Best way to do Vegas?

[Nate Dogg]

Looking at planning a trip to Vegas this summer sometime during WSOP for me and 3 of my buddies. I've never been before. Any advice on how to get the best bang for our buck? Is it best to book flights and hotel separate or should I use one of the travel sites and do a package deal? Thanks for any input in advance.

[chknwing]

I just came back from vegas. best way to do vegas is it depends on what you want to do. if ur just gambling than get a hotel on the strip and thats all u need, but if u want to do other stuff plan it well in advance and prepay. vegas is expensive as poo.  If u r flying and want to save a poo ton of $$. dont fly out of charlotte.  I drove to atlanta and got a ticket for spirit for less than $200 per person. 5 people, I saved $3000.  Grand canyon west rim tour is only 2 hours away from vegas and is well worth it.  Also teh Big Bus Tour is a great way to see the sites in vegas as you can hop on and off any stop it goes to all day.

[Jimmy]

Been twice. First time there I got married at the Candlelight Wedding Chapel for $400. 

If your going with buddies I suspect sight seeing is out of the question although at least walking the strip has to be on the agenda just to see what's going on and taking in the atmosphere. If you are at a hotel/casino you like that'll be enough to keep you happy the entire time. Park your ass at some tables, drink a lot and laugh your tail off. One thing I liked doing was going into all the well known hotels and checking out the inside. 

In my opinion there are some must do's: see the water fountain at the Bellagio, go inside the Venetian (pretty cool), outside pirate show at Treasure Island, ride the roller coaster at night at New York, New York, go up the mini Eiffel Tower, collect the nudie handouts on the strip and give them to random people as you're walking around, place at least one bet on a sporting event while you're there. But mostly just hanging with your friends and having a blast will trump anything you plan on doing because well....Vegas, baby. 

[Squirrel]

Travel packages are usually cheaper. 

If you are just going to gamble and drink 3 days are more than enough. Anything longer and you are just asking to lose more money.  If you are doing tours and shows then do a week. 

 

You can find some good deals on the strip but most are overpriced.  When I go I'm comped already for hotel room and I fly free ( due to my job). So it is a cheap vacation.  But go yo Vegas.com. they have some deals there and gives you some ideas of things to do.  

[Nate Dogg]

1 hour ago, 15 said:

I got to Vegas all the time, I fugging love that place. I would honestly live there if my wife wasn't against it. I drove from LA so my travel advice is irrelevant.

You gotta give us a little more info on what you're into. I'm guessing you enjoy gambling so I would definitely check out the Bellagio, they have such an awesome hotel and gaming area.

The electronic music scene is like being a kid in a candy store if you're into that stuff. You can see some of the best DJ's in the world up close and personal and dance your ass off for hours on end with super hot chicks in short dresses. If you are looking to dance, party, meet chicks that want to fug, get bottle service, etc. Go to a club at night. The day clubs at the pool are sick too because it's beasically the same exact story except the girls are all in thong bikinis.

Other than that I would just get to Vegas and try not to plan too much. There is so much to see, and honestly the best Vegas trips I've had were when me and the boys didn't plan poo and kinda just rolled with the punches. Whenever I go with other couples and poo and we try to plan all these things according to schedule it becomes a shitshow.

 

 

1 hour ago, Squirrel said:

Travel packages are usually cheaper. 

If you are just going to gamble and drink 3 days are more than enough. Anything longer and you are just asking to lose more money.  If you are doing tours and shows then do a week. 

 

You can find some good deals on the strip but most are overpriced.  When I go I'm comped already for hotel room and I fly free ( due to my job). So it is a cheap vacation.  But go yo Vegas.com. they have some deals there and gives you some ideas of things to do.  

Thanks guys. We are looking to just go and get drunk and gamble. Maybe 1 or 2 shows like Blue Man Group or a comedy club. I would like to see the Grand Canyon, but that can come later in life. This trip is just for living it up with our boys.

 

Do you think it is a necessity to stay in a hotel on the strip? I've found a ton of cheaper options for rent on airbnb that are like 1 to 3 miles away from the strip... would it take away from the experience to Uber around? Are there places we could go drink by the pool during the day with a bar and lots of people ready to party even if we don't stay there? What night clubs are a must?

[Cary Kollins]

I've been about five times or so, it's fuzzy, but I love the damn place. I would recommend staying on the strip. There's nothing like rolling out of bed at 10am, playing a few rounds of black jack in your hotel and then checking out the strip with a nice day buzz going on. The clubs are fun. PURE in Ceasar's was badass, XS in the Wynn, just check some of those out online for tips about when to go and dress code. Best strip club is Spearmint Rhino, hands down.

 

Edit: looks like PURE closed in 2014

[h0llywood]

I go 4-5x a year. Just got back 2 weeks ago and going back in June. 

Give me your dates of arrival, how many in your party and how much you plan on spending on hotel rooms per night and I can provide you with insight as to how to get better deals. Also if you are planning on doing a club/pub crawl on the cheap, I have the perfect thing for you.

I've been there done that in Vegas (bars, clubs, strip clubs, swingers clubs)..yes been there done that.

[Nate Dogg]

26 minutes ago, h0llywood said:

I go 4-5x a year. Just got back 2 weeks ago and going back in June. 

Give me your dates of arrival, how many in your party and how much you plan on spending on hotel rooms per night and I can provide you with insight as to how to get better deals. Also if you are planning on doing a club/pub crawl on the cheap, I have the perfect thing for you.

I've been there done that in Vegas (bars, clubs, strip clubs, swingers clubs)..yes been there done that.

Looking at June 8th thru the 12th. Hoping to get flights and hotel for 4 people for around $2,500-$3,000 or less. Is that realistic?

[davos]

I went there for my 21st and made it an extravaganza.  Flew to LA, picked up my friend who was going to USC at the time; had 4 of us. 

Stayed at Caesars, Saw Beatles Love Cirque de Soleil, Spearmint Rino, went to O'Shea's (found out it's shut down now :( ), and that's all I'm willing to say about the trip lol   

[R0CKnR0LLA]

You're going during peak season so the hotel prices are jacked way up. Flights are probably the same. I'd still try to stay on a strip hotel if possible, but just depends on your budget.

[R0CKnR0LLA]

Just checked the prices for your date. Best value will probably be Bally's, it's at around $100 a night. The place itself is so-so but you're right next to Cromwell, Paris and Planet Hollywood and right across the street is Caesar's, Bellagio and Cosmopolitan.

[chknwing]

I stayed at the Cromwell. its a fairly new hotel after it was bought and remodeled.  only hotel I seen with hard wood floors.  but yeah driving in las vegas can suck. best to stay on the strip as close to the bellagio area which is where everything is at.  also might be a good idea to get a hotel near the monorail system so u can get around. there are also casino owned trams like bellagio to I believe montecarlo etc.  the grand canyon tour I took, bus picked us up at hotel at 6:30am and we were back in vegas by 5pm. it stopped at the hoover dam for photos then grand canyon west.  alot of great photos at Guano point.  afterwards we did the buffet in vegas and the blueman group at 930pm and then gambled until 4am after the show.  so if u plan the day right u can still do some stuff.  Also I recommend Rock of Ages show if ur are into the 80's or have a chick into the 80's it was quite a good show.

[h0llywood]

1 hour ago, Nate Dogg said:

Looking at June 8th thru the 12th. Hoping to get flights and hotel for 4 people for around $2,500-$3,000 or less. Is that realistic?

Really depends on a few factors:

1) Hotel type. Do you want upscale, mid scale or budget. Granted you want to be on the strip so I will eliminate old town and off strip hotels.

2) Room type. Since there are 4 of you, are you looking for 1 room with 2 queen beds (4 to a room), 2 rooms (connected) with 2 queen beds (2 per room) or a 2 bedroom suite.

Those two factors can help determine what hotel to get.

Depending on the hotel you want to get, immediately sign up at mlife.com (MGM Resorts Properties) and totalrewards.com (CET - Caesars Properties). By signing up, you will automatically get discounts on the basic tier. Whichever property you end up choosing make sure to get the players card at the property.

Here are the list of MGM properties. I put them in tiers (High, Mid and low) and also their location relative to the strip:
Bellagio - (Mid Strip) - Not a good 1st hotel to stay as it caters to the older and high roller crowd.
Aria Resort & Casino - (Mid Strip) - Luxury high end hotel/casino. You will pay a pretty penny to stay here but it is very trendy.
Vdara - (Mid Strip) - No casino in the hotel. Straight luxury suites.
Delano Las Vegas - (South Strip) - Luxurious (bed room, 3 tvs, separate living room, tub can fit 4-5 people.). This is my favorite hotel to relax in with just me and my wife. Note a place to hang out with guys.

Mandalay Bay - (South Strip) - The best non luxury hotel on the south end of the strip.
MGM Grand Las Vegas - (South Strip) - The big daddy. Older but larger hotel.
The Signature at MGM Grand - (South Strip) - Condo type rooms near the MGM
Monte Carlo - (South / Mid Strip) - Older but better than the below hotels.
New York-New York - (South / Mid Strip) - Low/Mid hotel. If you can go further north.

Luxor - (South Strip) - Stay here if on a budget. If you do, stay in the Towers.
Excalibur - (South Strip) - (DON'T STAY HERE!)
Circus Circus Las Vegas - (North Strip) - (DON'T STAY HERE! YOU WILL HATE VEGAS)

Here are the list of CET properties. I put them in tiers (High, Mid and low) and also their location relative to the strip:
The good thing about CET is that they're mostly mid strip.

Caesars Palace Las Vegas - Mid Strip - Top luxury and classic hotel 
Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace - Mid Strip - Botique hotel (expensive)

The Cromwell Las Vegas - Mid Strip -Just renovated hotel.
Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino - Mid Strip -(One of the most fun casinos)
Paris Las Vegas - Mid Strip -(Old hotel. Do not stay here)

The LINQ Las Vegas - Mid Strip - Just renovated but rooms are small
Flamingo Las Vegas - Mid Strip - Needs renovating
Bally's Las Vegas - Mid Strip -Old....older crowd but fun vibe.
Harrah's Las Vegas - Mid Strip -Very old...same as above.

 

Non MGM or CET hotel to stay in:

Cosmopolitan. This is probably the best Casino to stay in Vegas at the moment. It is modern and lots of things going on especially at the night clubs here. If you can get a good rate here, I would highly recommend staying here.

If you want High Roller Hotels, go to the Wynn or Encore but I doubt that is your crowd for the first time. I was there with my sister in law and she was playing 1,000 spins on roulette. 

 

Now these are just for the rooms. As far as travel airline, they also have that option, but since I don't know where you're flying out of (probably CLT?) they have deals if you book hotels and rooms together. Again, if you decide to do that, make sure you sign up and get the players card for that property. 

 

This post was just for the hotel. If you want details on transportation (getting around), clubs (lounges, EDM, etc.), strip clubs (topless, nude, both), off strip (exotic car racing, pub crawls, shooting ranges, horse back riding, helicopter rides, trips to Hoover Dam or Grand Canyon) I can elaborate on that too.

[h0llywood]

1 hour ago, 15 said:

I'm heading there on 4/29, you gotta give me your list of things to do for me and the lady friend. Wanna try some new stuff this time. Maybe some butt stuff.

Hey brother...if you've got an open mind...i've got a million suggestions.

Club Crawl...for $39, goes to 2-3 bars and 3 clubs. It's pretty damn fun.

Do you want an in-room "massage" or do you want to hit a swingers club let me know lol.