Las Vegas trip

left_behind

Any recomendations for hotels in vegas on the strip. Found a deal 6 nights in vegas in the MGM grand for 915 euros including flights. Theres cheaper deals but want a bit of comfort for that length. Any advice would be great.

rugbug86

The Stratosphere was great. Really cheap, really cosy, nice amenities (pool, spa etc), nice restaurants (Top of the world - rotating restaurant over the strip, pricy but nice). It's on the strip but down the opposite end to the MGM grand. It's a bit out of the way in that its not right in the centre, but I found that to be nice, and its only a short jaunt in a taxi.

Plus iirc theres no casino in the MGM.

MGM is great location though - right opposite NYNY and v close to bigger hotels - bellagio, paris, caesers palace etc.

Oh and when in Vegas, take a helichopper to the Canyon. Well worth it.

Zaph

rugbug86 wrote: »

Plus iirc theres no casino in the MGM.

Yeah there is, played there myself

rugbug86

Zaph wrote: »

Yeah there is, played there myself

Cool, wasn't sure. I didn't go in there myself but had heard from ppl who had stayed there before that there wasn't one. My bad!

brick tamland

left_behind wrote: »

Any recomendations for hotels in vegas on the strip. Found a deal 6 nights in vegas in the MGM grand for 915 euros including flights. Theres cheaper deals but want a bit of comfort for that length. Any advice would be great.

i'm staying here on my honeymoon so hoping its nice

Gran Hermano

See what price you can get on the Bellagio in comparison to the MGM; it's
more central and I can't recommend it enough. Depending on the time of
year you're visiting, the pools at the Bellagio can be a great spot to chill out for an hour or two away from the casinos.

ziedth

i'm flying out on friday to stay there,

it supposed to be one of the best and in fairness is only a little more expensive then what you'd pay a night here.

i was orginally going to stay in the imperial palace cause its cheap and class location but my theory was not to half ass it so went for the mgm

Dodge

Hope you haven't paid for hotel, and that you're paying in Dollars over there...

Heading to Vegas myself in May. Staying in Ceasars Palace

Xavi6

I stayed in the three-star Excalibur. Cost me feck all really for four nights and it's in a great location on the strip - right between the New York, New York/MGM Grand corner and the Luxor. The double rooms we had were very comfortable. Perfect for a bunch of students!

lord lucan

i stayed in NYNY last august,would highly recommend it to anyone,great spot.:cool:

brettmirl

Vote for Ballys here. Its right across from the Bellagio and beside Paris, so it's very central.

Also, cause it's not a theme hotel, you can get good deals.

Rooms are big, but be sure to ask for one of the renovated rooms on check in. There are two towers of rooms in Ballys. One is fully renovated and the other is about half way through being completed.

lisabyte

I've booked the Signature @ MGM Grand for April - I'd recommend booking direct with hotel - the rate for my booking dropped by a couple of hundred dollars for the 5 nights a couple of weeks after I booked it - I rang them and they automatically adjusted the rate - I don't think you can do this if you book through website like Expedia etc. MGM was pretty good hotel last time I was there - obviously there are better (and more expensive!) hotels.

cooperguy

I was looking at the MGM for mid July. €30 per person in a quad room. Seems fairly good to me. The rooms are supposed to be good there aswell arnt they?

Savman

Just spent 6nts in MGM Bland only last month, do yourself a favour and don't waste your money. I've heard the Signature is excellent and might be worth the extra few quid for luxury but the standard MGM rooms are really underwhelming.

left_behind

thanks for the info guys dont know about the mgm might go for a cheaper hotel. What would be the best for bars nightclubs

rugbug86

All of the hotels have bars/clubs.

9 fine irishmen in NYNY sells Magners

There's a bar on top of Rio that has fantastic views of the strip

And you gotta visit the top of the world in the stratosphere. Easily the nicest meal I've eaten in america. Expensive but you pay for the view - 360 degree revolving restaurant 1000 ft in the sky!

And do the rides on the top of the tower too. Mindblowing

Margaritaville on the strip = yummy

And you have to see the fountains at the bellagio. If you were ever planning a proposal here would be the place! Shows every 30 mins from 15.00 until 20.00 and every 15 mins from 20.00 til 00.00. Easily one of the best things we did in Vegas - saw 4 or 5 shows, each spectacular. Youtube it.

Tabnabs

Anyone ever stay at Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon? (http://www.billslasvegas.com/)

It gets some great reviews in tripadvisor and is a good price for when we're looking at heading over (October).

OP, where did you find the deal you got?

finbarrk

I stayed in the MGM and couldn't fault it.

jonny68

good stuff folks, im heading to vegas next year myself so may save this thread, that helocopter ride over the Canyon soudns amazing too how much was it?

Gran Hermano

jonny68 wrote: »

good stuff folks, im heading to vegas next year myself so may save this thread, that helocopter ride over the Canyon soudns amazing too how much was it?

All the info you'll need on the tours are here
http://www.papillon.com/

Really enjoyable and with the weak dollar works out at good value.

left_behind

i found the deal on expedia. bills seems to be booked for when i was going but looks good for the price.

dacman

left_behind wrote: »

i found the deal on expedia. bills seems to be booked for when i was going but looks good for the price.

where is bills located in regard to the strip

Dodge

Its location is perfect, right opposit Caesers

Its on this map as its previous name of Barberry Coast

tinkerbell

We stayed in the Bellagio and it was amazing! So central as well, and the buffet was unbelievably good!

The Palms is meant to be amazing too but that's a bit off the Strip.

left_behind

thanks for all the info. just wondering if anyone usedhttp://www.1800hotels.ie for booking hotels looks like they have some good deals compared to the other hotel booking sites.

Sundy

If your getting cheap rooms off internet travel agents be prepared that you might be overlooking airconditiong units or service yards and not a nice view of the strip. It didnt bother me but it might annoy some people. Its also worth calling the hotels themselves because when i booked the MGM they gave me $75 to be spent in any of the bars in the hotel, and that was for a room that cost $90.

Culchie

The lads on the poker forum will give you the low down on every hotel, bar, restaurant, strip joint yoi can think of in Vegas.....and they know where the best value in town will be.

gandalf

Stayed in NYNY last November and it was good. MGM is across the road and both are great locations to get to see nearly everything in.

Would recommend Papillion for the helicopter tours as well.

Garthicus

Stratosphere is a little dated and a good bit down the strip, MGM is right slap bang in the middle, so I think you got a pretty decent price to be honest

You can get cheaper and better but you would have to take the chance of not booking a hotel and turning up on spec!

Xavi6

Garthicus wrote: »

You can get cheaper and better but you would have to take the chance of not booking a hotel and turning up on spec!

No real risk involved there though if you go midweek. We could have stayed at countless hotels.

kaimera

Did you guys book the hotel in advance?

Whats the my chances of getting someplace if I arrive over only with an air.ticket?

4 of us looking to go at the end of October

rossie1977

my advice is to NOT arrive without a reservation for two reasons:
1.you will pay top rate and thats if
2.there is actually any rooms left

http://gaming.unlv.edu/abstract/lv_2006.html hotels on the las vegas strip have an average 94% occupancy rate year round, New York is about 69% btw, as for the weekend (Friday and Saturday) everything will be sold on the Strip and you will pay up to 3-4 times the price for a room as during the week. October is not a bad month though there are two big conventions set for the end of october which will see most rooms being sold well in advance http://www.lasvegastourism.com/conventions_oct.htm

my advice get on all the hotels email lists or visit somewhere like here which post discount codes for hotel rooms http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/travel-deals/704925/?start=1440

kaimera

rossie1977 wrote: »

my advice is to NOT arrive without a reservation for two reasons:
1.you will pay top rate and thats if
2.there is actually any rooms left

http://gaming.unlv.edu/abstract/lv_2006.html hotels on the las vegas strip have an average 94% occupancy rate year round, New York is about 69% btw, as for the weekend (Friday and Saturday) everything will be sold on the Strip and you will pay up to 3-4 times the price for a room as during the week. October is not a bad month though there are two big conventions set for the end of october which will see most rooms being sold well in advance http://www.lasvegastourism.com/conventions_oct.htm

my advice get on all the hotels email lists or visit somewhere like here which post discount codes for hotel rooms http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/travel-deals/704925/?start=1440

e.thanks {when mine return}

Read just recently that the US economic downturn has hit Vegas very hard, so there are probably great bargains to be had as hotels are nowhere near filling occupancy at the moment.

rossie1977

just checked travelworm for availability for tonight, everything on the strip/downtown and surrounding areas gone expect for a $300 standard room at the riveria (goes for about $70 normally), $600 room at Signature which is not a casino or rooms about 20 miles from town out at lake las vegas/nellis air force base Sunday night is not much better most strip hotels have no vacancies.

the downturn has hit vegas but downtown has reported increased revenue while occupancy rates at strip hotels are only down 1-1.5% from last year and last year was the most successful year in las vegas ever, visitor numbers are down about 1% but people are spending less money in vegas now because of the economy.

Ponster

What dates you looking at rossie?

rossie1977

Ponster wrote: »

What dates you looking at rossie?

i was looking at last night, saturday. In addition alot of people from Socal drive into vegas very early in the morning without reservations and take up whatever rooms are left, this has been the case going back donkeys years (the days of the dunes, sands, desert inn etc)

for tonight wynn, excalibur, IP, bills, rio, paris, caesars, ballys, circus, harrahs, hilton, trump, riveria, planet hollywood all gone already though MB, MGM, venetian and trop do have rooms. Downtown is pretty bare as well room wise, el cortez does have rooms left

Ponster

In fairness checking availability of a hotel for the same day anywhere in the world like Vegas and you'll get the same result.

There are still rooms available from €40 on the strip as long as you book with 2 week+ notice.

rossie1977

yes i am well aware of that but kaimera was talking about turning up on the day and getting a room and not booking ahead at all

just did a quick check on New York and Chicago for tonight, 95% of hotels have rooms available for this evening

arriving in las vegas or orlando without a reservation is to quote a famous person is "like jumping on a bicycle without a saddle"

ncmc

left_behind wrote: »

thanks for all the info. just wondering if anyone usedhttp://www.1800hotels.ie for booking hotels looks like they have some good deals compared to the other hotel booking sites.

I have used this website and fond it great, it does seem to be a lot cheaper than other hotel websites...

.... However, Las Vegas is one of the few places left where you can get a real bargain by booking through the hotels own website, they do promotions about three months in advance and it is nearly always cheaper than what a travel agent or web agent will offer. The MGM is currently doing an offer that lasts all summer with rooms from $69 per night. Check out this promo and others on www.fatwallet.com and www.smartervegas.com I saved myself over $200 on The Mirage by using a promo code from this site, you still book through the hotel, so you don't have to worry about getting a crappy room (which I suspect is a myth, these hotels have thousands of rooms, I don't think they keep track of who booked what from where).

I would really consider pricing the air fare and then the hotel through it's own website, I think you might be able to do better than your quote.

MGM gets great reviews on Trip Advisor, others that also score well in a similar price bracket are, NYNY, Bally's, Flamingo, Mirage, Paris, Luxor and Harrahs.

Dodge

Just back from vegas. Stayed in Caesars. Top class hotel

On the economic downturn, that’s being offset hugely by the poor dollar which makes US holidays very attractive to those of us with euros (and sterling, and yen etc).

A $200 a night hotel is only €130 which is roughly what you'll pay in Longford FFS. We were there Sunday-Thursday and pretty much everywhere we went was packed. No real signs of a downturn anywhere. On location, I'd say that Caesars, Bellagio and Paris are in the best locations for those who'll stick to the strip as its right in the middle. MGM is definitely considered south strip.

From what I saw, I'm going with Planet hollywood hotel next time I head to vegas

citytillidie

I am going to Vegas in a couple of months booked MGM for the week for £580

Ponster

A week in Vegas?

Jesus... I've never maneged more than 3 days before some small voice inside my head started to scream at me to GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN !!!!!

rossie1977

a week in vegas is nothing is done properly e.g

- you could spend a day hiking in either red rock canyon or valley of fire both less than half an hour from the strip
- you could take a day trip to death valley
- if its 100 degrees on the strip drive 45 minutes west to mount charleston where its been known to snow as late as july, was snowing last week there btw when it was 109 degrees on the strip
- a cruise or watersports on lake mead would take the best part of the day, taking time to check out nearby boulder the only town in nevada where gambling is illegal. a tour of hoover dam might tempt a few while there
- day trip to zion, bryce or grand canyon by plane, helicopter or bus
- trip to jean on the cali/nevada border or laughlin/nevada on the arizona border both nice towns.
- day trip to the nevada nuclear test site about 60 miles north of las vegas
- test drive your own race car Las Vegas Motor Speedway

and there is always the strip and downtown after that

Ponster

Ahh, I usually start with the strip...that's my prob

The helicoptor trip to the Grand Canyon is kinda worth it. For the money you pay its not a bad trip I'm told but what you see isn't the 'real' Grand Canyon as such that you see in pics and on the TV. Prob find for anyone who would prefer the helicoptor trip to geography

rossie1977

personally i would drive to the canyon or get someone to drive to the south rim and spend a few days there if you had the time, hiking down the canyon is an out of the world experience and one i will never forget, i haven't done the helicopter trip yet.

my friend done the bus tour and didn't enjoy it because of the travel involved and the little time at the canyon

Dodge

If you've the money you can tailor any kind of Grand Canyon trip you can think of.

Fabulous place. There's no way I could be bored aftera week...

Ponster

rossie1977 wrote: »

personally i would drive to the canyon or get someone to drive to the south rim and spend a few days there if you had the time, hiking down the canyon is an out of the world experience and one i will never forget, i haven't done the helicopter trip yet.

The helicopter trip is generally a little disappointing if:

a) You've already been in a helicopter
b) You've already hiked down into the Canyon

The best bet IMO is to either drive or fly (from Vegas) to the South Rim and spend the time to hike down though beware of trying to go too far as it's a long climb back up.

This year I think we'll hike to the river and spend the night in the Canyon and head to Vegas the next day.

citytillidie

rossie1977 wrote: »

a week in vegas is nothing is done properly e.g

- you could spend a day hiking in either red rock canyon or valley of fire both less than half an hour from the strip
- you could take a day trip to death valley
- if its 100 degrees on the strip drive 45 minutes west to mount charleston where its been known to snow as late as july, was snowing last week there btw when it was 109 degrees on the strip
- a cruise or watersports on lake mead would take the best part of the day, taking time to check out nearby boulder the only town in nevada where gambling is illegal. a tour of hoover dam might tempt a few while there
- day trip to zion, bryce or grand canyon by plane, helicopter or bus
- trip to jean on the cali/nevada border or laughlin/nevada on the arizona border both nice towns.
- day trip to the nevada nuclear test site about 60 miles north of las vegas
- test drive your own race car Las Vegas Motor Speedway

and there is always the strip and downtown after that

Given me plenty of ideas for things to do

neacy69

I went to vegas last november and stayed in the Signature Hotel @ the MGM and I would reccomend it to anyone. It was Fantastic.....no casino ( which i thought was a good thing) but the MGM main casino is within a 5 minute walk and you have full use of all the MGM main facilities although the Signature has everything you could need (bars, restaurants, pool etc)....

We went to the Niteclub in the Luxor one night I think it was called LAX ($30 to get in) and wasnt that impressed by it unless you are a VIP its pretty boring and drinks are way too expensive...altho we did see Lil Jon and that chap that was married to Jessica Simpson and some really hot ladies getting it on.....

The gondola trip in the venetian is great craic if you are with a Lady otherwise its pretty pointless.

Also one reccomendation from me would O'Shea's Irish casino down towards the Venetian. The bar in the middle of the Casino sells Harp for $1 a pint!!! and you can play beer pong until any time you want but I wouldnt reccomend it unless you want to spend an entire day in bed like i did!!

Dodge

Only problem with o'sheas was that a lot of people go there just to get ****ing hammered (the expletive is needed) and the night I was there it got pretty messy. having subway there was a bonus though