The Las Vegas Thread and MSE guide

luci

May

The Bellagio scanned our room key to confirm it was valid, but we only had to show our key at the Palazzo and MGM. At the Imperial Palace, not that you would want to sneak into their pool...., you put your key in a slot to open the door to the pool.

IIRC you could just walk into the pool at Planet Hollywood.

ferf1223

March

sew109 wrote: »

A players club card is like a tesco club card you put it in the slots when you play and records what you do or you give it to the pit boss if you are on the tables and he records it. The casino is prepared to pay you for this, I generally stay at MGM resorts and use their card the most, every point you gain on the slots gives you 1c in credit in multiples of $5 you can use this as bonus slot play but you can not get comps with slot play (unless you are a high roller slot player $5 and above) on table play you are rated straight away depending on the property how much you play and how clever you are about playing an amount based on what they expect you tohave lost will be recorded and you wioll get this in credit it can be that you use it against your room rate or for show tickets or even for a meal. I managed to get a 5 night stay and all meals comped and front row tickets for a show once at NYNY I did not bet more than $25 per hand and I actually walked away $1100 UP. Playing for comps is dumb but maximising your comps on you chosen paly is smart. I could go on about this and Vegas all day but I am new and dont want to step out of line. If anyone wants any help on anything Vegas please email me and I will be happy to do what I can. [EMAIL="sew109@yahoo.co.uk"]sew109@yahoo.co.uk[/EMAIL]

Cheers
Simon

I agree with the others - passing on info can't possibly be out of line.

We're mainly slot players and for us Harrah's Total Rewards works better than MGM's players club...we normally can get 5 nights comped in advance and casino rate for the remaining nights and then use any points we earn for food, the nights we don't have comped, etc. We do give MGM properties some play, but never get any offers from them at all. I agree that playing for comps is silly, but taking what they're going to give you for playing what you would play normally makes good sense.

I also really like the way that the Harrah's online reservations system works - I find it much more user friendly than MGM's personally and seems to throw some pretty good rates out for even fairly minimal play, but it's all down to what works for you. I like that any time of day I can log on and check various dates at all Vegas hotels at the same time...it works for us at least.

photome

I find the pool access thing a bit annoying!

I have stayed at the Flamingo twice because we like the pool (one of the best) only to find no room and no beds because the gate isnt monitored. Even the Orleans (I like their pool area to) have a gate on which is accessed with your room key.

IMO the pools should be for hotel guests only, but I guess that is down to the individual hotel to control

sew109

November/December

ferf1223 wrote: »

As a rule, no.

But if Bally's pool is closed which it is November to sometime in March you can use Paris' pool.

And if you stay at Bill's (which doesn't have a pool) you can use Flamingo's.

But otherwise you have to be a guest as others have said...they check room keys...some have said that they have kept an old room key to use to get into the pool at a later date...some have even bought room keys on ebay for this purpose...apparently it can work, though some hotels scan the room key so would know if it weren't legit...and also hotels change the design of the keys from time to time.

Paris's pool is easy just walk in ask for a towell we did this whilst staying at PH, you can also get in to Tropicano's pool easily you need a keycard in the lift to get to the pool area just wait for somone who has alegit key and follow them. MGM we had friends staying there when 6 of us had rented a house, our friends at MGM got extra keys saying they had lost them no scanning there, nor Mirage easy ;_ I know its naughty but they have taken enough money off of me ;-)

Thanks for all being so friendly

sew109

November/December

I wrote this fr a blog about trips out ofe Vegas maybe somone will find it ineresting please forgive me for poor spelling and grammar I am haevily Dyslexic

Cheers
Simon

Leaving the excitement of Las Vegas is not always easy but sometimes it’s good to take a break from the Strip for a day or even just a few hours to get out and about and see some natural beauty. There are many places that are worth vesting easily within a day’s reach of Vegas and I have listed a few below. This is not meant to be an in depth guide the links to the parks will give you far more information than I could but hopefully this post may help you plan.



RED ROCK CANYON: Its about 20 miles west of Las Vegas out Charleston Blvd (you can pick up that street at the north end of the Strip) It’s a scenic drive-through park. Go early, not in the heat of the day; there’s no shade. The canyon did not have as much as we were hoping and apart from one main Red rock feature there was very little to make us want to go back. However one of my friends lives near by and says that if you leave the car in the car park and hike within an hour its spectacular, there us a an admission charge of $10, we did not pay as it was free on Christmas Day when we visited.


HOOVER DAM: Drive about 30 miles southeast of Vegas and go to Hoover Dam; the National Park Service offers tours there (@ $15.), though you can just park in the car park and walk over the Dam. Just before you get to the Dam there is a Casino called the Hacienda this offers great value food and is just the place for breakfast if you have left Vegas early, you can also take helicopter rides here over the Dam and Lake Mead. Go on past Hoover Dam to Boulder City and then to Lake Meade for a swim and/or to visit the new casino there. Also, there are tour companies that will take you on a cruise of the river below Hoover Dam.

VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK: Drive about 35 miles north of Vegas on I-15 and go to Valley of Fire State Park, another scenic park area. This is my favorite NP within easy reach of Vegas it’s really nice and well worth the trip. When you are here you may see a wedding as many couples get married here but only in the morning as it gets very hot in the day. The landscape is like nothing else you will see on earth and you easily be mistaken for thinking that you are on another planet. The $6 entrance fee represents amazing value.

ZION NATION PARK: It’s a long drive to Zion (about 2-3 hours), but you can drive North on I-15 to Zion National Park and back in one day. It is worth the trip and the $25 per car admission, this like most other National Parks is valid for 7 days.

DEATH VALLEY: If you like to visit National Parks, drive about an hour and a half south of Vegas on I-15 and take RT-127 to Death Valley National Park (total drive may be a good 3 hrs each way). Death Valley is has the lowest point in the United States which is also the hottest place on the planet. It’s the place where in the summer you can fry eggs on the rocks, you will see mirages and is home to some of the most deadly creatures on the planet. You need to take lots of water with you something like 2 gallons each incase you break down and you need to check that your car rental company will allow you to drive there.
GRAND CANYON: The drive to the Grand Canyon is 5 long hard hours on mostly two lane roads with trucks and campers (only a short way on I-40). You can drive there and back in one day if you leave early morning, like 6:00-7:00 AM. That will put you there about noon and you will have 4 or 5 hrs before starting back and getting back to Vegas about 11:00PM. Its worth considering staying overnight at the Grand Canyon not only to break the journey but also to allow you to see the Canyon at the two best times of the day sunset and sunrise this is a lifetime experience and is worth the investment in both time and money. If you are going to stay over try and stay in the park it will cost less than you think. The park has a $25 entrance fee per car.

trets77

April

sew109 wrote: »

A players club card is like a tesco club card you put it in the slots when you play and records what you do or you give it to the pit boss if you are on the tables and he records it. The casino is prepared to pay you for this, I generally stay at MGM resorts and use their card the most, every point you gain on the slots gives you 1c in credit in multiples of $5 you can use this as bonus slot play but you can not get comps with slot play (unless you are a high roller slot player $5 and above) on table play you are rated straight away depending on the property how much you play and how clever you are about playing an amount based on what they expect you tohave lost will be recorded and you wioll get this in credit it can be that you use it against your room rate or for show tickets or even for a meal. I managed to get a 5 night stay and all meals comped and front row tickets for a show once at NYNY I did not bet more than $25 per hand and I actually walked away $1100 UP. Playing for comps is dumb but maximising your comps on you chosen paly is smart. I could go on about this and Vegas all day but I am new and dont want to step out of line. If anyone wants any help on anything Vegas please email me and I will be happy to do what I can. [EMAIL="sew109@yahoo.co.uk"]sew109@yahoo.co.uk[/EMAIL]

Cheers
Simon

your never out of line giving MS advice on this site , and we :happyhear talking about Las Vegas on this thread .

please post your website , and we can see where it can be put to be easily found.

all upcoming My Travel flights are well in excess of £550 .

BTW i made the mistake of going down Richer Sounds to hear a Onkyo home cinema amp today, and in the process have probably put the nail in the coffin of any LV trip this year. i'll have to rely on you guys to keep me tpped with Vegas stories i think .

Sarah112

Stew68 wrote: »

Sorry just remembered, for those of us not up on gambling and would like some lessons, I noticed that the Excalibur seemed to be best for lessons in Craps, Poker @ Roulette. Mostly done in the morning.

Also if anybody is thinking of combining Vegas with LA to do the theme parks let me know, did most of them when I was there.

Stew

Hi Stew, thanks for then info:) 4 of us are going to La/LV next year march. Where's the best place to stay in LA? and how did you get to vegas from La? Car? Coach?

photome

Sarah112 wrote: »

Hi Stew, thanks for then info:) 4 of us are going to La/LV next year march. Where's the best place to stay in LA? and how did you get to vegas from La? Car? Coach?

Wheres the best place to stay is to ambiguos..where/what part do you want to stay and how much do you want to pay? LA is one of the biggest most sprawling places you will come across with a population in excess of 14000000

I like staying on the northern outskirts in Pasadena, great for santa anita races and sixflags. Have also stayed close to hollywood in a days inn which was ok.

I have driven between the two about 5 hours ish with no detours, or flown for about $50 a head.

sew109

November/December

Sarah112 wrote: »

Hi Stew, thanks for then info:) 4 of us are going to La/LV next year march. Where's the best place to stay in LA? and how did you get to vegas from La? Car? Coach?

LV - LA go buy car 4-5 hours just make sure you dont travel on a Sunday night as the I15 gets sluggish, I have stayed on Sunset and in Orange County in LA, I preferred Orange County as and there is stacks of cheap accom there becasue of Disney and Universal. I have to say I am not a fan of LA which is why I not been fiurther than the airport in the last 10 years ;-)
Incedentaly Excalibur offer valid unti April 09 form $41 a night
https://reservations.mgmmirage.com/bookingengine.aspx?pid=EXC&host=offer&code=EBOOK&kbid=542076

nvh

May

completely agree with you about Valley of Fire - absolutely stunning...

we were @ Grand Canyon (stayed at Xanterra's Bright Angel Lodge - rim view) couple of weeks ago and it was fantastic - really good accommodation and even had tea / coffee making facilities and a fridge! bargain for the price we got too

also stayed at Xanterra's Furness Creek Inn @ Death Valley couple of weeks ago, likewise it's something i'd recommend people do at least once for the price... we got there at 7pm and it was 40 degrees! Went for a nice swim in the 'Warm Spring fed Pool' as well...