1st Time Vegas

[4sarge]

Never been to Vegas and have 2 unused air vouchers that will expire soon. Not a Gambler, going to see the lights, eat some great food and side trip to the Hoover Dam.

Need tips on decent room prices on the Strip for or at bargain prices. Will have a rental car for the trip to Hoover Dam but didn't want to drive all over the place.

Any suggestions on Food, Sights, Rooms, Discounts, car rental deals etc

I've signed up for several of the casino discount e-mail lists but seem they are pushing $$ rooms and packages

Thanks

 

[honobob]

Excaliber! Usually good rates. Next to the Luxor and corner with NY/NY Tropicano and MGM . It's a dam good tour, done it three times.

 

[travelover]

I got a room in Vegas on Priceline and it had a view of the HeVac system on the roof. Really depressing. I don't recall the hotel, but it was off the strip.

I don't gamble, but Vegas is quite a circus.

 

[dex]

Usually the hotels off the strip cost less - Terriables and such. You will need a car to visit the Hoover Dam.

 

[Rustic23]

Stayed at the Hilton. Reasonable rate on a room that had not been 'refurbished' It was a very nice room. Glad I did not pay for a refurbished one. The tram runs from there to the strip hotels. No need for a car. Don't miss the water show at the Bellagio.

Rest of Vegas was a disappointment. 1,001 ways to seperate you from your money! Not just gambling but every thing else. A bottle of water at the casino $4! Found a little place on the strip for $1.50.

Not sure I would go back.

 

[Fred333]

I found Vegas very fun. I guess it all depends on what you are going down there for. If you are a gambler or not the casinos are just fun to walk around in, also the food is great down there.

 

[bbbamI]

I've been to Vegas many times and I am the gambler. Since I do gamble, my room and food have always been comped, so I'm not sure about the rates. The past few years, we've stayed at the Luxor and have enjoyed it every time. Since you want to stay on the strip, the Mirage might be your best bet since it is nice and centrally located.

Now, it's been a while since I've done the "must see" things so I am assuming they are still there. They include the Liberace museum (it's kind of cheesy, but the old pics and letters are fun). Go downtown by bus and visit the Golden Nugget hotel. Make your trip there at night to see the light show. They have a canopy over downtown and I think the show is worth seeing. Since the downtown area has more "locals", you will probably find cheaper food.

I also suggest going to Caesars Palace and stroll through the Caesars Forum.

A couple of tips to the folks that have never been to Vegas that you have to remember.

1. Wear comfortable shoes!!! I can not stress this enough. If you go anywhere, you will walk for miles. Tennis shoes with good arch support and thin cotton socks are the best.

2. The distance between two hotels is amazing. You may not think it looks that far, but when you've been walking for two hours and still haven't gotten to your destination, you'll know what I mean. There is a lot of traffic on Las Vegas Blvd and I think it is very dangerous for pedestrians. Be careful.

Oh yeah, it's hot in the day and cool at night, so you may want to dress in layers. It's a one of a kind city, I think you'll enjoy it!

 

[waltwill8]

Flew to Vegas to meet friends this time last year. Rented a car and visited most of the Utah national parks (Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce, Zion, etc.)Awesome and not crowded.
Back to Vegas and walked the strip one afternoon. Not for me. Terribles has a pretty good and cheap breakfast.

 

[megacorp-firee]

Try the following strip casino/hotel websites for cheap rates. They change daily depending upon what conventions or events are in town. These are 'reasonably' priced and 'almost' Marriott quality.
Harrahs, Flamingo, Ballys, Luxor, Monte Carlo
A little downscale is Imperial Palace and Excalibers.
A lot downscale is Circus Circus and Stratosphere. You will get what you pay for...
You do need to check hotel prices before you book airlines... some weeks every room in town is $250 (like during COMDEX).

If you go downtown you can occasionally get a nice room at the Golden Nugget for reasonable prices.

Try Joyful House on Spring Mountain Road (2 miles west of the strip) for great Cantonese Food. Yunnan ? (Garden) on Schiff Blvd just south of Spring Mountain Road, for some authentic spicy Chinese (like Szchwen) food.

Go see the Danny Gans show at the Mirage ... great!
Lotsa other good shows too.
In addition to Ceasars, go to Venetian and look up... The stores at the Bellagio are real upscale and interesting too.

Have fun

 

[Eyerishgold]

The Flamingo and Harrah's are both good places to stay if you're looking for a bit of a less expensive room than the mega-resorts have to offer. Both have a great location on the strip and are close to everything you'd want to see or do.

 

[meridiver]

I really don't like Vegas, but we always seem to end up there for someone's wedding or a big party. In general, rooms on the strip tend to be cheaper during the week (unless there's a convention in town), so try to fly in Sunday or Monday, then leave Thursday or Friday.

Also, if you are interested in any of the sold-out shows, there's often a "last minute" line just outside the theater where they resell tickets that people cancelled at the last minute. We got into a Cirque Du Soleil show that way on a Saturday night. We only stood in line for 20 minutes and got great seats. The tickets are full price, but since many of these shows are sold out 6 months in advance, it is a good way to get in when you aren't an advance planner.

 

[cho oyu]

Not a Gambler, going to see the lights, eat some great food and side trip to the Hoover Dam.
ny suggestions on Food, Sights, Rooms, Discounts, car rental deals etc

In Vegas, definitely wander through the strip and the different hotels. Many of them have fun outdoor shows (Bellagio has their water jets, Treasure Island has its pirate fight, etc.). Buffets on the strip aren't really worth it - the food is not very good, in general. The Fremont Street Experience is a fun tourist experience and probably worth 15 minutes of your time, also.

Red Rock Canyon is right outside Vegas. In my opinion, a far nicer place than the city

Valley of Fire State Park is also quite picturesque (and even has an arch or two), albeit not nearly on national park scenic levels.

If you had more time, the suggestion to head into Utah is an excellent one. Bryce and Zion national parks are beautiful. You are also close enough to drive to either Death Valley NP (California) or Grand Canyon NP (Arizona).

 

[megacorp-firee]

Rest of Vegas was a disappointment. 1,001 ways to seperate you from your money! Not just gambling but every thing else. A bottle of water at the casino $4! Found a little place on the strip for $1.50.

Not sure I would go back.

You did not 'break the code'. The general rule is to NEVER pay for a drink in the casino. Go to any strip casino put a 20 dollar bill in a slot machine. Order a 'free drink', water, coffee, or whatever (try the cappacino at the Bellagio) and tip the cocktail waitress a buck per drink. Cash out your 20 bucks and go on your way. Another way to do this without a 20 dollar bill is to sit in the sports book (big walls full of numbers and tv sets) and wait for the cocktail waitress to come around and order up. Be sure to tip a buck a drink and no one gets their nose out of joint.

... tell em Lefty sent you

 

[TromboneAl]

Make sure you don't have any stolen OJ memorabilia with you.

 

[samclem]

Based on your moniker--are you current/retired military? If so, check to see if Nellis AFB might have rooms available space-A. No room service, but if you're just there to see the rest of the town you can save a lot of money. They won't guarantee you a room in advance, but you can ask them if they normally have space-A rooms when there isn't a Flag exercise in progress (RED FLAG, GREEN FLAG, etc). Then, ask them if there's a Flag exercise scheduled during your expected trip dates.

Hey, your going there to roll the dice anyway, you might as well start early by gambling on room availability!

 

[Rustic23]

We lived in Vegas in the late 60's. It was free Wheeling, and you could get a good breakfast for as little a $1.00 and a buffet for a couple more.

Our last trip it was evident that Vegas was out for every way possible to separate you from your money. We use to be able to slots for a couple of hours for $20. Now it lasted less than 5 min!

Vegas is a great town to visit once. The facades of the casinos are worth seeing. However, it won't be on my vacation list again.

 

[Gworker]

Another way to do this without a 20 dollar bill is to sit in the sports book (big walls full of numbers and tv sets) and wait for the cocktail waitress to come around and order up.

Some casinos don't allow this anymore. You get drinks at the sports book only when you bet. Not many freebies in Vegas anymore. I did find that the waitresses at Harrahs were the best. They always checked on us when we were hanging out at the penny slots.

We don't gamble much either and went for the first time the other month. There's ton to look at and see there but plan on plenty of walking. I didn't like the buffets too much. If you're into Elvis go see Big Elvis at Bill's Gambling Hall. Kind of cheesy but it's free and it's nice to sit for an hour after walking around all day. Bill's Gambling Hall isn't bad for breakfast either.

 

[chinaco]

If you are not a gambler, you will get bored after a couple of days in Vegas. Consider renting a car and going to some of the beautiful sites not to far away... east Grand Canyon, Sedona, Bryce Canyon, Zion or go west to Death Valley, Tahoe....

 

[REWahoo]

If you are not a gambler, you will get bored after a couple of days in Vegas.

Unless you are a 'people watcher', as Vegas offers an amazing array of those entertainment opportunities, 24/7.

 

[samclem]

Unless you are a 'people watcher', as Vegas offers an amazing array of those entertainment opportunities, 24/7.

Oh, yeah, there are sights to be seen everywhere. There's not much to see at the slot machines (just catatonic people demonstrating that BF Skinner was really onto something when he described "classical conditioning"), but the tables are a sight. The most colorful characters are around the craps tables (just go to where the yelling is coming from).

 

[Nords]

The most colorful characters are around the craps tables (just go to where the yelling is coming from).

I always enjoyed sitting at the blackjack tables closest to the "scantily clad customers only" nightclub entrance.

 

[Andy R]

You used to be able to get a nice room for a good price at the Monte Carlo. I looked at rates there recently in planning a cross country trip and I can't stomach to pay the prices they are charging these days (I guess demand is still out pacing supply). If we go for a night or two, will be looking at places off the strip and checking prices on www.mobissimo.com and Cheap Flights, Airline Tickets, Cheap Airfare & Discount Travel Deals - Kayak.com and possibly risking it on Priceline. I think they bulk sell so many rooms on packages that looking for them a la carte is often a more expensive option.

Have a fun trip!

 

[haha]

If you are not a gambler, you will get bored after a couple of days in Vegas. Consider renting a car and going to some of the beautiful sites not to far away... east Grand Canyon, Sedona, Bryce Canyon, Zion or go west to Death Valley, Tahoe....

IMO Hover Dam is not to be missed. Also, Tahoe is quite a hike from Las Vegas!

Ha

 

[chinaco]

IMO Hover Dam is not to be missed. Also, Tahoe is quite a hike from Las Vegas!

Ha

Yup. Hoover Dam is interesting... especially for those with an engineering bend.

Driving out there can cover a lot of territory. One needs to pick a few stops if other sites are to be visited... otherwise they would be driving too much.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The wife and I have been there a few times over the years. Las Vegas used to have great values on the strip for rooms and (buffet) restaurants. Over the last few years Las Vegas has gotten really pricey for the hotels in the center part (ie best part) of the strip. The food and service and much better than before but the prices reflect that. However their prices are consistent with other 4 or 5 star hotels that you'll find anywhere in the country.

My advice is to pay the price and stay in one of the 4-star hotels on the center strip. In many ways you do get what you pay for. Sure you can find some beater hotel, with dog-food chow restaurants away from everything that is cheap. But is that how you want to spend your vacation? Some of those off-strip hotels or North Strip hotels can be kind of depressing. Ditto for downtown Las Vegas.

The other thing about Las Vegas is it's a place to get out and walk around. So pick a hotel in a good location that you can use as a base to visit the other hotels. Sure you can get a hotel far away and drive over but it's not the same.

One thing to know about Las Vegas, if it hasn't already been posted, is that the rooms almost always sell out over the weekends with people doing the weekend get-away. So what happens is that room prices triple on the weekends and food prices in some of the restaurants also go up. The time to go to Las Vegas is during the week days. There will be fewer crowds and prices will be much better.

I concur with the Priceline recommendation. I have used them a number of times (though not in Las Vegas) and have always been happy with the results. Don't expect to get the Presidential suite though through Priceline. You'll get a clean room in the hotel usually with a view of the Parking lot or something like that. If a view is important to you ask for the upgrade when you check in. Often for just a few extra dollars you can upgrade to a "view" room. But there is no guarantee.

here is a website that I believe has the pulse of Las Vegas down and fits my "quality-on-the cheap" personality.

Cheapo Vegas