hGb hits vegas?!?

[me_and_ed]

I go about once a month, being from the West Coast it s easy and cheap, drive a half hour to Bellingham WA and fly Allegiant Air, just booked for Sept at the Monte Carlo for 2, tax and exchange on money, $490.00 for both!!! 3 night 4 days........CHEAP.

[oldtrvlagt]

Another option if you want to do some driving around...go to Laughlin...about 1 1/2 hours south of Vegas (take in the Hoover Dam on the way). There are several really nice hotels (River Palms, Aquarius, Harrah's, Colorado Belle, Edgewater) that give out tons of comps. We stayed in Laughlin the last time for 5 days and spent about $4 for food. Everything else was comped. Have a GREAT time!

[GemG7]

For your first trip I recommend you stay on the strip. The hotels are real cheap right now so it shouldn't be hard to find a good deal. If you can stay during the week you won't have to pay the higher weekend prices. March can get pricey with March madness and the Nascar races.

I would recommend booking directly with the hotel, this way if you find a better deal you can cancel without a penalty. Bally's might be good place for you to stay since it's center strip.

[happygobrokey]

we're bumping it up to the last week in october now, but my girl and i definitely want to hit up sin city. websites were giving rock-bottom rates for the week of october 25th, so we decided to snap that up. we haven't booked yet, but everywhere in town is seemingly giving the lowest rate at that time. am i missing something as to why this is an undesirable time-slot?

many casinos including the majority of the main strip are listed on expedia with flight plus hotel going for (canadian) $360 and up flying out of buffalo, or 450 and up from toronto for four nights' stay beginning on 25th october. we're going to stay on the strip since some of these have deals just as low as those off-strip.

i'd like to know you folks' opinions of the ones we are considering. are the rooms of good quality, are the staff helpful, do they comp at all to low-rollers, and so forth? and if you know the casino intimately, which rooms are preferable, ie is there a benefit to one wing or tower over another, etc? also a concern is do they offer -functional- blackout curtains? i'd hate to miss proper sleep the whole trip.

anyways, the casinos we are most inclined towards are (by price not preference):
(name - price - #stars)
sahara - 390 - 2.5*
imperial palace - 400 - 3*
circus circus - 400 - 2.5*
excalibur - 420 - 3*
stratosphere - 420 - 3*
harrah's - 440 - 3.5*
monte carlo - 460 - 3.5*
bally's - 470 - 3.5*
luxor - 470 - 3.5*
ny,ny - 490 - 4*
treasure island - 490 - 4*
mirage - 520 - 4*
caesars - 550 - 4.5*
venetian - 630 - 5*
bellagio - 650 - 5*
palazzo - 670 - 5*

i see imperial or excalibur as the best "value brands", harrah's or luxor for mid-range, t.i. or caesars for luxury, venetian or bellagio as the absolute creme.

is there a clear winner to any of those pairings i just mentioned, and given my low budget is it alright to settle for the lower-end ones, or is it worth the extra coin splurging for the caesars or venetian (girlfriend lit up when i told her it has real indoor canals/gondolas)?

also, when a website lists the type of room included for some hotels as "run of house", i suspect that term implies i can choose any unoccupied room when i check in; would that be correct? if so, this is a gigantic value boost, no? (any catch? these were harrah's group i think)

also i have another important question. is there any facility like a big locker where one might store one's baggage on the last day, after checking out of the hotel and before going to the airport, so as to enjoy those last few hours without having to tow luggage around behind you? come to think of it, it's probably allowed to check my luggage in for my flight way ahead of time, then leave and come back closer to my departure time, right?

i want to have the best vegas vacation possible, so i apologize for being so lengthy but i know you guys will set me in the right direction and i appreciate the time and effort put into all of your replies. i have about a grand of vacation pay banked, and i have about thirty rolls of u.s. quarters saved up from work. so cashwise i am good to cover the trip cost and spending funds. however i am also quite thrifty, so any hot tips on free or cheap food, drinks, shows, perks, souvenirs are heartily welcomed. thanks a bunch folks, i promise cool photos and possibly i'll do a blog post or two from location.

love you guys! wish me luck! i'm psyched!

p.s. we also went to see "the hangover" the other day. hilarious movie, mike tyson features; 100% recommend to all but the most conservative viewers.

[Jasminebed]

Well happy, I've never been to Vegas, but I am happy you found love and a gal to share life's pleasures with.

I've did a little research myself on Vegas recently, and I think that one thing you will find is that CircusCircus attracts more family visitors, so the pool may have more children.

I am also sure that you would be able to take a gondola ride whether you are a guest or not.

Some of the hotels offer a couple of show tickets as a perk...August choices seem to be Cirque du Soleil or the Lion King.

I don't know about your sweetie, but a room fridge is a big perk for me. I usually empty out a mini bar into a dresser and put my own bevies in. And a jacuzzi tub is an upgrade worth paying for IMO.

Don't forget to get a player's card whereever you visit, but you might find you get the best comp value from doing most of your play at one locale... ie $1000 at one casino rather than $50 at 20 of them.

I've yet to run into a hotel that won't stash your luggage for you after check out, and many will allow you to enjoy the facilities like the pool etc. after checkout as well. Just tell them how much you've enjoyed your stay, and wish you could have had more time to take advantage of the pool and most will swipe that room key to void it for the room and return it to you to access the pool, or they call the pool and leave your name if they have an attendant at a desk. You can always call the front desk and ask about a late checkout as well...most will give you an extra hour or two, especially if they are not fully booked.

[dominique]

Bally's is a good deal if you stay in the renovated section - which is the same price as the old.

They tend to comp you on your first stay - while you are playing. They will walk up to you playing slots, ask your name and hand you free food comps etc.

Excalibur is also a family hotel with kids shows etc.

Re luggage storage - no worries there, every Hotel will let you leave it downstairs in storage until you are ready to leave.

Re Venetian - book the Palazzo if you decide to go that way. Beats Ceasar's and everything by miles in luxury (very nice!!!!) Venetian owns the Palazzo, same price and you can pick when you book. They are one joined building and you have the run of both casinos, all the entertainment and venues. The gondolas are very nice, I love having lunch at the canal.

This is by far my favorite, and they comp very nicely if you get in some play, albeit on the second visit. Which I bet will happen, you will just love it.

All the Harrahs properties (including Ballys, Paris etc etcf) comp low rollers well.

Any casino really looks mostly at the time you spent playing and what your turnover is. You can get lucky if you lowroll and spend hours, it can push you into a much higher status.

If you can afford it, my recommendation is the Venetian/Palazzo.

[GemG7]

If book through a 3rd party (like Expedia) they will not comp your room. You may be able to get food comps though.

I would stay away from these hotels for your first stay:
sahara - 390 - 2.5*
imperial palace - 400 - 3*
circus circus - 400 - 2.5*
excalibur - 420 - 3*
stratosphere - 420 - 3*

I agree with Dominique the Venetian/Palazzo is a very swank place to stay.
I also really love the Mirage, especially their pool.

The end of October is great time to go the weather will be really nice. Vegas like other places is hurting for visitors due to the economy so you can get some really great deals right now. Even during a stronger economy the hotel prices compared to other large cities is still a good deal. Just make sure you get players cards where ever you play.

I would recommend that you google Vegas Message Boards. You can pick up a lot of good tips from frequent visitors.

Wherever you decide to stay you will have a great time and I'm sure it won't be your last trip to sin city.

[happygobrokey]

thanks a lot, guys. and yes we are very smitten with each other lol. i too really want the venetian (romantic), but the scratch is a concern to shell out big time, despite it being worth the money. decisions, decisions. i will keep shopping for the lowest prices. priceline (captain kirk) is crap though, right? it says the flights are unknown when they go and how many connections until after you book. that could severely shaft my first day. lower-than-rock-bottom prices though. well, i shall keep looking. thanks again

[dalzilla]

If book through a 3rd party (like Expedia) they will not comp your room. You may be able to get food comps though.

I would stay away from these hotels for your first stay:
sahara - 390 - 2.5*
imperial palace - 400 - 3*
circus circus - 400 - 2.5*
excalibur - 420 - 3*
stratosphere - 420 - 3*

I agree with Dominique the Venetian/Palazzo is a very swank place to stay.
I also really love the Mirage, especially their pool.

The end of October is great time to go the weather will be really nice. Vegas like other places is hurting for visitors due to the economy so you can get some really great deals right now. Even during a stronger economy the hotel prices compared to other large cities is still a good deal. Just make sure you get players cards where ever you play.

I would recommend that you google Vegas Message Boards. You can pick up a lot of good tips from frequent visitors.

Wherever you decide to stay you will have a great time and I'm sure it won't be your last trip to sin city.

Ditto to everything said above, especially the hotels not to stay at for the first time. I just think they will not leave you with "Vegas Memories to Treasure". Circus Circus was just over-run with kids and the deadly blockade of the walkway by side-by-side strollers, sometimes three at a time. I've got a personal preference for the Monte Carlo, Bally's and Bellagio. Luxor had done some remodeling last time I was there.

[romosan]

Do not stay at Circus Circus! It is filthy. Some people in our party stayed at Treasure Island and really liked it. Others stayed at the Wynn and loved it too but it is kind of pricey.