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Old 07-25-2011, 09:22 PM   #41
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There's a lesser frequented Outlet in Primm, about a 45 min bus ride away towards the Cali boarder.
I preferred it to the Premium ones in LV, but this was about 3 years ago and some stores at both may have changed.
There's a bus ride to their that does from MGM. Really cheep IIRC, especially if you're staying there.
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Old 07-25-2011, 09:27 PM   #42
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I've founds some cheap as an Edmontonian Boston Pizza hooker combos that have me staying at the stratosphere. I know it's not a classy place, but is it clean and decent? I know its at the end of the strip and such, but I don't expect we'd care much.
F'n hell, youre the last guy who should be staying at this dump . Fall off your wallet and stay in a 4-5* centre strip. Bellagio, aria, Caesars, venetian are all good choices. Will be cheaper in august. Stratosphere is waaaay too far down the strip. You will care...trust me.

Dont go cheap, you're there for a few days, spend the money it takes to enjoy Vegas. All aspects, not just hotel.

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Old 07-25-2011, 10:02 PM   #43
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F'n hell, youre the last guy who should be staying at this dump . Fall off your wallet and stay in a 4-5* centre strip. Bellagio, aria, Caesars, venetian are all good choices. Will be cheaper in august. Stratosphere is waaaay too far down the strip. You will care...trust me.

Dont go cheap, you're there for a few days, spend the money it takes to enjoy Vegas. All aspects, not just hotel.
FWIW, if you want extreme luxury, nothing comes even close to Mandarin or the Four Seasons. I've stayed at the mandarin in vegas and four seasons in other cities and it is easily the best hotel experience I've ever had. Mandarin was great in Vegas as there was no casino on site (though aria was 2 minutes away) and was a nice oasis on the strip. Highly recommended.
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Old 07-25-2011, 10:02 PM   #44
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I've stayed at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and New York New York. I enjoyed all of them. MGM has the best beds I've ever slept in at a hotel. It has some good pools too, not the best in Vegas, but still pretty good, lots of pools. MGM is my preferred place to stay. Keep in mind that it is huge. If you forget something in your room and realize it by the time you get to the doors leading out to the strip, you've got to decide to waste another 20-30 minutes to retrieve that item or forget about it. The place is HUGE!

Mandalay Bay was the classiest of the three places I've stayed at, but way on the south end of the strip. I stayed there for a conference so it was worth it, but I'm not sure I'd stay there again unless I'm attending an event there. There is a tram from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur, which is on the same corner as MGM and NYNY, so that helps with the distance, but it can still seem a bit far away. Excellent pool though, one of the best in Vegas.

NYNY was the most economical of the three. Smaller rooms, but you don't go to Vegas to stay in your room. I thought it was a pretty good place to stay. Unique hotel too, took about a dozen twists and turns down hallways to get to our room, which was at the farthest end of the hallway(s). Small pool, but we didn't get to check it out as it was windy and cold when we were there. It has some good, inexpensive quick eat restaurants. It has Nathan's Hot Dogs if that's your bag. I was disappointed as I was "oversold" as to how good their dogs are, but it was good. I love picking up pizza from Sirrico's. Cheap, quick, and delicious. They also have a good deli in the quick eat's section. Greenburgh's, I think. If you're going to buy a Margarita by the Foot, buy it from NYNY. Only $13 or $14 and you get 4 oz. with that (you can get more alcohol for higher price of course), where there are other places you can get a Margarita by the foot and they are around $20 and only have 2 oz. It all depends on where you go for those things. I think it is something most people do on their first trip.

For your first trip I'd recommend a 4 nighter. You'll get overtired if you do much longer, but you'll still leave Vegas wanting/needing to see/do more. I never wanted to go to Vegas, I just went to appease my wife since she wanted to go to see why her parents go once or twice per year. I got hooked.
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Old 07-25-2011, 10:17 PM   #45
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I've been to Vegas twice and stayed at Excalibur both times. The price is decent and the rooms are good for the price, but a more central place may be your cup of tea. But you'll have to pay for it.
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Old 07-25-2011, 10:29 PM   #46
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If you like partying by the pool with buckets of beer TReasure Island is for you. However in August it would be too hot to do so.

Treasure island was renovated a few years ago and the rooms are solid (and cheap).
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Old 07-25-2011, 10:30 PM   #47
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I have stayed at the MGM, Stratosphere, T.I. and Excalibur. My favorite of them all is T.I. It is most central of the group and often has great promos.
Strat is a waste of time as you miss out on the true vegas experience. Excalibur was nice for how cheap it was but is still a decent hike anywhere other than the NYNY roller coaster or MGM. I have always found the MGM to be overpriced and too large for my likings.

I don't know about that? I was there a few weeks back and it was one of my favorite stops. Agreed it is in a rough area off on its own but the views are amazing and if you are into rides there is something there for everyone. I was surprised by how much taller it is compared to the Calgary Tower as looking at it I would have guessed about the same size? Anyways I think it is part of the true Vegas experience and is a cool stop along the way much further down the strip. We decided to go up the Stratosphere instead of the mini Eiffel tower at Paris as the lineups there would have taken us forever and the views are likely not as good? Can't beat a 30 second elevator ride to the top!
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Old 07-25-2011, 10:41 PM   #48
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F'n hell, youre the last guy who should be staying at this dump . Fall off your wallet and stay in a 4-5* centre strip. Bellagio, aria, Caesars, venetian are all good choices. Will be cheaper in august. Stratosphere is waaaay too far down the strip. You will care...trust me.

Dont go cheap, you're there for a few days, spend the money it takes to enjoy Vegas. All aspects, not just hotel.
Code for hookers?
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Old 07-25-2011, 10:43 PM   #49
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I stayed at the Wynn this time and it was good. Last time I went I stayed at the encore. I found that renting a car was worth it if it's just you and another person, my gf and I spent a lot of time driving around grabbing local food and shopping. (rented a cab the other time I went, went with 7 other people so it was cheaper splitting cab fare) I also checked out lotus of Siam from the recommendations here. Food was pretty good, on the way out to the parking lot there was a crackhead roaming around was banging on our car window cause I didn't give her money haha. But like a few people mentioned once you're off the strip lots of shady folks around. It'll be Pretty damn hot though when you go
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Old 07-25-2011, 11:46 PM   #50
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Just came back from Vegas, stayed at the Aria. Pricey but worth it! If any one is interested Vegas has a shooting range that lets you shoot fully automatic guns :0 Cant remember the names...
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Old 07-26-2011, 01:54 AM   #51
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Just came back from Vegas, stayed at the Aria. Pricey but worth it! If any one is interested Vegas has a shooting range that lets you shoot fully automatic guns :0 Cant remember the names...
That's the Gun Store at the south end of the Strip by Mandalay Bay.
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Old 07-26-2011, 04:13 AM   #52
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I've stayed at quite a few hotels in Vegas, I still find THEhotel to be my favorite, doesn't hurt that the Mandalay bay pool is awesome too.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...as_Nevada.html
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Old 07-26-2011, 07:48 AM   #53
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Also, if you have time you should check out Hoover dam. They just finished construction on a bridge over hoover dam last year sometime and you can now check it out from the front. Plus it's only about a 35 mile drive from the strip.

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Old 07-26-2011, 07:54 AM   #54
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i have only been to vegas once, so take this for what it is worth, but we stayed at the bellagio and i was not overly impressed with it. to me ceasers had a much better vibe about it.

as for shopping, we hit both outlet malls in town. the one by the airport is kind of dumpy, i enjoyed the outdoor one a little more. i thought it had more stores that i wanted to go to, and you get the feeling of being outside.
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Old 07-26-2011, 08:01 AM   #55
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We stayed at the Tropicana - it's near to the South end of the strip but it's relatively cheap and the rooms are huge with great beds. The bus and monorail run up and down the strip so staying somewhere at one end or the other isn't a deal-killer. Don't walk it though, it's a lot longer than you'd think.

So, I'm pretty much the worst person to go to Vegas - I don't really drink and I don't gamble (I just lose anyway, so why waste my money!) -- but I've been twice - once sans kids, and once with my 2-year old. I loved both times. THere's lots to do other than gambling with (or without kids):

1) Lied Children's museum is pretty great for kids
2) Red Rock Canyon in fantastic for hiking - though both times wasn't in summer. I think it would be too hot in summer to hike far. It's even nice just to drive out there to take the scenic drive.
3) Other hiking is good around the city, though a short drive might be necessary. A good site:
http://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/_Hike_index.htm
4) The M&M museum/store is great if you have kids; if not avoid it completely, it's a total waste of time.
5) Free fountain show at Bellagio is a hit with kids. The pirate show at TI is good too, but crowded.
6) Go see the Hoover dam and the bypass if you're at all into construction. A nicer drive (but costs $$) is through the Lake Mead Rec area.
7) Don't drive on the strip if you can avoid it. Traffic is a disaster. Koval is one block east and moves 100x faster - take the east-west road you want back to the strip. I-15 is bad too.
8) Rent a car unless you plan on spending the week loaded - they're not terribly expensive and you usually get free parking (or included in the stupid "Resort fee").

There's a lot more to Vegas than gambling if you're not into it. But it's a great place to party too if you're into that! It's an easy city to lose a lot of money.
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Old 07-26-2011, 08:12 AM   #56
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i have only been to vegas once, so take this for what it is worth, but we stayed at the bellagio and i was not overly impressed with it. to me ceasers had a much better vibe about it.
I know exactly what you mean. The rooms are great and the poker room is great, but something about the casino floor seems...sterile. It appeals to an older crowd and for some reason I find it a little too bright in there.

I would still say it's a good hotel though based on location and quality of rooms, etc.
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Old 07-26-2011, 09:28 AM   #57
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There's a lesser frequented Outlet in Primm, about a 45 min bus ride away towards the Cali boarder.
I preferred it to the Premium ones in LV, but this was about 3 years ago and some stores at both may have changed.
There's a bus ride to their that does from MGM. Really cheep IIRC, especially if you're staying there.
I went to the one in Primm about four years ago. There's really no point in going there since almost all the outlets there were also at the one north of the Strip unless you really want to check out the lovely desert by the side of the highway for an hour.
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Old 07-26-2011, 09:29 AM   #58
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Also, if you have time you should check out Hoover dam. They just finished construction on a bridge over hoover dam last year sometime and you can now check it out from the front. Plus it's only about a 35 mile drive from the strip.

That's great that they've put a bridge there. The drive over the Hoover Dam is crazy. I remember the speed limit being something like 15 and cars weren't even doing that.
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Old 07-26-2011, 09:47 AM   #59
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Hey Everyone, My wife and I went to Vegas in March of this year, just a few months ago actually. That is about the perfect time to venture down there as it is a nice balmy 15-20 degrees and it is not too overly hot out.

We booked our trip with WestJet Vacations, and WestJet paid that stupid "resort fee" for us. We had direct flights, not the greatest of times flying in and out, but it was decent. We landed in Vegas at 10:00 am and could not check into our hotel till 3:00 pm, we also flew out at 9:00 pm so had to find somwhere to put our bags and luggage all the time.

We flew down there on Tuesday morning, and Flew out Saturday evening, so 4 nights 5 days, which was plenty of time to get entirely exhausted. Our flights and hotels were around $1100, which was a pretty good deal I found. We stayed at the Tropicana, which they were renovating the pool at the time, and from what I saw of it, it was going to look amazing when it was done.

We saw a few shows while we were down there (not really drinkers or gamblers), The Lion King, Blue Man Group, and David Copperfield, and let me tell you, do upgrades ever go a long way. The computers were down when we went to see the Lion King and we had the cheap $70 tickets up in the nosebleeds. We got upgraded to 5th row center $200 a piece tickets.

You can also spend a pile of money of Food down there, depending on where you eat. We personally chose to eat at nice restaraunts, and none of those "quick eats" places, and the food down there is phenomenal. If you are looking to eat on a budget, the "all day buffets" for $30 each are a good deal. We went to various buffets as well, one at the MGM, one at the Excalibur, one at Aria, Tropicana (ect). And you can basically find those in every single hotel. I think we spent more on food down there then on our flights and hotels!!!

We went to the Premium Outlet Mall (north one) and spent quite a bit of money, you can get amazing deals on clothes if you snoop around enough. We took the express bus (the bendy one that looks like a train) and it only took 20 minutes or so to get up there. Transit down the strip is definintely the way to go, and try to stay off the Deuce as it stops at every single hotel/bus stop. The express one stops at like every 5th, and it greatly cuts down the time.

We checked out all the hotels, and basically wandered around being "tourists" for the 5 days we were there, and we probably walked the distance from Calgary to Edmonton 3-4 times it felt like.

We avoided old vegas (strat, golden nugget) like the plague, you can see it when you take the bus to the outlet malls, as it is quite sketchy looking.

We also went to the Shark Reef tank, Hoover Dam, (ect). Did as much as we could in 5 days there.
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Old 07-26-2011, 11:35 AM   #60
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silly people, who pays for rooms when they go to vegas

Seriously though go online and sign up for the rewards club at the hotel you would like to stay at. In no time you will be receiving offers for discounted rooms, free play, etc.

Pick up your players card when you get there and remember to use it! Any tracking they can do on you will help you out in the long run. If you eat in the hotel put it on your hotel room and if you gamble while you are there at checkout see if they will comp you some of your meals. Always remember to ask for upgrades or anything, if you don't ask they won't give!
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