===> Vegas Baby <===

[Lilith]

Where is the best place to stay in Vegas? and why? What are must do/see?

[eliza261]

Hey..
i have been there 2x.. although not as an adult as i am still underage in the USA.. but if u wanna stay outta vegas a bit The Primm Valley is sweet.. in Vegas.. The Luxor is pretty amazing and so is the excalabur..
that was my impression..
as for things to do.. everything that i know is all family stuff but the excalibur is pretty sweet if u want a tame nite out.. there usded to be jousting in the basement it is this huge thing its sooo cool.. king arthurs court.. . also apparently rhe ventian is pretty sweet.. again ii dont know what u wanna do or what ever so vegas.com is pretty good site too
have fun.. so far its my fave city that i have been to..
have fun
:D
Eliza

[aflyerfan]

Go on the "bigshot" on top of the stratosphere,make sure you go at night and get the seats facing Las Vegas blvd. They have a new ride there that is supposed to be cool too. The Palms and the Hard Rock are really cool casinos. I guess it depends on what interests you Lilith,but Vegas is a hell of a time.

[aflyerfan]

Oh and the water show at Bellagio and the pirate show at Treasure Island.

[Steph]

I'm hoping to hit a wedding there sometime. :D

Pixies orgy in Vegas! Cheap hotels, lots of food, let's just all work to keep Booger away from the tables! :D

[Booger]

if theres an orgy goin on the keeping me from the tables won't be a peoblem

[jennaflower]

I recommend Excalibur... It is at the edge of the strip.. thus making it a little less expensive than the others. When I was there, they had an inexpensive dinner show (expecially nice if you like to watch men dressed as knights joust) and GREAT tables (I walked away with $1200 of their money at the craps table).

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Have to eat at the Rio--the *best* buffet there. The pirate show *is* awesome at Treasure Island but get there early. There is usually a huge crowd. If you're taking kids, Circus Circus is an obvious choice--awesome games--and I have cousins who have ridden the roller coaster at New York, New York and recommend it. It's worth stopping in Caesar's Palace just to *see* it--it's beautiful, and I'm *still* fascinated with the diagonal elevators at the Luxor, not to mention that huge beam of light at night. :) They've done some rennovations to the MGM, but I know the last time I was in there, about five years ago, it was worth looking at, too. I've yet to go to the jousting at the Excalibur, but my sister stayed there. She wasn't too impressed with the accomodations, but, like someone said, they *are* at the end of the strip and a little less expensive. There are new hotels opening all of the time, and, if you do stay off the strip, you might find something a little more reasonable. Also, especially during the summer room rates are usually more than 50% cheaper for Sunday through Thursday stays than the weekends. Outside of Vegas, Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead, just south about 20 miles of Vegas near Boulder City, are worth visiting.

[Lilith]

We are looking at about a week. I was looking at the hotels and am wondering whether it's better to stay at the considerably downscaled rooms of a place like Excaliber or MGM or to fo for a little bit nicer accommodations like those at Golden Nugget although it's in old vegas and not on the strip???? Hard to tell from the little room pics.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

I don't know if you want to move hotels during your week stay or not, but you may want to consider that to get the full "effect" of Vegas. We have relatives who live in Boulder City and have spent a decent amount of time there...we usually stay off-strip, even sometimes off-Old Vegas, just because we were going on the weekends when we lived in southern California, and the rooms were *so* much more reasonable. However, wherever you stay, it's worth getting some good walking shoes on your feet and walking up and down the strip and seeing the sites--the hotels *and* the people.

By the way, you used to be able to take tours of Hoover Dam, but I believe they may have stopped or curbed that since 9-11.

[aflyerfan]

Downtown has the Freemont experience which is pretty fun to watch,but most of the shows are uptown so you would be driving a lot. Are you renting a car? One other thing to know,it is illegal to hail a taxi.
I have to agree with Karaokegirl,if you go to the pirate show,get there early.

[Aqua]

The Pirate show is, sadly, no longer. It was the best free show on the Strip in my opinion. It is being replaced with a more 'adult' show by the look of things. The water show is awesome at the Bellagio. Get tickets for the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris and watch it from there... it is very cool!

[Mae]

Lived there for 17 years. Luxor was our favorite...a jacuzzi suite. The Mirage & Treasure Island are both good. If you're going downtown, the Golden Nugget is right in "Old" Vegas. There are a lot of pickpockets and homeless there. MGM is nice and HUGE. Aladdin is okay, but pricey. Bellagio is pricey, but worth it. I see Boulder City was mentioned. They just finished restoring the old Boulder Dam Hotel in that town. It's cute, and there are the usual touristy shops. Depends on what, exactly, you're looking for. Blue Man Group at the Luxor is good and so is "O" at the Bellagio. I think there's still a show at Treasure Island with the same troupe as "O". Red Rock Canyon is beautiful. You could also head up to Mount Charleston to the Mount Charleston Hotel for lunch. Valley of Fire is a ways out, but nice to see, too. There is an Indian tourist store on your way in to the Valley. You can also take a day trip on the other side of the Mountain, to Pahrump. Go to the Pahrump Valley Vineyards. The drive is interesting. It's a fairly nice spot and the food's good. You need to call ahead to get reservations. My husband's favorite Pahrump wine is Symphony. :) What else...Hmmm... There are 4 malls and an outlet mall. THe most expensive is downtown...Fashion Show Mall. New York New York has an interesting deli. Off the stirp, The Palms seems to be the up and coming night spot. Oh, if you decide on the Luxor, tell them you want a jacuzzi suite in the pyramid, or you'll get a room in those tower additions.At Lake Mead, you can take a ride on the Desert Princess. She's a paddlewheeler that was brought overland years ago. They have a dinner cruise and an afternoon sightseeing cruise. Both went to the dam. I don't know if they still do. (Security reasons?)

[Mae]

Ahhh...the Venetian is very interesting. There is a small canal for a gondola ride. The shops are nice. Everything is high end, though.

[jennaflower]

Oh... and Lilith (as if I need to urge this), make sure that you seek out the adult toy superstores :)

[Lilith]

Thanks everyone so much for your advice! I'll let ya know what we come up with!

[jennaflower]

Ah.. no worries Lilith.. you can return the favor when all of us make our trip to Florida :) Mine is only a few months away... will have to do a similar thread then :)

[Mae]

Have fun! THere are a lot of options. :)

[having_fun]

We've made many, many trips to vegas. And to be quite honest in the beginning, 20 years ago we always stayed at the newest hotels, paying as much as $225 a night. But about 10 years ago we decided that we only spend a few hours a night actually in our hotel rooms, so since then we usually go for the cheaper hotels, ie Circus Circus, about $35 a night, or one of the other smaller hotels just off the strip for just under $50. We spend the extra money on more shows, or other entertainment.

Even though we are staying in the cheaper hotels we can still take advantage of the free/paid shows in the bigger casinos. We also usually take a taxi ride when we first arrive, and ask the driver where the best party places are, and where the best local gambling is. They can usually surprise us with an off the beaten path fun spot.

Remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas... You can experience anything you want there, just be careful not to get yourself in a place where you can't get away from if the need arises, as there are a lot of people there that will take advantage of you.

[Lilith]

Ok well we booked our trip. First real vacation in 17 years:D

We just could not afford the super nice places like the Venetian but the Aladdin has low rates the week we want to go and the rooms are deluxe vs. standards. Something else we noticed was that if you avoided Friday and Saturday nights, the cost for a room was only 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of the weekend. We will just go Sun-Fri:D

Now I need info on the "must see" things there. Where do we need to eat? What shows should we not miss? Which casinos are the best and why? Is the Hoover Dam really something I want to see?

[Vigil]

I don't want to put you off Lil - but I'll be in Vegas soon for business and was wondering whether it's a suitable place for the Kids?

Or should we stay somewhere else and let me pop over to Vegas for the work?

What suggestions can you give? Thanks.

[Lilith]

I hear that it's a great place for a family vacation! Here's an article from a FamilyFun magazine

http://familyfun.go.com/travel/places/feature/dony0800vegas/dony0800vegas.html

[Vigil]

Thanks Lil. That's great, and I see why you posted - there are just so many hotels!!?? I definitely want to see the Grand Canyon before I get boxed up.

I think that it will take as long as the holiday itself to find out and plan all the things to do. Ironically though I'm not a gambler, but temptation is powerful mistress.

[Lilith]

I think there are good day-trips to Hoover Dam as well.

[denny]

IAKG was right on the mark. Check out Paris too. Really nice!

[Lilith]

Will do. We have another couple going with us now. Funny I took one of them on my honeymoon too:p We are more adventurous in a group. Lastnight I proposed that we hit a strip club too while we are there. Neither of us have them near where we live. Anybody got any ideas on which one to go to???

[paprclphd]

Lilith - I personally experienced the Hoover Dam on a day trip and I really wouldn't recommend it. It was extremely hot, and the tour that took about 3 hours started to get really boring. I was excited to see the dam, because it is a good educational thing to see, but the tour was just a little much. We went into the boiler rooms, through tunnels, spent lots of time under the desert sun, and then made several stops on the way back to see some "overlooks". All I wanted to do was get back to the casino and have a cool drink! I would recommend seeing the dam, but maybe try a smaller trip, or rent a car and drive yourself. I wouldn't waste an entire day at the damn dam!! LOL!

You gotta see the fountains at Bellagio - that is an absolute must!! And the roller coaster at New York, NY is great, if you don't mind paying $10 for a ride. I enjoyed the Venetian shops also, and try to make it by Ceasar's those are both a must see. At night, the Ghost Bar in the Palms is so cool! Drinks are pricey but well worth it considering the atmosphere.

HAVE FUN!!

[cbass1976]

thanks for the great tips going in aug.