Tips on a first time Vegas trip
 

My wife wants to go to Vegas for her 40th this fall.
We've never been and know nothing about it.

What's a good place to stay?

Should I rent a car or take cabs?

Any tips that would make it a great birthday for her?

Depends on what you want to do.

If you're looking to stay on the "modern" strip then pretty much any of the strip hotels are very nice.

If you're looking to stay on Fremont for the old school strip...that's another cool experience.

As far as a car goes...it again depends on what you want to do. If you are staying on the strip or Fremont St., you don't really need a car.

If you are going to try and go sightseeing and go to the Hoover Dam and that sort of thing...getting a car might be cheaper...but there are plenty of tour buses that go out there as well.

You'll need to decide if the two of you want to party your ass off, or if you want a more quiet type of thing instead.

What he said... and where to stay depends on $. Some places in the old downtown have been revamped and look GREAT. I've shot in several of them.

The Hard Rock has been revamped and has some great prices on rooms.

All of the above, for sure.
If you want "new, cool, flashy" hotel...Aria or Cosmopolitan...But the old school ones by Fremont Street are really cool, and still close enough to where some of the newer hotels / casinos and such are, to experience that stuff as well.
So many options...

I'm partial to the wrap around suites at the Cosmo facing the Bellagio. Somewhat reasonably priced for what you get and killer views of the Bellagio fountain show and the strip.

Spot on advice....

Define "very nice". Planet Hollywood's rooms are pretty beat up and gross :2 cents:

You get what you pay for imo

After rough nights in Las Vegas, I like to have breakfast at The Peppermill. Any cabbie in town will know where it is.

Never stayed there. Planet Hollywood is the old rebuilt Aladdin Casino.

I've never really enjoyed the layout there for the casino and the shops there. It's like you park and then have to walk through a mile of shops and restaurants to get to the casino. So it's one of the few I haven't stayed at (I like getting a room at a casino on the weekends to party...stayed at all the old ones on Fremont, a lot of the ones on the "modern" strip, and lots of ones off-strip too).

But I'm not real snobby about stuff. I had a great time in a $1700 a night suite at The Bellagio...and I've also had a great time in a $29 room at The Plaza on Fremont. :pimp

Send her to the Spa, hookers/blow/gambling for you. :2 cents:

Heck, I didn't even think about it...

But I'm personally staying at Harrahs this next Monday and Tuesday for a small "staycation".

I chose Harrahs because I like the casino, bars, and buffet there (as well as "The Million Dollar Quartet" show) AND it's right beside The High Roller observation wheel and "The Link" (which is an outside area of bars and restaurants).

Then I'm gonna head back to the house on Wed. and Thursday (to do some work) before continuing my "staycation" at Fremont St. with a suite at The Four Queens (old school).

Maybe you should think about that?

Splitting up between the "modern" strip and the "old" strip?

I'd say if you are going to be here for a few days...you should stay on the "modern" strip during the weekdays. The prices are lower then.
Maybe do what all the cool people are doing and stay at The Cosmo.

And then on the weekend move over to The Golden Nugget on Fremont and party your ass off up and down Fremont St.
They have some nice suites there and it's far more reasonably priced than the "new" strip (and a lot more fun in my opinion)

Prostitution is illegal in Vegas (you can still get them of course just like anywhere else), there is NO good blow in Vegas (you'll be snorting crushed up speed and have a bloody nose and a horrible sinus headache), and don't end up gambling too much (the house always wins)

Other than that... :1orglaugh

I'd take my wife to some of the great shows here in town. There are so many of them that it's almost hard to decide which ones to go see.

Lots to see on the strip for a first timer. Stay in the middle of the strip and just explore up and down walking and cabbing around. Don't rent a car unless you know you want to leave the strip and know where you are going.

You can have a blast without leaving a hotel, although being a first timer there you will explore around but it will be way more walking than you expected so bring comfy shoes.

Shows, gambling, clubs, restaurants, the freedom to walk around with a drink in your hand on the streets. It's adult Disneyland, so enjoy!

Hah... yeah be one of those tourists walking up and down the strip...

Don't gamble. Ok. Do it a little. Then go see shows with the money. Don't need a car really. Strip hotels are fun to walk. Some have trams between them. Short taxi ride to Fremont. Have a fun night there.

Battista's Hole In the Wall

Nice Italian dinner at a place where the old school people go to eat.

I was in Vegas for the first time few months back as well.

Don't get a hotel off the strip, you will do a lot of walking anyway and by taking an off the strip hotel you are just adding more useless walking to your day.

We stayed at the Aria and it was very nice. Get the cheapest room in the hotel of your choosing and do the $20 trick with $40. (Slip the money between credit card and id when checking in) you will most likely get upgraded. We were given a nice suite on the 39th floor....the actual price of that room was $400 and we paid only $200 for it per night + the one time $40 tip.

I wouldn't want to drive in vegas, most people are drunk/high when they are there and I don't think you want to be an exception :) I would recommend getting a cab but they stink. If you need any drugs you can ask the cab driver I was told they know their shit.

Enjoy :) Vegas is fucking fun, but expensive...

Stay at Aria, it's by far the best hotel on the strip. Cosmopolitan is great as well.

Awesome tips.
We want to see at least one show.
And we'll probably stay at the aria then.
We will be there Thursday through Sunday so not too much time but Def want to party down and make it memorable.

The helicopter trip into the Grand Canyon would be my highest recommendation. Fucking stunning. As for shows, you can't go wrong with Penn and Teller. Mac King has a VERY cheap daytime show at Hannah's which is brilliant, don't let the time slot trick you into thinking it is a kids' show. And David Copperfield still rocks it.

The best show is considered to be the "O" by cirque du soleil and there are no discounts on it....it's around $200 per person...For Penn and Teller & Copperfield you can get tickets same day for half price on the strip at the booth, i don't remember the name but you will see lines there so you can't miss it.

Damn $200 per ticket for cirque...
Better be amazing.
Copperfield would be my choice. But it's her b-day..
Probably try to line up some kind of massage for her one day. She loves that shit.

"Tickets:
Tickets for "O" are
$155.00, $130.00, $109.00, and $98.50 (Limited View)"

That's from the Bellagio website.

Don't buy tickets from third party sellers whatever you do. I did that a few years ago and paid $300 a ticket to go see "The Beatles Love" show at Mirage (GREAT show).

Then once I lived here and smartened up...I went to The Mirage website and got tickets for $79 each. lol

Other vegas tips:
I'll add some non-entertainment/accommodation advice

It's hot as fuck and will get hotter as the summer progresses....drinks LOTS of water. Save the alcohol for night time when it's cooler or if you don't plan on going outside.

Wear comfortable shoes if you're walking. Places are further away than they appear and if your wife is wearing heels, you'll be carrying them within a couple blocks (if she hasn't burned her feet off).

Drink lots of water (bears repeating)

Signup for the slot clubs, you'll get all sorts of discounts, freebies, etc.

and of course...drink a shitload of water.

if you want to get LIMITED VIEW???? c'mon. add another %10 as well as $11 for processing.


"Tickets for O are $155.00, $130.00, $109.00, and $98.50 (Limited View)*Limited view tickets available for purchase only at Box Office or Call Center.Ticket prices exclude the 10% Live Entertainment Tax, as well as a $10.95 per ticket processing fee. No refunds or exchanges."

$200 is the price of a decent ticket.

I've always liked Freemont Street better than the strip.

Do not stay at the Flamingo hotel. Very oldskool. Not much wow.

Don't stay too long in Vegas. The dry air will kill your body. lol

or, fill ur tub with water.. works fucking wonders

my first stay in Vegas was at the El Cortez next to Fremont Street - quite the experience ;)

Right now tickets for Mystere are $99 for 2 :)

I came here a lot as a tourist before I moved here. I can tell you from being on both sides, the advice given here from the locals in this thread has been the best. But take it for what it's worth. How much time do you plan on spending in your hotel room anyway?

:2 cents:

Definitely get a players card anywhere you plan on staying and gamble some. Earn some free rooms and comps. It's totally worth it if you plan on going every year.

We might make it an annual trip.
We're going mid October so hopefully it's a little farther from the sun at that point in the year.
Sounds like we're going to stay at the Aria, Probably see Cirque, and not sure what else.
Looks like flight, shuttle, hotel, and cirque tickets is going to run about $1,800.
Happy Birthday.. lol

That's the most important lesson I've learned here.

If it's just the two of you and you aren't going to be throwing giant parties...do you really want to spend all of your money on a big ass suite?

Like I said earlier...I'm doing a "staycation" here in Vegas next week. 2 nights at Harrahs on the "modern" strip so I can have quick access to The Link and the new High Roller Observation wheel.
Cost for the room for 2 nights: $115.64
I will take a shower in my room and fuck and sleep in it. I'm gonna use my money for having fun. :)

And then this weekend (prices are higher on the weekends in Vegas), I got a Suite at The Four Queens on Fremont St. Room cost a total of $362.16 for the weekend. :)

The cheapest room at the Aria next weekend (for instance) is $628 for 2 nights. And it's half the size of the suite I'll be in on Fremont. And the drinks are cheaper, there are bands playing up and down the street and a million things to do on Fremont.

So maybe keep that in mind too. If you're not going to spend all day in your hotel room...why use up a big amount of money on it? :)

if this was Facebook I would like this post... :thumbsup

Not sure why you're wanting to argue...but okay...let's play!

That $109.00 ticket is not "limited view" and it's not $200.
Every seat in the house in that show is great. The "O" arena is like all the Cirque shows...set up so so every seat is good.

But let's not take my word for it. I just went to Bellagio and chose to purchase one ticket for tonight (Friday night). Here's what you get:

Show Time: Fri Jun 20, 2014 - 10:00 PM
Seats: section 104 row L seat(s) 18 through 18
Venue: Bellagio
1 Seat(s) @ 144.93: $144.93
Service & Delivery Fees: $10.95
Delivery Method: Ticket Fast
Taxes: LET Included
Total: $155.88

That's just straight up buying it at the last minute too. Lots of times there are promo deals here as well.

Again, I'm not sure why you want to argue with me. I live here and I go to these shows.

When I didn't live here I didn't realize that the best way to get the tickets was straight from the Casino box office at the venue. So I would always end up getting screwed by third party ticket places.

That's really the only point I was trying to make and hopefully it will help the OP

All of this is a big help Robbie.
I really appreciate the advice.

No problem brother!

You can have a lot of fun here in Vegas. But you can also waste your money if you're not careful.

Yeah, I hear that.
We're not going to spend much time in the room. But I don't want to stay in a shit hole either. Aria was like $680 or so for 3 nights so not too terrible.

I want somewhere we can walk to see things, Take a short cab ride if need be.
Love live music, drinks, see the shows and do a little gambling I'm sure.

All of this is useful though. I wondered about fremont st.

Might have to do that next go round.

I think once you do Fremont...the modern strip won't have much appeal to you.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy both.

But Fremont has a lot more going on.

And the Aria is a nice hotel. But really...they all are pretty much. There aren't any "shit holes" (at least not on my personal scale of "shit hole"...which would be the roach motel lol)

The Aria of course, is one of the newest ones. So it's probably one of the nicest.

But honestly...The Venetian, Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio, Caesars are all up there too.

And even the "lesser" ones like The Tropicana (I had a suite there that was out of this world for $600...even had a steam room in it), Harrahs, Ballys, and Flamingo are all clean and have some pretty nice suites in them.

And of course there's Paris Casino. And they just re-did Bills Gambling Hall as the new Cromwell Casino Hotel (supposed to be real nice).

The old Imperial Palace is now the new redesigned Quad Casino and is sitting right there with "The Link" and the "Highroller" observation wheel.

And that area is the new center of everything right now on the "modern" strip.

Damn...don't forget about MGM (awesome), New York New York, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, and The Luxor.

And going north on the Stip is The Wynn and Encore, the old Riviera (one of my favorite places $2 drinks at the casino bar), Circus Circus, The Stratosphere...and starting August 23rd the brand new SLS Casino where the Sahara used to be: http://slshotels.com/lasvegas/

I can only valet at PH. Fuck all that walking.

PH is actually one of my favorite hotels to gamble at... I also find the rooms decent value for the price and location.

Definitely wouldn't recommend for someone's first time though. Stay at the Palazzo and you will not be disappointed.

We get it Robbie, you are obsessed with Fremont. :1orglaugh

What I didn't like about PH and the Aria is this...I go in and want to play some slots. When you're playing you don't have to pay for a drink. And the drinks there are like $8 to $12 for a WELL drink (not even a call brand). Ridiculously overpriced.

BUT...when you are playing a machine on the casino floor the service is TERRIBLE. Takes an hour to get a drink if you're lucky.

So what I usually do, is go to the bar and drop a $20 bill in a video poker machine and order up a drink. I'll play a few hands and then cash out and go to my favorite slot.

But at The Aria, PH, and a few others...the bartender tells you that you have to make the MAX bet to get your drink comped!!! That's bullshit. And you play that max bet a couple of times....you should have just paid outright for the drink. :(

That's the kind of bullshit that I HATE about the modern "corporate" strip. They don't understand that this city was built on gambling, drinking, and good service.

Unless you are wanting to pay for "table service" at the nightclubs (which is insanely overpriced) it's tough to get good service in this town.
Also was at The Monte Carlo the other week and went to the Double Barrel Roadhouse to check out a band and have a few drinks.

I ordered a screwdriver. Not a call brand. Just a plain old screwdriver. Got my bill...it was $12 for a fucking drink. AND...they PRE-added a tip on it!

That kind of sneaky, greedy shit is why locals hardly ever party on the strip.

I can go down to The Riviera and go to the Casino bar and the bartender will have a drink in my hand in less than a minute and the cost is $2.
THAT guy gets my tip.
</rant>

Actually, I've been partying a lot over at the Boulder strip casinos lately. Just like to keep it changed up. lol

I occasionally go to the north part of Vegas and hit some old school casinos to party too.
I like to hit Jerry's Nugget late night some times.

And a couple of months back I went to the tiny Opera House casino and got wasted on ONE drink. I ordered a screwdriver and they gave me a big ass glass of vodka with a splash of orange juice for like 4 bucks. lol

I think you made the right choice. Fremont can be fun for a night, but I wouldn't celebrate my wife's 40th down there. Maybe I'm a snob but the Fremont Experience itself (under the canopy) disgusts me. Think fanny packs, white trash and down on their luck street performers. Go a little east and it's a lot better with great bars like Commonwealth, Park on Fremont, Insert Coins etc. Go a little further east and you hit Container Park (fun area to stroll through). Keep going and you hit Atomic Liquors. Cool bar thats been around forever and has been remodeled. Legend has it the rat pack used to go there after shows to get off the strip. I wouldn't stray too much further east however, especially at night.

Side note on Commonwealth, there is a 'secret' bar in the back called The Laundry Room. Need to text a number to make an appt and only let a certain amount of guests in at a time. Great drinks and cool atmosphere.

Aria is a great hotel, as is Cosmopolitan. As someone mentioned earlier the wrap around terraces facing the Bellagio fountains have some of the best views in town (at not totally unreasonable prices). For drinks before a show or club hit up Vesper Bar in the Cosmo. Good people watching and the bartenders/waitresses are fun. Not sure if you guys like clubs but can't go wrong with Marquee or XS @ Wynn. For true excess hit up Hakkasan at MGM. Havent been for dinner but hear its phenomenal. City center is in a great location and a great hub to explore the strip. I wouldn't bother with a rental car unless you want to explore Red Rock or Hoover Dam. Do NOT take a bus tour to Hoover Dam. I have heard from more then one visitor that they suck and it kills the entire day, when it should take only 2-3 hours.

Not sure what types of food your wife likes so I'll leave off any other dining recommendations. No matter what you'll find something you guys like Im sure.

Oh, and Oct is a great time to visit. Have fun! :thumbsup

PLEASE listen to this guy. Don't listen to Robbies shitty 'local' advice. Who the hell wants to visit Vegas and go to shithole bars, in a shithole area, with shithole ugly people? You can drink at dumpy cheap bars anywhere in the US. Why do it on vacation, especially in a place with some of the best clubs/bars in the world? Just stupid man...Go spend the money and get a table/bottles at any of the clubs Atticus mentioned. Tryst, TAO, Lavo, Chateau are even decent lower tier clubs and will be quite a bit cheaper than those others, but still better than the shitholes Robbie is advising on. If clubs aren't your thing, enjoy some of the fantastic shows and amazing restaurants/*NICE* bars. My advise for any first time Vegas goer - If you are on a tight budget, don't bother going. :2 cents:

Damn ahoy....I was just giving an alternative.

Calm down man. lol

Just wanted to make sure I was clear to the OP about how bad your advice is :1orglaugh Part of me thinks you give out these suggestions so no more people move to Vegas. Because they will be leaving Vegas going 'Damn, we should of just vacationed in Detroit for real cheap!" :1orglaugh

Not true ahoy. I also said in my advice that IF you want a great experience on the modern strip and don't care about paying a lot for a room you won't spend too much time in...then the Aria is great.

I then told him what I personally do now that I actually live here.
The Penthouse Suite (Sinatra Suite) at the Riviera is a 2 story suite with a grand piano and floor to ceiling windows on the first floor. It's HUGE (2100 Sq. feet). And a fraction of the price of anything similar at the newer places. I love staying there.
And then I go downstairs to the casino and get the same screwdriver that I would pay $12 for at Aria...for $2.

And if I want to go to the new casinos at Cosmo or Aria...it's 5 minutes away. And I have a ton more money to spend.

Also, I don't know the last time you were in town...but over the last couple of months the hot spot has moved to The Link and The High Roller by the Quad and the Flamingo.

The Cromwell (the old Bills Gambling Hall) is the "newest" hot hotel (and the Drais Club in it is the new "in" place to be) and in August that will change again to the the new SLS Casino/Hotel (the old Sahara).

Stuff changes here in Vegas so fast you can't keep up with it.

And all the properties on the strip are adding in shops and attractions in front of them trying to get foot traffic in. Monte Carlo is doing a complete front revamp. So is New York New York and Ballys.

The only one that is kind of screwed big time for easy access foot traffic is The Bellagio because of the big fountains. You have to walk a mile to get to the front door. lol

Anyway, "no"...I'm not giving out shitty advice. I'm just giving out an alternative.

I think that everybody comes to Vegas at least the first half dozen times and gets the most expensive suites and spends all their money at the most expensive places to drink in town.

That's part of the experience.

I'm just throwing out how much fun this town CAN be without getting your wallet raped at the same time. :)

Great advice if the OP had said..

'I've been to Vegas a bunch of times and I'm really tired of all the great food, excessive clubs and insanely hot girls in short cocktail dresses. Any other seedy places to hit?'

But the OP was asking for advice on taking his wife to Vegas for the first time for her 40th birthday party. So yeah, Ahoy is correct, shitty advice.

The problem is Robbie is giving advice out as a local and what a local might do, because obviously those of us that live here are not dropping $2k a weekend and buying eight $12 drinks a night. I have a local bar I go to here in Green Valley that has cheap drinks and a good breakfast. But not going to suggest it to a guy coming to Vegas for his wife's 40th.

And the Riviera blows. Theres a reason the suite is cheap. Might be the nicest room in Vegas, but its at the Riviera.

The Linq area is fun. Brooklyn Bowl is awesome. But it's not nec cheap. And what is cheap is the hotel next door (The Quad, formerly Imperial Palace) and its still a dump. So yes by all means, visit the high roller and grab a show and drinks at Brooklyn Bowl. Then go back to your nice room.

And Drai's isn't the new 'in' place. It's always been the 'in' place because its a great after hours club, the first of its kind here in vegas. It was 'in' when it was at Barbary Coast, it was 'in' when it was at Bill's gambling hall, it was 'in' when it was temporarily at Bally's during the remodel.

And lastly, yes I'm sure you can get a $2 screw driver at a bar on the North end of the strip or on Fremont. And yes that same drink might run you $12 at Aria or Vesper Bar at the Cosmo. But that screw driver would also be free at your house. So by that logic, why even bother? I'm all for drinking cheap, but again the details of the trip and occasion (should) come in to play. If my wife and I have friends come into town we might hit up happy hour at Hooters, drink a few pitchers and then cab it to the strip or downtown. Probably not going that route on our anniversary before a Cirque show.

Oh and side note. A great show to see and my personal favorite is Absinthe at Caesars. Very intimate seating, incredible show and not that expensive. Have yet to hear someone say they didn't have a good time. :winkwink: