Vegas, baby!

Hey all,

If any of you are originally from Las Vegas, or are very familiar with the area, I'd love to pick your brain.

My husband, daughter and I are venturing back to the US this summer. Hub's 40th birthday is in July, so we want to drop off our child at my mother's place and then fly to Las Vegas for three days or so.

We have two solid objectives: renewing our wedding vows with Elvis/Jane Mansfield/whoever and seeing a Penn and Teller performance.

As a couple, we're not big gamblers/partiers, but we're very happy being in a place where we can walk around at our leisure and check out or participate in whatever takes our fancy. We have never had a honeymoon, and wanted to go to a place that's less family oriented for a change.

Would it matter if we flew in Monday and left Thursday? Do the weekends get stupid busy? I know it's fairly 24 hour over there, but since we are flexible with our schedule, if we can orchestrate our trip at a less congested time, I'd like to go for that.

Also, if any of you have any weird and wonderful suggestions, please share.

Thanks all!

Would it matter if we flew in Monday and left Thursday? Do the weekends get stupid busy? I know it's fairly 24 hour over there, but since we are flexible with our schedule, if we can orchestrate our trip at a less congested time, I'd like to go for that.

I would recommend going in the week if at all possible because in my experience the hotels are a lot more expensive to stay in on the weekends than during the week.

When I went to Vegas with a couple of friends, the hotel rooms were about double the price on the weekends compared to in the week... we were there for 4 nights (Thurs-Sun) and ended up staying in 3 different hotels because we couldn't afford to stay on the strip at the weekend!

I just did a search for hotel room rates this week at one of the strip hotels: a room for two on Tue/Wed/Thu this week is about $30 a night, but the same room is $75 on Friday night and $240 on Saturday night!

IHoward.
Coincidences.
I just walked into the house after driving the 400 miles round trip so DW could see her dentist there in Las Vegas. I was raining heavy when it turned dark and there was some lightening on the way home.
Anyway. To answer your question. My son is a manager of one of the largest hotels in Las Vegas and he would say that the rates are up and down like a yoyo. They are really high if there is a big trade show going on.
Those rates quoted seem low to me and I would recommend splurging on a room because you get what you pay for and you deserve to live like a movie star a few times in your life. How much am I talking about? Probably a £100 per night!
The other coincidence is you being from Copthorne. We were able to stay at the Copthorne Inn when it opened after it was converted. I loved the place.
As for the weekends I get the impression half of Los Angeles comes to LV on holiday weekends. There is a holiday weekend coming up on February 18 to the 20th.

I love Vegas! We've stayed at the MGM--DH has found ridiculously low rates on the internet before, and the hotel was nice, pool was great.  I would definitely recommend sticking to the main area on the Strip if you can. All of the hotels and restaurants are in walking distance and the money you'd save by being off the strip really isn't worth it.

We stayed at the Strat (best odds and tend to be the cheapest rooms on the Strip because of the location) which is the far end of the strip.  We really enjoyed ourselves.  There's a monorail from the Sahara which is kitty corner from the Strat.  The Sahara is also a great place to visit.  Old, real Vegas.  I wouldn't stay (or eat) there though. [I guess the Sahara is closed.  I am not sure if the monorail stop is still open. It should be, but it could be something you look into]

http://www.vegas.com/transportation/monorails.html  You might be able to save more on your room with the day pass.  There are also buses.  But I don't recommend going off the Strip to stay.  The rooms tend to get a bit manky.  Do visit downtown though.  Some of the old school casinos are great.  And they love to get people in them, so they often comp a lot more freely than elsewhere.

The Strat itself, if interested, is a modern, clean casino.  They have rides on top and a great view (tallest structure west of the Mississippi).  You should at least visit the observation deck if you stay elsewhere.  They have a 50s diner where the servers sing, an old 40s style lounge, a couple of shows, pool, and a buffet.  Oh, and it's close to an IHOP if you miss that.

This was a few years ago, but we managed to score rooms for $30 a night.  It is all about timing.  

Oh, and I recommend getting some refillable insulated bottles to carry with you.  And good shoes/socks.  The heat was pretty incredible, but it wasn't anything that bothered me other than I got thirsty a lot and my feet always felt like they were on fire when we were outside.

I asked my son, who lived in Vegas for several years and his thoughts are:

"Visit the Stratosphere during the day, but don't stay there and don't go at night. The location isn't just far away from everything else, its dangerous after dark.
For a romantic place, the Venetian is probably your best bet.
Going during the week will cut down on crowds, and a little bit on price, but it shouldn't be TOO much higher for a weekend trip, unless there's a big event going on."

Have fun!

I asked my son, who lived in Vegas for several years and his thoughts are:

"Visit the Stratosphere during the day, but don't stay there and don't go at night. The location isn't just far away from everything else, its dangerous after dark.
For a romantic place, the Venetian is probably your best bet.
Going during the week will cut down on crowds, and a little bit on price, but it shouldn't be TOO much higher for a weekend trip, unless there's a big event going on."

Have fun!

Totally agree. It wasn't too long ago that someone was murdered at the bus stop outside the Strat' (almost like home)

I used to go to Vegas all the time! Mostly for clubs, food, shows and shopping!

My suggestion is a lot like others, stay on the strip and preferably towards the middle...There is however, a really nice Hilton right by Excaliber that has good rooms and comfy beds for a bit cheaper than the main hotels and you can walk everywhere! To be honest, if I'm trying to save a few dollars, I prefer to stay there. It's quiet and often more comfortable sleeping then the casino's I've stayed at. But it's not as convenient as being able to go to a club or bar in your same building then going to bed...You have to walk!

DON'T stay at Circus circus! The bed's are AWEFUL! LOL! And they are right about the Stratosphere at night..but as long as you stick to taxi's that stay on the strip, you should be ok. (we had an awesome taxi driver that was talking to us about it and made sure we were safe) My favorite places to stay is Treasure Island, MGM, and New York. The Flamingo is ok as well, but it's not on the strip. 

I'm not a gambler, but I loved walking around and taking in all the sites and shopping. The shows are awesome too! I highly recommend a Blue man group or Circus du Solei (Sp?) Show! And take him to the old Vegas area to see the light show and explore around the old casino's. That's what I like doing anyways! Isn't there a beautiful lady on here from Vegas? Vegas girl? She would have loads of suggestions too! 

DON'T stay at Circus circus!

Circus Circus always looks really grimy and dirty to me. Blech! Also, they're known for having the most disgusting buffet in Vegas.

As for the Stratosphere end of the Strip, I've never had a problem there. The four times or so that I've been to Vegas, I've stayed in the apartment of a friend's father and it's right near the Stratosphere. My friend and I (two women alone) never felt unsafe at all.

Been about ten years since I've been but always found the Flamingo a decent place to stay.  Loved wandering the shops in the Venetian.

Circus Circus always looks really grimy and dirty to me. Blech! Also, they're known for having the most disgusting buffet in Vegas.

When I was in Vegas, we stayed at Circus Circus for one night, but luckily didn't have the opportunity to sample any of the food... we were literally only there for about 10 hours - we arrived from NYC at about 11 p.m., checked in around midnight and then checked out again the next morning .

Been about ten years since I've been but always found the Flamingo a decent place to stay.  Loved wandering the shops in the Venetian.

The last time we were there was to the 'Titanic Exhibit' and the place smelt of chlorine and the whole place looked like it needed a makeover. In my view it is a place to avoid. This was probably 7 years ago so things may have changed.

I am only posting to say how jealous I am. You are going to have such a great time! Vegas is amazing. My favorite stay was being put up in an old section of the Tropicana. Yes, the room was very dated, but that just it feel like Elvis might be popping in at any moment. Plus, the windows actually opened -- fresh air!

So if it's grubby old Vegas or new shiny posh Vegas, it's still amazing!

I talked to my son who is a hotel manager and he said the rates are $550 per night right now at his hotel on the strip.

Many thanks to all who replied.

Tickets to Penn and Teller have been booked. We ended up booking a room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, the place P&T perform at.

Originally we were going to stay for two nights, but now we're going for three. It was far cheaper flying in Sunday instead of Monday.

I'm looking forward to being out west for the first time ever. And I know I'll have fun with my husband. It's just going to be interesting how we are going to fill three days of time.

There are a few cycle tours to take, and I'm going to check those out. I'm assuming most of Las Vegas is flat, and puttering around on a bicycle during some of the trip sounds like fun.