The Las Vegas Thread and MSE guide

iltisman

January/February

PCG2001
It depends on how you consider close, in the UK I supose we would call close 10 to 15 miles, but in the vast USA 283 miles to the south rim of the Grand Canyon is fairly close. Other factors are cheapish fuel no motorway delays and pleasant driving conditions.

photome

pcg2001 wrote: »

Pardon my geography, but are any of these parks close to LV?

Apart from yosemite they are all close enough to drive to in a day, although the only one I would want to do a round trip in a day to would be Death Valley.

nvh

May

photome wrote: »

Are you saying you did the GC in 8 hours there and back ie 4 hours each way?

...

You also say you are going on to LA the next morning but without looking on the map LA is about 5 hours away (300 miles) in the opposite direction

I really liked driving in America - long empty roads... it is feasible i may have gone slightly over the speed limit incidently, yes, it was the snowy south rim

to clarify though, google maps says it's about 4.5 hours and we didn't meet any traffic (mid-december )
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=3600+Las+Vegas+Blvd+S%2C+Las+Vegas%2C+Clark%2C+Nevada+89109%2C+United+States&daddr=S+Entrance+Rd%2C+Grand+Canyon%2C+AZ+86023

also, grand canyon -> LA will take a full day (7hr jobby) but that's easily do-able...

I do a lot of driving in the uk so it's relaxing when I get to drive in america

photome

nvh wrote: »

I really liked driving in America - long empty roads... it is feasible i may have gone slightly over the speed limit incidently, yes, it was the snowy south rim

to clarify though, google maps says it's about 4.5 hours and we didn't meet any traffic (mid-december )
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=3600+Las+Vegas+Blvd+S%2C+Las+Vegas%2C+Clark%2C+Nevada+89109%2C+United+States&daddr=S+Entrance+Rd%2C+Grand+Canyon%2C+AZ+86023

also, grand canyon -> LA will take a full day (7hr jobby) but that's easily do-able...

I do a lot of driving in the uk so it's relaxing when I get to drive in america

I love driving in america to for the same reasons as you, I also do a lot of driving in the UK, about 30000 a year.

It took me nearly 6 hours tho last year from Vegas to LA (a few hold ups and the traffic in LA was as usual ,very bad. what is the distance between the south rim and LA

secondtoughest

Some questions from a Vegas newbie.

Myself and a friend want to go. We were thinking of Oct/Nov this year or if we can get a better deal Feb/March 09. I'd preferably go for 10 days rather than 7. We like the look of the MGM Grand, we want to stay in one of the huge hotels and hopefully for around $100 a night tops. Is that do-able for the MGM? The websites in the first post seem to indicate so. Would anyone recommend another hotel above that one for the budget? We want to be very central.

1. Can you wander in any hotel casino or is it just the one you're staying in?
2. Any tips on how to manage a gambling budget? It won't be cards, more slots & roulette etc but I'm not sure how to work out the cash - only bet a certain amount each day?
3. Did any of the airline companies running direct flights have any autumn/winter promos last year? If so, when? I'm determined to keep it around £350 per flight (from London probably, pref Heathrow)

Ooooooh I can't wait for my first Denny's breakfast!!

trets77

April

secondtoughest wrote: »

Some questions from a Vegas newbie.

Myself and a friend want to go. We were thinking of Oct/Nov this year or if we can get a better deal Feb/March 09. I'd preferably go for 10 days rather than 7. We like the look of the MGM Grand, we want to stay in one of the huge hotels and hopefully for around $100 a night tops. Is that do-able for the MGM? The websites in the first post seem to indicate so. Would anyone recommend another hotel above that one for the budget? We want to be very central.

1. Can you wander in any hotel casino or is it just the one you're staying in?
2. Any tips on how to manage a gambling budget? It won't be cards, more slots & roulette etc but I'm not sure how to work out the cash - only bet a certain amount each day?
3. Did any of the airline companies running direct flights have any autumn/winter promos last year? If so, when? I'm determined to keep it around £350 per flight (from London probably, pref Heathrow)

Ooooooh I can't wait for my first Denny's breakfast!!

okay one at a time.

Only Virgin fly direct from London and fly from Gatwick

Yes sales do come up , but it's hard ( if not impossible ) to say when. you should stand a good chance of a money and miles fare for Oct/Nov if you look into it now. see post#5. anything around £300-£350 direct is pretty good and probably worth booking.


you can walk around any casino , at anytime wearing pretty much whatever you like . it always make me smile that people think they are like Casinos in UK ( where you have to join and show you card to get in.) . you will see what i mean when you get there. they will try very hard to get you in their casino and certainly don't put things in the way that might stop you.

Casinos of similar standard to MGM Grand would be NYNY , Paris , Mandalay Bay , Caeasars , Mirage , Treasure Island , and the Luxor. Ballys and Harrahs might also be okay for you. $100 should be achievable if there is nothing special going on ( beware of thanksgiving and Haloween ) though Oct is a popular month.

as i say in my guide . set yourself a amount of money you can afford to lose as your gambling budget , and when its gone ...it's gone. don't chase it !!. it is easy to lose track of your loses if your not careful.

as for Breakfast at Dennys ... the phrase " why have cotton when you can have silk "springs to mind. Buffets are a good bet for Breakfast IMO. or you can try the Deli / diner type places like these which i enjoyed for Breakfast last trip[ out.

http://www.mirage.com/dining/casual_dining_carnegie.aspx

http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/redwhiteblue.aspx

:A

ferf1223

March

secondtoughest wrote: »

2. Any tips on how to manage a gambling budget? It won't be cards, more slots & roulette etc but I'm not sure how to work out the cash - only bet a certain amount each day?

Different people do different things. Some have a budget for the trip and don't really break it down further than that. Some go so far as to put each day's money into a separate envelope and never open each envelope until the day. We're somewhere in between, we have a daily budget which we stick to but we don't go so far as the envelope thing. Most days we take the lot with us in the morning that way we know at all times what we have left for the day and can vary our gambling accordingly. Our goal is always to come home with 1/2 our budget though we're prepared to lose it all (though we never have, and I wonder how happy would we would be if we did. )

Ultimately, you need to do what works for you. Some have to be more disciplined than others and I do think that if you plan to drink a lot, it's even more important to keep a close eye on your funds so you won't get carried away - it's very easy to do. I cannot think of many worse places in the world to be short of cash.

As for Denny's, as trets suggested, there are loads of better places. If you're excited about Denny's due to it's somewhat iconic nature then it will be fine...but consider the options too. I think that Peppermill is a great breakfast option. A bit more expensive than Denny's but the portions are massive even by American standards, and the decor is just so Vegasy.

There are a couple of really good, really inexpensive breakfast buffets - Gold Coast (next to Rio) and Main Street Station (downtown) spring to mind. You can get a 2-for-1 coupon for GC in the American Casino Guide. for MSS they used to give a 2-for-1 coupon for joining their slot club. Both are $6-$7 for breakfast...with a 2-for-1, that ends up being about £3-£4 for two, all-you-can-eat and pretty good food.

wdyw

photome wrote: »

BUT if you are only going to see 1. IMO it has to be the GC.

I have been to Bryce, Zion, Death valley, Yosemite and the GC. The one that took my breath away was the GC and I would go back to the GC and Yosemite tomorrow.

I also think any drive in the west is great even if it is just desert. Bryce is also a lot further than the GC or at least it seemed it when I drove it

It is actually shorter (distance and time) from LV to Bryce than it is LV to South rim, but given that most peple head to Bryce via Zion National Park rather than up past Cedar City it makes it longer.

GC via Zion, Bryce, Page (or thw other way round) is a fairly standard itinary for a lot of people with additional trips to Monument Valley / horseshoe canyon / antelope canyon / moab etc thrown in if time allows.


I'm with Iltisman in that Bryce is my fav, followed by Yosemite with the GC and Zion trailing in joint last. Same crap accomodation at each of them though (compared to LV)!

pinkpinkfizz

Hi,
Been planning a few more bits to our trip and my DH decided to let me know he wishes to view the Celtic V Barcelona game, whilst we are there, found it should be on in the Crown & Anchor.
This pub is off the strip on east tropicana ave, about 1.4 miles off the strip, Is it safe to go that far off strip (complete Vegas Newbies remember) and is it even worth going to?

I know that I am not really looking forward to going and sitting watching the game in a smoke filled pub, when there are SO many other things we could be doing, but really just need to get an idea from a safety point of view.

On the safety side of it, heading down to Freemont St @ night, Is this ok so long as we take bus, stay on main st, etc, the basic stuff?? I am really nervous about being out & about at night somewhere I don't know! (even in the UK)

Any other safety/hints tips?
Thanks

iltisman

January/February

I agree that accomodation seems poor near the national parks after you have been spoilt by Vegas,the best I found was the Holiday Inn Express in Cedar City.
Back to the Grand Canyon debate I agree as it is one of the seven wonders of the world it is a 'must see' but perhaps better from the air,and save the driving for a trip to Bryce.