[Spring Break] Las Vegas

Do the math and you will probably be surprised but driving will probably cost you more than buying a plane ticket. Especially to Vegas.

 

Stratosphere is defintely at the top of the list. Great views especially on the rides. Much better at night than in the day.

 

This. Flights to Vegas have been heavily discounted since it's doing so poorly over the last few months. TI is a very cool hotel for the price, and the rooms all have a pretty good view of the strip. Hilton is downtown/convention center and should not be considered. Bellagio is great because of the central strip location. NYNY is also a solid choice if you want something cheaper.

Couple of more pointers:

- "O" is well worth the money
- skip out on the Stratosphere, as that part of the strip is ghetto.
- roller coaster at NYNY is kinda cool at night
- Pure and Tryst are two of the better clubs
- volcano at Mirage is worth checking out at night
- Planet Hollywood "Spice Food Market" buffet is apparently still there despite the changeover from Aladdin
- drunk stop at the Fatburger at around 4AM

 

Im at Wynn 3 nights: got 2 nights for free under some red card deal they emailed me. The five star hotels are great especially if they are $100/night.

 

priceline a 5 star on the strip and you're guaranteed to get the Venetian since theey're the only 5 star that uses priceline on the strip.

Check out other forums to see what the current best deals are to see where you should priceline it (what price range)

Fly there.

Yes, you can get to everything on the strip by walking.

Bellagio buffet for the dessert choices, Mandalay buffet for the crab legs if you want that..

Bellagio fountains are always nice. I didn't like the MGM Volcano much, but what's 30 mins out of your day? Might as well.

My friends liked the Penn & Teller show there--I haven't gone yet.

Check out the Rehab pool party at Hard Rock on Sundays..

 

1. I would go with one of the cheaper hotels right now just to save your money for something better. The two exeptions are if you stay at the Wynn or the Bellagio, they blow the other places out of the water and well worth $100 a night if you can get that price. Also try the $20 trick when you check in to see if you can get a room upgrade.

2. "O" is pretty good if you like Cirque shows. Its different from the others because of the water. My wife and I saw it once and it was worth it, but I wouldn't want to see it again.

3. I've never been to one of the magic shows so I have no recommendation.

4. I like the TI casino as having lower table limits, but still a pretty nice atmosphere. Of course the better the hotel/resort, the better the casino, but higher table limits come with those. The new Planet Hollywood where Alladin used to be was surprisingly nice. Avoid Hard Rock as they are undergoing major renovations.

5. Bellagio Water Fountains are well worth a walk down to see. Better yet if you stay there, getting room that looks at them is awesome. Eating at one of the restaurants on the water if you have a window table is great too.

6. New York, New York is worth a walk around, but it doesn't catch my eye that much.

7. The Stratosphere is pretty far from ther other strip casinos in a decidedly worse part of town. The only things they have going for it are apparently the roller coaster which is only scary because its so high, and the fact that they often have lots of good gambling deals if you sign up for their players card.

8. Venetian is a good time killer to eat/shop. I'm not sure its worth the boat ride, but it could be fun if you were on a date. Their casino is nice, yet expensive and I've heard nice things about their mini-suite rooms. They just added a whole addition and casino (as did the Wynn) so there may be some deals to be had there.

9. The best buffet's are allegedly the Rio's, the Bellagio's, and the Alladin's (although this is now Planet Hollywood, so I don't know). My wife and I also enjoyed the Wynn's buffet. I was disappointed in MGM's.

10. You can easily kill a day or two just walking up and down the strip checking out all the hotels/casinos, seeing the sights, etc without ever betting a dime. Also, since you are going during the week, you should be able to get good deals or perhaps some free upgrades.

Make sure to sign up for the various players club cards and slot cards to get freebies, freeplay money, free buffets, etc. Often there are good bonuses just for signing up.

Another thing, some hotels are offering better specials on certain dates than direct from them, even better than priceline of hotwire, so if you decide on a hotel, check the rate from them too. In fact, call and say you are a first time customer, want to sign up for their players card, and see if they'll give you a good discounted rate. Allegedly there are deals to be had.

I rate the hotels on the strip like this. (and I've stayed at a lot of them)

Tier 1 (top of the line, worth the price): Wynn (and Encore), Bellagio
Tier 2: (almost as good as the top, might be able to get a better deal): Mandalay Bay, Venetian (and their new property, forget the name), Caesars, maybe Mirage, Paris (I actually think the Paris rooms are better than advertised)
Tier 3 (Nice hotel, should be able to get sub $70 price to make it worth goin): TI, MGM, Planet Hollywood

Avoid: Avoid these hotels at any price: Hard Rock: its currently under major renovation, once finished it'll be nice. Luxor: also under major renovation, nobody there, dead scene. Excalibur: Lame. Imperial palace: gross

I would also recommend, if you like night life: We had a blast at the Tryst. Also, for a more layed back evening, a very under-rated club/bar is in the tiny hotel: Bill's Gambling Hall (right across from Bellagio, formerly Barbary Coast): Drai's. Nice club.

 

The Stratoshpere is less than a mile from The Sahara and less than 2 miles from Desert Inn. As long as you stay on the strip or take the bus you shouldn't have any problems. It can be bad in spots but there are so many people around, even at midnight that as long as you use common sense, you should be ok. Not far from there as well is The Fremont Experience which is cool if you like light shows.

There hasn't been a rollercoaster at The Stratosphere for over a year. There are still 3 other rides: The Big Shot, The X Scream which goes slightly off the tower and the Insanity which is off the tower. If you really want a thrill the last two are for you.

I ate there a couple of weeks ago with friends. It was $36 a piece and the seafood made one of my friends sick for days.

 

Check out the "tickets4tonight" place behind the giant Coke bottle outside MGM--they have some discounted show tickets including the Cirque du Soleil shows.

 

Try Jet at the Mirage if you're into clubs. Kinda pricey and the drinks are definitely expensive but if you pre-party and get a flier the place you probably won't spend that much. Place is pretty rocking. Bottle service is 1K to about 20K, as far as I can remember but the girls there are pretty hot. We went on a Monday and the place was packed.

 

ALL the hotels are overbooking lower price level rooms and then pushing people up since there's very low demand for their high priced rooms.

We just got back from Vegas this weekend (with family - lame. did my own thing). We booked a room online for $270/night at the Palazzo. When we got there, the dude tried to convince us to upgrade to more expensive room. We said no thanks. He said 'ok, since it's your birthday (my aunt's, not mine) I'll upgrade your room anyway." They pushed us up to PENTHOUSE top floor suites. I have a friend that works at the Wynn, confirmed the story - said they're doing the same thing.

Bottom line - the likelihood that you get your room upgraded this year is higher than normal. I'd get a hotel on the strip just so you can walk everywhere and not spend extra for a nicer room since (1) may get bumped up, and if you don't (2) you don't spend much time there anyway.

I'd do what someone else said and make sure driving there is cheaper before you do it (gas/lodging). If it's only like $50 cheaper, i'd recommend flying. Plus you save time.

 

Are there women involved?

if so you probably want to shell out for the hotels with the good clubs

Wynn, Mirage, Venetian, Palms, Hard Rock

ask Kwame. he's the leader of clutchfans vegas

 

Probably has something to do with your stay coinciding with the 1st round of the NCAAs. Which brings up an interesting situation -> who has the best sportsbook? Personally, I prefer Mandalay Bay. Bellagio and the Mirage are decent as well. Bally's is serviceable, as is Caesar's.

 

me and my friends are planning a road trip to vegas for spring break also.
and we did that the cost for gas would be more expensive
buttttttttt
we have a friend that works at a hotel
friend that work hotel=DISCOUNT!!
not sure what we plan on doing though. im not a fan of gambling but im pretty sure they have nice shows there so i guess imma check that out.

 

How so? Seniority? Showing Rockets colors? Or did I just not get the memo?

 

You said "we" so I'm assuming that it's you and at least one other person going, so if money is more of an issue than time then I would make the drive. I've made the drive to Vegas from Houston...and although I may have taken the long way (1-10 all the way to Phoenix and then north from there), it took 23 hours total. I was driving 5-10 mph over the limit the entire trip. If you choose the I-10 route, the speed limit is actually 80 mph in some spots, mostly from San Antonio to El Paso. That stretch of road will seem like it never ends. Oh, and make sure you aren't depending on your car antenna to provide you with music in that stretch of road as you will be lucky to get one radio station to come in.

 

Have the buffet at Aladdin.

Best buffet PERIOD!

(A bit expensive though)

Also, play Bacarat!

 

"O" is "Ehh" compared to the Beatles show at Mirage.

 

I think Aladdin is closed down, Planet Hollywood took over.