Vegas??

[TJ]

Who's been?

Mh is speaking at a conference in May. We are going to go up a few days early and hang out. (My parents will watch the girls.) We will be there a total of 5 days.

What's up? Where should I go? What should I do? Give me all the tips and advice!!

[gsancho]

Love Vegas!! Where are you staying during the conference? Are you big foodies? Into wine or more beer and cocktails? There's so many places and people have different tastes, I'm sure you'll get plenty of recommendations.

I personally enjoy going to the Cosmo if I want a busy and fancy atmosphere, or Venetian/Encore if you want a little calmer. Cosmo also has some of my favorite restaurants like China Poblano. If you like Chinese, Wynn has the best - my favorite is Red 8, which is small plates. If you like wine and cheese, I love La Cave - also small plates and in Encore. If you want a fancy buffet, I think the one at Cesar's Palace is the best.

I always recommend that you go to the sky lounge at Mandarin Oriental. Their lobby and bar area is on the 29th floor and has an amazing view. They don't have a casino, so I always get to a point when I want a moment of quiet time with a drink, and it's perfect for that.

If you like to gamble, I'm a cheapo and prefer old Vegas or some of the old school hotels like The Flamingo that have $5 tables. There's plenty of good gambling places though, obviously. I don't get into shows, so no advice there. Have fun!!

[karabear4409]

I've never been, but 5 days in Vegas kid free?

[bluefairy5]

Not sure what your show budget (or interest level) is, but if you want to see something, I highly recommend O at the Bellagio. (This rec is from 2005, but I understand it hasn't really changed, heh.) (Holy shit, 2005. 12 years. How.)

[luvboston]

I'm not a gambler I'm a shopper but I love vegas!
Maggianos near the wynn is delicious and if you sit at the window it's gorgeous at night and fun to watch ppl.

I have been to O its amazing. Also Bette Midler is great, Garth brooks if he's there is unbelievable or Shania Twain.
There is an upscale mall at the far end of the strip with a great Nordstrom where they will do your makeup for free.
I just like to walk from one hotel to the next and look at all the shops. The m&m store is super fun!

[TJ]

The conference is at th cosmo, so hooray!!

But we are going up 2 days early and will find somewhere else to stay those 2 days. Any suggestions??

Thanks for all this info, it sounds amazing!!

[turquoisequeen]

I don't have anything to add that hasn't been said already other than... totes jelly

[ruthie]

We stayed at Vdara and I'd do it again. I wanted a non smoking hotel that wasn't a casino, so it was perfect. t was sort of connected to Bellagio, but off the actual strip, which was great for noise and price. It was very nice and we had a little suite for a great deal.

I'm not a gambler, so we just ate our way through town and wandered around. I have nothing to add other than- have fun!!

[TJ]

@buttmonkey As far as amenities for the first 2 days, we don't need much. Near food and drink. Walking distance to a casino.

The days of his conference, I plan to be at the pool and drinking during the days. Then we will do dinner and hang out after.

[luvboston]

Make sure you check the bed bug registry circus circus has bed bugs!

[gsancho]

Jan 30, 2017 15:45:20 GMT -5 TJ said:

The conference is at th cosmo, so hooray!!

But we are going up 2 days early and will find somewhere else to stay those 2 days. Any suggestions??

Thanks for all this info, it sounds amazing!!

Agree with @buttmonkey on hotel recos, but wanted to add that we stayed at Planet Hollywood once and liked it for a middle of the road priced hotel.  It's also across from the Cosmo, so excellent location.  MGM has a good Sports Book but is kinda far IMO.  Aria is set back a little (entrance isn't right on the strip) and some people I know who have stayed there complained it was a far walk or too heavy with convention traffic since they have a lot of events there.

Things look close on a map, but the hotels are so huge that walking can take FOREVER!!  So I wouldn't stay too far on the north or south ends of the strip.  Anything between the Palazzo and Cosmo is typically ideal location for still being able to walk everywhere without being exhausted (or without caving and taking cabs everywhere, like my lazy ass does).

[madamewaffles]

If you like (sometimes) crude humor and potential audience participation, I highly, highly recommend Absinthe. My favorite show. It's a variety show with awesome acts and a great host. Food wise, you can't go wrong with many of the celebrity chef places on the Strip. Mon Ami Gabi at Paris gives you a seated view of the Bellagio fountains if you can get on the patio. The goat cheese app is my fave. One of my favorites is just off the strip called Firefly. Spanish style Tapas and AMAZING cocktails for a lot less than strip prices. And definitely go have breakfast at Hash House A Go-Go to eat a pancake 2x the size of your head!!

[madamewaffles]

Jan 30, 2017 18:02:18 GMT -5 gsancho said:

Jan 30, 2017 15:45:20 GMT -5 TJ said:

The conference is at th cosmo, so hooray!!

But we are going up 2 days early and will find somewhere else to stay those 2 days. Any suggestions??

Thanks for all this info, it sounds amazing!!

Agree with @buttmonkey on hotel recos, but wanted to add that we stayed at Planet Hollywood once and liked it for a middle of the road priced hotel.  It's also across from the Cosmo, so excellent location.  MGM has a good Sports Book but is kinda far IMO.  Aria is set back a little (entrance isn't right on the strip) and some people I know who have stayed there complained it was a far walk or too heavy with convention traffic since they have a lot of events there.

Things look close on a map, but the hotels are so huge that walking can take FOREVER!!  So I wouldn't stay too far on the north or south ends of the strip.  Anything between the Palazzo and Cosmo is typically ideal location for still being able to walk everywhere without being exhausted (or without caving and taking cabs everywhere, like my lazy ass does).

My husband and I call the bolded "Vegas Vision." We have gotten so burned out thinking we can hoof it and ends up taking 2 hours! And the heat just makes it so much worse. Good excuse to stop for "refreshments" though. 😊

[leahb12]

I don't have much advice because I think it's been 9 years since I've been. And I basically drank my way through Vegas. Ahhh to be in my 20s again. Have a great time!

[mnj05]

Most of it has been covered but I want to second the Wynn. We stayed there both times we've gone (and actually found out two years ago we know the family who owns it).

Another +1 to any Cirque show. We've seen one that I don't remember the name of and I want to say it was at Treasure Island or Mirage. We've also seen O. It was amazing. I plan to go back and see more of their shows.

[fightersince83]

Say yes to Vegas. Even if all you do is hang out at the pool or chill in the lazy river (assuming your hotel has one) drinking drinks, it's all fun. There are lots of shows you can go see and even exhibits if you're not wanting to go clubbing. Plus good food. Just say yes

ETA: it has been a while since I've been but I think Mandalay Bay has the best pool

[mrswillie]

I echo everyone else's suggestions. The hotel lobbies are quite grand and fun to check out. I could've have sat and watched the fountains at the Bellagio all day... and probably did. We stayed at Paris. It was cool to go to the top of their Eiffel Tower for a view of the city. Mon Ami Gabi is also at Paris and was delicious! I found another location near me and have been a few times since. I didn't get to experience any of the pools, as we went in January, but they looked amazing.

[dancerspose]

I would definitely go see a cirque show while you're there. They're amazing and we go whenever there (I used to have family living in Vegas so I'd go pretty regularly).

[Sha259]

I love Vegas! It is actually DH and my go to vacation in the fall because of great hotel rates and fantastic weather compared to Pennsylvania in November. We are not gamblers, so we eat watch and walk our way through Vegas! We have been 5 times and have stayed at Treasure Island, Paris, Monte Carlo, and the Palazzo twice. I highly recommend the Palazzo. Spa is fantastic, gym is well equipped, rooms are ginormous. The atmosphere of the hotel is also very relaxed, even when it is super busy. We prefer it even to the Venetian.

When it comes to food, DH and I tend to be deal seekers. But we did find a really great sushi place at the Monte Carlo that has half price sushi on Sunday and great deals during the week.

Most of the time when we go to vegas our schedule consists of waking late, gym, then just walking up and down the strip. We also enjoy shopping at Crystals, the mall, and the north outlets. They have a Burberry outlet!

For shows, I have seen both KA(before the tragic fall) and O, both shows are wonderful. I also saw the Jabbawokeez show when it was at Luxor, they are now at the MGM. I followed their career since they were on ABDC so it was a must see show for me and I was not disappointed!

All this to say, no matter what you think is fun, you will find your sort of fun in Vegas!