I am going to Vegas for the first time, does anybody have any interesting recommendations? I will be there for 4 days at the end of July.

Thanks!

Hello,

Since I noticed that no one has responded in 1.5 days, here is my 2 cents worth as a LAS visitor for 3-5 trips annually.

1 - Try the "lvrs.com" website to compare prices for the level of hotel that you may be interested in.

2 - If you are not current on what are the ratings/levels of LAS hotels, check the hotel pages on the "vegaswatch.com", also this website has fairly good information on what to do in LAS. Be aware that many of the posters are LOW ROLLERS.

Have Fun!
Va.SquireFlyer

Hello aqueouschief

I've been checking on Vegas for my first trip also. I did a search on ask jeeves and came up with quite a few web sites.
Most informative for me was www.lvol.com (http://www.lvol.com)
which gives reviews and ratings from other visitors on everything you may want to know.
After reading the hotel reviews, I'm still debating which hotel to stay.

Good Luck !

Did you see the other thread Las Vegas Hotel Questions just below. Has some interesting comments too.

[This message has been edited by susieQ (edited 06-21-2001).]

We like this as a primer.
http://www.cheapovegas.com/

rdy

Hope you will enjoy that great city!

I was lucky enough to be in Vegas last month for almost 3 weeks for work http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

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Al

If you feel like seeing something outside of Vegas, the Hoover Dam tours are well done, particularly the "hard hat" tours. The guides can be quite entertaining.

I found some useful reviews in IgoUgo on various options in Las Vegas. My own preference is the Four Seasons Hotel which occipies the top five or six floors of the Mandalay Bay Hotel (with its own private entrance) and NO casino. This is located at the far end of the strip and sells Serenity with a capital S. Also luxury at expensive prices for Vegas, but very inexpensive relative to what it would cost anywhere else.

That said, there are many luxury hotels there for amazingly bargain prices. The Venetian has huge rooms and is located more or less in the middle of the strip, the Bellagio is gorgeous and if you stay there you can get concierge tickets to the production "O" which is otherwise impossible to get into. Read IgoUgo and the sites mentioned and choose what sounds appealing to you. The place is a TRIP. If you don't like glitz, casinos, or cigarette smoke however, conisder the Four Seasons.

Hope this helps.

I have lived in Las Vegas for the past 15 years. If you want to post any specific questions or define your interests I'd be glad to give you some ideas.

Originally posted by aqueouschief:
I am going to Vegas for the first time, does anybody have any interesting recommendations? I will be there for 4 days at the end of July.

It's easy to spend time on the Strip and to miss Downtown. Speaking as a "limited budget gambler," I think that the Golden Nugget is a great value. (But my "very high roller" friends recommended the GN to me.) The GN has incredible customer service, it's nicely appointed, and the food was good. Also the "Freemont Street Experience" is one of the PR shows not to be missed. Others include the Pirate Show at Treasure Island, the Aquarius show at Ceasar's, and the Bellagio fountains. I also agree that Hoover Dam is spectacular, as well as the Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon. If you do any of these "outside" LV attractions, consider renting a car in lieu of a tour. Have fun.

Check and see if your library or used book store has the next to last issue of Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine. They had a very good article about doing Vegas well, but on the cheap.

The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas is a superb primer. ACCESS Las Vegas is good once you're there and walking around, trying to decide which restaurant/shop/attraction is most worthy.

There's a new show, La Femme, which is supposed to be awesome. It's the latest in the new adult "art" show entertainment.

For maximum impact, stay on the strip at one of the big theme resorts. The most popular hotels right now are the Venetian, Bellagio and the Mandalay Bay, with the Paris and Caesar's right behind in a lower price range.

You can get some great deals now, but weekends are higher. Call the hotel reservation lines directly for best rates and keep calling to see if rates have gone down. They often do.

The Aladdin buffet is very good - Mediterranean and healthy and exotic. The best shopping is at the Caesar's Forum Shops and the Venetian shops.

If you're a Star Trek fan, the Star Trek ride at the Hilton is not to be missed.

Red Rock Canyon is beautiful, but it'll be too hot to hike this time of year, except in the early morning. Valley of Fire is awesome, but also too hot now.

You need reservations to tour Hoover Dam this time of year - MANDATORY for the hard hat tour. Just go to their Web site and call for tickets at a specific time. It sells out quickly. Allow at least an hour to drive there, more on weekends. Traffic is awful and some of it is two lane.

If you're a gambler, join the slots club, drop about $200+ or more per day in the slots and/or play around 6 hours/day and get lots of comps.

Have a blast!

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"Living well is the best revenge"

If you have a car, you might want to take the short drive to Mt. Charleston (about 35 miles northwest of LV), for some interesting (green) scenery, and a nice change of temperature for this time of year. Stop at the Mt. Charleston Hotel for lunch or snacks on the way, or there is an inn at the roads end near the top. We went several years ago, and while the temperature in LV was in the 100's that day (July), at Mt. Charleston we found a welcome change--in the 70's near the top.
Have fun--and WIN!!!

bj-21.

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'Tis better to have played and won, then never to have played at all.

Thanks a million guys. I will be staying at the Venetian. I am thinking of learning craps, my friends tell me this is the best game to win at. The last time I gambled, it was at Foxwoods and played blackjack-I think I was out of money in an hour!

Regardless of cost you have to see the "O" show at the Bellagio. I strongly suggest reservations immediately.

Also, "Delmonico's" steakhouse at the Venetian is fantastic.

Heading to Vegas on Tuesday for 4 days.
This will be my fourth time there. Have stayed at Ceasars, Monte Carlo, Mirage (my favorite). Fremont street light show at night is great as well as a trip to Hoover Dam. I play blackjack and usually come home even. Want to "tour" the new hotels this time. We always rent a limo one night and from the airport. Can't wait!

Since you are staying at Venetian, try a massage or a spa service at Canyon Ranch if you like to relax or to unwind after all the activities you sure will do on the Strip... The Spa is at the 4th Floor in Venetian and it's an excellent spa and health club.

check out www.canyonranch.com (http://www.canyonranch.com)

I always enjoy a day trip to Death Valley, its about a two hour drive from Vegas. In July though, no way.

Jay

TEN Things I would recommend for the first time Vegas vistors ( City of L.Vegas ONLY)and not necessarily in order of preference.
1) See the white tigers at Mirage
2) Stand UNDER the (real)lions at MGM Grand (take the tram from Ballys)
3) Visit the Ceasar's Palace Shopping Arcade
4) Visit the Rio in the evening for their good and free Mardi Gras parade. Then take the elevator to The Voodoo Lounge for a drink and absolutely the most spectacular view on the Strip.
5) Take the really terrifying "Death drop" ride at the Stratosphere.
6) Visit Fremont St for the light show.
7) Best show not "O" but Circe de Soliel's
"Mystere"
8) Walk around the Veneitian and see the
"Vatican Museum type" ceilings and gondolas
9) Visit the restaurant " Aureole" in the Mandalay Bay and see the 4/5 story glass wine cellar where your wine is selected by a girl suspended by pulleys around her waist.
10) Save space for the Banana Cream pie at
Emerills Fish House - MGM Grand.
Enjoy your stay.
Mike




[This message has been edited by MIKESILV (edited 07-11-2001).]

>>I am thinking of learning craps, my friends tell me this is the best game to win at.<<

Well, Baccarat has the best odds in the house, but in my opinion it's rather boring to play (It's what James Bond always played!). Craps is next in line odds-wise, and much more fun! It's actually very easy to learn & play the basics...it's all the crazy side bets & dealer jabbering that scares people.

Stay away from Roulette. It has horrible odds, unless you have a psychic link to the wheel!

The trick to BJ is to not sit and throw money down waiting for the shoe to turn your way. If you lose 3 hands in a row, get up and go to another table.

Now...if I could only put my own advice into practice... http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif






[This message has been edited by Pointfreak! (edited 07-14-2001).]

Point,

Losing three games in a row is not uncommon with any casino game, so you should have enough of a buy-in to get through some of the cold streaks for the cards to turn. If you sit down at a table, and lose the first three hands and leave, you haven't given yourself a chance to play the game. And I thought craps had the better odds, if you take the free-odds bets.
I usually try to double my original buy-in, then start thinking about leaving the table when I've lost five in a row. Also, as a suggestion, always try to "color-up" your chips whenever you can, (ie, red to green to black), then never break the higher chips values back to lower ones. Of course, this is assuming that you are winning.
Good luck!!!

bj-21.

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'Tis better to have played and won, then never to have played at all.

[This message has been edited by blackjack-21 (edited 07-15-2001).]

I think Three Card Poker has a little better odds than craps. It's ver easy game to learn. However, the game is not at every casino, and most just have one or two tables....I think the only exception is Bally's, with several tables. Read up more on it and other casino game rules and strategies at http://www.thewizardofodds.com

(I play by the odds: Play Queen, 6, 4 or higher.)

However, craps is a lot of fun, too. One of my favorite gambling quotes (from Fodders or something): "Winning while playing craps is the most fun you can have in a casino. Losing while playing craps comes in a close second." Haven't made up my mind on whether or not I agree with the losing part....

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Pointfreak!:
&gt;&gt;I am thinking of learning craps, my friends tell me this is the best game to win at.&lt;&lt;

Well, Baccarat has the best odds in the house, but in my opinion it's rather boring to play (It's what James Bond always played!). Craps is next in line odds-wise, and much more fun! It's actually very easy to learn & play the basics...it's all the crazy side bets & dealer jabbering that scares people.

Stay away from Roulette. It has horrible odds, unless you have a psychic link to the wheel!

The trick to BJ is to not sit and throw money down waiting for the shoe to turn your way. If you lose 3 hands in a row, get up and go to another table.

Now...if I could only put my own advice into practice... http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif




[This message has been edited by Pointfreak! (edited 07-14-2001).]</font>

Obviously, the best thing to do in Vegas is to stay away from the tables. But if you want to play craps, the best approach is to play the pass and the don't pass lines and if you want a little more action take odds behind your pass and don't pass bets. Outside of counting cards when playing 21, craps gives the house the slimest odds. As a matter of fact, the house has no advantage when you take the odds. But remember, craps is a fatal attraction for gamblers because it gives them the most action. You can make a pass or don't pass bet on each roll of the dice. That's what those number in the back are all about -- 4 5 6 8 9 10. So while the odds are a whale of a lot better than say the slots, the velocity of the game is such that you can lose a lot of money very fast.

I stayed recently at the Desert Paradise Resort on DeCautur(correct spelling I Think)
and at approx $100 a night for a 2 bed condo, it was superb value. Its about a mile from the strip off Tropicana

My suggestions are to walk around and see all the new hotels. You won't have to worry about there being nothing but gambling. I personally thought Cirque du Solei's "O" was the best of their shows, but that's just my opinion. Buy your tickets on the web NOW so you can get seats if you want to go. See all the free stuff! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

I just saw this on Mileage Workshop, that you can early AAdvantage Miles at the MGM Grand playing the slots and video poker. The link is http://www.mileageworkshop.com/ (Concourse B, I think). May as well earn some miles while you risk some bucks!

Just got back from Vegas this past weekend. Stayed at the Four Seasons, which is by far my favorite hotel. 2 words: PEACE & QUIET! (But you're an elevator ride away from the Mandalay Bay casino)
The Bellagio is a total ZOO in comparison - I can't stand pushing my way through crowds.

Price was reasonable, too -- $275/night through Amex Platinum, which included room upgrade and $20 credit per person per day for breakfast. Rooms at the Mandalay Bay were going for $289 for that weekend according to the Website!

My recommendations (in no particular order):
* "O" - must buy tix in advance
* Big Shot ride on top of Stratosphere
* Aureole at the Mandalay Bay
* Aqua at the Bellagio

In general, you should make dinner reservations at the good restaurants as far in advance as you can.

Have fun!