Las Vegas

byrneg28

I'm suppossed to be travelling to Vegas with some friends in April. I'll be travelling on my own though.

I'm just wondering. I usually book everything myself and It's looking at around 780 euro for flights and staying in Excalibur.

I'm just wondering is this reasonable or am I way off the mark.

Any help would be great

billie1b

If you want to compare it to the price of mine, i'm travelling out at the start of March, I cant give you the breakdown of just the Vegas part but my price is €1135 for the full trip, all taxes included, the itinerary is as follows,

FLIGHTS
DUB - LHR with BA
LHR - LAS with BA
LAS - JFK with AA
JFK - LHR with BA
LHR - DUB with BA

HOTELS
MGM in Vegas for 4 nights
Best Western in NYC for 3 nights

The Backwards Man

What dates in April? How many nights? Flights would usually be around the 500 mark in April (apart from Easter) and the guts of €300 would be dear enough for Excalibur imo, unless you're staying a week or are already factoring in the resort fee.

ziedth

That sounds pricey for the Excalibur to be honest. Is it a weekend?

byrneg28

Yes the flight is 520. I could make it cheaper but the times are the best for me (regards to sleeping and jet-lag)

5 Nights in Excalibur April 22nd (Wed) - April 27 (Mon) - works out at about 50 euro a night.

ziedth

Ah it's 5 nights over a weekend? That IMO is about as good as you are gonna get. Personally I'd advise you try push the boat out and go centre strip like Planet Hollywood or around that. It's dearer but for clubbing etc it's allot handier

byrneg28

ziedth wrote: »

Ah it's 5 nights over a weekend? That IMO is about as good as you are gonna get. Personally I'd advise you try push the boat out and go centre strip like Planet Hollywood or around that. It's dearer but for clubbing etc it's allot handier

Cheers mate I appreciate the advice!

MadsL

Seriously consider trying to trade up from the Excaliber. Avoid dirt cheap hotels/casinos in Vegas, you can get some way better deals at quality casinos if you shop around.

billie1b

MadsL wrote: »

Seriously consider trying to trade up from the Excaliber. Avoid dirt cheap hotels/casinos in Vegas, you can get some way better deals at quality casinos if you shop around.

The Excalibur was the first hotel in my package, I changed it after family and friends telling me to go nowhere near it, is it that bad?

collie0708

Excalibur, circus circus and the stratosphere are often sold by Irish tour companies and I would avoid if possible. I can't see the point in going all the way in Vegas and staying in one of these when for €20 a night you can get somewhere far nicer and in a better location .

The Backwards Man

billie1b wrote: »

The Excalibur was the first hotel in my package, I changed it after family and friends telling me to go nowhere near it, is it that bad?

It's not that they are bad, anywhere else in the world they'd be the lap of luxury, it's just that there is so much better (in terms of comfort and location) for so little extra. It's like paying 100,000 for a Merc when you could pay 100,010 for a Rolls Royce

InTheTrees

collie0708 wrote: »

Excalibur, circus circus and the stratosphere are often sold by Irish tour companies and I would avoid if possible.

Excalibur isnt too bad. Its right next door to New York New York and across the street from MGM so its right in the thick of things, its just that its on the edge of things.

Its dated all right but that makes it a little cheaper.

We stayed at Bally's last year and it was great. Old and dated so it was cheap but right on the strip by Bellagio and Paris.

I agree about Circus circus and stratosphre though, there a good half mile walk from anything much.

fourinarow

I cannot post the link as I am a new user but the same trip with expedia is €696, and that includes flying with Virgin.

Dublinflyer

Subscribe to the Anthony Curtis Las Vegas Adviser mailing list. There are always great offers on that, especially if you don't mind paying upfront. I am heading there in a few weeks and using a discount code I got the MGM for €50 a night with a few vouchers for the buffets.

billie1b

Dublinflyer wrote: »

Subscribe to the Anthony Curtis Las Vegas Adviser mailing list. There are always great offers on that, especially if you don't mind paying upfront. I am heading there in a few weeks and using a discount code I got the MGM for €50 a night with a few vouchers for the buffets.

What month you heading? Im heading in March, staying in MGM also, will be my first time stateside

Dublinflyer

I will be there the first week of February for 4 days. It's part of a bigger trip. I have been to Vegas so many times but I will be with my sister this time so i have to behave myself ;-)

billie1b

Cool, enjoy, any tips or recommendations?

Dublinflyer

Depends on what you like to do. If you are into clubs a bur tour is great on the first or second night. You get to see a few clubs and there is lots of free drink. If clubs are not your thing there are plenty of bars in the hotels and out on the strip. You can have as much fun in them as the clubs and I think you have a better chance of "making friends" That's been my experience anyway. One thing I will say, drink is as expensive as it is here in Dublin, even dearer in the clubs. A bottle of beer will cost you the guts of $20 in some places. This may be a silly sounding thing to say but know your budget and stick to it. It's really easy to lose the run of yourself there and blow all your cash in the first few days. Especially if you gamble. You could find yourself having a very quiet last night there.

A helicopter flight at night is great as well, you can usually get one for about $80 all in. They pick you up at your hotel. Make sure to catch the pirate show in from of the TI hotel, they run it a few times a night and it's free. Get a cab up to the stratosphere and hit the viewing desk at night. If you are brave do the sky jump there, it's expensive at $100 a go but it's well worth it IMO. Just explore the hotels and everything they have to offer, you can spend a lot of money in Vegas but there is plenty to do for free or very cheap.

billie1b

Cool thanks, not a big clubber, more of a sit in the bar type, but I dont mind exploring, was planning on giving the Strat a go, defo will now one night.
Not sure about the heli tour, as much as I love aviation and planes, helicopters freak me out a bit, never know though, I might build up the courage.
Thanks again for the info

Dublinflyer

Not a big clubber myself but the party bus was great fun to be honest. They don't cost a fortune and you more than make up for it with the free drink on the bus and admission to the clubs. It's can be an inexpensive night.

lorenzo87

I stayed in the Excalibur. It's not nice, at all. MGM across the road a million times better, I stayed there too...

Dublinflyer

I have always felt that if you are on a budget any hotel on the strip will do, except Hooters! They are all mostly clean and lets face it how much time do you really spend in the hotel or room when you are there. I have stayed in Excalibur in the past when I did not have a lot of funds and you are right it's old and dated and not the most exciting place to stay, but the rooms can be cheap and it's right across the road from the MGM and NYNY. It's just a bit further to stumble back to if you are partying in the MGM. The Stratosphere can be another one to avoid as it is a good bit away from the strip, a taxi ride. So you may get a cheaper room there but you will spend it on taxi's when you are there. There is nothing wrong with the hotel , just its location.

I have however heard some real horror stories about hooters, sticky floors, Bed Bugs etc. All second hand as I have never stayed there.

lorenzo87

If you have stayed in Vegas before and are a medium to high roller, you will get free accomodation in the MGM... A friend of mine is a bit of a punter, and they put him into the suite in the MGM for free for the entire stay..

Dublinflyer

I have managed a few upgrades but am not a huge gambler so never managed to get comped. It would be nice thought, the suites there are something else!!

lorenzo87

The suites there are like penthouse apartments, top of the range.
When I go back, I will be booking the Bellagio, I think the place is magical. A little bit away from the strip though.

Dublinflyer

I have to admit there is something about the Bellagio alright. It really is the lap of luxury and there is always a great atmosphere and the few times I have stayed there it's always ran smoothly.

ceadaoin.

I stayed at the Bellagio last month. It's not away from the strip at all

Myself and my husband stayed in a suite which was amazing. My parents had a standard room and that was very nice too. We got a good deal on hotels.com which included $75 food and beverage credit for each room. They didn't apply the credit to my parents room originally and and added another $100 when we went to sort it out. Very good service.

We live in Vegas and will definitely be returning there for a night shortly.

InTheTrees

Yeahh Bellagio is right across from Paris. On the strip.

We stayed there a few years ago. We got a room at front looking on to the strip and the fountain show.

It was average for the extra $$ it cost. I hate the way you have to endlessly queue for things now in Vegas.

The Backwards Man

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I stayed at the Bellagio last month. It's not away from the strip at all

InTheTrees wrote: »

Yeahh Bellagio is right across from Paris. On the strip.

Wee bit back from the street though, think that is what they mean.:P Puts me off on my strip meanderings, same as with Caesar's and even the Mirage.

Dublinflyer

It can take a few minutes of walking to get from your room and out on the strip. Still, I would not be complaining! Once you get to the strip you are right in the middle of it where with the MGM you are at the end. One thing I like in the MGM is that it has a monorail station. That will get you to the other end of the strip in no time at all. Cheaper than a taxi as well.

MarkY91

We got 1 week end of June staying at flamingo for 900 each. July and August ad it would have been a few hundred extra.

Nice central location with s decent pool. Old hotel and not like cesars etc but will only be sleeping there

The Backwards Man

MarkY91 wrote: »

We got 1 week end of June staying at flamingo for 900 each. July and August ad it would have been a few hundred extra.

Nice central location with s decent pool. Old hotel and not like cesars etc but will only be sleeping there

The likes of Flamingo, Harrahs and the Quad are the best craic to spend few hours in around the bars imo, always a steady flow of through traffic and looser slots too. O'Sheas is open again as you go towards the Linq, that's a great spot. Bills was good too until some bright spark came up with a very Irish-unfriendly new name for it.

MarkY91

The Backwards Man wrote: »

The likes of Flamingo, Harrahs and the Quad are the best craic to spend few hours in around the bars imo, always a steady flow of through traffic and looser slots too. O'Sheas is open again as you go towards the Linq, that's a great spot. Bills was good too until some bright spark came up with a very Irish-unfriendly new name for it.

whats the irish unfriendly name? never been to vegas before but i know so much about it from the internet, i feel like i know the place too well for someone whos never been lol

ive one question. clubs like hakkasan and other "tier 1" clubs how much is a bottle of budweiser? people say drinks will cost 30 dollars but im sure they mean the likes of mad posh cocktails etc

The Backwards Man

MarkY91 wrote: »

whats the irish unfriendly name? never been to vegas before but i know so much about it from the internet, i feel like i know the place too well for someone whos never been lol

ive one question. clubs like hakkasan and other "tier 1" clubs how much is a bottle of budweiser? people say drinks will cost 30 dollars but im sure they mean the likes of mad posh cocktails etc

The Cromwell.:eek:

I've never been in a nightclub in Vegas in my life and rarely paid for a drink unless it was with my dinner so can't help you there, can't imagine it being any less that $10 a pop though.

GaGa21

We have flights booked for 1st week in june but still looking at hotels. Made the mistake of booking Sat to Sat so the prices are coming out high enough for the week.
Thinking of booking somewhere cheap for the sat of arrival, then next 4 nights somewhere nice middle of strip(ie Bellagio)Then maybe booking a car and doing 2 nights going to see Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam-hopefully cheaper hotels these 2 nights.
Any advice or are we better off just booking somewhere cheap and cheerful for the 7 nights?
We're a married couple in our 30's, won't be gambling apart from a one off experience (it is Las Vegas!) and first(and probably only) time here so all hints and tips welcome!

InTheTrees

We've stayed at Bellagio (expensive) and at Ballys (cheap) across the street, and honestly I'd take Ballys in an instant again.

The thing about Bellagio that annoyed me was that maybe the quality was a little higher and there's a Tiffany Store in the lobby but you still have to queue for everything. No coffee machines in the rooms so you have to go down and queue for the $20 cup of coffee and cold croissant in the morning. Even at the quieter times of day they close amenities/staff so you still end up queuing. Having to spend half an hour in a queue to check in after getting off a long flight is such a negative way to start a trip. And apart from the dead of night I dont remember a time when we passed thru the lobby when there wasnt a very long line.

Bally's, right across the street, is internally connected to Paris, so you while it doesnt have a Tiffany's or a Fendi in the lobby you can get to one very quickly. ANd they have a coffee machine in the room too. There's still queues (all the hotels do) but at least you're paying less.

Paul_Hacket

GaGa21 wrote: »

We have flights booked for 1st week in june but still looking at hotels. Made the mistake of booking Sat to Sat so the prices are coming out high enough for the week.
Thinking of booking somewhere cheap for the sat of arrival, then next 4 nights somewhere nice middle of strip(ie Bellagio)Then maybe booking a car and doing 2 nights going to see Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam-hopefully cheaper hotels these 2 nights.
Any advice or are we better off just booking somewhere cheap and cheerful for the 7 nights?
We're a married couple in our 30's, won't be gambling apart from a one off experience (it is Las Vegas!) and first(and probably only) time here so all hints and tips welcome!

If you're going for 8 full nights to Vegas I would strongly advise you to spend more than 2 days visiting the scenic areas outside of LV. The reason being that if you don't gamble you will probably start to get bored/crazy after a few days in Vegas. I go there regularly, both to gamble and for business purposes and, yes, there are things to do but for people in your age group they'll probably start to feel a little fake and idiotic after a while.

On the other hand Las Vegas is close to some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. Everybody knows about the Grand Canyon, and while its amazing I would strongly urge you to take a look at Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, which are actually a lot closer to Vegas. The difference between them and the GC is that you can actually get down into these canyons and explore them on foot. Hiking down into the GC isn't much fun and takes forever, whereas in places like Zion you can easily find tranquil spots to explore and even camp in - I've done it many times. Bryce Canyon is also arguably the most spectacular looking place in the whole southwest.

You could also loop back to the GC from these places over a 3 or 4 day road trip if you like. Driving in southern Utah is one of the best things about this region.

For a good value hotel at that time of year I strongly recommend the Flamingo - it has the best pool area for anything in that price range and is in just about the best location on the strip. Personally I don't like the Belaggio for the simple reason that it takes about 15 mins to get from your room to the strip itself - the hotel is set way back from the road and the walk past the fountains starts to get old pretty fast, especially if it's hot outside.

lorenzo87

7 nights in Vegas? I was fed up after 4, for all it is a great place!
I'd recommend heading to San Fran or LA for 2 nights to break it up.
PS... Do the skydive!

MarkY91

im probably hijacking the thread but could someone reccomend the best BANG *pun intended* for your buck shooting range? seems to be so many that its hard to choose one. i just want to shoot as many bullets as i can for around 100 dollars. a handgun and a fully automatic rifle.

gumbo1

Try source it yourself through UA, Dublin-Washington-Vegas, be around 550, decent hotel on the strip like cosmopolitan or venetian would be around the 300 mark, look through a certain BOOKING website and you'll have a cracking weekend/holiday!

InTheTrees

MarkY91 wrote: »

im probably hijacking the thread but could someone reccomend the best BANG *pun intended* for your buck shooting range? seems to be so many that its hard to choose one. i just want to shoot as many bullets as i can for around 100 dollars. a handgun and a fully automatic rifle.

I havent done it in a few years and in that time the number of places has multiplied. So hopefully it means its got a little cheaper.

But I'm afraid $100 isnt going to last long, it would give you a taste but if you could make it $200 you'd have a better time I think.

Handguns you can pace it out a bit but remember a full magazine is gone in about 2 seconds with an automatic rifle.

Its really fun though.

MarkY91

InTheTrees wrote: »

I havent done it in a few years and in that time the number of places has multiplied. So hopefully it means its got a little cheaper.

But I'm afraid $100 isnt going to last long, it would give you a taste but if you could make it $200 you'd have a better time I think.

Handguns you can pace it out a bit but remember a full magazine is gone in about 2 seconds with an automatic rifle.

Its really fun though.

yeah its why i want to add handgun in. i would like to do a few bursts, not empty the clip in one go.

ive no idea of my budget for the gun range, i guess i could go 200. my budget overall will be about 3000 dollars(no idea if its alot or not enough for vegas) ill gamble but only about 60 dollars a day. im more there for the nights out. we dont really plan on spending 100 dollars on some steak. fast food and the odd "cheap" meal will be fine