Las Vegas thread and MSE guide 2009

Steff

The Bellagio Fountains

a8vip wrote: »

I've just got a return ticket to LAX on VA for £200....

...but then I did cash in some Virgin miles as well.

Only came back from LA/Vegas on 15th April, and I'm already heading back out for 5 days on 2nd May!

It's a budget trip, £200 flight, £80 car hire to drive from LAX to Vegas, £100 for 4 nights in Excalibur, and using all of the tips and vouchers on this board for food and drink!

Well done a8vip!
This just shows you that vegas can be done on a budget - with some forward planning - once the flight is out of the way the rest can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. With all the hotel deals around at the mo its even better. Hope you have a great time!
I am currently trying to accrue some miles for Virgin through my Marriot Visa Card - so HOPEFULLY we can take advantage of money plus miles for our 2010 trip!
Steff;)

Dowsy

The Bellagio Fountains

As promised here is our trip report (after sleeping for a good 14 hours!!).......
Thurs 16th April:
We set off on our flight with Virgin Atlantic which all ran according to schedule (apart from them running out of beer after an hour into the flight! - we were fairly sure they didn't have that problem up in business class!). Before we landed the pilot had informed us of the slightly disappointing temperature of 13 degrees but we needn't have worried because that was the only time it was anywhere near that low. The rest of our days were touching 30 degrees and over - we were told by a taxi driver this was rather high for April - perhaps a sign of things to come. So, we arrived at the MGM grand via taxi costing approx $11 (+ tip) (we managed to pick up a discount booklet from the back seat). There was no queue for check in but as we were slightly earlier than 3pm we were given an internal line number to call to check when our room was ready. This didn't take long and the room was easy to find. We had managed to get a really low rate on a king bungalow suite so were excited about what to expect. We weren't disappointed - the room was really spacious with two enormous windows providing a view of the strip. The bathroom, which is always important to the other half, was more than sufficient and very clean. As we have previously read from other reviewers, the room decor was slightly dated and perhaps it is time for them to consider a refurb, but it was more than adequate for us. After looking at our room we took a walk around the hotel and the others in close proximity (i.e. Luxor, Mandalay Bay, New York New York). Don't be mislead by my description of 'close proximity'. We enjoy walking so not too much of a problem for us but getting around any of the huge hotels is a lot of walking and dont be fooled by how far away from each other the hotels are. What looks like being a 5 minute walk is often 15-20 minutes! We grabbed a burger, playing a few slots on the way but after beginning to feel the effects of our flight, we decided on an early night.

Friday 17th April:
Feeling refreshed from our sleep we got up in time for the breakfast buffet in the MGM Grand Buffet. 'Grand' is perhaps a little bit of an exaggeration but we found enough variety for our needs. The price is quoted at $14.50 but remember they don't include tax in prices over there until at the till. so the actual amount was $15.62. We thought this was a reasonable price if you take into account refills of coffee and drinks included - there are of course cheaper offers in some of the other cheaper hotels (eg. Excalibur). Although a buffet set-up, you do get a waitress serving drinks so a tip is expected (by the end of our stay we stopped doing this however as often just saw them once and didn't feel it was necessary!). After breakfast we walked up to Planet Hollywood and had a look around the Miracle Mile shops. We stopped for a drink at one of the casino bars ($6 for a Bud) then carried on to the Bellagio and Caesars. Caesars is a lovely place to sit outside in the sun but it was so hot it's amazing how quickly you can burn!! We had a drink from the outside bar here which was more expensive (probably due to the outdoor setting). The Forum shops at Caesars have all the high-end shops such as Ted Baker, Armani etc. Don't be worried about walking into these designer shops - in fact they are very friendly, asking you how you are, what they can do for you etc..We planned on a time to head off to our first pre-planned show - A Killers gig at the Hard Rock Casino starting at 8pm. After studying the map we decided we could make the walk from the MGM, which only took about 25 mins (longer than it looked if we're honest). However, if you want to find somewhere with a fun, young, relaxed atmosphere and cheaper drinks, this is a good call! Buds were $2 each and just by filling in a players club application with email address, you got a free drink. We had a bite to eat before the gig, ignoring the long queue beginning to be formed around the casino! This was for the concert but with experience of this kind of thing I knew the band wouldnt be on until about 9 after the support band (which are never that great) and we weren't fussed about being at the front (it was standing room only - no seat allocation) so we just stayed in the bar, avoiding the queue. Went in about 5 to 8, watched the support band and then the Killers came out at about 9.15 and played for a good 1hr 45mins which was pretty impressive. It was a great gig and well worth the mark-up we paid for it off Ebay. We planned to get a taxi back but the queue was bloody long so we took another walk back! By the time we got back to the MGM, we had a few drinks on the Slots (where I had a bit of a win) and before we knew it, it was 3am! - time flies in Vegas!

Saturday 18th April:
We had another 'Grand Buffet' fix and decided it was time for a bit of shopping! We walked along to Mandalay bay and found a stop for the Deuce heading towards the Las Vegas Outlet centre. This was an easy journey, only paying $3 each and it was obvious when you had reached the outlets. We picked up a discount book from the information desk thanks to a voucher we had printed off online. We thought we would find a lot here but in truth some of the shops were cheap American stores that we hadn't heard of and not much caught our eyes. Although we did have success in the huge Nike store. After a few hours we decided to head back to the strip. We picked up the Deuce from the same place but you dont pay at this stop and it took you to the terminal where you changed to get the bus (paying here) back up to the strip. This was well organised and there was no chance of getting lost. We were planning to eat before our next show, which was UB40 on the beach at Mandalay Bay. We had to pick up our tickets there via Willcall but it took us a bit of time to find our way to the correct desk, which meant we ran out of time to eat! The concert was brilliant and we would recommend you go to any concerts they have at this location as the beach makes for a really relaxed atmosphere with people standing in the water and walking round bare foot! We wondered what the gig would be like without the lead singer as he apparently quit but you couldn't really notice a difference with the new singer. The Mandalay Bay looked pretty impressive and as we have not stayed there before this is a likely option for our next visit! We headed back after the gig and ate in the Studio Cafe at the MGM as it is 24 hours. It had the usual American options - chicken and fries/burgers etc. which perhaps was a bad idea too close to bed time!!

Overall, the MGM was a great base for a holiday planned around the strip. Slightly dated but being one of the originals this is to be expected and probably the reason for the building of the Signature. Wynn review to come, I need a break.....:beer:

bounty99

The Lion Habitat

"We thought we would find a lot here but in truth some of the shops were cheap American stores that we hadn't heard of and not much caught our eyes. Although we did have success in the huge Nike store."

i guess the premium outlet mall between stratosphere and downtown is the one to go to instead?

thanks for your TR a very interesting read, cant wait to read the rest

kizziedog

dmg24 wrote: »

Afternoon afternoon!

Quick question - I am booking the MGM Grand for two nights in July. I have a choice of the Grand Tower Room, or the West Wing King for $10 per night extra. Is it worth paying the extra $10? I shall of course be using the $20 trick when checking in!

Thank you please!

Hi DMG
I'd recommend the Bungalow suite. At $25 extra it's very good. Huge. Came back from LV early April & my OH can't wait to return.

dmg24

kizziedog wrote: »

Hi DMG
I'd recommend the Bungalow suite. At $25 extra it's very good. Huge. Came back from LV early April & my OH can't wait to return.

Thanks kizziedog! Will let you know what I decide! x

Froggitt

The Fremont street experience

bounty99 wrote: »

"We thought we would find a lot here but in truth some of the shops were cheap American stores that we hadn't heard of and not much caught our eyes. Although we did have success in the huge Nike store."

i guess the premium outlet mall between stratosphere and downtown is the one to go to instead?

Similar shops at both.......POM is outdoors whereas the South Strip one is indoors. We had more luck at the POM though TBH.

lulu984

Hi,
Me and my bf are looking to book 14 days in Vegas at the beginning of September for his bday. We've never been before.

Was just wondering what websites you all book your hotels through? Because we've found some good discount codes (thanks to here!) but not sure if we're getting the best for our money.

We'd like to stay for a week in two different hotels. Can anyone help us?

Thanks in advance! :j

c_l_a_i_r_e

The Bellagio Fountains

lulu984 wrote: »

Hi,
Me and my bf are looking to book 14 days in Vegas at the beginning of September for his bday. We've never been before.

Was just wondering what websites you all book your hotels through? Because we've found some good discount codes (thanks to here!) but not sure if we're getting the best for our money.

We'd like to stay for a week in two different hotels. Can anyone help us?

Thanks in advance! :j

When booking the hotel its advisable to book direct as you can take advantage of various promotional offers, and you can cancel without charge if a better offer comes along later. For promotional offers on hotels have a look at https://www.smartervegas.com. Have a browse around the offers to see what hotels you like the look of and which ones are within your budget.

If you're unsure whether the codes you've found already are good value why not post the details, someone will be able to advise you on whether you've got a good deal or not. Also, if you haven't already done so take a look at the first post in this thread, you'll find a lot of useful information.

c_l_a_i_r_e

The Bellagio Fountains

dmg24 wrote: »

Thanks kizziedog! Will let you know what I decide! x

From what i've read the west wing rooms are smaller but more modern in decor, and the bathroom is not fully private (think its separated from bedroom by frosted glass panel rather than a proper wall?) which can be an issue for some depending on who you are travelling with. If you're planning the $20 trick anyway i'd probably just take the grand tower now and chance an upgrade at check in.

c_l_a_i_r_e

The Bellagio Fountains

I've just had my Encore reservation confirmation finally come through and i've noticed it just details the first nights deposit thats been paid. It doesn't break down the room rates for the nights we're there, or state a total figure for the stay (like the mirage confirmation for example). Theres just a blank space on the form where the room rate should be, and no mention of the promo code that it was booked under? Is this the case with all Encore reservations, and am i just worrying over nothing (which wouldn't be like me :rotfl:)

I will email them for my own piece of mind, but i'd be interested to hear from anyone who's aready booked with Encore.