The Las Vegas Thread and MSE guide

Froggitt

photome wrote: »

Had a fantastic chinese in chinatown, dont ask me for the name of it tho, I just looked for one that was full of chinese people (they may have been tourists tho)

Thats the plan. American Chinese different from English Chinese though.

Went for a Chinese in Hong Kong on our honeymoon to somewhere that was recommended.......asked for the duck but all they did was carve a few slices off a whole duck for us......felt royally ripped off compared to the natives there who had the whole duck.

Christa1

Just loked at carhire300 and this was on the home page
Please Note: Additional one-way fees may apply for this rental. Should this be the case we will contact you after you send in your request & advise you of the relevant fees, which will be payable to the supplier locally

I am looking at Phoenix to LA, does this mean I might have to pay a 1 way fee?

photome

Christa1 wrote: »

Just loked at carhire300 and this was on the home page
Please Note: Additional one-way fees may apply for this rental. Should this be the case we will contact you after you send in your request & advise you of the relevant fees, which will be payable to the supplier locally

I am looking at Phoenix to LA, does this mean I might have to pay a 1 way fee?

You might have to as that is arizona to california. rather than just neighbouring state.

I assume you are looking on the carhire3000 site (300?). Best thing to do would be to ring them

lynzpower

Well we are now back from Vegas and had a wonderful time so thanks to everyone who has posted advice and tips on here.

Id love to say the experience was moneysaving- but we spent more in a week there than weve ever spent elsewhere! However, we did cut costs where possible.

our 3 nights at the MGM Grand really was something special. We didnt get the upgraded room but TBH really didnt feel we needed them. the room was perfect. Everything about MGM was super. Really felt it was fantastic VFM.

1st few days we mooched arund, looked in other hotels, took walks generaly meandered around taking it all in. Played plenty of comped slots/ roulette for fun and tipped drinks. Ate really well Got a few nice coupons ( 241 dinners/ free X with that etc) Tip: breakfast buffet at MGM was great- evening one was CRAP- everything cold! Would not recommend at all. Friday night we saw Carrot Top at the luxor after the recommendations on here and SO pleased we did it was fantastic!

3rd day took the hire car out to Beatty where we stayed at the Stagecoach hotel & casino for $55 ( walk up rate) and took the rest of the day to go to ryolyte & drive around a bit. Perfectly acceptable hotel really not plush but service was OK up till abut 9pm when the staff became a bit ratty- maybe they all work long days? Wasnt just us who noticed it! Evening came, jet lag set in I retired to bed leaving OH to waste our money on the 1c slots Food in the "cafe" there was remarkably good for what it looked like. OHs 11 dollar steak was one of the best hed ever had.

Next day set off nice & early ( thanks to jet lag) to drive up to Scottys castle where we did both tours then headed down to the visitors centre- then to the ubehebe canyon and for lunch at the Furnace creek hotel ( again excellent) then we went on to Baker as dark descended very quickly. We moved on from baker after a quick stop to barstow where we had a blinding night in what looked like a very sketchy bar! We were like local celebs which was nicer than potentially getting shot Stayed in a identikit motel on barstow for about 40usd ( Ok but crap towels: ) ) and close by an outlet mall that was MUCH cheaper than the vegas ones, tops in gap $4 nine west shoes $15 and so on.

Onwards the next day to Vegas via Baker and spent the afternoon in the Mojave preserve which was awesome- and maanged to find an internet station in Baker ( its in the food court- but also believe there is some in the Alien beef jerky place in case anyone is in need in future) jumped on to book the last 2 nights accom. Hotels.com gave us 2 nights at the Strat for 55 quid inc tax, which was fine especially as we would have been going back there anyhow to go up the tower & do the rides. Strat was a lot better than I thought although the catering options were a bit on the lame side. We ate the 9.99 in luckys after midnight steak & shrimp there which was again pretty good for the money but breakky wise we went to IHOP which I wanted to go to as I remeber going there as a kid. Limited dining options up this end IMO, Sahara ( er no thanks) few Mcds, and an IHOP. Did the rides on the stratosphere, which was excellent and totally unmissable.

Gasoline much cheaper than I thought it would be half a tank in dodge avenger cost just over $15.

Incidentally for ANYONE who doesnt have a CC Dollar indeed WILL rent to us using debit cards. Was gutted that was the case as we had already booked with enterprise and the dollar desk in our hotel wold have accepted us all along, even though the UK USA DOLLAR helpine said that they wouldnt. walk up rate was 45usd per day. ( not sure if that included any CDWs or anything)
So thanks for all the wonderful advice on this thread, we really had a great time. xx

tingtong

Froggitt wrote: »

Also if anyone's interested, Im taking my iPod Touch, complete with mains adaptor and Griffin Smarttalk

You won't regret it, best gadget I've ever bought, managed to get free wifi in SF and LV hotels when we were there in Jul / Aug.

trets77

April

nvh wrote: »

ooh, the missus wants to stop there when we go (well, she wants to stop @ Mandaley, no stipulations on THE Hotel... yet!)

which suite did you stay in? what made it so good?

we do like 'that end' of the strip so location doesn't bother us that much, but would be very interested to hear about the room

The rooms at THE HOTEL are genuine suites with 3 seperate rooms as opposed to just a sunken living area like the Venetian.

we had a standard suite and we got a living area with a huge comfy sofa , chair , and desk . big plasma , and sink/bar area . also a 2nd toilet and sink near the entrance . you then get a separate Bedroom with TV , floor to ceiling window and very comfy , plushy made king size bed. also loads of space ect .

off the bedroom is on suite bathroom , that is just divine . a waterfall bath that comes up to your chin it is so deep ( sunken) . double sink , walk in marble shower , TV and phone in the bathroom and a main toilet in yet anthor room. The free toiletries are probably the best thing i have used and very expensive to buy in the shop.

The only very slight negative of our stay is that it is a little bit of a trek to mid strip , but Mandalay bay is great fun if you want to hang around there.

Trust_2

July

Changing their advertising stance, 'Employee Discounts for Everyone' 72hr cancellation still applies, does not seem as good as LCI

You pay what we pay! Book your next Harrah’s® Las Vegas visit and for a limited time you’ll get the same discounted room rates our employees get. Stay in one of our rooms right at the heart of the Strip for as little as $45/night when you book these Employee Discounts for Everyone. This offer is valid for travel now through March 31, 2009.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW AVAILABLE CALENDAR DATES
Offer Code: PHFFP
Prefer to stay at our other resorts? Employee Discounts for Everyone are also available at Rio® All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Bally’s Las Vegas®, Flamingo Las Vegas ® and Imperial Palace® Las Vegas.
SEE OTHER GREAT RATES

nvh

May

trets77 wrote: »

The rooms at THE HOTEL are genuine suites with 3 seperate rooms as opposed to just a sunken living area like the Venetian.....

cheers appreciated

lynzpower wrote: »

Next day set off nice & early ( thanks to jet lag) to drive up to Scottys castle where we did both tours then headed down to the visitors centre

thanks for the trip report always wondered what Scottys Castle actually was, we've always meant to go but never got round to it...whats it like etc?

sew109

November/December

Trust wrote: »

Changing their advertising stance, 'Employee Discounts for Everyone' 72hr cancellation still applies, does not seem as good as LCI

You pay what we pay! Book your next Harrah’s® Las Vegas visit and for a limited time you’ll get the same discounted room rates our employees get. Stay in one of our rooms right at the heart of the Strip for as little as $45/night when you book these Employee Discounts for Everyone. This offer is valid for travel now through March 31, 2009.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW AVAILABLE CALENDAR DATES
Offer Code: PHFFP
Prefer to stay at our other resorts? Employee Discounts for Everyone are also available at Rio® All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Bally’s Las Vegas®, Flamingo Las Vegas ® and Imperial Palace® Las Vegas.
SEE OTHER GREAT RATES

I have to say that I think IP a dump (and I have stayed there) but at almost all nights in December at $30 a night if you are tight on cash its worth looking at, though personally I would probably pay the extra $5 a night and stay at Excalibur

lynzpower

nvh wrote: »

cheers appreciated
thanks for the trip report always wondered what Scottys Castle actually was, we've always meant to go but never got round to it...whats it like etc?

It was really interesting actually. I could have taken or left it before we got there but So glad we did it.

At the complex itself ( if you can cal it that) theres the castle & outbuildings, small gift shop/ snack bar and museum telling the story. Story is really interesting to get a feel for the gold rush ( which wasnt something Id really rad up on or knew much about) but it really contextualises the area, trade, etc. Ties in well with other ghost towns and thier role etc.

There were 2 tours running. We did both for $40 for the 2 of us. The first one of the house was fascinating, delivered by really excellent guide, very entertaining indeed. The second tour is one of the underground tunnels, which is really very focused on energy usage, converting water to electricity, the generators etc. This one is really for the geeks!
http://www.nps.gov/deva/historyculture/scottys-castle.htm

Worth doing, but suggest driving it from Beatty ( up past the stagecoach) rather than the long way we took into the DV park and back up again ( we only decided at the ticket point to go to SC due to a couple who we chatted to there)