I have to disagree with these statements, I always rent a car. I usually go to Vegas once or twice a year, and I stay for a week at a time. I usually stay at two or three different hotels each time I visit. I usually stay on the Strip for a few days, then I stay Downtown for a few days, and then I might stay a day or two at an off strip casino resort just to relax. Vegas has large casino resorts all over the greater Las Vegas area, not just the Strip area or Downtown. I enjoy the Downtown area(Fremont Street) the most, but I am old, and Downtown really caters to the older crowd. If I were only going to stay for a few days, I would probably stay in one location and just use a taxi, bus or monorail. Sometimes I like to get away from the casinos for a few hours, so the car comes in handy. Some of the places in the Vegas area that I visited by car are Red Rock canyon just west of town, Valley of Fire about an hour north of town, Mt. Charleston about 30 minutes west of town, and Hoover Damn about 45 minutes southeast of Vegas. Most casinos have a self-park parking garage that is free, or you can use the valet service that usually costs just a couple of bucks for a tip. I've parked in a lot of parking garages and I really don't ever remember paying anything. When driving in Vegas I try to avoid the actual strip(Las Vegas Blvd) and just use the streets that parallel the strip to the east and west. Traffic on the strip at night is crazy bad. If you want to go to night clubs, then the strip is where you want to be. If you want cheap gambling and cheap booze then Fremont Street is the place.
Totally agree. I hit up Vegas a few times per year and ALWAYS rent a car because: 1) walking from property to property is quite a jaunt, 2) it's too damn convenient to just valet the car and tip a couple bucks upon leaving, 3) I like being able to slide over to Red Rock, Valley of Fire, etc... and not feel locked in to the Strip area or the city itself. Driving around Vegas is no problem. There are parallel streets to the Strip that get you from the south end all the way to downtown without much problem at all. There typically isn't any charge to park at the different properties -- they all want your money once you get inside. They're definitely not going to dissuade anyone from patronizing their casino by charging them to park. Just doesn't happen on the Strip to my knowledge. If it's your first time out there and you're just trying to get your bearings then I can totally see why one wouldn't want to mess with the logistics of renting a car and all that comes with it. At this stage of the game I wouldn't do Vegas without renting one, though.
I hope you don't plan sleep on the beds at circus circus either. I mean I know hotel beds are in general disgusting and unsanitary but I when we stayed at circus circus two years ago my friend's face was met with j*zz stains that were all over the nightstand. There were even some webs of stringy dick juice visible. I elected to do the sleeping bag on the floor (which im sure was covered in stds). Never again. But have fun. Went last month and stayed at Palazzo which was pretty cool. We bought the 24-hour all you can eat buffet passes for like 30 bucks or something which is a pretty good deal value wise but besides Paris' buffet the rest sucked ass. There's like 7 or so hotel buffets that are part of the deal paris rio harrahs planet hollywood (disgusting) um cesars (not that good either) and a couple others.
change your reservation dude, i mean come on. for a few bucks more you can stay at Imperial Palace or Hilton or Ballys or even Luxor. But that's what they ALL say when they first go to Vegas, the fact is the hotel and location DO matter.
When my wife and I were in Vegas, we got a 3 day pass for their double decker bus system they call "The Deuce". I believe we paid $27 for all 3 days. It was well worth the money, even though we spent a lot of time backed up in traffic. Also prepared to stand up quite a bit as it was hard finding a place to sit down. I would also recommend washing your hands after you get off "The Deuce" as some of them are pretty disgusting.
i normally don't do the show thing..but LOVE was awesome agree about skipping on circus circus. Excalibur has some newer rooms that are solid and cheap. Tropicana has upgraded one of their towers and their casino--actually worth it now
I saw the Beatles Love show last year. I'm a Beatles fan, and the show was pretty impressive, though I did feel it was a bit too dramatic and kind of cheesy. Though maybe that's just how all Cirque du Soleil shows are. Agree with others about staying at Circus Circus. Spend the extra $20 or so a night and get a place that you wont be disgusted to sleep in. Luxor and Monte Carlo are both very affordable and much cleaner options.
I believe plcmts17 lives/works in Vegas. I was going to meet him last time when I was there, but didn't make it. I'll be back in Vegas in August, will be staying at the Bellagio with some friends. It'll be Hangover II...
If you plan on going to shows, DO NOT buy from the theater or hotel itself. Buy the tickets from the ticket brokerages that are littered all over the strip. There is a chain of them that has about a dozen or so stands all over the place. Generally, you can find a few tickets to just about any show for half off or more.
I own Vegas... XS is a must. If you want something on Thursday, I'd hit up Tao or Tryst. XS is great either Friday or Saturday. Sunday night, either go with the pool party at XS or go to Bank at Bellagio. Basically, XS...then everything else.
Exactly....at this point, the baller places are Wynn/encore and palazzo...can't really have nearly as enjoyable of an experience if you aren't staying at one of the better hotels.
