Vegas Hotel Advice

Hey, that's where my parents got married!

Learn to love cabs. It's the only non-want-to-kill-yourself way of ground transport, and even then, allow a LOT of extra time to get there.

For fairly decent and relatively cheap hotels, I kind of like the Flamingo, but it's about halfway up the Strip.

The Venetian has, by far, the best poker room in Vegas. Price-wise, it's not quite as costly as the Wynn or Caesar's, but it's not cheap either. Still, Vegas has been suffering along with the economy, and rooms out there are cheaper right now than they have been in years. Me and three buddies stayed at The Venetian in November and paid less than $650 total for three nights in a suite.

The Vegas Strip itself has excellent public transportation. Everywhere else is the epitome of urban sprawl and you are shit out of luck if you need to get somewhere and don't have a car. Seriously, LA has a world-class public transport system when compared to 95% of Las Vegas.

If I were you, I'd rent a house rather than go to a hotel. Why? Vegas is one of the hardest hit areas by the recession. When I canvassed for Obama in 2008, there were entire deserted neighborhoods. Realtors in Vegas are desperate for any business. If I were you, I'd contact a few local realtors and see if they'd be willing to rent to you at a rate comparable to a hotel. If it works out, you would have free parking and a kitchen for fixing your own meals, which would be undoubtedly cheaper than going out every single meal.

As for gambling, you wouldn't miss out on much. There is literally gambling in every public facility in Vegas. I have never encountered a bar in Vegas that did not have a fucking slot machine built into each individual space at the bar.

I'm not sure renting a house in a possibly derelict neighborhood that you know little to nothing about is the best plan. Stay on the Strip. There are taxis lined up to take you anywhere. I've never stayed at the Flamingo, but it's in a good location and I've heard repeatedly that it's a solid option for the budget-conscious.

I spent like 80 bucks for 3 nights at the Hooters. It wasn't bad at all. Sure, it's tacky as all hell, but it's close to the Strip and for that price, you can't beat it.

Then yeah, I'd probably just look at an Orbitz-style website and figure somethin out.

How many days and what can you spend?

You're going to a destination wedding at a chain restaurant. Make up for that by treating your lady to a kick-ass hotel. Get dressed up. You can wander around any shore town in flip-flops and a novelty t-shirt. Tear it up. The Luxor and the Bellagio are both nice, though you'll end up more annoyed than wowed by Luxor's pyramid architecture.

I didn't say it was going to be good advice.

Phil, the closet romantic. His suggestion is best.

I'm out and proud, babies. Why spend X in Vegas and be a schlub if you can spend X times 2 and be a rock star for 3 days? We're all dead at the end; live it up when you're able.

Don't worry about the hotel having a good poker room, you can play anywhere.

If you're not planning to spend much time in the room, I'd suggest the Imperial Palace. It's right on the strip but significantly cheaper than other hotels in the area. The location will save you time and money, and plant you right in the middle of all the fun. The rooms are pretty spartan, but they'll leave you with a lot of extra cash to spend on everything else.

Now if you feel the need to impress the girlfriend with your selection of hotel... then you're completely out of my field of expertise.

I second the Luxor love. Stayed tyhere once back in the mid 90's, and visited lots of other places. It had the coolest 20-something vibe going of all the places we went into, IMO, & didn't cost an arm & a leg.

I stayed at the MGM grand in 2006. It's a fine hotel, big as fuck, just realize you are on the far end of the strip.

I give you the same advice I give everyone who has gone since '06. See Love.

Oh. not too bad. Just a little disorienting, depending on where your room is.

Stay at the Luxor if you must, but, for God's sake, don't play poker there. Horrible room. Go next door to Mandalay Bay and play. They've got a nice poker room. (And the two hotels are actually connected.)

You can walk between MANY of these casinos, by the way.

I had a great Luxor experience.

I was in Las Vegas two weeks ago and stayed in MGM Grand. The basic room was nice and we paid $100 a night for the weekend. That included two for one drinks and two for one buffet meals. We ate at Tom Colichio's CraftSteak, which cost a small fortune, but was well worth it. I normally play poker, but I was with my wife, so I stuck with her at the Blackjack tables. MGM had $5 BJ tables on the weekend, which is the first time I have seen that at MGM in a while.

Other hotel casinos:

Luxor: Good if you get the rooms cheap, but a pretty basic option. Poker room was small, but filled with tourists last time I played there.

TI: Only worth it if you get the room for cheap and then it is a good clean option. I don't recall playing poker there.

Ventian: Best basic room on the strip. Love the rooms! Each room is a suite and very comfortable. Great casino and poker room, but fairly pricey.

Rio: Rooms were going for $55 a couple of weeks ago on the weekend. Every room is a suite, but the basic option is a pretty small suite. I am not a fan of gambling there and it is a little off the strip. Gold Coast (super cheap casino) is next door if you like smoke and nickel slots (and who doesn't???)

Harrahs: Pretty basic room, but sometimes they will upgrade you to a suite for free. They did it for us and the suite was fantastic! Casino is ok, but you are in the heart of the strip.

Flamingo: Haven't stayed here for awhile, but the rooms and casino were average when I did.

Tropicana: Hell on earth. Can't stand the casino.

Mandalay Bay: Nice rooms, good casino. But both seem a bit overpriced for what you get.

Mirage: It has been a while, but it was a decent option.

Bellagio: Good rooms, pricey gambling. Great expensive poker.

Caesar's Casino: Never stayed at the hotel, but the casino is pricey, but good.

Stratosphere: Pros: Behind the hotel is a great place to buy meth. Cons: Being stabbed to death.

Circus Circus: Was shitty when my family took me there in 1983. Has gotten worse.

Sahara: Never stayed there, but I have gambled there. The poker cash game, poker tournaments, and blackjack are all super cheap. Kind of low rent.

Downtown casinos: Never stayed in any of them, but the poker is generally cheap and active at most of the casinos. Good places to gamble on a smaller bankroll.

There's a lion exhibit in the MGM Grand too. You can walk right up to the glass and see about four of five them. You can even watch them as you play a slot machine!

I stayed at the Excalibur when I was there back in 2007. It's right beside the Luxor and right across from New York New York (which has a roller coaster in it). The room was fine and the casino was meh. The whole hotel in general was decent. Nothing much going on. Louie Anderson was performing! Huzzah!

Walking up and down the strip is fun but its length is deceiving. You would think to yourself, "hey that casino/hotel isn't that far!" only to realize that yes... it is in fact very far away. Make sure to check out the fountains at the Bellagio!

Man, I want to go back so bad. I was only there to run the marathon and so it was just for a weekend.

Have fun!

Wherever you end up staying, I've got a killer tip that will almost surely be worth it to you. I've done this a few times (mostly in Orlando, FL), but Vegas is the best place for this move:

When you check into the hotel, make sure you approach a lone front desk clerk (without any managers hovering around). Fold up a $20 bill in such a way so that when you hand over your credit card, the $20 bill fits neatly under it.

Here's the important part.

As you hand over the card + bribe, flash a big smile and ask 'em "BTW, do you have any –complimentary– upgrades available?" They'll feel the bill under the card or take a quick peek, and in my experience they immediately know what to do. They'll take the time to furiously look for any possible upgrade to give you, and if any are available (very likely in a Vegas resort), you'll get a "free" room upgrade for the mere cost of the tip.

Usually, the rep leaves my card+bribe on their desk as they hunt for upgrades. When room upgrades haven't been available, I've still managed to score free breakfast buffets or room deliveries (flowers, fruit, champagne). They nearly always ask if XYZ upgrade is ok, and after I agree, that's when they officially pocket the cash.

I guess it's always possible that the rep will say that NO upgrade is available, and still keep the cash anyways, but it's never happened to me.

If $20, why not $5 or $10? I've always done it with $20, and I've always gotten more than my money's worth. It might work with smaller amounts, but I think $20 hits some psychological tipping point that causes front desk people to want to take a bullet for you, so long as management isn't around.

Seconded. It's a terrific show.

Always tip the guy outside the hotel who gets your taxi or rental car.

Also, one night you and your girlfriend should pretend you're strangers (perhaps married strangers); hook up and have a night of freaky sex. Roleplaying is good for the soul.

Nobody posts hotel reviews when they enjoyed their stay. Ignore it.

One I haven't seen mentioned that we enjoyed was Paris. It's like The Venetian, in that it really makes an effort to provide some international ambience, but was less pricey when we stayed there. Nice assortment of shops, pastry and coffee shops, and the Eiffel Tower's a fun experience.

One odd caveat, if it matters: the rooftop pool, lovely as it is, is basically for wading only; I'm not sure it gets as deep as four feet. And since swimming is usually the only exercise I can persuade myself to get when I'm on vacation, that was a bit disappointing.

Since you're booking through a website, use retailmenot.com for coupon codes if there are any (if it's not too late). I got a great deal on a pretty awesome hotel in Nob Hill during my last trip to SF.

I also stayed at the Luxor back in the late 90's. We had a great experience there, but yeah...the inclinators (the internal elevators) do provide a unique motion experience.

The buffet in the Luxor, the Pharaoh's Feast, was kickass. The breakfast buffet was particularly good.

You're never going to be in your hotel room except to sleep and you'll do that less then you have in your life ** unless you go broke the first night **

Couple of tips.

Take a Limo up and down the strip your first night (when the neon is at it's best)... Limo's are cheap in Vegas, cheaper then Taxi's depending on what you do and it will really add to your experience and put your GF over the top. A taxi from Ceasers to Stratopshere is $10, that will give you a good idea of how much it is to get to places if you use google maps. Don't use the bus, for the love of god, do NOT USE THE BUS. You're only here a few days and the hour you spend on the bus is not worth saving a few bucks... you'll be walking to most places.

Don't go to the Planet Hollywood 'tour' of their westgate wing for the free chips ... it's an hour sales pitch on buying a timeshare...

I recommend staying at the Sahara or Statosphere because, like I said... you'll never be in your room but if you're looking to upgrade to something a little swankier MGM works quite nice for the money one problem you may face is I believe there is a convention here in March (there are always conventions but I think it's one of the bigger ones) so room rates will be a little higher.

Poker rooms? http://www.allvegaspoker.com/tournaments.php Here's a list of tournament's and their start times... you could throw your GF into a tourney while you play cash or you could both do a tourney together. Let me know what your poker budget is and I'll recommend a place... like for example, MGM has a $50 minimum buy in at their 1-2 NL tables and it usually has less locals because of the high donkey to low take factor but that doesn't mean you won't get a great player slumming, heck I've seen some legends over at the Statosphere 1-2 NL table...

You should try to take your GF on a indoor gondola ride in the Venitian. Nothing like a romantic boat ride while listening to Italian love songs. And you may even see a gondola wedding take place.

If you like thrills, you have to try the Big Shot and Insanity on top of the Stratosphere.

The Bellagio fountain is a great show and you can even watch it from the top of the Eiffel Tower in front of Paris.

That's a great suggestion.

As an alternative, last time I was there, we wound up renting a convertible (pretty much by accident), and that's an amazing way to see the Strip at night, too.

If you're looking for something smack dab in the middle of the strip that's not too shabby, I recommend Barbary Coast. Yeah, it's a bit cheap, but you get a big screen LCD TV, and it's right in the middle of the action. So close that I had to shut my windows when I went to sleep because of all the people still moving about on the sidewalk. I've also stayed at the Mirage (on another company's dime), and the Aladdin (before it became Planet Hollywood). I eventually want to stay at the Rio, because I love the seafood buffet and the all-suite rooms.

No offense to others that have stayed there, but the I don't like the Luxor, as it feels more like an amusement park than a hotel. I haven't stayed at too many hotels, though I've been to Vegas at least 5 times.

I would say the Flamingo is a safe bet. Not too pricey, but still very nice. If you plan on going in the pool, and if your girlfriend wants to be able to sunbathe(if it's warm enough) the Flamingo's pool(s) is pretty tits. You'd be surprised by how many "nice" hotels have pools the size of your local swimming pool and aren't even worth visiting.

As for food, Delmonico's is expensive but very good, and the Stratsophere has an absoultely amazing view(I suggest going around sunset). The dining area rotates 360 degrees as you eat, giving you a view of the outlying mountains as well as right down the strip, and the food is quite good there.

Last time I was there which was about three years ago the Luxor was a ghost town. Personally I prefer The Rio or The Palms. I loke the all suite rooms of The Rio, the eats were awesome and best of all no kids. Cabs are pretty cheap and though The Rio is on Flamingo the other side of the 15 getting around was a breeze and they let you bring your cocktail in the cab with you. I was there for a wedding as well. The bridal couple stayed in a room at Caesar's which I would not have been displeased with. The reception was at the Caesar's buffet which didn't have as much as the Mirage but I found to be high quality. I have never stayed at the Hard Rock but would do so just because it is next to the Double Down Saloon on Paradise which is one of my favorite bars in the world. Never stayed at the MGM but my old man hated it saying that getting out of that place felt like escaping a maze.

The most important advice is to ignore everything above and have a good time.

I'm in Vegas atleast once a month. I've been there with a gangster roll of hundreds and in the leaner days a $40 checking account so I can give you an opinion of every spectrum.

Hotel - Luxors gone through alot of nice renovations and the casino floor is nice. Rooms, eh - nothing good, nothing bad. Mirage is the same. My choices - Caesars, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, MGM Signature, Planet Hollywood, Encore and Palazzo. Finally getting to stay Aria after missing my chance over New Years soon.

Caesars is my personal favorite of all the poker rooms followed closely by the Wynn and Venetian. Bellagio is fine to brisk by and spot some pros but is awful to play in.

Favorite places to eat - Craftsteak(MGM), Gus Savoy(Caesars), Burger Bar(Mandalay), Tacos and Tequila(Luxor), Ellis Island Casino Restaurant are a few of the spots I'll hit everytime I'm there.

As far as nightlife - I don't know you or your lady so it's hard to give advice for that...

I was there over CES, New Years and Thanksgiving - the economy is going to allow you to live way past your means. So, don't hesitate to ask for anything, you're a customer and right now they're in short supply.

In all seriousness read Tom's note above. He hit the nail on the head for just about every property. Only thing I'll add is that if you like Sports Book you can't beat the Hilton. It's where the hard core SBers go and you can bet (and drink for free as long as you are betting) all day long. Venetian has a fine, upper scale SB as well.

The only thing about the Mirage--the room that we got was at the very end of one of the buildings, and I swear it took us more than 5 minutes to walk from our room all the way to the center to catch the elevator, and then to walk out of the hotel through the casino. We went during July, and the further down the hall you went, the colder it got. Otherwise, I've stayed there 2-3 times, and it's been great every time.

If you got your room for anywhere near a reasonable price and have the transportation issues worked out, you won't regret staying at the Wynn. The place is beautiful.

Exellent choice. I play at the Wynn poker room all the time, I recommend you avoid it unless you want to contribute to my island fund (kidding, it's a 1/3 no limit and it's tight so I just play the tournament there)

There is a place in the Wynn that is just pure fantastic, it's called Piece of Pizza cafe (or something similar to that..) it's all the way at the end of their shops.. just ask the hotel people there when your gf isn't looking and go have one meal there (or snack \ drinks) on the terrace. Way worth it, best pizza in Vegas (New York style) but hanging out on the terrace makes it worth it and you have to be a customer to do that.

As JVC said, you'll have a great time there.

I prefer the Westin Casuarina. It's smaller and classier than most hotels on or near the Strip.

This thread's gonna come in handy since I'm planning a trip to Vegas this May.