Vegas
- Thread starter PabloDiablo
- Start date
I'm going to be out there with some friends for the Nike Basketball Coaches Clinic May 5-8th and have never been to Vegas either...should be fun!
Vegas is fun and you don't need to worry about a schedule. It really is a 24/7 kind of place.
We have stayed at Mirage a couple of times and really like it. My wife really likes the pool area there. I'm not real big on playing cards but definitely like to bet on sports and The Mirage and Caesar's both have pretty good sports books.
Last time we were there we went to a Cirque show called Love. It's set to the music of the Beatles so if you like that kind of music you'd probably like it. I'd never been to one of those shows before and I have to say it was pretty good.
The next time I go to Vegas I want to go here: The Gun Store | Las Vegas This looks like it would be kind of fun.
We have stayed at Mirage a couple of times and really like it. My wife really likes the pool area there. I'm not real big on playing cards but definitely like to bet on sports and The Mirage and Caesar's both have pretty good sports books.
Last time we were there we went to a Cirque show called Love. It's set to the music of the Beatles so if you like that kind of music you'd probably like it. I'd never been to one of those shows before and I have to say it was pretty good.
The next time I go to Vegas I want to go here: The Gun Store | Las Vegas This looks like it would be kind of fun.
It's really hard to get a bad hotel room if you stay at one of the big ones on the strip. I've ben happy at the Luxur towers, MGM, Vdara, Monte Carlo, Planet Hollywood, etc
The only thing I didn't like about the Luxur was it's location.
Even if you don't gamble a lot, sign up for Players Club. I got a room comped after one stay where I gambled less than $500.
The only thing I didn't like about the Luxur was it's location.
Even if you don't gamble a lot, sign up for Players Club. I got a room comped after one stay where I gambled less than $500.
- Mar 27, 2006
- 41,177
- 29,487
- 113
Harrah's also has a pretty good piano bar, but there's a little circular bar right next to it (Carnival Court, maybe?) that is a lot of fun. The bartenders do all kinds of tricks with the drinks, and they mix them strong. We were buying those giant plastic "Yard Dogs" filled with the mixed drink of your choice for about $12. It was a pretty good deal.
For cheap beer, hit Casino Royale during happy hour. They had buck bottles from 4-6 the last time I was there. Cheap table games, too. As others have said, Fremont St is a trip. It's the classic "Old Vegas" with tons of neon. There's some neat stuff to see there, and it's a lot cheaper than the strip. Also, if you want to get there cheap and fairly quick, take "the deuce." It's only about 10 mins longer than a cab ride and it's only 2 bucks. We rented a limo to get down there, while we were still sober, and then rode the deuce back.
Last edited:
- Mar 27, 2006
- 41,177
- 29,487
- 113
I didn't mind the rooms at the Luxor. They were actually pretty nice. It was just really inconvenient to get around that place. The elevators were hard to get to, and you ended up doing a ton of walking just to get to your room, and as you said the location on the strip was bad.
Don't forget to stop by the Vegas Hilton and put $100 on the Hawkeyes to win the BCS title. They'll give you 100-1 odds, but anyone from Iowa knows the Hawkeyes should be the favorite. 
So easy, it's almost like stealing.
By the way, Iowa State will only pay 40-1 odds as part of a "field" bet. You should save your money...
By the way, Iowa State will only pay 40-1 odds as part of a "field" bet. You should save your money...
harrahs or flamingo are good middle of the road joints with good locations on the strip
go downtown 1 night
buy beer in street convenience and souvenir shops on the street between casinos
hit some lounge bands - bill's and venetian have decent ones
don't sleep very much - waste of time
if really pretty women are really nice to you, they are hookers (no joke)
explore the nooks and crannies, you will find good food and entertainment in unlikely places
learn how to play craps
use airport shuttles and the deuce for primary transportation
there are free shuttles to off strip casinos if you are interested - gold coast, orleans, hard rock, rio, palms...
go downtown 1 night
buy beer in street convenience and souvenir shops on the street between casinos
hit some lounge bands - bill's and venetian have decent ones
don't sleep very much - waste of time
if really pretty women are really nice to you, they are hookers (no joke)
explore the nooks and crannies, you will find good food and entertainment in unlikely places
learn how to play craps
use airport shuttles and the deuce for primary transportation
there are free shuttles to off strip casinos if you are interested - gold coast, orleans, hard rock, rio, palms...
- Mar 27, 2006
- 41,177
- 29,487
- 113
Heck yeah, craps is the most fun you can have with table games, in my opinion. It's also really easy to lose a bunch of money if you don't know what you're doing.
I took a couple of nights at Treasure Island after a business trip there...mentioned that I was there following a business meeting and they upgraded me to a corner suite facing the strip on the 32 floor...what an incredible room! Would highly recommend the hotel. Didn't get into Wynn or a few of the others to see what they were like. NY NY was nice as was Mirage and Ceasars Palace to walk through. As a few of the others put it...let Vegas just happen...and schedule a Cirque show or 2.
My biggest suggestion...VERY comfortable walking shoes...you're gonna need them!!!
Take in the fountains at night at the Bellagio...well worth it, and free!
My biggest suggestion...VERY comfortable walking shoes...you're gonna need them!!!
Take in the fountains at night at the Bellagio...well worth it, and free!
this is awful advice: if you're not by yourself, it always makes more sense to take a taxi than the airport shuttles... the taxi will be cheaper, and will get you directly there opposed to stopping at everyone else's hotel first.
if you have to go a decent distance, do not take the bus... a couple years ago when we were at stratosphere and needed to go to the other end of the strip, half our group took the bus, the other half took a taxi... the group on the bus took over half an hour longer to get to the casino (not exaggerating). not worth the $2
My wife and I are big fans of guided tours. We usually ask the concierge to find the best one, but it gives us a chance to both see the sights without worrying about driving and finding stuff, plus we usually get to see places that we never would have thought about. The tours we have done were 1/2 day, which is just about right. Any longer and it would be a very long day.
Never took the bus but heard this before from friends that go out there a lot...avoid the bus!
Take the Ace, not the Deuce, the Ace is express and only stops a couple times on the strip as opposed to almost every hotel like the Deuce.
Hotels you should stay at one of these resorts in this order:
Wynn, Encore, Cosmopolitan, Mirage, Bellagio.
Get a car. The drive from LAS to a hotel isn't that bad, but you may want a car to get to Fremont Street, Hoover Dam, etc. Hard to get a cab to a number of off the strip places. Well, not hard to get a cab there, but hard to get a cab back. Ask those who took a cab out to Sam Boyd for the UNLV game a few years ago. Hoover is worth a visit, Gold and Silver Pawn is unimpressive, but you can get your Chumlee t-shirt. LVMS is a heck of a haul to the north end of town. If you like cold war history, try to get on to one of the monthly tours of the Nevada Test Site, or just visit the Atomic Testing Museum. Most importantly: east well. Great restaurants of all varieties. And eat a buffet.
Wynn, Encore, Cosmopolitan, Mirage, Bellagio.
Get a car. The drive from LAS to a hotel isn't that bad, but you may want a car to get to Fremont Street, Hoover Dam, etc. Hard to get a cab to a number of off the strip places. Well, not hard to get a cab there, but hard to get a cab back. Ask those who took a cab out to Sam Boyd for the UNLV game a few years ago. Hoover is worth a visit, Gold and Silver Pawn is unimpressive, but you can get your Chumlee t-shirt. LVMS is a heck of a haul to the north end of town. If you like cold war history, try to get on to one of the monthly tours of the Nevada Test Site, or just visit the Atomic Testing Museum. Most importantly: east well. Great restaurants of all varieties. And eat a buffet.
