Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2014

doodle_bug

Not been here for quite a while, Hi all.

Just booked a trip in July, was not going to pay £1000 ish for a flight but VA have put the price down from Manchester so booked it.
Noticed some Q's on here, I have driven to South Rim Grand Canyon in a day. Sat Nav goes turn in left 100 odd miles you turn left then turn in 140 miles and left again easy really, stop at hoover dam on the way as well. Something I liked driving back in the dark, pitch black no light polution in the middle of nowhere saw the milky way first time ever and the sky was like a fireworks display shooting stars. 50 miles from Vegas and you can see its glow.
I use my halifax c/card to get cash from an ATM. used to be free in Walmart, In a store called pick n save it is free but dont know if they have those in Vegas. can get $500 at a time in that store, it asks what card you are using I normally answer checking.. I usually pay(internet banking) soon as it shows on the card to cut the interest.

vegasvisitor

Thanks for that doodle_bug. We are doing the Canyon this year by driving from Phoenix to the South Rim (staying over at Flagstaff), and then over to Laughlin for a night. Do you have any ideas on what we must do at the South Rim? I really need to get planning, don't want to miss anything. Can you drive in and park or drive around? I don't think we'll want to walk much because it will be early September and very hot!

vegasvisitor

Does anyone have any discount codes for restaurant.com? Is there a best time of the month to buy coupons? I'm hoping to try this for our trip in September. I like the look of the Verona Pizza one so far (handy for a takeaway while staying at Platinum).

Any info welcome. Thanks in advance.

blindman

pennylane99 wrote: »

rules have changed re guests into Virgin Clubhouse

guests must be on the same flight as you, not just any Virgin flight that day

Seems like it was a stealth move last year which upset a few people at the CH door!

Oh well, always worth MSer's looking at V-flyer to see if they can get access to either clubhouse as people on v-flyer offer invites

I'll just have to slum it with the wife when we fly to Vancouver.

John259

lesley74 wrote: »

Do you have any ideas on what we must do at the South Rim?

Park the car, then use the excellent free shuttle buses. Otherwise you'll be wasting a lot of time messing about constantly trying to find somewhere to park, and some areas can only be accessed via shuttle buses. There are various shuttle bus routes, explained on the National Park Service web site http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

I'd highly recommend the free shuttle bus up to Hermit's Rest. Here's an official National Park Service video all about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMRKElBkgA
Give it time, get off at several stops for the overlooks.

There's a watchtower on the road that heads east out of the canyon, well worth a visit.

Any hike down will involve a strenuous pull up, and unless you go on a really long hike you probably won't see very much more.

You might want to investigate mule rides down into the canyon but my guess is that they're quite costly and book up early.

Froggitt

lesley74 wrote: »

Does anyone have any discount codes for restaurant.com? Is there a best time of the month to buy coupons? I'm hoping to try this for our trip in September. I like the look of the Verona Pizza one so far (handy for a takeaway while staying at Platinum).

Any info welcome. Thanks in advance.

Heres what I figured out last year......might have changed as I unsubscribed


day of the month.......cost

4th...............$6 for $25
7th...............$5 for $25
11th.............$4 for $25
18th.............$5 for $25
25th.............$6 for $25
28th.............$4 for $25

The same percentage discount applies for smaller of larger vouchers. Each code is valid for between 1 and 4 days.

rorylando45

I can't see the Promo Code box on Restaurant.com anywhere! Is it showing for anyone else?

I think there is a promo code TWIRL but not sure if it's still valid...

photome

lesley74 wrote: »

Thanks for that doodle_bug. We are doing the Canyon this year by driving from Phoenix to the South Rim (staying over at Flagstaff), and then over to Laughlin for a night. Do you have any ideas on what we must do at the South Rim? I really need to get planning, don't want to miss anything. Can you drive in and park or drive around? I don't think we'll want to walk much because it will be early September and very hot!

We spent 2 days in the park and just used the car to drive between all the viewing points, parking was never an issue at any of the viewing points, that way you could be in and out of your car in a few minutes if you dont want to stay out in the heat.

We also went to the meteor crater after a night in Flagstaff, its worth a side trip but we did stay 2 nights at the Canyon plus another at Flagstaff

photome

Ferf that upgrade was a result!

secretmachines

trip report! I've probably missed out something... if anyone has any questions, happy to help!

17-25 April 2014 @ Vdara

TRAVEL
flights - flew economy with Virgin Atlantic, securing seats in the bubble for both journeys - flights were pretty uneventful and relatively comfortable, barely any turbulence. We did twilight check-in on the way out, so going through security was a breeze, particularly when you’re smugly walking past long lines at the baggage drop the next morning! We got through US security in about 20ish mins, though got in the wrong line, the officer was friendly but quite slow! However getting out of the airport after bag collection took an age, probably in line for about 45mins, I don’t know why it was so slow. Coming home, we got through security in record time - checked in bags at the roadside, no queue, then were put in a new (?) expedited line at security: you don’t have to take anything out of your bag, or take shoes/belts off, upshot was it only took a couple of minutes!
taxis - we didn’t get tunneled on the way to the hotel, and we didn’t ask, fare was about $19 (about $25 on the return, taking the tunnel). The only other time we used a taxi was to go the north Premium Outlets, this was about $20 I think.

WEATHER
was pretty good all week, peaked at about 32C, averaged about 27C, sunny nearly every day - only 2 days when it was quite windy and a bit cloudy.

HOTEL
we always stay at the Vdara, so knew what we were getting. We had booked a basic Deluxe suite, but with an upgrade to a City Corner suite (offered to us after our last stay). Had a nice chat with the girl on reception and she said she’d ‘look after us’ after she found out we’d stayed before - ended up with a 28th floor room with views of the fountains, so all good!
pool - we never had much of a problem getting a sun lounger in the sun (you need to a bed on the hotel-side of the pool if you don’t want to be in the shade). We hired a daybed for the day after we arrived, which unfortunately was one of the cooler days! But it was nice to know you had a bed reserved. It was good value too at $50 which, unknown to us, included a complimentary pitcher of cocktail/beer - but we instead asked for 2 separate 22oz cocktails in cups (which you can keep) and they were happy to do that. As always, a nice relaxed vibe around the pool, not many idiots/kids, so could relax!

FOOD
We ate in some regular places and some new ones… Cheeseburger, 800 Pizza, Jean Philippe, Rose.Rabbit.Lie, Aria buffet (weekend brunch), Earl of Sandwich, Sugar Factory, Aria Cafe, Pablo Cantina… all were good.
800 pizza - a new place out the front of the redeveloped Monte Carlo, really good authentic pizza. you go straight in line to order your pizza (from the menu, or make up your own), they make it all in front of you, it cooks in about 3mins and tastes amazing!
Sugar Factory - ice cream sundae desserts are definitely to share!
Aria Cafe - I think this is a hidden gem, sort of at the back of the hotel, off the casino floor. A really good menu, lovely relaxed atmosphere, never too busy, good service. definitely worth checking out if you want something easy, but decent.
China Poblano - mexican/chinese (!) place in the Cosmopolitan, again a really relaxed atmosphere and great service. food was amazing, and served in a tapas style, tacos are great but quite small, so 3 per person is easily done. desserts are quite substantial though, not like the smaller main dishes. the sticky mango rice dessert was incredible, definitely recommend that!
Rose.Rabbit.Lie - just, wow. again, food served in a tapas style, so 6 dishes between two is a good start (and leave room for dessert!). this is slightly more high-end food, so not the cheapest place to eat, but my word worth it. all the dishes were so creative and powerfully flavoured, a nod towards Heston but not too crazy. Having read about it online, we had to share the Chocolate Terrarium dessert. Too much for two if us, but we gave it a good go, but it looks stunning - a completely edible garden, made of chocolate. Service was great, surroundings fascinating, and the show starts in the restaurant. a true feast for the senses, and would definitely go back and do it all again, as no two experiences will ever be the same. Highly recommend the brussel sprouts, and the curried cauliflower!

SHOWS
We just did two shows, MJ One at Mandalay Bay and Vegas Nocturne at Rose.Rabbit.Lie (Cosmopolitan). Both were fantastic.
MJ One - if you’re unsure about this because of the high ticket prices, it really is worth the money, and I don’t think there’s a bad seat to be had in the whole theatre. I won’t print any spoliers, but some moments in the show are truly breath-taking, and not just the Cirque performers. Expensive, but definitely worth it (and I’m not much of a ‘show’ guy!)
Vegas Nocturne - couple with dining here (see the Food section of the trip report!), this was a truly unique experience. Again, I won’t go into much detail, because it is an experience which is about mystery - but there are reviews/pics online if you want to find out more. But some of the acts were amazing, and certainly never seen anything like it! We ate at 5.30pm and had tickets for the 730pm show, but you can just go for the show, just go for the food, or just go to the bar. I believe tickets are 2-for-1 for Identity card holders, resident guests… we got an offer through Travelzoo, and there are others knocking about I think.

GAMBLING
we’re not big gamblers, and just stuck to the slots. we probably put in about $300 over all and probably won about $250 back (inc. $90 win on Wizard of Oz, $70 win on Michael Jackson, $50 win The Hangover). Avatar, Iron Man and Back To The Future weren’t very generous, The Hangover gave the most bonuses/average returns.

SHOPPING
Was all ready to shop, but didn’t end up getting too much - didn’t seem as many bargains to be had at the outlet mall and the selection didn’t seem as great as previous trips, but still picked up a few things. otherwise just stuck to on-Strip places: Fashion Show, Miracle Mile, Forum Shops… Though one of our bags was opened by US security - probably intrigued by the half-dozen candle jars we had!

ANYTHING ELSE
we noticed a LOT of couples with young children - what’s that all about?! I’d imagine a few families were on road trips and only staying a night or two, but a lot seemed to be on a Vegas-only vacation. I don’t get why parents (including a lot of newborns/very young children) would go to Vegas for a holiday, must be really limiting and not particularly family-friendly. There seemed to quite a few Brits and Aussies in town, it didn’t seem any busier/quieter than other trips, though I think we’d prefer to go at September time, rather than April, just so the weather is a bit more guaranteed.