Don't do anything by halves - if you're going to Vegas then go the whole hog.
Eat expensive steak at SW steakhouse in the Wynn, get a sunset helicopter trip with Maverick, buy a table at XS at Encore, get decent seats at one of the Cirque de Soleil shows (I loved "O", but they're all amazing), gamble what you're willing to lose and finish it off with a pool party at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Also, take a trip up to Old Vegas just for the contrasting styles.
Enjoy yourself - i've been four times all with different groups of mates, and the missus. Have not had a bad experience yet.
(oh, and take plenty of suncream - it'll be baking there in August)
Stuff to do, take a credit card for shopping, and try the buffet in the Bellagio for lunch on Sunday, there;s plenty of clubs out there and the blokes outside wrapping there knuckles with business cards of a special kind (wink wink)
All Hotels have there own different theme, MGM has a lion cage, the volcano at the Miage plus all the others. Its amazing the place, I would love to go out there again!!
It will be 100 odd degrees - good luck! Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon are decent trips for the daytime.
If you can, go on the helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon. It flies down into the canyon and lands on its floor. A more awe-inspiring trip than a flight over it - good though that is.
Hoover Dam - OK to say you've been - not particularly spectacular.
I agree with WSS - go the whole hog. I went and I didn't - a small regret.
Best place on earth. Have lots of single dollars handy for tips. See the Bellagio fountains. Go to the sportsbook in the venitian hotel absolutley amazing, loads of screens to watch or bet on baseball, American football, horse racing etc. Comfy Sofas, Beer, food all served by stunning women.
P.s. we watched Zumanity in the New york New York it was good but heard KA in the MGM was a lot better.
search under Vegas on here or under stags as someone on here went last year and there was a lot of info on there.
I have been three times and I am going again in September. My last stay was a 10 nighter! I have been with lads and the mrs at the time.
It is the best place on earth! I would aim for $500 a day for spending money....and some! I did the show at the Bellagio cirque du soleil and it was superb! I have plenty of tips just whisper me if you need more
The best thing about spending 2 or 3 months of the year (or thereabouts) in Newport Beach CA, aside from the glorious weather and Pacific scene, is the fact that Vegas is a mere 5 hours drive up the road. The equivalent of Blackpool if you like for Californians......
Been about 10 times. Great fun and loads to see. Agree with Duck-Killer Brown - see Blue Man Group and also 'O' (if its still on) at Bellagio - expensive but stunning. Eat in one of the Italian restaurants in Bellagio. If you like Star Trek go to the Star Trek experience at the Hilton. If you gamble on slots then play the machines near the lift lobbies as they tend to pay out less but more frequently (so passers by see winners!). Some great food in some of the restaurants (up market hotels = quality), cheaper hotels = quantity. Walk a lot but be prepared to be shocked at how long it takes to go between the hotels! In August it will be more like 120 degrees F and very dry - be prepared for static electricity shocks when you touch anything metal and also dry eyes and nose!
1. Find the newest hotel to get the best deal 2. Hotel buffets are amazingly cheap for main meals 3. Go to as many shows as you can afford (great line acts) but shop around for tickets 4. Go fishing on the lake at Hoover Dam - but make sure you don't get stranded with a duff engine like we did! 5. Don't lose your shirt in the casino's - you can't win 6, Helichopter in Grand Canyon is a must 7. Wear your colours every day 8. Hire a car to get around
Shooting range just outside Vegas is great fun. Called the gun shop any cabbie will take u there. If u gonna be clubbing get something called the Vegas passport gets u in all the clubs for free and skip the lines. Bout $40 but worth it. Ques can be 2 hours if not.
I went last year for my 40th and there was a thread then... WSS is the Vegas God - do everything he says..didn't let me down...
We stayed at the Bellagio and one of the best evenings was in the Fontana lounge there - is right next to the fountains - great fun (mainly for watching the freaks, but if that fails you can go and stand right next to the fountains - yes I know it sounds lame, but it's not, it's awesome)..The Bank in the Bellagio was good fun (as anyone who is my F/book friend will see - that's where I 'met' Macy Gray in my profile pic)..
If you're going clubbing, get your concierge to sort you out - don't get the tickets from the touts in the street..
I didn't like the club at Caesars Palace - was $1500 odd to get in (table and booze) but even then the club was cut up into zones and you couldn't move freely around the place...
Thanks everyone for the feedback - much appreciated and can't wait to go. MrOneLung's link has a Trip Advisor link to a very good saving on Phantom tickets that I may well use! Again, thanks all!
I can fully echo what others have said about the helicopter trip. We did the three-in-one plane, chopper & boat. Absolutely fabulous day out. We were warned against doing the all day boat trip, because the bottom of the canyon is too hot in August. We only had about half an hour or so in the boat and that was long enough.
If you can, get yourself out into the desert on a hummer trip. We went with a company called Desert Fox and I can't recommend them enough; I've never met anyone so enthusiastic about their job as the German guy, Richard, that drove us.
Go up the Stratosphere - the rides are brilliant. For me the chair one that shoots you up in the air is the best ride I've ever been on; though, theres lots of tickets in the phone booths offering some pretty exciting rides ;-)
O is an awesome show Blue Man Group is very good fun
For something different how about Lance Burton magic show - absolutely stunning especially if you get near the front. Really great show if you like that
Aside from that I had a magnificent Kobe steak at one of the restaurants in MGM Grand. $100 a pop but my god was it tasty
Cheaper option is a pancake in the restaurant in the shops at the back of Paris casino - nom nom nom
Forgot this, and it is possibly the best piece of advice you'll get: Unless you are planning on doing a lot of touring outside the city, DO NOT BOOK A HIRE CAR!!!!! You will get mugged off for additional expenses that double the price you think your going to pay and you'll probably find that it's more trouble than it's worth. If you're sticking to The Strip, you're probably as well on foot (unless you're going from one end to the other), if you're going any further take a cab.
I went on a helicopter ride over the strip at night. It was fantastic, The pilot played " Livin on a Prayer" through the headphones as we flew down the strip, Amazing. Cost me abour $120 but that was 12 years ago.
Stuff Vegas come to Singapore instead. Marina bay sands and Resorts World sentosa both have Casinos, lots of shows weather is 32C all year round and if you get bored fly off to Maccau and try there out!
A mate from LA drove me there in his knacked old van, which was tipping in the wind and went on 2 wheels on a couple of occasions!
If you do the same. 1) Don't do it in a vehicle with a high centre of gravity. 2) Eat at the Mad Greek Restaurant in Death Valley, it's like a massive kebab shop with loads of choices and it's cheap!
Personally I was more impressed with the Hoover Dam than the Grand Canyon, which is a fantastic feat of engineering rather than just a massive hole in the middle of no where.
Always remember to barter with the Brasses at the casinos. They always start of at a $1,000 you should be able to get them down to less $100. They will find you as well just play the slots in the early hours & they play the machine next to you & start negotiating.
Comments
Don't do anything by halves - if you're going to Vegas then go the whole hog.
Eat expensive steak at SW steakhouse in the Wynn, get a sunset helicopter trip with Maverick, buy a table at XS at Encore, get decent seats at one of the Cirque de Soleil shows (I loved "O", but they're all amazing), gamble what you're willing to lose and finish it off with a pool party at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Also, take a trip up to Old Vegas just for the contrasting styles.
Enjoy yourself - i've been four times all with different groups of mates, and the missus. Have not had a bad experience yet.
(oh, and take plenty of suncream - it'll be baking there in August)
Shows - Blue Man Group only show I saw out there and loved it, others might say not
Food - CUT - http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3801 or Top of the World which is at the top of the Stratosphere.
Stuff to do, take a credit card for shopping, and try the buffet in the Bellagio for lunch on Sunday, there;s plenty of clubs out there and the blokes outside wrapping there knuckles with business cards of a special kind (wink wink)
All Hotels have there own different theme, MGM has a lion cage, the volcano at the Miage plus all the others. Its amazing the place, I would love to go out there again!!
Best place on earth. Have lots of single dollars handy for tips. See the Bellagio fountains. Go to the sportsbook in the venitian hotel absolutley amazing, loads of screens to watch or bet on baseball, American football, horse racing etc. Comfy Sofas, Beer, food all served by stunning women.
P.s. we watched Zumanity in the New york New York it was good but heard KA in the MGM was a lot better.
Oh god I need to go back!!
search under Vegas on here or under stags as someone on here went last year and there was a lot of info on there.
I have been three times and I am going again in September. My last stay was a 10 nighter! I have been with lads and the mrs at the time.
It is the best place on earth! I would aim for $500 a day for spending money....and some! I did the show at the Bellagio cirque du soleil and it was superb! I have plenty of tips just whisper me if you need more
2. Hotel buffets are amazingly cheap for main meals
3. Go to as many shows as you can afford (great line acts) but shop around for tickets
4. Go fishing on the lake at Hoover Dam - but make sure you don't get stranded with a duff engine like we did!
5. Don't lose your shirt in the casino's - you can't win
6, Helichopter in Grand Canyon is a must
7. Wear your colours every day
8. Hire a car to get around
read the Vegas forum on Trip Advisor - get loads of ideas from peoples questions and from reading Trip reports
At 7am in the Bellagio, dont lose $1265 in 3 spins of roulette because there has been 8 blacks in a row. Red will NOT come in.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g28949-i9-Nevada.html
We stayed at the Bellagio and one of the best evenings was in the Fontana lounge there - is right next to the fountains - great fun (mainly for watching the freaks, but if that fails you can go and stand right next to the fountains - yes I know it sounds lame, but it's not, it's awesome)..The Bank in the Bellagio was good fun (as anyone who is my F/book friend will see - that's where I 'met' Macy Gray in my profile pic)..
If you're going clubbing, get your concierge to sort you out - don't get the tickets from the touts in the street..
I didn't like the club at Caesars Palace - was $1500 odd to get in (table and booze) but even then the club was cut up into zones and you couldn't move freely around the place...
It'll be chuffing hot.
Am going back next year - loved it.
Blue Man Group is very good fun
For something different how about Lance Burton magic show - absolutely stunning especially if you get near the front. Really great show if you like that
Aside from that I had a magnificent Kobe steak at one of the restaurants in MGM Grand. $100 a pop but my god was it tasty
Cheaper option is a pancake in the restaurant in the shops at the back of Paris casino - nom nom nom
Ask Danny Green, he's out there at the moment.
go see the big elvis show at bobs gambling hall next door to the venician hotel , its on about 3pm
Am going in October with 8 of my mates, cannot wait. (looking forward to Algarve with the missus next week of course)
Gonna do a few pool parties as they're ment to be amazing out there, also gonna do the Helicopter over the Canyon, I've heard it's a must.
Stuff Vegas come to Singapore instead. Marina bay sands and Resorts World sentosa both have Casinos, lots of shows weather is 32C all year round and if you get bored fly off to Maccau and try there out!
If you do the same.
1) Don't do it in a vehicle with a high centre of gravity.
2) Eat at the Mad Greek Restaurant in Death Valley, it's like a massive kebab shop with loads of choices and it's cheap!
Personally I was more impressed with the Hoover Dam than the Grand Canyon, which is a fantastic feat of engineering rather than just a massive hole in the middle of no where.