First trip to Vegas - seeking advice

[gerilege]

Mid February we are going to visit my wife's relatives in Phoenix. We will have enough spare time to rent a car and drive to Vegas for a 2 nights stay. We would be very grateful for any tips and recommendations.
We plan to spend around $100 per night for a double room, but we can afford up to $150 for good price/value ratio, and we prefer the Strip (I hope that is the right name for the nice boulevard can be seen on TV with the Pyramids, etc ).
For games we plan to play slots, any coupons, cashback, bonus tips are welcome But we plan to focus on our eyes and stay, and not on spending a lot on casino games. Furthermore we might want to play some hold'em, 3/6-5/10 fix limit hold'em or a small tourney with a buy-in up to $50 would be nice.
Please help a non-native English speaker "Vegas beginner" couple from Central Europe (at the age of 31).

[Vegasbum]

Hi gerilege. It makes a big difference what days you plan to be in Vegas. Rooms on weekends cost much more than during the week. Hotels that are mid strip would be Ballys, Bills, Imperial Palace, Ceasars, Flamingo, Bellagio and some others. Here is a map of the strip

http://www.cheapovegas.com/vegas_map.php?map=strip

If you go to travelocity.com and put in the dates it will give you some decent rates for rooms. There is a big difference in price according to how fancy the hotel is. Wynn, Cosmopoliton, Bellagio Venetian ect are first class and cost much more. Ballys, Flamingo, Imperial Palace, Tropicana are a lower class and the rates are much cheaper. You will not have a problem in any hotel on the strip as they are all clean and decent . The more you pay the better and bigger the room. Example is you can get a room Feb 14 and Feb 15 at Imperial Palace for 25 a night....or you can get a room in Harrahs for 60 a night. A nicer room for those same dates at Bellagiois 216 and at Venitian 180.

So it is up to you on how nice a room you want and what you want to spend.

Lots of free shows on the strip like the fountain show at Bellagio, the pirate ship at Treasure Island or the Volcano show at Mirage . There are so many other free shows that will keep you busy. Just google Vegas and you will find lots.

Have a great time and if you need any more info just pm me or ask questions on here

[silcnlayc]

Staying on the strip is a must. When we went we stayed at the Luxor and was truly disappointed how far out it was from the others. Had to take a cab and a jitney to get around.

The next time we went we stayed dead center on the strip next to the Flamingo I think. Was perfect. Walked out the hotel door and could get to everything so easily and all other casinos. Caesars is HUGE...a few blocks long...went there but would never stay there...too big for me.

So, if you book your flight and rooms together you would get a huge discount right now. I keep getting room rates about $39-79 a night and about $99 at the newer ones.

I hope you have a great and prosperous trip!

.

[Diane]

I recognize you only have two days and agree with the others about staying center strip. However, one of the "must sees" is downtown (old Vegas).

I have been to Vegas 100+ times and when I take first time visitors I always include a stop downtown. Invariably my friends say they marveled at the strip, but LOVED downtown with the street fair type atmosphere, low limits etc.

Diane

[gerilege]

Thank you all, all of the above info helped a lot. We will try to find a strip hotel during weekdays and also visit the downtown.

[dominique]

I have a site that offers comps to newcomers. It's in my signature. It's for all the MGM properties, you might find a better deal there. The deals change every few days...

Have fun, Vegas rocks, something there for everyone!

[Pulver]

I would recommend you to check out the view over the strip and Las Vegas from the Stratosphere tower at the end of the strip. If you are really inzane, you can take the rollercoaster on top. (Not for the faint hearted )

You should also check out the water fountain outside Bellagio and the volcano outside Ceasar's.

It is also an experience in itself just to walk up and down the strip, seeing all the amazing structures and buildings. There are also enough shops for your wife to go crazy.

As to playing poker I would highly recomend playing at The Venetian. They have e VERY good poker room with both tournaments and cashgames.

Enjoy your stay!

[Rhyzz]

Las Vegas Blvd...possibly the longest road in the world. I nearly fainted walking in 40 degree heat from the Fashion Show back to the Bellagio!

Use the Monorail if you want nice cheap transport, it has stops at the Imperial Palace and MGM. Takes about the same time as walking but much less effort, plus you get to wander through the Casino's to get to it.

I'd stick to the cheaper hotels if you're on a budget. Excalibur runs about $50 a night for a room I think, I stayed there the first time I went, perfectly clean and cheap buffet Also has a Krispie Kream...mmm!

Best slot - keep an eye out for Super Jackpot Party...immense bonus round

[1366613]

Hope this can help, some days ago i can find lot of aplication in my iPhone. If you have or someone have one search in the appstore byt the name of hotel, and you can find very nice offers nice hotel prices!!!!!! lot of discounts. Have a nice days in vegas!

Here you have an example that i can take, this is at Luxor Casino:

[slotomatic]

Make sure to sign up for the player's card/rewards card for each place you play at. Total Rewards, for instance (bally's, the rio, caesar's palace) send you mailers with coupons and you can often get 3-5 nights free per month once you have played some on your card. It could make your next Vegas trip nearly free (at least the room bill, anyway).