A lot of the things I would recommend to do in Vegas would not be appropriate for a honeymoon.
I love it though - don't think I can justify making it four trips in four years this year. Make sure you do a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon and then come back over the strip when it is dark. Should be able to pick a trip up for around $300 - try your concierge or the box office by the M&M store.
If you want a quality club to go to (if you're into that) go to Tryst at the Wynn hotel - absolutely mindblowing.
Give me a shout if you need to know anything in particular - i'll see if I can help.
Deffo do the Canyon trip as above.
Also get out to the Hoover Dam, get a speedboat out on Lake Mead.
There is a good gun range along Flamingo if you fancy letting loose with a different types of weapon.
If you do gamble, make sure you always get the casinos comp card and put it in the slots and hand over when you play the tables. Surpising how quickly you can wipe off room service charges etc. from a couple of hours play a day.
Go to the Bellagio early evening and go to the Fontana Bar, and ask for an outside table o(verlooking the fountain show.) You may have to wait an hour - you can play slots by the bar entrance - but definitely worth it watching the fountains with drink and food. Much better than watching it from the busy sidewalk.
Vegas? One word - Binions. Anyone who likes their poker has to play at Binions - not the most salubrious of joints, definitely not the slickest - but certainly the most steeped in history. Also, try the Bellagio - their card room is fantastic - I played Omaha against Daniel Negreanu there (if you know anything about poker, that ought to impress you!)
If you can stretch to it - I recommend a 2 days stop off in San Francisco after Hawaii. Partly to break up the flight and partly to see the brilliant place that is San Francisco
But anyway - back to Hawai'i - the other islands are rather commercialised but Kauai is more relaxed. It's known as the garden island and has one of the wettest places on earth in the middle of the island. If you do go here stay on the South of the island as the weather is perfect. Avoid the Princeville (despite Pierce Brosnan hanging out there most days) - it's the 5* place but it gets more rain than the South.
You must hire a car to get around
Do a helicopter ride in Hawaii - Unforgettable
If you have the money head to the airfield at the Princeville and go up in Snoopy 2 (it's a bi plane) and tell the guy you want to have some fun. He'll do barrel rolls and generally show you a good time. Unforgettable
Play golf (if thats your thing) at Poipu Beach golf club (see if you can find my Titleist in the lake on the 7th)
Go out on Captain Andy's boat past the Na Pali coastline - truly stunning
Go to the botanical gardens there - sounds boring but you can see some amazing stuff (including where various scenes from Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones films were made)
Both of you can spend a day in a buggy getting covered in mud and splashing around (or go on your own on a quad bike)
I can't speak highly enough of Kauai - we had a fortnight there on our honeymoon and loved every second of it - so much so that we plan to live there one day!!
For Vegas - I recommend Bellagio's but would also recommend Caesars, The Wynn or The Venetian
Go and see Blue Man Group or Cirque du Soleil (this is better of the two - O at the Bellagio is phenomenal)
We found the most amazing appartments - Desert Rose, superb value, spotless, large and quite luxurious. All within three minutes walk to the posh hotels and tram. (You can check them out on Trip Advisor) Buffet at Bellagios was the best. You can pay for your gambling by stretching out the hold'em poker and ordering lot's of free drinks while you play. The tip in Vegas is merely to discover the slowest way to lose your money. Son allowed 30 dollars a night but consumed twice that in free cocktails.
[cite]Posted By: stilladdicted[/cite]We found the most amazing appartments - Desert Rose, superb value, spotless, large and quite luxurious. All within three minutes walk to the posh hotels and tram.
[quote][cite]Posted By: Leroy Ambrose[/cite]Vegas? One word - Binions. Anyone who likes their poker has to play at Binions - not the most salubrious of joints, definitely not the slickest - but certainly the most steeped in history. Also, try the Bellagio - their card room is fantastic - I played Omaha against Daniel Negreanu there (if you know anything about poker, that ought to impress you!)[/quote]
No way Negreanu! Couldn't be more amazed, you must have been playing at ridiculously high stakes? What was he like?
Agree with WWS, the helicopter over the Grand Canyon is a must, brilliant service, for 3 we paid around $500, it's probably the most amazing experience of my life, mind blowling, u also stop for a Champagne picnic on the Canyon which is nice and the Vegas Strip at night is just awesome, also u could visit Mandalay Bay, it has a great aquarium, also I think it was MGM Grand that has the Lions but u might hav to do some research, u hav chosen a good time as I went during the summer and it was 50 degrees celcius, hard to walk around outside, also great for shopping, the Mrs should hav more than enough shops to occupy herself with.
As others have said the Grand Canyon is a must. We did the trip with the plane, the boat and the helicopter. Absolutely amazing!!! I did hear reports from a couple of people saying not to take a long boat trip down the Colorado in summer. It just gets too hot apparently. With us though we were only on the boat for about half hour and it was sticky but bearable. The helicpoter into the canyon is amazing and the plane ride gives you an arial view of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam.
We also went on the off-roading in a Hummer in the Mojave Desert. It was fascinating. I have never met anyone who loved their job as much as the German guy Richard from Desert Fox who took us round. We got an extra 2 hours added onto the tour because he was enjoying it so much. This is not for you if you are scared of snakes, rats or spiders though; amongst other places, we got taken into a disused mine shaft that had black widows living in it.
The rides at the top of the Stratosphere are great fun and as others have said the Bellagio fountains are excellent. The Luxor and Ceasars palace are worth a visit just to enjoy the buildings. The Freemont Street experience is also highly rated, but don't make the mistake that we did and go in the daytime - light shows tend to be better at night ;¬) If you are round that way, Mickie Finns was the best place that we found to eat and drink all week. For drinks I can recomnend Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but look out for New Castle; it seems the Yanks can't get their head around the fact that Newcastle is one word. Finally, one to avoid: Unless you are taking little kids with you I woldn't bother going to Circus Circus.
We did the helicopter trip whilst staying in the Grand Canyon on our two month epic. Have to agree, it was just incredible and goes into second slot of my top five holiday experiences. We went with Papillon which did all that it said it would albeit with a somewhat surly manner, but was told by locals that there are some scammy dodgers operating so it might be useful to research the companies before booking.
I didn't really get what the big deal with the grand canyon was, It's a big hole in the ground. The Hoover Dam was much more my thing and a lot closer!
Hidden past the strip at the Stratosphere end there's a whole street of strip joints so you may (or may not) what to get a hotel away from there. I think all the hotels in Vegas are really good and incredible cheap, especially compared to London prices. I had a twin room with a mate which was absolutely massive and even had it's own kitchen. It worked out at something stupid like £20 a night, back when £1 was $2.10 in 2007/2008.
I love Vegas but would rate Hawaii above it by quite a distance, there's nothing finer in the world than lying around doing nothing in a hammock!
i stayed in waikiki when backpacking. what an utter shite hole. full of marines and prossies and totally built up. i didnt have enough money to go to a nicer part so it was a real disappointment.
Go and see the lions at the MGM Grand....they're one of the few things that are free in Las Vegas! Don't be surprised if you see them asleep with their keepers.
Watch all the lemons playing craps. Any game that needs four casino staff full time to administer should probably be avoided by those who wish to keep their money! The slots are ok but don't overdo it (the noise will drive you mental). You can win at roulette but pick your time of day and pick your time to quit!
Watch the girlies dancing on the bar every half hour in the Centrifuge Bar in MGM Grand. Stay for two dances then give it bollocks.
If you Hoover Dam it....give Bill Cavenagh a bell at Big Horn Tours and he'll run you up there in his Hummer. He'll tell you loads about Vegas/Nevada on the way and he'll even bring you back. He's a good egg and he wears a cowboy hat.
Don't go to Studio 54 in MGM Grand...it's overrated.
Eat in The Stratosphere (take small bank loan out first) and then go on that ride thingy on their observation platform that shoots you out into the ether 50 stories up. Big Horn Bill will tell you how 2 girls got stuck out there last year, when it packed up. Their dad created merry fuck about it and it was settled out of court.
Walk along to the Mandalay Bay....one the classier hotels amidst a sea of tackiness.
As one of the others suggested, watch the fountains at The Bellagio. That's quite something.
I think you can watch a couple of pirate ships blasting each other at Treasure Island.
Try not to get totally fucked off with the little Mexican geezers clicking their girlie call cards at you as you blunder along The Strip.
Comments
I love it though - don't think I can justify making it four trips in four years this year. Make sure you do a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon and then come back over the strip when it is dark. Should be able to pick a trip up for around $300 - try your concierge or the box office by the M&M store.
If you want a quality club to go to (if you're into that) go to Tryst at the Wynn hotel - absolutely mindblowing.
Give me a shout if you need to know anything in particular - i'll see if I can help.
Jersey Boys
Also get out to the Hoover Dam, get a speedboat out on Lake Mead.
There is a good gun range along Flamingo if you fancy letting loose with a different types of weapon.
If you do gamble, make sure you always get the casinos comp card and put it in the slots and hand over when you play the tables. Surpising how quickly you can wipe off room service charges etc. from a couple of hours play a day.
Go to the Bellagio early evening and go to the Fontana Bar, and ask for an outside table o(verlooking the fountain show.) You may have to wait an hour - you can play slots by the bar entrance - but definitely worth it watching the fountains with drink and food. Much better than watching it from the busy sidewalk.
And finally, lump on red 12.
But anyway - back to Hawai'i - the other islands are rather commercialised but Kauai is more relaxed. It's known as the garden island and has one of the wettest places on earth in the middle of the island. If you do go here stay on the South of the island as the weather is perfect. Avoid the Princeville (despite Pierce Brosnan hanging out there most days) - it's the 5* place but it gets more rain than the South.
You must hire a car to get around
Do a helicopter ride in Hawaii - Unforgettable
If you have the money head to the airfield at the Princeville and go up in Snoopy 2 (it's a bi plane) and tell the guy you want to have some fun. He'll do barrel rolls and generally show you a good time. Unforgettable
Play golf (if thats your thing) at Poipu Beach golf club (see if you can find my Titleist in the lake on the 7th)
Go out on Captain Andy's boat past the Na Pali coastline - truly stunning
Go to the botanical gardens there - sounds boring but you can see some amazing stuff (including where various scenes from Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones films were made)
Both of you can spend a day in a buggy getting covered in mud and splashing around (or go on your own on a quad bike)
I can't speak highly enough of Kauai - we had a fortnight there on our honeymoon and loved every second of it - so much so that we plan to live there one day!!
For Vegas - I recommend Bellagio's but would also recommend Caesars, The Wynn or The Venetian
Go and see Blue Man Group or Cirque du Soleil (this is better of the two - O at the Bellagio is phenomenal)
May indeed go this year now. :-)
No way Negreanu! Couldn't be more amazed, you must have been playing at ridiculously high stakes? What was he like?
It's normally through the states Oakster
I was in Vancouver Mon/Tue this week! Went to Guu Garlic just off Robson & Denman - that place is amazing!
We also went on the off-roading in a Hummer in the Mojave Desert. It was fascinating. I have never met anyone who loved their job as much as the German guy Richard from Desert Fox who took us round. We got an extra 2 hours added onto the tour because he was enjoying it so much. This is not for you if you are scared of snakes, rats or spiders though; amongst other places, we got taken into a disused mine shaft that had black widows living in it.
The rides at the top of the Stratosphere are great fun and as others have said the Bellagio fountains are excellent. The Luxor and Ceasars palace are worth a visit just to enjoy the buildings. The Freemont Street experience is also highly rated, but don't make the mistake that we did and go in the daytime - light shows tend to be better at night ;¬) If you are round that way, Mickie Finns was the best place that we found to eat and drink all week. For drinks I can recomnend Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but look out for New Castle; it seems the Yanks can't get their head around the fact that Newcastle is one word. Finally, one to avoid: Unless you are taking little kids with you I woldn't bother going to Circus Circus.
Have a great trip. I'm sure you will.
We looked into it for our honeymoon, flights were via Los Angeles I think.... with the stopover, it was something like 22 hours travelling!
Hidden past the strip at the Stratosphere end there's a whole street of strip joints so you may (or may not) what to get a hotel away from there. I think all the hotels in Vegas are really good and incredible cheap, especially compared to London prices. I had a twin room with a mate which was absolutely massive and even had it's own kitchen. It worked out at something stupid like £20 a night, back when £1 was $2.10 in 2007/2008.
I love Vegas but would rate Hawaii above it by quite a distance, there's nothing finer in the world than lying around doing nothing in a hammock!
Watch all the lemons playing craps. Any game that needs four casino staff full time to administer should probably be avoided by those who wish to keep their money! The slots are ok but don't overdo it (the noise will drive you mental). You can win at roulette but pick your time of day and pick your time to quit!
Watch the girlies dancing on the bar every half hour in the Centrifuge Bar in MGM Grand. Stay for two dances then give it bollocks.
If you Hoover Dam it....give Bill Cavenagh a bell at Big Horn Tours and he'll run you up there in his Hummer. He'll tell you loads about Vegas/Nevada on the way and he'll even bring you back. He's a good egg and he wears a cowboy hat.
Don't go to Studio 54 in MGM Grand...it's overrated.
Eat in The Stratosphere (take small bank loan out first) and then go on that ride thingy on their observation platform that shoots you out into the ether 50 stories up. Big Horn Bill will tell you how 2 girls got stuck out there last year, when it packed up. Their dad created merry fuck about it and it was settled out of court.
Walk along to the Mandalay Bay....one the classier hotels amidst a sea of tackiness.
As one of the others suggested, watch the fountains at The Bellagio. That's quite something.
I think you can watch a couple of pirate ships blasting each other at Treasure Island.
Try not to get totally fucked off with the little Mexican geezers clicking their girlie call cards at you as you blunder along The Strip.
Let us know how you got on.
Go to Kauai.
Trust me
Thank me later