Las Vegas 2007 bargain hunt + tips

ferf1223

gt568 wrote: »

Sorry to be a bit thick, but I'm getting a bit confused about locations on the strip. Basically the wife and I would like somewhere central, as we've never been before, and that is reasonably priced and clean. Where would you experts recommend? Many thanks!

we like this one as it also has distances between several pairs of hotel/casinos and is printable...a few names have changed since the map was last updated, though.

http://www.lasvegas.com/lounge/map.html

I think that Bally's fulfills your requirements well...but we're biased because we love it there. Harrah's is OK - but rooms are really small. IP is inexpensive, but reports on the rooms vary from pretty good to kinda gross. Bill's Gamblin Hall and Saloon (used to be Barbary Coast) gets really good reports but not sure if prices have gone up since Harrah's took them over. Flamingo has a nice pool...you can get some great deals for Planet Hollywood (shown on the map as Aladdin).

ferf1223

TangoBunny wrote: »

Our flight lands in Vegas at 13.40 so by the time we go though all the rigmarole and collect our bags I would imagine a room should be available.....
I'm just wondering if I could check in at the remote then maybe I could pull a fast one and book my teenager in as a child or not book her in at all.
Someone told me just to make the original booking for 2 adults and then just ask for her to be in with us when we get there.....they will sometimes waive the extra person that way........any thoughts on that

we've had to wait for our choice of room landing about that time - last trip, we had to take a room with 2 queens and wait for a king room the next day...but I think that they have more rooms with 2 queens than 1 king, so hopefully you will be OK...but they may not have a non-smoking with 2 queens, etc.

I don't have any personal experience with kids in our party, but I think photome had a suggestion a few pages back?

trets77

mookybargirl wrote: »

Has anyone stayed at NYNY and in which rooms? Which are the better ones?

we stayed in a Park Avenue deluxe room which was pretty much faultless for everything. Good telly , quite and powerful Air con, pretty good bathroom with very nice toiletery freebies, Bed was exceptionaly comfy and large. downsides = long walk to room ( but thats pretty much all hotels rooms in Vegas) and the room had a connecting door to next room but it didn,t cause any problems.

don,t give the roller coaster a second thought , you really don,t get distrubed by it at all . and it stops at 11pm anyway. it,s no more noisy than the 100's of Helicopters that fly over the strip all day. i actually enjoyed having it outside the window cause you know your in Vegas when there is a Roller Coaster around your hotel.:beer:

there is no way you can consider yourself out or away from the action at the south end of the strip IMO. not with the MGM , New York New York , Tropicanna , and the Excalliber facing off against each other on each corner of the "crossroads of the world" , and Luxor and Mandalay Bay a very short free Monorail ride away. and Monte carlo . Hooters and all the great things in between MGM and Planet hollywood nearby as well . above the New Frontier is where it starts to go quiter.

and as Ferf has said you feel very very safe in this area too , you feel slightly more exposed between Frontier and Sahara , but i never felt threatened or in danger there.

the stretch between Strat and downtown was described in my Poker magazine this month as "scary" but that is a very OTT remark IMO

mookybargirl

Thanks everyone - our hotels are booked (my first time booking direct with hotel abroad). MGM for 4 nights, Ballys for 3 and Paris for 2 unless some great deals come up. Amazed at how much I've saved by booking flight and hotel individually. :beer:

ferf1223

mookybargirl wrote: »

Thanks everyone - our hotels are booked (my first time booking direct with hotel abroad). MGM for 4 nights, Ballys for 3 and Paris for 2 unless some great deals come up. Amazed at how much I've saved by booking flight and hotel individually. :beer:

Excellent news - you'll have a great time and with the hotel choices, will get to try out both south and mid-strip...great idea.

And also, thanks again for mentioning the Quidco thing for the Post Office card - had you not, I would have lost out on £20.50 which has been validated!

photome

mookybargirl wrote: »

Thanks everyone - our hotels are booked (my first time booking direct with hotel abroad). MGM for 4 nights, Ballys for 3 and Paris for 2 unless some great deals come up. Amazed at how much I've saved by booking flight and hotel individually. :beer:

Well done, glad you got on ok booking direct...its a doddle isnt. Did you ring them? I usually do but the first time it does seem strange talking and booking direct with someone so far away.

You will love all those hotels but I assume you do realise that Ballys and Paris are next to each other and even have a walkway connecting the two casinos and even MGM is not far to walk from ballys (and before someone says how far it is, I have walked it a few times lol).

vansboy

I'm a bit late in here, haven't read it all, but can say....

NYNY was a SUPER hotel, we took advantage of the 'offer' (or standard trick, of an upgrade to better room/view & for the £30 for 3nights, worth every
penny!!

We were in the front of the hotel & had terrific view of MGM & Alladin & over towards airport - fantastic sunrise & sundown & 3rd floor below the penthouse appartments.

This was me being nice & made it a surprise wedding anniversery pressie for Mrs V, too - we even did the Grand Canyon by hellicopter on WA day!

& I don't know what deals anyone has come up with, but this is how I did it....

Went to Luton Thomas Cook, initially wanting New York as destination, the girls there found some super deals for me, but by the time I was able to book, they'd leapt up in price & availability - this was last December, so understandable.

Talking to the girls in the branch, asking where they'd think was a good surprise, we came to LV as an idea. I wasn't too sure though.

So midnight hours looking on the www, to see what I could find, then remembered NYNY, so there it is - 2 PLACES IN ONE!!

Did some clikin' to see £$£$£, went back to Thomas Cook, the girls there went through just about every ststem/offer/discount, right down to getting their posh Sinature brand, department to price match within £30, what I'd cobbled together, on the www!!

We already had some points on the Thomas Cook credit card, paid with that, earnt more points & didn't pay the CC booking fee so were £$£$£$ saved & better organised trip. Even got 2 for one at hotel near the airport sorted by them, with free courtesy bus at 4am & free car parking!!

All in all, as near to a bargain as you'd ever find!! Just under £1200. 4 nights.

I really can't praise the girls in Luton Thomas Cook enough, just like having my own holiday planners!!

Even Mrs V was so pleased with the trip, she had a 'Thank You, to me put on the CocaCola sign on Piccadily Circus on New Years Day!!

If I've not bored you enough already, private message me & I'll let you see pics of hotel!!

Have fun!!

VB

mookybargirl

Ferf - glad you got quidco for the PO card, I did mine there and it tracked fine too. Thanks for the Bally suggestion too! :beer:
Photome - Booked online. Rang MGM once as wanted to make our 3 nights into 4 but the rate by phone was $10 more so I just booked online again. Yep, I knew about Paris and Ballys. We wanted 2 hotels up there as we want to try out a few in this trip. Ballys is over a weekend so the rates were better there than anywhere else.
Vanbsboy - sounds like you had a great few days. We did Grand Canyon by helicopter too and althought it's more expensive than the coach - I would recommend it also - saved so much time and you get stunning views you just wouldn't see from the ground.

photome

posted by vansboy

Did some clikin' to see £$£$£, went back to Thomas Cook, the girls there went through just about every ststem/offer/discount, right down to getting their posh Sinature brand, department to price match within £30, what I'd cobbled together, on the www!!

We already had some points on the Thomas Cook credit card, paid with that, earnt more points & didn't pay the CC booking fee so were £$£$£$ saved & better organised trip. Even got 2 for one at hotel near the airport sorted by them, with free courtesy bus at 4am & free car parking!!

All in all, as near to a bargain as you'd ever find!! Just under £1200. 4 nights.

reply...

I guess I wont be the only one to say this but £1200 is not really a bargain. Flights can be had for as little as £160 from manchester and under £300 from London. If you take the London flights for £600 this leaves £600 or $1200 for 4 nights in Vegas and for that money you could get a suite at Bellagio or Venetian and have some change.

photome

mookybargirl wrote: »

Ferf - glad you got quidco for the PO card, I did mine there and it tracked fine too. Thanks for the Bally suggestion too! :beer:
Photome - Booked online. Rang MGM once as wanted to make our 3 nights into 4 but the rate by phone was $10 more so I just booked online again. Yep, I knew about Paris and Ballys. We wanted 2 hotels up there as we want to try out a few in this trip. Ballys is over a weekend so the rates were better there than anywhere else.
Vanbsboy - sounds like you had a great few days. We did Grand Canyon by helicopter too and althought it's more expensive than the coach - I would recommend it also - saved so much time and you get stunning views you just wouldn't see from the ground.

Dont forget the $20 trick at the Paris. I got a great room overlooking bellagio fountains for the extra $20 earlier this year

been trying to add a photo from paris hotel bedroom but cant remember how to do it