made it back to Vegas in time for our dinner reservation at 8pm. Long day but so much fun!

 

[Heidict]

Another vote for loving Vegas. I have been out 3 times and had a blast every time.

I don't gamble much, maybe $20 here or there in the slots. I may grab a drink or two but not much else and we never saw the inside of a club since that just isn't my thing.

Still we had a blast and left wanting to come back and do more next time. Tons of shows and museums to see. Just walking around and checking out the hotels is fun. Taking a gondola ride, roller coasters, and so many other things.

The restaurants are amazing. Sure they can be a bit overpriced, but do your homework before you go and you will find deals and places that aren't going to break the bank. We didn't bother with any of the buffets the last time we went. While many of them are great, there were just to many restaurants that we wanted to try.

Day trips (either on a bus trip or renting a car) to Grand Canyon, Hoover dam, Red rock canyon or over the coast.

We were just talking the other day that we wanted to go back and are trying to figure out when.

 

[gracie1]

Puerto Rico is a U.S territory; you don't need a passport, just your driver's license (birth certificate if you want to be super-safe. Also check the travel restrictions/requirements for the U.S. Virgin Islands - St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.

But at least try Las Vegas. The City Center resorts are a good choice; there are fours properties together, the Cosmopoltan is one of the very rare Strip resorts with balconies (not all rooms), and your right next to the Bellagio.

I was just going to post this! Puerto Rico or the virgin islands. They just had a thing on yahoo - that if you don't have a passport and looking for somewhere affordable you can go to St. Johns

 

[eliza61]

I was just going to post this! Puerto Rico or the virgin islands. They just had a thing on yahoo - that if you don't have a passport and looking for somewhere affordable you can go to St. Johns

Did you like St. John's gracie. We visited there in conjunction with St. Thomas and within 2 days we were bored out of our skulls.
Most of the island is a state park so they can't build and every thing seem to go slower than even the speed of the caribbean, which is slower to begin with. I will admit though, we're not into hiking.

I thought it was beautiful but 2 days was definitely enough.