Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2011

hcb42

November / December

sew109 wrote: »

Hi I have spent many Xmas's in Vegas and I must be the exception the last one I stayed at the Venetian and I would not stay there again if it was free!

Oh dear. well I guess I could drive myself mad reading reviews on tripadvisor. Still leaning to it as rooms are nicer than Bellagio, and more ambience than the Vdara, whose rooms are gorgeous..

delwynshd

Why wouldnt you stay at the Venetian again?

Del

sew109 wrote: »

Hi I have spent many Xmas's in Vegas and I must be the exception the last one I stayed at the Venetian and I would not stay there again if it was free!

nvh

sew109 wrote: »

----

sew is back!!! :T:beer:

... where the hell have you been these last few years? :rotfl:

welcome back

sew109

nvh wrote: »

sew is back!!! :T:beer:

... where the hell have you been these last few years? :rotfl:

welcome back

Ha became a dad little one now at 18 months sleeping better so getting a bit more time and getting ready for a trip so the excitment is back . Yipee

Will answer about Venetian when I get to my pc as on train now

totallybored

November / December

Buzz78 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I’m just after a bit of advice. We’re heading back to Vegas in September for the fourth time when we're going to get married, and various family and friends will be joining us out there for a week or so.

Unfortunately, my parents aren’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of heading back to Vegas having stayed in the Stratosphere for a couple of nights a few years ago whilst on an organised tour of California, Nevada and Arizona.

Anyway, I’ve been doing my best to gee them up a bit by explaining that they probably weren’t aware of a lot of the things that would have appealed to them and obviously they weren’t staying in a prime location or in one of the best hotels.

So, a change of hotel aside (I think they’re leaning towards Encore), bearing in mind my parents are in their early sixties, do any of you have any suitable recommendations for more tranquil, easy going things to do?

I’ve already suggested the botanical gardens in the Bellagio, the dolphins and tigers at the Mirage and I’m going to arrange a couple of shows for them to see (probably a Cirque show and Celine Dion), but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.

How about sending them to the grand canyon or the Hoover Dam (my dad is in his 60s and loved both)?

If either of them like shopping Town Square is good instead of the regular malls and it's not normally busy.

Also, I love Encore (and am staying there again for part of the trip I've just booked for September) but it is quite a walk to everything else and gets annoying after a while. How about something more central like the Mandarin? You can probably get a rate similar to Encore and it's a completely different experience to where they stayed last time.

ferf1223

March

sew109 wrote: »

HET though have not got a deal where for $44.99 you get 24 hours access to buffets at 7 resorts Caesers, Paris, Rio, Flamingo, Imperial Palace, Harrahs and Planet Hollywood. If you get your timings right ie have a late dinner on the first day and and early dinner on the second you can get 4 main meals out of this deal the only problem is that unlikle the MGM Group all day buffet passes you cant jump the queues

Must remember that you have to be a Total Rewards member to get the Buffet of Buffets for $44.99 - otherwise it's $49.99.

We've yet to do it and probably won't...when it was cheaper it would have been a no-brainer, but at that price, even though we're far from light eaters, we just don't think we would get enough value out of it - we'd be locked into eating specific places (some of the HET buffets we wouldn't bother to try) and unlikely we would do a buffet dinner, then breakfast, then dinner the next night...

sew109

delwynshd wrote: »

Why wouldnt you stay at the Venetian again?

Del

Hi I have stayed at most of the hotels on the Strip and a few off, I got a great deal where after some free gaming chips I got 7 nights at the Venetian for about $100 per night, we had 7 nights there and then were guests for the opening of Encore and the following night.
Checkin at Venetian was easy enough and finding the room was easy enough it was heavy snow when we checked in and this added to my first complaint room just being too dark, the room had a view over to the Mirage which was a bitter pill to swallow as we had orginally booked a room at Mirage which we love but cancelled as we got such a good invited deal at the Venetian that we had to take it.

The room was not made up when we got there stuff was all over the place and it felt just not what you should expect when you walk into a room. To be fiar housekeeping came and sorted it out but we had problems though the week where housekeeping had not done their job properly. I dont want you to think that we are whingers as this is the only time that I can remember where we have had to call housekeeping to complain in over 40 visits to Las Vegas.

The biggest issue we had with Venetian though was the weeken clientele I was at the time 38 and my wife 40 we are up for a laugh like a drink and staying up late (oh those were the pre baby days we enjoy gambling we are not high rollers though. The weekend clintele in Venetian and Palazzo were groups of drunk twenty somthing Californians that thought that they were all rock stars arrogant drunk and loud.

It was not the minority but felt like the majority and I complained to security and was told tough. One knocked my wife so I told him to appoligise he told me to OFF he was all brave with his mates behind him again I asked him again nicely and he again told me to OFF anyway unluckily for him I have 18 years of martial arts training and I ended up placing his head in an ash tray and he appoligised. Security watched all this and did not get involved.

It was not just this instance that put me off but the whole way in which the feel of the hotel changed when the weekend cmae and changed into a enviroment that I did not like and certainly would not pay to stay at. I actually preferred the feel of Excalibur to Venetian and would rather stay there than Venetian.

I know that reports can be a mine field and different people have different views of places and want different things we will not stay there again without the baby probably stay at Mirage or Bellagio with the baby probably stay with our friends but if we had to stay in a hotel woudl be MGM which we love

SimbaSimon

Stumbled across this little offer for Bodies The Exhibition on Travelzoo. Wife and I was going to visit anyway so this makes it just less then half price. Seems to be a similar style to Groupon and its promotion is only valid for the next 2 days but coupons are valid until October. Got my vouchers through instantly so very pleased.



$17 -- ‘Bodies...The Exhibition’ in Las Vegas, Reg. $35


Highlights

• For $17, browse the "Bodies...The Exhibition" in Las Vegas
• This anatomy-textbook-come-to-life features 200 preserved human specimens, including whole bodies and individual organs
• This deal is available for all dates and times April 12 through Oct. 12
• The New York Post calls the exhibition "remarkable"

The Fine Print

Vouchers can be redeemed starting Tuesday, April 12, through Oct. 12, 2011. Present at the box office to redeem. Valid only at the Las Vegas location. No cash exchanges or cash back. This deal cannot be combined with any other offers.

Spursman180

March

Kenny-Powers wrote: »

I have found that most rooms on the strip (basic prices) are the same or similar standard. When booking a room consider the location of the hotel.
But also look at the pool and the shape of the and its location in respect of the pool. Many Strip hotels shade out the pool for half the day which may or may not be a good thing.
I personally think the best pools on the strip are the Luxor which has a full day of shine and the Mandalay Bay.
I too really like the MGM and tend to stay at that South end of the strip.

That said the single best tip I can give for Las Vegas is to stay midweek. $9 nights up at the Plaza cheaper on the strip. At the weekend turn up rates are $250+

Unfortunately the Plaza is shut.

photome

August

Kenny-Powers wrote: »

I have found that most rooms on the strip (basic prices) are the same or similar standard. When booking a room consider the location of the hotel.
But also look at the pool and the shape of the and its location in respect of the pool. Many Strip hotels shade out the pool for half the day which may or may not be a good thing.
I personally think the best pools on the strip are the Luxor which has a full day of shine and the Mandalay Bay.
I too really like the MGM and tend to stay at that South end of the strip.

That said the single best tip I can give for Las Vegas is to stay midweek. $9 nights up at the Plaza cheaper on the strip. At the weekend turn up rates are $250+

Really? What do you call basic prices? prices vary considerably for standard rooms as does the standard

And as spursman says Plaza is shut