flapgreen
Footballguy
My wife and I and couple of her family members are going to be in Vegas for 3 days in August, so I've been bookmarking some of the Vegas threads I've seen on here over the last few months. I was going through them today and just started cutting and pasting all the suggestions. I kept doing it and it ended up being fairly lengthy and figured I'd go ahead and post it on here. This is sort of a compilation of everyone's opinion on different places in Vegas, without all the BS in between. I listed them in categories under hotels, food, clubs/bars, entertainment and websites. Feel free to keep adding suggestions that aren't in here.
Note: Some things are mentioned multiple times. Different people gave various opinions on each place so you'll see a few different viewpoints on here. Hope this helps.
HOTELS
Ranked in order of MY preference and $ -
The nicest rooms on the strip (other than the 4 Seasons) attached to Mandalay Bay. $$$$
The Palms* – Off Strip, but so what. Nice casino, nice rooms, great clubs (Moon, Playboy Club, Ghost Bar, The Mint). Best “vibe” in Vegas. $$$$
The Wynn* – Upscale, but still maintaining a “trendy” feel – GREAT restaurants. $$$$$
The Hard Rock* – The Palms East. Smaller casino. Clubs not as cool as The Palms. $$$$
Mandalay Bay* - Good casino, nice rooms, great restraints – best of “old guard” properties. $$$1/2
Bellagio* - The Wynn with an “older” feel. $$$$$
Those are your top tier choices
NYNY* - relatively inexpensive (particularly during the week), clean, some nice restaurants. $$$
Venetian* - Rooms are very nice, but casino is antiseptic (Monte Carlo is similar). $$$$
Rio* - 10 years ago this WAS the Palms. Everyone now and wow stayed here. Decent rooms large casino. Prince has a club there (I have yet to go). $$$
Treasure Island*/Mirage* – 6 of one, half dozen of the other. Very similar properties. Casinos are packed. Decent location. Ok food to be had. $$$
MGM*- HUGE casino (too big), restaurants have improved, rooms are decent, because there are so many people there, the skank factor is pretty high $$$$
Aladdin – Just not a great vibe there – hard to describe. Nothing horrible about it, just middle of the road (location wise too). $$$$
Monte Carlo* - antiseptic. The brew pub is probably the highlight. Rooms are very average. $$$
Paris – I like the casino – could be too small for some. Mon Ami Gabi is one of the best restaurants on the strip from a people watching perspective (Bellagio watershow too) $$$
Luxor* - relatively cheap, air filtration system is not great, rooms are kinda cool the higher you get. $$1/2
Those are your mid tier choices. Unless you are on a SEVERE budget, I would not stay at any of the following choices:
Caesars* - everything about this place reeks OLD (especially the cocktail waitresses) – just not my cup of tea. Forum Shops are great though. $$$$
Sahara – Read Caesars – they are looking to implode this sucker and rebuild...that should be an indicator. $$$
Ballys – You are coming to Vegas, why stay at the Holiday Inn? Yuck. $$$
The Flamingo – some people swear by this place. I think it is disgusting. $$$
If you are staying at any of the following, I feel sorry for you.
Barbary Coast$$, Tropicana$, Excalibur$*,
Rivier###, Circus Circus$*, Stratosphere$$, Imperial Palace$.
They are dirty (Excalibur, Circus Circus, Imperial Palace, Stratosphere), old (all but the Excalibur...and that is even getting old), have thin walls (Excalibur, Circus Circus), or are just plain disgusting. Too many nice places available to stay at these rat traps.
The Red Rock*$$$$
Green Valley Station$$$$
The Marriott*$$$$$
The first two are “locals versions” of the Palms/Hard Rock. They are not cheap, they are way off the strip, but if you have to stay at any one of the three you will be impressed.
The Sahara is old, cramped, dated (even for being old), the cocktail waitresses are putrid, the drinks are small. It is a dump
Stratosphere provides you with the best value per dollar as far as room and casino quality, but is WAY up at the north end
One thing that always surprises me is how much people hate Stratosphere. I stayed there more times than I can count. While other properties at mid-strip were charging anywhere from $79-299, I was able to get rooms at Stratosphere during the week for $29. For that price, the value is enormous. Yeah, the casino and shops are average, and the restaurants (except the one up top) suck, but for $29, the rooms were always clean if not spectacular, and it's a 5 minute cab ride to the center of the strip where you can hang out wherever you want. I guess staying in a swanky hotel was never as important to me as having that extra $50-200 a day for gambling/drinking.
Stratosphere
Better quality rooms and casino than Terribles. Way way off strip, not really within walking (or staggering) distance.
I think Flamingo has one of the best central locations and is pretty cheap from what I hear and the pool was given a 9 out of 10 rating from Little Black Book
Flamingo is my choice for stepping up out of the slums without breaking the bank.
I stay at the Flamingo all the time.
Great bang for your buck.
By far the best location out of any property.
Tremendous pool.
Nice rooms and I really think they have some of the best dealers around (at least in craps).
Waitresses are putrid, though.
The last two times I have been there, we have stayed at the Flamingo and are very pleased with the quality of the rooms. Always ask if there is a better rate when you check in. Also, sign up for a gaming card, and use it. Just from using it sparingly the first time when we were there for only 2 days for a wedding, we got coupons for Free rooms, 2-1 show tickets etc. Also, it is close to O'Sheas: the best Hole-in-the-wall Casino on the strip. I have yet to find a craps table on the strip that is more fun, and inexpensive too!
For your first time I would recommend Flamingo or Ballys. They are older hotels but have been kept up and are in the center of the strip. The pools are pretty nice. You can usually find pretty good mid week rates for both places.
Circus Circus and Riviera are on the nothern half of the strip. They are similar to IP, maybe a little nicer but the location is not very good. These properties also tend to draw alot of the LA gang bangers. I believe Tu Pac was shot out side the Riviera.
Circus Circus
Manor rooms are like a travel lodge, standard rooms are in their "tower". Bar none the dingiest, dankiest casino I've ever been in. Place is just absolutely overrun with screaming kids. Being closer to the strip than the Strat is about the only thing it has going for it.
Don't stay in Circus Circus. Diggest dump on the strip. Sahara is much better and the same price
Avoid Circus Circus like the plague
Just want to say that I think the MGM particularly blows.
Place is huge and they are almost always overrun with conventions. Because they are so busy there, the service pretty much sucks. The rooms vary but there are some that don't look like they have been renovated since the place opened and you will still pay top dollar for them
The MGM is notorious for being WAYYYYY too big
stay at the MGM they keep a stable full of whores in the back
Imperial Palace (IP) is a cheap hotel. The casino is old and dingy. The place is a little run down but the rooms are clean and it is located in the center of the strip. The pool sucks and the food isn't very good. This was my hotel of choice in college when we had limited funds and piled four guys in one room.
IP is really the end-all-be-all of Doing The Strip On The Cheap
Imperial Palace - Bad food. Average rooms. Kinda dingy. But it's right smack dab in the middle of the strip. Location, location, location.
IP is the best place to stay when you don't have a woman with you and you are just using the room to crash. Centrally located and about $100/night
if you just want a cheap, but clean room at a hotel with a pool - IP cant be beat for the price. Wont be a ton of scenery at the pool - but you arent paying for it either
Riviera and Sahara provide good value if you don't mind being out of the way. Hard Rock, Palms, and Rio are all off-strip, but are each cool in their own way
I have never stayed at the Sahara but the place is almost not on the strip. You are a long walk from any other casinos and the neighborhood down there is scary. The Sahara also tends to draw alot of the same crowd as Circus Circus and the Riviera.
I would stay at Excalibur before I stayed at Sahara at least at Excalibur you are close to several very nice places to gamble (NYNY, MGM, Mandalay Bay
The Excalibur is a dirty dump with paper thin walls and grungy low-class feel to the entire property
Excalibur is really turning itself around. The rooms in Tower II are renovated with new beds, marble countertops, 42" plasma TVs... they're on par with many other more expensive strip properties. The restaurants are still mediocre at best, but they're currently opening a ####'s Last Resort, they just opened a cool-looking if not exciting bar called Octane, the sportsbook has been completely renovated and expanded - it's bigger and better than those at MGM Grand (which has been sawed more than in half), Luxor, etc. The pool area is being expanded significantly and will be fully renovated by next month. The location is ideal, and while the hotel itself is nowhere near the attraction some of the others are, it's not at all a dingy dump, as some (including myself) had previously noted. If you want a nice room in a great spot for next to nothing comparatively (I paid $350 for a Wed-Sun stay)
One thing going for the Sahara is that it is a drop destination for the monorail
Sahara
Farther down the strip than the Riv. Direct ccess to the monorail. There's always some jump the shark performer working there (Reba might play there for example). Ugly looking from the outside, and the casino is pretty drab as well
Riviera
Pretty ballsy of them to price themselves over the IP. Horrible buffet, nice rooms, well-lit and clean casino. North strip, within walking distance of center strip, but it's a hike. Decent comedy club if you're into that.
Terribles
Decent rooms, mostly just a 3S place. Closest to mid-strip of the cheap 'off-strip' casinos.
Orleans
Never stayed here, never ventured into their casino. South end, off strip.
Tropicana
South side of the strip. Good old fashioned casino.
Hooters
Yikes. No way I'd stay here at this price. Off-strip south, east of the Trop. I'm staying there for my degenerate trip this year, but we got in at less than half that price. At $780, probably the worst deal listed.
Harrah's
Center strip, nice crash site. Live music pit, nice buffet. I love the place
The Tropicana is very old and run down. Dirty is the wrong word to discribe the rooms, dingy is probably better. The casino is old and dirty with low ceilings and the meeca for every chain smoking blue hair in the US. The Tropicana has been in financial trouble for awhile. _4_ can probably give you alot more detail on this situation
Palms
Off strip.
if you stay at the Palms, you will come away from your first Las Vegas experience much happier. You will spend more on a room, but you DON'T need to take $300 worth of cabs in 5 days because you will want to stay at the Palms...as noted earlier, it has the best "vibe" in Las Vegas right now. The restraunts are very good, the casino is big enough, they don't go crazy with table minimums, the women are hot, the clubs are great. If you want to go visit the strip, yes, you can walk from the Palms in the morning - is it a short walk? No, but it is probably closer than the Stratosphere
Bally's
Big rooms, nice buffet, knowledgeable sportsbook, center strip.
One of my favorite things to do is to go to Bally's and walk arounf that "hedge garden" thing they have out front, while smoking a giant bowl
Rio
Every room is a suite. Good buffet. Off-strip. Rio would lose to a cheaper priced Bally's every time in my book.
Rio is cool - all the rooms are suites and it has a good casino/sportsbook. Also has the biggest buffet in town, and the Village Seafood Bueffet upstairs is pretty solid as well
stay away from the Tropicana, Excaliber and Sahara
Monte Carlo
South strip.
Monte Carlo. It is pretty bland for a strip casino/hotel but the rooms are nice size. The pool is very plain the Casino is plain as well but the Brew Pub is pretty good.
Luxor
South strip. Interesting place to stay. Nice casino.
I'm not sure what the room rates are for Luxor but the rooms are fair size, the pool is pretty nice and it is next to Excalibur. I don't like the dealers at Luxor. They tend to be completely void of personality.
Barbary Coast, Tropicana, Flamingo, Excalibur, and often Bally's provide mid-range to nice accomodations at a palatable cost
If you want top-shelf, go to Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, or Mandalay Bay. After that, Mirage, Treasure Island, NYNY, Monte Carlo, Aladdin, Caesar's, MGM, Luxor, and Paris are all pretty nice, but some can be very expensive
Hard Rock, nice and small, yet loaded with ###!!!!!!!
The Mirage is a nice "happy medium" place (when comparing it to the Strat and the Palms
pool action at either Hard Rock, Palms or even Mandalay
Aladdin -
Just off the center strip. Excellent buffet and casino. Not as flamboyant as Harrahs. Less rubes than the average casino.
Paris
A good place to take your chick, but would be a waste in your situation. Very nice place, excellent buffet, center strip.
Ceasars Palace
It is what it is. Center strip.
NY, NY is a fun hotel if you want to do more than gamble. There are some fun restaraunts (including a very good steak house.) There is a great video arcade. Last great meal I ate in Vegas was in the ESPNZone at NY, NY. Don't know if their private Super Bowl party used a special chef, but that was by far the best buffet in Vegas.
- The Belagio has good shops for your girlfriend and has art exhibits often
- Check out the Venetian. Fantastic design, living statues, nice shops, and gondola rides.
Bally's >>>>>> Harrah's >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> IP
FOOD
One thing you just have to do in Vegas my man is have breakfast at Barbary Coast one day, preferably if you're hungover. That's about as old school as you're going to get on the strip
Current Top Ten Values in Las Vegas (From LasVegasAdvisor.com)
1. Steak Dinner - Ellis Island - 24 Hours - $4.95
The best dining bargain in Las Vegas is the 10-ounce filet-cut steak dinner at Ellis Island, the casino at the Super 8 Motel on Koval near E. Flamingo. It’s served with salad, vegetable, potato, garlic bread, and rolls for $4.95, 24 hours a day. But it’s not on the menu; you have to ask specifically for it.
2. Shrimp Cocktail - Golden Gate - 11 am-3 am - 99¢
The Golden Gate Casino downtown has been serving its cold-water Bay-shrimp cocktail since 1959. It’s been 99¢ for the past 15 years. It comes in a tulip cocktail glass with lemon, crackers, and a tangy homemade sauce. It’s served at the Deli in the back of the casino.
3. Mac King - Harrah's - Tues.-Sat. - $7.99-$21.95
The Mac King Comedy Magic afternoon show at Harrah’s is the best-value entertainment option in town. Collect a voucher from the coupon booth in the Carnaval Court outside, readily available around show time, then go up to the third floor showroom. You’ll pay a total of $18.76 for two, which includes a drink. You get 70 minutes of laughs, tricks, and even a shock or two along the way. This is a must-see entry on any Las Vegas itinerary.
4. Prime Rib Dinner - California - 5-11 pm daily - $6.99
The $6.99 prime rib special at the California downtown starts with a full salad bar, continues with a big cooked-to-order piece of prime beef, plus potato and veggie, and finishes up with a little cherries jubilee for dessert. The same meal would cost at least triple in any other city in the country.
5. Beer - Casino Royale - Daily - $1
We’ve replaced the $1.25 beers at Slots A Fun with $1 Michelobs at the center-Strip Casino Royale. This is a 24/7 deal and the bar staff is ultra pleasant about doling ’em out (it’s not uncommon to encounter a staff that’s resentful of this type of deal). You can also get two flavors of frozen margaritas for a buck apiece. Bottom line, though: Beers for $1 are better than beers for $1.25.
6. Buffet - Mirage - Daily - $12.50-$22.50
This is a gourmet buffet that’s high on quality and low, comparatively, on price. It has an unusual noodle station, where a half-dozen selections of dim sum are served up fresh (good shrimp siu mai); you can also get Asian noodle soup. The raw bar features cold Dungeness crab, small-to-medium peeled shrimp, lox, and one of the best buffet ceviches in town. There are also several Middle Eastern dishes at the salad station, along with Italian, Chinese, rotisserie, carving, and dessert stations.
We have to apologize for the price posted for the Mirage buffet in last month’s issue (it would have been #1 if the $4.50-$9 price had been accurate). The real price is $12.50-$22.50. Sorry about that.
8. Chicken Dinner - Terrible's Casino - 24 hours - $4.99
Also returning to this month’s Top Ten is the complete chicken dinner in the coffee shop at Terrible’s. Along with a rotisserie half-chicken, you get rice, beans, corn on the cob, baked potato, and vegetable du jour—all for $4.99 (for $1 extra, add soup or salad), 24 hours a day. This has been a perennial #11 on the list and is as reliable as they come.
9. Hot Dog - South Point - 11 am-5 pm - 75¢
South Point is now the only place in town to get the Coasts style 75¢ hot dog, plus extras, from the cart in the sports book (#9). It’s a schlep to get down to South Point, but Top Ten’s about deals, and this dog is a deal for real).
what are the good steak places in Las Vegas? The ones that charge a lot, from what I've seen, are the Smith & Wollensky's, Gallaghers, etc. Personally, The Steakhouse in Circus Circus of all places, was my favorite. Also, the Outback near/in (I forget) Harrah's actually has a special USDA prime menu which produced one of the best ribeyes I've had in years. Best outdoor dining steakhouse is SW Steakhouse in the Wynn, Prime at the Bellagio is more hoity toity, but reallllly good. Hanks at Green Valley Ranch is great - but not on the strip, and StripSteak which is a Michael Mina first in that it isn't a seafood joint is top notch as well. I forget the name, but the steakhouse in the Monte Carlo is great food, no ambiance (like the rest of the Monte Carlo)
How 'bout Sushi? Where should I go? Nobu is very good...but a little overpriced. If you are on the West side of town, there are two places you shouldn't miss - Hannah's and Sapporo. Sapporo has one of the best happy hours in town - rolls for $3. Can't go wrong. On the strip, Chinois in the forum shops (Wolfgang Puck) is great. Firefly - across from the Hard Rock is pretty good - cheaper and they have tapas as well.
My favorite buffet is Mandalay Bay (because of their amazing pasta bar) but I love Luxor's for the price. I've heard great things about Paris (never been to that one) and Bellagio is the nicest one I've been to (although I believe the dinner price is close to $30 if not more). Excalibur's is subpar and I wasn't all that impressed with Monte Carlo's (although it's definitely worth going to the brewery and pub and having their famous Las Vegas Lite). Before you go to a buffet, I would suggest looking at the hours of operation for lunch and dinner. If there is no gap between closing time for lunch and opening time for dinner, I would suggest entering the buffet right before the dinner time starts. This way you pay for the lunch price but get to eat the dinner entrees. Most of the casinos now prevent this by putting a 1 to 2 hour gap between lunch and dinner. You'll have to research this a little.
If you don't like Charlie Palmer's, you don't like to eat
As a general rule of thumb, I would avoid most if not all buffets that are cheap
Riviera sucks. Buffet...overpriced, bad, avoid, avoid.
Brew Pub at the Monte Carlo
Good food, good beer, good prices
If you like Mexican check out Taqueria Cañonita's at the Venetian
Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesar's Palace
CraftSteak was awesome.
I bet it is pretty expensive though
If you're into steaks, the steakhouse inside of Binion's Horseshoe downtown is a very good (and cheaper
Steak and Lobster tail at Gilly's for $10/plate
Maggiano's
Burger Bar
Border Grill
Spago in Caesars. They have a dinner menu and a cafe menu and there were affordable stuff for you off of the cafe menu and some items off of the dinner menu. Had a penne dish with clams, leeks, and pancetta in a creme sauce that was just out of this world
Ellis Island for the best $5 steak dinner I've ever had
Battista's Hole In The Wall-Solid food (Zagat rated), classic Vegas atmosphere, and entrees run about $20 for pastas to about $30-35 for steaks and chops, and you get soup or salad, a side of pasta, garlic bread, wine, and cappucino along with the entree for that price
Onda
Sir Galahad's at the Excalibur for a very good prime rib dinner
Pamplemousse restaurant. It's on the North side of town, looks like crap from the outside, but the service and food was incredible
Go to Margaritaville! Stay long enough to see the Volcano erupt, and the lovely lass slide into the gigantic Margarita
Raffles cafe at Mandalay Bay for a great breakfast
Mon Ami Gabi out front of Paris. Go later in the evening around 9:30-10pm and sit outside....a must, overlooks the street and Bellagio's fountains. Great steak
For around $30 an entree, try Kokomo's in the Mirage...good food and nice atmosphere by the waterfall.
You can get away relatively cheap at Okada at the Wynn too
Grand Lux Cafe in the Venetian
steak house in the luxor
Stay away from the Italian place in the Venitian
My favorite lunch is Carnegie Deli at the Mirage. It is GREAT. Don't be afraid of the long line. It's always there. The trick is to walk up to the counter and order your food to go, then go chow it down somewhere. You will stand in line quite awhile if you want to eat in the place. The sandwiches are HUGE, so you could probably split one with the wife - some of the best sandwiches I've ever had
Stage Deli in the Forum Shops of Caesars Palace
Capriati's. It's not on the strip, but you should go there if you have a car. They have amazing sandwiches, the best of which is a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce and stuffing
olives in bellagio
Kokomos for Steak
Commander's Palace
Steakhouse at Circus Circus (yea I know. but the steakhouse is amazing.)
Brunch at the Rio's buffet Burger Bar
Great little atmosphere in the Mandalay Bay. I created my own burger with bacon, pinnaple and monteray jack on an onion bun. Very tasty. Cost about $15 per person including burger, fries and drink.
Noodle Place in Venetian
I've been there before, and it's still good. A tad pricy for a lunch ($13/entree) but the servings are pretty generous.
Battista's Hole in the Wall
Worst. Italian. Ever. The wife had the lasagna and I had the Alfredo....they could have heated up a stoffers lasgna and some ragu and it would have tasted better. Only good thing was the free wine and the service. Would definitely not recommend.
Steakhouse in Circus Circus
So yeah the CC is a freaking dump with loads of trashy clientele....but the Steakhouse is top notch. Great atmosphere, service and food. I'm not that guy who has an orgasm over a good steak, but the steak was good. I got the petite filet (~10oz ballpark) for $35 and with that you get a salad (good fresh caesar dressing) and a side (baked potato, garlic mashed, or something else) and the veggie of the day. Also, the breads are assorted, and they had pretzel bread Great meal
Rumjungle
SW at the Wynn is great, and is around $100 pp
Delmonico (Venetian)
Okada (Wynn)
Kokomo's (Mirage)
Prime (Bellagio)
The Pamplemousse has very good food and a romantic atmosphere. It was under $100 per person even with a bottle of wine five years ago; I assume it still is.
Rosemary's is substantially better than Emeril's fish house, IMO, and also under $100 per person.
Sir Galahad's at the Excalibur. They specialize in prime rib
Wolfgang Puck's place in Caesar's Palace
Alize (at the top of the Palms)
Trumpets
Great food and an awesome view of the city. Reasonably priced as well
Mesa Grill at Caesars
Red Square
Go to Lawry's, get the best prime rib you've ever had. With a glass of wine each, it will still only be $60-70 per person
Delmonico's at the Venetian = best meal I have ever had
Strip Steak @ Mandalay Bay is pretty good and they have the best appetizer in the world..........Bacon Wrapped Lobster Fritters
Fat Burger
Corsa Cucina at Wynn
Social House was really good sushi at TI
Social House - Good call - crowd is young and ready to party - dress the part.
Olives - maybe I have just been there too much, but you can get out of there for way less than $100 if you aren' t drinking too much.
China Grill - Mandalay Bay. Not mentioned yet. Should have been. Great food, cool bathrooms, good service
Rosemarys was mentioned - it is good, but not worth the cab ride you'll take to get there ($30-$35 each way).
Delmonico's is meh (glad someone liked it), Lawry's is like Morton's or Ruth Chris - nothing special
Simon - Hard Rock Hotel
Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris if it isn't too hot and you can get an outside table (go for dinner a little early and just take your time eating - very, very good food and the best people watching of any restraunt on the strip as you are on the street facing the Bellagio water show
Restaurants by $ http://www.opentable.com/rest_list.aspx?m=10
If you want steak arguably the best restaurant is in Circus Circus of all places. The Steakhouse (not an original name, but to the point) will set you back probably $60-75 each.
Aladdin and Bally's also have very good buffets that cost a bit less than Bellagio's.
Rio's Carnival World Buffet is a behemoth
GAMBLING
If you are near Hooters, check it out. They had a soft 1-2 NL Game there, only 2 tables going.
The Wynn has a 1-3 NL game that I love. You can sit down with 200 bucks and turn it into 500-600 with little risk as long as you have lots of patience
Casino Royale's Craps tables are fun too. they often have a $2-$3 table during the day if I recall correctly. I like O'Shea's better mainly because it is right at the entrance. almost like being outside, plus it's owned by the group owning Flamingo, so your comps are good at Flamingo...
You really can't go wrong at either
I liked the poker room at the Excalibur. Nothing fancy of course, but anyone with the slightest poker experience/knowledge will come out ahead. I never felt like I was "gambling". It was more like sitting at a table being paid to drink
Your best place to play Video poker is off the strip at the Station Casinos. Better odds, more machines and more comps. The food at these off strip casinos is also cheaper.
The Bellagio should be the first place to check out. Wynn is cool because they have no max buy ins on any of their tables. I've never been to the Venetian but I've heard that some of the higher stakes games go on there sometime(I think HSP is filmed there, although I could be wrong), so I'd assume that its decent. The Rio was nice during the WSOP, but thats obviously going to be different during other times.
How about black jack? Which hotels consistently offer the most low limit games? Avoid the big, expensive joints like Bellagio, Mirage, Venetian, Mandalay. Play the lower level casinos on the Strip (Riviera, Barbary Coast, Stratosphere) or head to Fremont St. and play at the Horseshoe, Four Queens, or Golden Nugget. Good advice here. Also avoid the Hard Rock and Palms if you are looking for a $5 game.
For gambling, I usually stick to blackjack and poker. You can find cheap ($5) blackjack tables on both ends of the strip. As others have stated, you generally won't find them at the bigger hotels (Bellagio, Wynn, MGM, NYNY, Mandalay Bay, etc.). You can generally find them at Excalibur (although they're very crowded and usually only 1 or 2 open) and sometimes Luxor. Tropicana will always have at least one $5 table and Hooters (next to Tropicana) should have several. You can always find $5 tables at the smaller casinos in the middle of the strip. The Stratosphere, Sahara, Circus Circus, and pretty much all the downtown Vegas casinos will be loaded with $5 tables. These are casinos designed more towards casual players like myself.
For poker, it's all about finding a place where you're comfortable. I like Excalibur because I think the players are very loose and the game is easy. Also, there is a variety of NL and limit holdem games for casual and serious players. I've played poker at a few other casinos but I just love the atmosphere and game at Excalibur.
Western (Downtown)
They always have $3 blackjack, and sometimes several tables of it.
Nevada Palace (Off-Strip)
$1 blackjack, for reals, quarter roulette with a $1 minimum bet, and $1 craps with "full" double odds, but the table is one of those miniature numbers. You can find better craps in a nicer environment elsewhere.
Boulder Station (Off-Strip)
$3 will be about as low as they go for table games around these parts, and you should be able to find at least one table at that even during the busiest times. Roulette has 50-cent chips, and they may have $3 craps with 10x odds.
El Cortez (Downtown)
$5 Pai Gow, mini baccarat, and single-deck blackjack that still pays 3:2. Craps is $5, which is higher than before, but the 10x odds are still a great deal. Fifty cent roulette is also occasionally available for the brave soul willing to throw away a couple bucks on a high-risk wager.
Casino Royale (Strip)
$3 craps tables (with 100x odds!) occasionally, and a $2 or $3 mini-craps table with 10x odds. If you can play the big tables, don't play mini-craps: you'll look like a total wiener. Roulette can be as high as $1 chips with $4 minimum, and there is usually (but not always) one $5 minimum blackjack table. Skip the single-deck game because they pay a crappy 6:5 on blackjack
Hanging out at the craps table is one of the easiest time-wasting low-cost getting-drunk things in Vegas. Make a small bet every now and then just to be in the game, and tip the waitresses a buck a drink. A crowded table affords more anonymity at the table (dealers won't see you 'just hanging out') and it's just more fun socially.
CLUBS/BARS
I recomend the Piano Bar inside the NYNY casino
Pure is probably the best club in Vegas right now, its at Caesars.
Rain at the Palms also gets a lot of snatch
Light at the Bellagio is good.
For T&A, Spearmint Rhino consistently books the best talent. Other places are hit and miss
As for clubs go to the clubs in the bigger newer hotels.
Pure, Ghost, Rain and Rum Jungle are all pretty good from what I hear. I'm not into the club scene. I don't know what part of the country you are from but the clubs are expensive unless you are from LA or NYC. Covers on Friday and Saturday can be $20 or more. Drinks are hella expensive $7 for a bottle of American Beer.
Pure, Ghost (we can only presume he means the Ghostbar here), Rain and Rum Jungle are no longer top notch clubs. Pure still has some cache, but the Ghostbar and Rain have been eclipsed at their own venue by the Playboy Club and Moon.
Rum Jungle is no longer considered a top club...maybe 4-5 years ago yeah.
As for the covers, the top clubs charge no less than $40 to get in - a table will cost you a minimum of $300 at the top clubs, and a domestic beer will cost you $10
After hours clubs? Late Night Empire (formerly and sometimes still known as the Empire Ballroom) is the best afterhours club in town - the hot women who used to go to Drai's now hit the Empire - I think another post mentioned it. AVOID a club called Sin - if you hop in a cab and ask them to take you somewhere fun, they will take you here because they payout like a stripclub...it is nasty.
Tangerine at Treasue Island
Tryst = All women are 9s or better
I want to check out Cherry - is it any good? $30 cover charges Cherry is the new Randy Gerber (aka Cindy Crawford's husband) club. It is in the Red Rock casino and yes...it is very good. A long line will await you if you try and get in after 11:30.
Tao was the best club I was at during the 6 weeks I was there. Its at the Venetian. Younger crowd and its going to be pretty expensive though.
IF you're going to be in Vegas for more than a few days and want to go to a bunch of clubs then look for a guy with free passes walking the Strip. He'll sell you a bunch of them(and you can probably get as many as you like) for a "tip". I gave him $20. To be honest I thought it was a ripoff maybe at first but just wanted to get rid of the guy. But they worked perfectly. Usually all the clubs cost $30 to get in. I got 2 tickets to 6 or 7 different clubs for that $20. I bet you could even ask for more than 2(or however many people you have with you) and sell them to others in line when you go for 1/2 price
Las Vegas Brew Pubs:
Barley's Casino & Brew Pub
4500 E. Sunset Rd. #30
Henderson, NV 89014
702/458-2739
They offer 4 different house-brewed beers and 2 special brews:
- Irish Red
- Black Mountain Beer
- Brew Master Select
- Blue Diamond Beer
- Boulder Gold Hefeweizen
- Red Rock
Big Dog's Brewing Company
Draft House Barn and Casino
4543 Rancho Road
Las Vegas, NV 89130
702/645-1404
Offers 8 different house brews and several special brews throughout the year:
- Holy Cow! Original Pale Ale
- Big Dog’s Real Draft
- Red Hydrant Ale
- Tailwagger Wheat
- Black Lab Stout
- Dirty Dog I.P.A
- Leglifter Light
BJ's Restaurant and Brew House
10840 W. Charleston
Summerlin, NV 89135
702/853-2310
This brew house offers 7 house-brewed beers, as well as a house-brewed specialty hard raspberry cider:
- Tatonka Stout
- Nutty Brunette
- Harvest Hefeweizen
- Jeremiah Red
- Piranha
- PM Porter
- Blonde
Chicago Brewing Company*
2201 S. Fort Apache Road
Las Vegas, NV 89117
702/254-3333
This brewing company offers 7 house brews and specialty brews every so often, depending on the season:
- All Nighter-Light Ale
- Black Star- Irish Style Dry Stout
- Hardway IPA-India Pale Ale
- Old Town Brown -- German-Style Brown Ale
- Ramblin-Reck Amber -- North American Amber Ale
- Weizenheimer Wheat -- Bavarian Style Hefeweizen
*Also located inside the Four Queens Casino, 202 Fremont Street
Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
4178 Koval Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702/544-1870
They have a total of 7 house brewed beers and a specialty-brewed hard lemonade:
- Root Beer (non-alcoholic)
- Light Brew
- Amber Brew
- Dark
- Weiss
- Hard Lemonade
Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
3987 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702/312-5247
They have a total of 6 locally brewed beers on tap:
- Blonde bock
- Marzen
- Pilsner
- Hefeweizen
- Light
- Winter Bock
Hofbräuhaus
4510 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702/853-3227
Serves three beers, brewed in Munich according to the more than 400-year-old Bavarian purity law:
- Hefeweizen
- Hofbräuhaus Original (lager)
- Hofbräuhaus Dunkel (dark beer)
Monte Carlo Pub & Brewery
3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702/730-7777
This pub brews 6 different kinds of beer:
- Brew Master Special
- High Roller Red-Amber Ale
- Jackpot Pale -- India Pale Ale
- Las Vegas Lites -- Premium Lager
- Silver State Stout -- Irish Style Stout
- Winner's Wheat -- Wheat Ale
Sin City Brewing Company
7935 West Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89117
Desert Passage Mall
702/809-4939
This company features 2 varieties of beers, which can also be purchased as kegs through their Web site: sincitybeer.com
- Sin City Light
- Sin City Amber
Tenaya Creek Brewery & Restaurant
3101 N. Tenaya Way
Las Vegas, NV 89128
702/362-7335
Teneya Creek features 6 varieties of house-brewed beer:
- Pilsner
- Hefeweizen
- Ringtail Ale -- Pale Ale
- Nut Brown Ale
- Kolsch -- Light Ale
- Winter Solstice Barleywine -- twice the hops
Triple 7 Brew Pub
Main Street Station
200 N. Main Street
Las Vegas, NV 89125
702/387-1896
This brew pub has 4 different varieties of beer and a feature brew of the month. They've won several awards for their variations of stout.
- High Roller
- Royal Red
- Market Place Ale
- Blackchip Porter
And here goes on the pubs and bars with serious beer menus:
Freakin' Frog Beer and Wine Café
4700 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: 702/597-9702
Offers 700 beers (one of the largest menus in the U.S.) and 500 whiskeys (reputedly the largest menu in the U.S.)
Crown & Anchor British Pub
1350 E. Tropicana Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: 702/739-8676
Offers 60 different varieties of beer: 30 on tap and 30 bottled. Specializes in British beers, with the odd European and American brew thrown in for good measure. Ask about their "Guest Tap."
Burger Bar
Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: 702/632-7777
Offers 24 draft beers and 21 bottled beers
Moose's Beach Bar
4770 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: 702/798-0441
Offers 19 drafts and 10-15 different bottled beers
International Beer Bar
Golden Nugget Casino
129 E. Fremont Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
702/385-7111
Offers 12 beers on tap and 28 in total
ENTERTAINMENT
The Gun Store, Las Vegas is the place. Their website even has a 5 dollar off coupon for machine gun rental. Tuesday is ladies night apparently
Freemont Experience (night excursion) - TAKE A CAB, do not tram/bus it
Stratasphere (day excursion) - take the trolley, like $1.25 or something
Ferrari dealership in the Wynn
Concerts at Club 3121 - Rio - Wed. nights - free-$31.21
The $31.21 admission charge on Wednesday nights at Club 3121 hangs in at #10. The “locals-get-in-free” stance we reported on last month isn’t always in place (depends on the act), but the price for the level of entertainment presented at these Prince-promoted Rio concerts is a winner
Go to Freemont one night. Take a cab. Cheap beers, and you can entertain yourself for a few hours without gamblign. Plus, if you want to gamble, you'll find $5 tables
I think Fremont St. sucks and is a colossal waste of time and cab fare
The volcano in front of Mirage at night is kind of cool - I think it erupts every 15 minutes. Treasure Island's pirate show is the best thing you'll see for free, IMO (along with the fountains
Blue Man group
Amazing Jonathan is pretty good
Penn & Teller at the Rio. Tickets more reasonably priced than other shows, highly entertaining, plus you can actually meet them after the show
La Reve at the Wynn to be better than any of the Cirque shows
Of the Cirque du Soleil shows, I'd take O over the others. It's amazingly good
If you like standup, check out Danny Ganz
Mystere and Love. Love was a better overall show, but Mystere had more "Holy ####!" moments. We loved both of them
Blue man group is very good
I have heard mixed reviews about Penn and Teller, the main complaint is that they are vulgar in their show, if the lady likes that kind of humor then Penn & Teller should be fine
Vegas, we have seen Mystere, O, and LaReve. I liked Mystere about the best, although O was pretty good. (would probably have liked it better if we didn't have front-side balcony seats where you could see some of the divers below with breathing apparatus for the actors.... kind of spoiled some of the "magic".
Mama Mia is also pretty good if you haven't seen that
Amazing Johnathan was funny, although the guys in our group liked him better than did the women
Spam-A-Lot. I have heard great reviews from friends
rollercoaster at New York New York is pretty cool
The Fashion Show Mall is between The New Frontier and TI.
There's also the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace and Desert Passage Mall in Aladdin/Planet Hollywood
Mystere is the best Cirque show in Vegas and it is much less $$ than the other ones
O was a great show and worth the $$$
O is the best Cirque de Soleil I've seen and I've seen 4 or 5 of their travelling shows
Amazing Jonathan is usually a cheaper show that's pretty good
Love, which is the new Beatles-themed Cirque show at the Mirage
Freemont street at night where Binions is on the old strip. I ALWAYS hit down there. Plus every hour they have a laser light show outside, pretty cool
VEGAS WEBSITES
Las Vegas Advisor - Good Info, good forums, good coupon book
Cheapovegas.com - Good info about the hotels, etc.
Vegastodayandtomorrow.com - Cool site on Vegas projects and great maps of all kinds of stuff
Allvegaspoker.com - Info and Reviews on every poker room
Lasvegastalk.com - More forums
Wizardofodds.com - Gaming Info & Odds
Reviewjournal.com - Local Vegas news
Vegastripping.com - More info, etc.
Everythinglv.com - More info, etc.
Hotel Finders / Specials Sites:
Travelaxe.com
Vegasbrothers.com
Vegashotelspecial.com
Lasvegasroomfinders.com
http://www.worryfreevacations.com/
http://www.vegas.com/lounge/map.html
http://www.travel2vegas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13
http://forums.lasvegasadvisor.com/messagev...VAR_MSGDBTABLE= Lehigh’s to do list while in vegas
If you are looking to save money, they have a newer bus service on the strip, I think it's called "The Deuce" and they are supposed to be a nicer double-decker bus. 24-hour unlimited passes are only $5.
Note: Some things are mentioned multiple times. Different people gave various opinions on each place so you'll see a few different viewpoints on here. Hope this helps.
HOTELS
Ranked in order of MY preference and $ -
The nicest rooms on the strip (other than the 4 Seasons) attached to Mandalay Bay. $$$$
The Palms* – Off Strip, but so what. Nice casino, nice rooms, great clubs (Moon, Playboy Club, Ghost Bar, The Mint). Best “vibe” in Vegas. $$$$
The Wynn* – Upscale, but still maintaining a “trendy” feel – GREAT restaurants. $$$$$
The Hard Rock* – The Palms East. Smaller casino. Clubs not as cool as The Palms. $$$$
Mandalay Bay* - Good casino, nice rooms, great restraints – best of “old guard” properties. $$$1/2
Bellagio* - The Wynn with an “older” feel. $$$$$
Those are your top tier choices
NYNY* - relatively inexpensive (particularly during the week), clean, some nice restaurants. $$$
Venetian* - Rooms are very nice, but casino is antiseptic (Monte Carlo is similar). $$$$
Rio* - 10 years ago this WAS the Palms. Everyone now and wow stayed here. Decent rooms large casino. Prince has a club there (I have yet to go). $$$
Treasure Island*/Mirage* – 6 of one, half dozen of the other. Very similar properties. Casinos are packed. Decent location. Ok food to be had. $$$
MGM*- HUGE casino (too big), restaurants have improved, rooms are decent, because there are so many people there, the skank factor is pretty high $$$$
Aladdin – Just not a great vibe there – hard to describe. Nothing horrible about it, just middle of the road (location wise too). $$$$
Monte Carlo* - antiseptic. The brew pub is probably the highlight. Rooms are very average. $$$
Paris – I like the casino – could be too small for some. Mon Ami Gabi is one of the best restaurants on the strip from a people watching perspective (Bellagio watershow too) $$$
Luxor* - relatively cheap, air filtration system is not great, rooms are kinda cool the higher you get. $$1/2
Those are your mid tier choices. Unless you are on a SEVERE budget, I would not stay at any of the following choices:
Caesars* - everything about this place reeks OLD (especially the cocktail waitresses) – just not my cup of tea. Forum Shops are great though. $$$$
Sahara – Read Caesars – they are looking to implode this sucker and rebuild...that should be an indicator. $$$
Ballys – You are coming to Vegas, why stay at the Holiday Inn? Yuck. $$$
The Flamingo – some people swear by this place. I think it is disgusting. $$$
If you are staying at any of the following, I feel sorry for you.
Barbary Coast$$, Tropicana$, Excalibur$*,
Rivier###, Circus Circus$*, Stratosphere$$, Imperial Palace$.
They are dirty (Excalibur, Circus Circus, Imperial Palace, Stratosphere), old (all but the Excalibur...and that is even getting old), have thin walls (Excalibur, Circus Circus), or are just plain disgusting. Too many nice places available to stay at these rat traps.
The Red Rock*$$$$
Green Valley Station$$$$
The Marriott*$$$$$
The first two are “locals versions” of the Palms/Hard Rock. They are not cheap, they are way off the strip, but if you have to stay at any one of the three you will be impressed.
The Sahara is old, cramped, dated (even for being old), the cocktail waitresses are putrid, the drinks are small. It is a dump
Stratosphere provides you with the best value per dollar as far as room and casino quality, but is WAY up at the north end
One thing that always surprises me is how much people hate Stratosphere. I stayed there more times than I can count. While other properties at mid-strip were charging anywhere from $79-299, I was able to get rooms at Stratosphere during the week for $29. For that price, the value is enormous. Yeah, the casino and shops are average, and the restaurants (except the one up top) suck, but for $29, the rooms were always clean if not spectacular, and it's a 5 minute cab ride to the center of the strip where you can hang out wherever you want. I guess staying in a swanky hotel was never as important to me as having that extra $50-200 a day for gambling/drinking.
Stratosphere
Better quality rooms and casino than Terribles. Way way off strip, not really within walking (or staggering) distance.
I think Flamingo has one of the best central locations and is pretty cheap from what I hear and the pool was given a 9 out of 10 rating from Little Black Book
Flamingo is my choice for stepping up out of the slums without breaking the bank.
I stay at the Flamingo all the time.
Great bang for your buck.
By far the best location out of any property.
Tremendous pool.
Nice rooms and I really think they have some of the best dealers around (at least in craps).
Waitresses are putrid, though.
The last two times I have been there, we have stayed at the Flamingo and are very pleased with the quality of the rooms. Always ask if there is a better rate when you check in. Also, sign up for a gaming card, and use it. Just from using it sparingly the first time when we were there for only 2 days for a wedding, we got coupons for Free rooms, 2-1 show tickets etc. Also, it is close to O'Sheas: the best Hole-in-the-wall Casino on the strip. I have yet to find a craps table on the strip that is more fun, and inexpensive too!
For your first time I would recommend Flamingo or Ballys. They are older hotels but have been kept up and are in the center of the strip. The pools are pretty nice. You can usually find pretty good mid week rates for both places.
Circus Circus and Riviera are on the nothern half of the strip. They are similar to IP, maybe a little nicer but the location is not very good. These properties also tend to draw alot of the LA gang bangers. I believe Tu Pac was shot out side the Riviera.
Circus Circus
Manor rooms are like a travel lodge, standard rooms are in their "tower". Bar none the dingiest, dankiest casino I've ever been in. Place is just absolutely overrun with screaming kids. Being closer to the strip than the Strat is about the only thing it has going for it.
Don't stay in Circus Circus. Diggest dump on the strip. Sahara is much better and the same price
Avoid Circus Circus like the plague
Just want to say that I think the MGM particularly blows.
Place is huge and they are almost always overrun with conventions. Because they are so busy there, the service pretty much sucks. The rooms vary but there are some that don't look like they have been renovated since the place opened and you will still pay top dollar for them
The MGM is notorious for being WAYYYYY too big
stay at the MGM they keep a stable full of whores in the back
Imperial Palace (IP) is a cheap hotel. The casino is old and dingy. The place is a little run down but the rooms are clean and it is located in the center of the strip. The pool sucks and the food isn't very good. This was my hotel of choice in college when we had limited funds and piled four guys in one room.
IP is really the end-all-be-all of Doing The Strip On The Cheap
Imperial Palace - Bad food. Average rooms. Kinda dingy. But it's right smack dab in the middle of the strip. Location, location, location.
IP is the best place to stay when you don't have a woman with you and you are just using the room to crash. Centrally located and about $100/night
if you just want a cheap, but clean room at a hotel with a pool - IP cant be beat for the price. Wont be a ton of scenery at the pool - but you arent paying for it either
Riviera and Sahara provide good value if you don't mind being out of the way. Hard Rock, Palms, and Rio are all off-strip, but are each cool in their own way
I have never stayed at the Sahara but the place is almost not on the strip. You are a long walk from any other casinos and the neighborhood down there is scary. The Sahara also tends to draw alot of the same crowd as Circus Circus and the Riviera.
I would stay at Excalibur before I stayed at Sahara at least at Excalibur you are close to several very nice places to gamble (NYNY, MGM, Mandalay Bay
The Excalibur is a dirty dump with paper thin walls and grungy low-class feel to the entire property
Excalibur is really turning itself around. The rooms in Tower II are renovated with new beds, marble countertops, 42" plasma TVs... they're on par with many other more expensive strip properties. The restaurants are still mediocre at best, but they're currently opening a ####'s Last Resort, they just opened a cool-looking if not exciting bar called Octane, the sportsbook has been completely renovated and expanded - it's bigger and better than those at MGM Grand (which has been sawed more than in half), Luxor, etc. The pool area is being expanded significantly and will be fully renovated by next month. The location is ideal, and while the hotel itself is nowhere near the attraction some of the others are, it's not at all a dingy dump, as some (including myself) had previously noted. If you want a nice room in a great spot for next to nothing comparatively (I paid $350 for a Wed-Sun stay)
One thing going for the Sahara is that it is a drop destination for the monorail
Sahara
Farther down the strip than the Riv. Direct ccess to the monorail. There's always some jump the shark performer working there (Reba might play there for example). Ugly looking from the outside, and the casino is pretty drab as well
Riviera
Pretty ballsy of them to price themselves over the IP. Horrible buffet, nice rooms, well-lit and clean casino. North strip, within walking distance of center strip, but it's a hike. Decent comedy club if you're into that.
Terribles
Decent rooms, mostly just a 3S place. Closest to mid-strip of the cheap 'off-strip' casinos.
Orleans
Never stayed here, never ventured into their casino. South end, off strip.
Tropicana
South side of the strip. Good old fashioned casino.
Hooters
Yikes. No way I'd stay here at this price. Off-strip south, east of the Trop. I'm staying there for my degenerate trip this year, but we got in at less than half that price. At $780, probably the worst deal listed.
Harrah's
Center strip, nice crash site. Live music pit, nice buffet. I love the place
The Tropicana is very old and run down. Dirty is the wrong word to discribe the rooms, dingy is probably better. The casino is old and dirty with low ceilings and the meeca for every chain smoking blue hair in the US. The Tropicana has been in financial trouble for awhile. _4_ can probably give you alot more detail on this situation
Palms
Off strip.
if you stay at the Palms, you will come away from your first Las Vegas experience much happier. You will spend more on a room, but you DON'T need to take $300 worth of cabs in 5 days because you will want to stay at the Palms...as noted earlier, it has the best "vibe" in Las Vegas right now. The restraunts are very good, the casino is big enough, they don't go crazy with table minimums, the women are hot, the clubs are great. If you want to go visit the strip, yes, you can walk from the Palms in the morning - is it a short walk? No, but it is probably closer than the Stratosphere
Bally's
Big rooms, nice buffet, knowledgeable sportsbook, center strip.
One of my favorite things to do is to go to Bally's and walk arounf that "hedge garden" thing they have out front, while smoking a giant bowl
Rio
Every room is a suite. Good buffet. Off-strip. Rio would lose to a cheaper priced Bally's every time in my book.
Rio is cool - all the rooms are suites and it has a good casino/sportsbook. Also has the biggest buffet in town, and the Village Seafood Bueffet upstairs is pretty solid as well
stay away from the Tropicana, Excaliber and Sahara
Monte Carlo
South strip.
Monte Carlo. It is pretty bland for a strip casino/hotel but the rooms are nice size. The pool is very plain the Casino is plain as well but the Brew Pub is pretty good.
Luxor
South strip. Interesting place to stay. Nice casino.
I'm not sure what the room rates are for Luxor but the rooms are fair size, the pool is pretty nice and it is next to Excalibur. I don't like the dealers at Luxor. They tend to be completely void of personality.
Barbary Coast, Tropicana, Flamingo, Excalibur, and often Bally's provide mid-range to nice accomodations at a palatable cost
If you want top-shelf, go to Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, or Mandalay Bay. After that, Mirage, Treasure Island, NYNY, Monte Carlo, Aladdin, Caesar's, MGM, Luxor, and Paris are all pretty nice, but some can be very expensive
Hard Rock, nice and small, yet loaded with ###!!!!!!!
The Mirage is a nice "happy medium" place (when comparing it to the Strat and the Palms
pool action at either Hard Rock, Palms or even Mandalay
Aladdin -
Just off the center strip. Excellent buffet and casino. Not as flamboyant as Harrahs. Less rubes than the average casino.
Paris
A good place to take your chick, but would be a waste in your situation. Very nice place, excellent buffet, center strip.
Ceasars Palace
It is what it is. Center strip.
NY, NY is a fun hotel if you want to do more than gamble. There are some fun restaraunts (including a very good steak house.) There is a great video arcade. Last great meal I ate in Vegas was in the ESPNZone at NY, NY. Don't know if their private Super Bowl party used a special chef, but that was by far the best buffet in Vegas.
- The Belagio has good shops for your girlfriend and has art exhibits often
- Check out the Venetian. Fantastic design, living statues, nice shops, and gondola rides.
Bally's >>>>>> Harrah's >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> IP
FOOD
One thing you just have to do in Vegas my man is have breakfast at Barbary Coast one day, preferably if you're hungover. That's about as old school as you're going to get on the strip
Current Top Ten Values in Las Vegas (From LasVegasAdvisor.com)
1. Steak Dinner - Ellis Island - 24 Hours - $4.95
The best dining bargain in Las Vegas is the 10-ounce filet-cut steak dinner at Ellis Island, the casino at the Super 8 Motel on Koval near E. Flamingo. It’s served with salad, vegetable, potato, garlic bread, and rolls for $4.95, 24 hours a day. But it’s not on the menu; you have to ask specifically for it.
2. Shrimp Cocktail - Golden Gate - 11 am-3 am - 99¢
The Golden Gate Casino downtown has been serving its cold-water Bay-shrimp cocktail since 1959. It’s been 99¢ for the past 15 years. It comes in a tulip cocktail glass with lemon, crackers, and a tangy homemade sauce. It’s served at the Deli in the back of the casino.
3. Mac King - Harrah's - Tues.-Sat. - $7.99-$21.95
The Mac King Comedy Magic afternoon show at Harrah’s is the best-value entertainment option in town. Collect a voucher from the coupon booth in the Carnaval Court outside, readily available around show time, then go up to the third floor showroom. You’ll pay a total of $18.76 for two, which includes a drink. You get 70 minutes of laughs, tricks, and even a shock or two along the way. This is a must-see entry on any Las Vegas itinerary.
4. Prime Rib Dinner - California - 5-11 pm daily - $6.99
The $6.99 prime rib special at the California downtown starts with a full salad bar, continues with a big cooked-to-order piece of prime beef, plus potato and veggie, and finishes up with a little cherries jubilee for dessert. The same meal would cost at least triple in any other city in the country.
5. Beer - Casino Royale - Daily - $1
We’ve replaced the $1.25 beers at Slots A Fun with $1 Michelobs at the center-Strip Casino Royale. This is a 24/7 deal and the bar staff is ultra pleasant about doling ’em out (it’s not uncommon to encounter a staff that’s resentful of this type of deal). You can also get two flavors of frozen margaritas for a buck apiece. Bottom line, though: Beers for $1 are better than beers for $1.25.
6. Buffet - Mirage - Daily - $12.50-$22.50
This is a gourmet buffet that’s high on quality and low, comparatively, on price. It has an unusual noodle station, where a half-dozen selections of dim sum are served up fresh (good shrimp siu mai); you can also get Asian noodle soup. The raw bar features cold Dungeness crab, small-to-medium peeled shrimp, lox, and one of the best buffet ceviches in town. There are also several Middle Eastern dishes at the salad station, along with Italian, Chinese, rotisserie, carving, and dessert stations.
We have to apologize for the price posted for the Mirage buffet in last month’s issue (it would have been #1 if the $4.50-$9 price had been accurate). The real price is $12.50-$22.50. Sorry about that.
8. Chicken Dinner - Terrible's Casino - 24 hours - $4.99
Also returning to this month’s Top Ten is the complete chicken dinner in the coffee shop at Terrible’s. Along with a rotisserie half-chicken, you get rice, beans, corn on the cob, baked potato, and vegetable du jour—all for $4.99 (for $1 extra, add soup or salad), 24 hours a day. This has been a perennial #11 on the list and is as reliable as they come.
9. Hot Dog - South Point - 11 am-5 pm - 75¢
South Point is now the only place in town to get the Coasts style 75¢ hot dog, plus extras, from the cart in the sports book (#9). It’s a schlep to get down to South Point, but Top Ten’s about deals, and this dog is a deal for real).
what are the good steak places in Las Vegas? The ones that charge a lot, from what I've seen, are the Smith & Wollensky's, Gallaghers, etc. Personally, The Steakhouse in Circus Circus of all places, was my favorite. Also, the Outback near/in (I forget) Harrah's actually has a special USDA prime menu which produced one of the best ribeyes I've had in years. Best outdoor dining steakhouse is SW Steakhouse in the Wynn, Prime at the Bellagio is more hoity toity, but reallllly good. Hanks at Green Valley Ranch is great - but not on the strip, and StripSteak which is a Michael Mina first in that it isn't a seafood joint is top notch as well. I forget the name, but the steakhouse in the Monte Carlo is great food, no ambiance (like the rest of the Monte Carlo)
How 'bout Sushi? Where should I go? Nobu is very good...but a little overpriced. If you are on the West side of town, there are two places you shouldn't miss - Hannah's and Sapporo. Sapporo has one of the best happy hours in town - rolls for $3. Can't go wrong. On the strip, Chinois in the forum shops (Wolfgang Puck) is great. Firefly - across from the Hard Rock is pretty good - cheaper and they have tapas as well.
My favorite buffet is Mandalay Bay (because of their amazing pasta bar) but I love Luxor's for the price. I've heard great things about Paris (never been to that one) and Bellagio is the nicest one I've been to (although I believe the dinner price is close to $30 if not more). Excalibur's is subpar and I wasn't all that impressed with Monte Carlo's (although it's definitely worth going to the brewery and pub and having their famous Las Vegas Lite). Before you go to a buffet, I would suggest looking at the hours of operation for lunch and dinner. If there is no gap between closing time for lunch and opening time for dinner, I would suggest entering the buffet right before the dinner time starts. This way you pay for the lunch price but get to eat the dinner entrees. Most of the casinos now prevent this by putting a 1 to 2 hour gap between lunch and dinner. You'll have to research this a little.
If you don't like Charlie Palmer's, you don't like to eat
As a general rule of thumb, I would avoid most if not all buffets that are cheap
Riviera sucks. Buffet...overpriced, bad, avoid, avoid.
Brew Pub at the Monte Carlo
Good food, good beer, good prices
If you like Mexican check out Taqueria Cañonita's at the Venetian
Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesar's Palace
CraftSteak was awesome.
I bet it is pretty expensive though
If you're into steaks, the steakhouse inside of Binion's Horseshoe downtown is a very good (and cheaper
Steak and Lobster tail at Gilly's for $10/plate
Maggiano's
Burger Bar
Border Grill
Spago in Caesars. They have a dinner menu and a cafe menu and there were affordable stuff for you off of the cafe menu and some items off of the dinner menu. Had a penne dish with clams, leeks, and pancetta in a creme sauce that was just out of this world
Ellis Island for the best $5 steak dinner I've ever had
Battista's Hole In The Wall-Solid food (Zagat rated), classic Vegas atmosphere, and entrees run about $20 for pastas to about $30-35 for steaks and chops, and you get soup or salad, a side of pasta, garlic bread, wine, and cappucino along with the entree for that price
Onda
Sir Galahad's at the Excalibur for a very good prime rib dinner
Pamplemousse restaurant. It's on the North side of town, looks like crap from the outside, but the service and food was incredible
Go to Margaritaville! Stay long enough to see the Volcano erupt, and the lovely lass slide into the gigantic Margarita
Raffles cafe at Mandalay Bay for a great breakfast
Mon Ami Gabi out front of Paris. Go later in the evening around 9:30-10pm and sit outside....a must, overlooks the street and Bellagio's fountains. Great steak
For around $30 an entree, try Kokomo's in the Mirage...good food and nice atmosphere by the waterfall.
You can get away relatively cheap at Okada at the Wynn too
Grand Lux Cafe in the Venetian
steak house in the luxor
Stay away from the Italian place in the Venitian
My favorite lunch is Carnegie Deli at the Mirage. It is GREAT. Don't be afraid of the long line. It's always there. The trick is to walk up to the counter and order your food to go, then go chow it down somewhere. You will stand in line quite awhile if you want to eat in the place. The sandwiches are HUGE, so you could probably split one with the wife - some of the best sandwiches I've ever had
Stage Deli in the Forum Shops of Caesars Palace
Capriati's. It's not on the strip, but you should go there if you have a car. They have amazing sandwiches, the best of which is a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce and stuffing
olives in bellagio
Kokomos for Steak
Commander's Palace
Steakhouse at Circus Circus (yea I know. but the steakhouse is amazing.)
Brunch at the Rio's buffet Burger Bar
Great little atmosphere in the Mandalay Bay. I created my own burger with bacon, pinnaple and monteray jack on an onion bun. Very tasty. Cost about $15 per person including burger, fries and drink.
Noodle Place in Venetian
I've been there before, and it's still good. A tad pricy for a lunch ($13/entree) but the servings are pretty generous.
Battista's Hole in the Wall
Worst. Italian. Ever. The wife had the lasagna and I had the Alfredo....they could have heated up a stoffers lasgna and some ragu and it would have tasted better. Only good thing was the free wine and the service. Would definitely not recommend.
Steakhouse in Circus Circus
So yeah the CC is a freaking dump with loads of trashy clientele....but the Steakhouse is top notch. Great atmosphere, service and food. I'm not that guy who has an orgasm over a good steak, but the steak was good. I got the petite filet (~10oz ballpark) for $35 and with that you get a salad (good fresh caesar dressing) and a side (baked potato, garlic mashed, or something else) and the veggie of the day. Also, the breads are assorted, and they had pretzel bread Great meal
Rumjungle
SW at the Wynn is great, and is around $100 pp
Delmonico (Venetian)
Okada (Wynn)
Kokomo's (Mirage)
Prime (Bellagio)
The Pamplemousse has very good food and a romantic atmosphere. It was under $100 per person even with a bottle of wine five years ago; I assume it still is.
Rosemary's is substantially better than Emeril's fish house, IMO, and also under $100 per person.
Sir Galahad's at the Excalibur. They specialize in prime rib
Wolfgang Puck's place in Caesar's Palace
Alize (at the top of the Palms)
Trumpets
Great food and an awesome view of the city. Reasonably priced as well
Mesa Grill at Caesars
Red Square
Go to Lawry's, get the best prime rib you've ever had. With a glass of wine each, it will still only be $60-70 per person
Delmonico's at the Venetian = best meal I have ever had
Strip Steak @ Mandalay Bay is pretty good and they have the best appetizer in the world..........Bacon Wrapped Lobster Fritters
Fat Burger
Corsa Cucina at Wynn
Social House was really good sushi at TI
Social House - Good call - crowd is young and ready to party - dress the part.
Olives - maybe I have just been there too much, but you can get out of there for way less than $100 if you aren' t drinking too much.
China Grill - Mandalay Bay. Not mentioned yet. Should have been. Great food, cool bathrooms, good service
Rosemarys was mentioned - it is good, but not worth the cab ride you'll take to get there ($30-$35 each way).
Delmonico's is meh (glad someone liked it), Lawry's is like Morton's or Ruth Chris - nothing special
Simon - Hard Rock Hotel
Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris if it isn't too hot and you can get an outside table (go for dinner a little early and just take your time eating - very, very good food and the best people watching of any restraunt on the strip as you are on the street facing the Bellagio water show
Restaurants by $ http://www.opentable.com/rest_list.aspx?m=10
If you want steak arguably the best restaurant is in Circus Circus of all places. The Steakhouse (not an original name, but to the point) will set you back probably $60-75 each.
Aladdin and Bally's also have very good buffets that cost a bit less than Bellagio's.
Rio's Carnival World Buffet is a behemoth
GAMBLING
If you are near Hooters, check it out. They had a soft 1-2 NL Game there, only 2 tables going.
The Wynn has a 1-3 NL game that I love. You can sit down with 200 bucks and turn it into 500-600 with little risk as long as you have lots of patience
Casino Royale's Craps tables are fun too. they often have a $2-$3 table during the day if I recall correctly. I like O'Shea's better mainly because it is right at the entrance. almost like being outside, plus it's owned by the group owning Flamingo, so your comps are good at Flamingo...
You really can't go wrong at either
I liked the poker room at the Excalibur. Nothing fancy of course, but anyone with the slightest poker experience/knowledge will come out ahead. I never felt like I was "gambling". It was more like sitting at a table being paid to drink
Your best place to play Video poker is off the strip at the Station Casinos. Better odds, more machines and more comps. The food at these off strip casinos is also cheaper.
The Bellagio should be the first place to check out. Wynn is cool because they have no max buy ins on any of their tables. I've never been to the Venetian but I've heard that some of the higher stakes games go on there sometime(I think HSP is filmed there, although I could be wrong), so I'd assume that its decent. The Rio was nice during the WSOP, but thats obviously going to be different during other times.
How about black jack? Which hotels consistently offer the most low limit games? Avoid the big, expensive joints like Bellagio, Mirage, Venetian, Mandalay. Play the lower level casinos on the Strip (Riviera, Barbary Coast, Stratosphere) or head to Fremont St. and play at the Horseshoe, Four Queens, or Golden Nugget. Good advice here. Also avoid the Hard Rock and Palms if you are looking for a $5 game.
For gambling, I usually stick to blackjack and poker. You can find cheap ($5) blackjack tables on both ends of the strip. As others have stated, you generally won't find them at the bigger hotels (Bellagio, Wynn, MGM, NYNY, Mandalay Bay, etc.). You can generally find them at Excalibur (although they're very crowded and usually only 1 or 2 open) and sometimes Luxor. Tropicana will always have at least one $5 table and Hooters (next to Tropicana) should have several. You can always find $5 tables at the smaller casinos in the middle of the strip. The Stratosphere, Sahara, Circus Circus, and pretty much all the downtown Vegas casinos will be loaded with $5 tables. These are casinos designed more towards casual players like myself.
For poker, it's all about finding a place where you're comfortable. I like Excalibur because I think the players are very loose and the game is easy. Also, there is a variety of NL and limit holdem games for casual and serious players. I've played poker at a few other casinos but I just love the atmosphere and game at Excalibur.
Western (Downtown)
They always have $3 blackjack, and sometimes several tables of it.
Nevada Palace (Off-Strip)
$1 blackjack, for reals, quarter roulette with a $1 minimum bet, and $1 craps with "full" double odds, but the table is one of those miniature numbers. You can find better craps in a nicer environment elsewhere.
Boulder Station (Off-Strip)
$3 will be about as low as they go for table games around these parts, and you should be able to find at least one table at that even during the busiest times. Roulette has 50-cent chips, and they may have $3 craps with 10x odds.
El Cortez (Downtown)
$5 Pai Gow, mini baccarat, and single-deck blackjack that still pays 3:2. Craps is $5, which is higher than before, but the 10x odds are still a great deal. Fifty cent roulette is also occasionally available for the brave soul willing to throw away a couple bucks on a high-risk wager.
Casino Royale (Strip)
$3 craps tables (with 100x odds!) occasionally, and a $2 or $3 mini-craps table with 10x odds. If you can play the big tables, don't play mini-craps: you'll look like a total wiener. Roulette can be as high as $1 chips with $4 minimum, and there is usually (but not always) one $5 minimum blackjack table. Skip the single-deck game because they pay a crappy 6:5 on blackjack
Hanging out at the craps table is one of the easiest time-wasting low-cost getting-drunk things in Vegas. Make a small bet every now and then just to be in the game, and tip the waitresses a buck a drink. A crowded table affords more anonymity at the table (dealers won't see you 'just hanging out') and it's just more fun socially.
CLUBS/BARS
I recomend the Piano Bar inside the NYNY casino
Pure is probably the best club in Vegas right now, its at Caesars.
Rain at the Palms also gets a lot of snatch
Light at the Bellagio is good.
For T&A, Spearmint Rhino consistently books the best talent. Other places are hit and miss
As for clubs go to the clubs in the bigger newer hotels.
Pure, Ghost, Rain and Rum Jungle are all pretty good from what I hear. I'm not into the club scene. I don't know what part of the country you are from but the clubs are expensive unless you are from LA or NYC. Covers on Friday and Saturday can be $20 or more. Drinks are hella expensive $7 for a bottle of American Beer.
Pure, Ghost (we can only presume he means the Ghostbar here), Rain and Rum Jungle are no longer top notch clubs. Pure still has some cache, but the Ghostbar and Rain have been eclipsed at their own venue by the Playboy Club and Moon.
Rum Jungle is no longer considered a top club...maybe 4-5 years ago yeah.
As for the covers, the top clubs charge no less than $40 to get in - a table will cost you a minimum of $300 at the top clubs, and a domestic beer will cost you $10
After hours clubs? Late Night Empire (formerly and sometimes still known as the Empire Ballroom) is the best afterhours club in town - the hot women who used to go to Drai's now hit the Empire - I think another post mentioned it. AVOID a club called Sin - if you hop in a cab and ask them to take you somewhere fun, they will take you here because they payout like a stripclub...it is nasty.
Tangerine at Treasue Island
Tryst = All women are 9s or better
I want to check out Cherry - is it any good? $30 cover charges Cherry is the new Randy Gerber (aka Cindy Crawford's husband) club. It is in the Red Rock casino and yes...it is very good. A long line will await you if you try and get in after 11:30.
Tao was the best club I was at during the 6 weeks I was there. Its at the Venetian. Younger crowd and its going to be pretty expensive though.
IF you're going to be in Vegas for more than a few days and want to go to a bunch of clubs then look for a guy with free passes walking the Strip. He'll sell you a bunch of them(and you can probably get as many as you like) for a "tip". I gave him $20. To be honest I thought it was a ripoff maybe at first but just wanted to get rid of the guy. But they worked perfectly. Usually all the clubs cost $30 to get in. I got 2 tickets to 6 or 7 different clubs for that $20. I bet you could even ask for more than 2(or however many people you have with you) and sell them to others in line when you go for 1/2 price
Las Vegas Brew Pubs:
Barley's Casino & Brew Pub
4500 E. Sunset Rd. #30
Henderson, NV 89014
702/458-2739
They offer 4 different house-brewed beers and 2 special brews:
- Irish Red
- Black Mountain Beer
- Brew Master Select
- Blue Diamond Beer
- Boulder Gold Hefeweizen
- Red Rock
Big Dog's Brewing Company
Draft House Barn and Casino
4543 Rancho Road
Las Vegas, NV 89130
702/645-1404
Offers 8 different house brews and several special brews throughout the year:
- Holy Cow! Original Pale Ale
- Big Dog’s Real Draft
- Red Hydrant Ale
- Tailwagger Wheat
- Black Lab Stout
- Dirty Dog I.P.A
- Leglifter Light
BJ's Restaurant and Brew House
10840 W. Charleston
Summerlin, NV 89135
702/853-2310
This brew house offers 7 house-brewed beers, as well as a house-brewed specialty hard raspberry cider:
- Tatonka Stout
- Nutty Brunette
- Harvest Hefeweizen
- Jeremiah Red
- Piranha
- PM Porter
- Blonde
Chicago Brewing Company*
2201 S. Fort Apache Road
Las Vegas, NV 89117
702/254-3333
This brewing company offers 7 house brews and specialty brews every so often, depending on the season:
- All Nighter-Light Ale
- Black Star- Irish Style Dry Stout
- Hardway IPA-India Pale Ale
- Old Town Brown -- German-Style Brown Ale
- Ramblin-Reck Amber -- North American Amber Ale
- Weizenheimer Wheat -- Bavarian Style Hefeweizen
*Also located inside the Four Queens Casino, 202 Fremont Street
Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
4178 Koval Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702/544-1870
They have a total of 7 house brewed beers and a specialty-brewed hard lemonade:
- Root Beer (non-alcoholic)
- Light Brew
- Amber Brew
- Dark
- Weiss
- Hard Lemonade
Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
3987 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702/312-5247
They have a total of 6 locally brewed beers on tap:
- Blonde bock
- Marzen
- Pilsner
- Hefeweizen
- Light
- Winter Bock
Hofbräuhaus
4510 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702/853-3227
Serves three beers, brewed in Munich according to the more than 400-year-old Bavarian purity law:
- Hefeweizen
- Hofbräuhaus Original (lager)
- Hofbräuhaus Dunkel (dark beer)
Monte Carlo Pub & Brewery
3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702/730-7777
This pub brews 6 different kinds of beer:
- Brew Master Special
- High Roller Red-Amber Ale
- Jackpot Pale -- India Pale Ale
- Las Vegas Lites -- Premium Lager
- Silver State Stout -- Irish Style Stout
- Winner's Wheat -- Wheat Ale
Sin City Brewing Company
7935 West Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89117
Desert Passage Mall
702/809-4939
This company features 2 varieties of beers, which can also be purchased as kegs through their Web site: sincitybeer.com
- Sin City Light
- Sin City Amber
Tenaya Creek Brewery & Restaurant
3101 N. Tenaya Way
Las Vegas, NV 89128
702/362-7335
Teneya Creek features 6 varieties of house-brewed beer:
- Pilsner
- Hefeweizen
- Ringtail Ale -- Pale Ale
- Nut Brown Ale
- Kolsch -- Light Ale
- Winter Solstice Barleywine -- twice the hops
Triple 7 Brew Pub
Main Street Station
200 N. Main Street
Las Vegas, NV 89125
702/387-1896
This brew pub has 4 different varieties of beer and a feature brew of the month. They've won several awards for their variations of stout.
- High Roller
- Royal Red
- Market Place Ale
- Blackchip Porter
And here goes on the pubs and bars with serious beer menus:
Freakin' Frog Beer and Wine Café
4700 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: 702/597-9702
Offers 700 beers (one of the largest menus in the U.S.) and 500 whiskeys (reputedly the largest menu in the U.S.)
Crown & Anchor British Pub
1350 E. Tropicana Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: 702/739-8676
Offers 60 different varieties of beer: 30 on tap and 30 bottled. Specializes in British beers, with the odd European and American brew thrown in for good measure. Ask about their "Guest Tap."
Burger Bar
Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: 702/632-7777
Offers 24 draft beers and 21 bottled beers
Moose's Beach Bar
4770 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: 702/798-0441
Offers 19 drafts and 10-15 different bottled beers
International Beer Bar
Golden Nugget Casino
129 E. Fremont Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
702/385-7111
Offers 12 beers on tap and 28 in total
ENTERTAINMENT
The Gun Store, Las Vegas is the place. Their website even has a 5 dollar off coupon for machine gun rental. Tuesday is ladies night apparently
Freemont Experience (night excursion) - TAKE A CAB, do not tram/bus it
Stratasphere (day excursion) - take the trolley, like $1.25 or something
Ferrari dealership in the Wynn
Concerts at Club 3121 - Rio - Wed. nights - free-$31.21
The $31.21 admission charge on Wednesday nights at Club 3121 hangs in at #10. The “locals-get-in-free” stance we reported on last month isn’t always in place (depends on the act), but the price for the level of entertainment presented at these Prince-promoted Rio concerts is a winner
Go to Freemont one night. Take a cab. Cheap beers, and you can entertain yourself for a few hours without gamblign. Plus, if you want to gamble, you'll find $5 tables
I think Fremont St. sucks and is a colossal waste of time and cab fare
The volcano in front of Mirage at night is kind of cool - I think it erupts every 15 minutes. Treasure Island's pirate show is the best thing you'll see for free, IMO (along with the fountains
Blue Man group
Amazing Jonathan is pretty good
Penn & Teller at the Rio. Tickets more reasonably priced than other shows, highly entertaining, plus you can actually meet them after the show
La Reve at the Wynn to be better than any of the Cirque shows
Of the Cirque du Soleil shows, I'd take O over the others. It's amazingly good
If you like standup, check out Danny Ganz
Mystere and Love. Love was a better overall show, but Mystere had more "Holy ####!" moments. We loved both of them
Blue man group is very good
I have heard mixed reviews about Penn and Teller, the main complaint is that they are vulgar in their show, if the lady likes that kind of humor then Penn & Teller should be fine
Vegas, we have seen Mystere, O, and LaReve. I liked Mystere about the best, although O was pretty good. (would probably have liked it better if we didn't have front-side balcony seats where you could see some of the divers below with breathing apparatus for the actors.... kind of spoiled some of the "magic".
Mama Mia is also pretty good if you haven't seen that
Amazing Johnathan was funny, although the guys in our group liked him better than did the women
Spam-A-Lot. I have heard great reviews from friends
rollercoaster at New York New York is pretty cool
The Fashion Show Mall is between The New Frontier and TI.
There's also the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace and Desert Passage Mall in Aladdin/Planet Hollywood
Mystere is the best Cirque show in Vegas and it is much less $$ than the other ones
O was a great show and worth the $$$
O is the best Cirque de Soleil I've seen and I've seen 4 or 5 of their travelling shows
Amazing Jonathan is usually a cheaper show that's pretty good
Love, which is the new Beatles-themed Cirque show at the Mirage
Freemont street at night where Binions is on the old strip. I ALWAYS hit down there. Plus every hour they have a laser light show outside, pretty cool
VEGAS WEBSITES
Las Vegas Advisor - Good Info, good forums, good coupon book
Cheapovegas.com - Good info about the hotels, etc.
Vegastodayandtomorrow.com - Cool site on Vegas projects and great maps of all kinds of stuff
Allvegaspoker.com - Info and Reviews on every poker room
Lasvegastalk.com - More forums
Wizardofodds.com - Gaming Info & Odds
Reviewjournal.com - Local Vegas news
Vegastripping.com - More info, etc.
Everythinglv.com - More info, etc.
Hotel Finders / Specials Sites:
Travelaxe.com
Vegasbrothers.com
Vegashotelspecial.com
Lasvegasroomfinders.com
http://www.worryfreevacations.com/
http://www.vegas.com/lounge/map.html
http://www.travel2vegas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13
http://forums.lasvegasadvisor.com/messagev...VAR_MSGDBTABLE= Lehigh’s to do list while in vegas
If you are looking to save money, they have a newer bus service on the strip, I think it's called "The Deuce" and they are supposed to be a nicer double-decker bus. 24-hour unlimited passes are only $5.
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and it helped me keep things organized for my trip.
draft next year. This would happen to fall on the 2nd Weekend of the NCAA tournament (Sweet 16, Elite 8), or Final Four weekend.
draft next year. This would happen to fall on the 2nd Weekend of the NCAA tournament (Sweet 16, Elite 8), or Final Four weekend.I've done some initial snooping around and rates seem to be pretty high. Any way to get around this? Group rates? Off-strip places that are reasonable? Fremont St? TIA.
