TTMA Las Vegas

[TheEleventhHour]

Who has been? Why do you love it (or hate it)? Where did you stay? What did you do?

We have never been. We have felt like we wouldn't like it but I am researching places to travel in April and I think I haven't given Vegas a fair chance. So tell me everything!

[aprilz81]

I've been two times, once for work and once to tag along on my Mom's work trip.

I like Vegas, but only for a few days. I'm not big on gambling or drinking but there is plenty to do anyway. I love, love, love, LOOOOOVVVVE the fountains at Belagio, especially at night. I could sit on the sidewalk (eew) all night and watch them. I think the shows are every 15 minutes after dark.

There are a lot of free attractions, parking at the casinos are free and there is a monorail that connects some of the casinos that will help cut down on walking. Walking the Strip can be fun, but distances are deceiving, you've been warned.

I may have been looking in the wrong places but the buffet's were ridiculously expensive in most cases but there is a lot of good food in that city.

[peaseblossom55]

I went in 2012 for SIL's wedding we were there for several days. We stayed at the Bellagio. We did a lot of wedding related things and touristy things as well. We ate at lot of wonderful restaurants too. I loved walking around the strip and loved walking around the street with an open alcohol container. I checked it off of my list I would be fine if I never went back. I'm not huge in gambling either. I because I was there for a wedding we did a lot of fun things that wouldn't have happened and if we weren't there for SIL's wedding. We also saw Cirque Du Soleil.

[goldenlove3]

I've been twice. I've stayed at the Mirage and the Luxor. The Mirage was much nicer and I liked that side of the strip better. I don't gamble but there is soooo much to do there. We saw Ka (Cirque du soleil) and it was really awesome but I had a hard time following the actual story. It was still amazing. The pools are also nice if it's not too busy. Make sure you also go downtown to check out the older casinos and the light show. I went zip lining too and it was super fun!

[requiressnacks]

Yay Vegas! I've been quite a few times - stayed at the Bellagio, Bally's and the Flamingo. (Along with a bunch of off-strip places that I wouldn't recommend). All of the hotels are generally nice. I wouldn't stay at the Bellagio again because they didn't let you use the mini fridge in the room. (This was a pet peeve of mine, for the $$ you're spending you should be able to keep a few drinks cold).

I love all the shows, food and nightlife. problem is, everything I like to do in Vegas involves money. Maybe if I go back I'll do more cultural things...Hoover dam, etc.

[pinkcat]

I love Vegas! We have stayed at Caesar's, and The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. Both were nice, I liked Mandalay Bay more.

There is soooo much to do in Vegas, even if you don't like to gamble. There is great shopping, great restaurants, fun bars, and a ton of good shows! We have seen several of the Cirque du Soleil shows (O, Ka, and Love) as well as Phantom and a few others. The shows are absolutely amazing! I would recommend Love (it's based off Beatles' music) but I think you can't go wrong with any of the shows in Vegas.

Hotels and flights are generally cheap because they want to get you there to gamble, so it's not too expensive of a trip if you aren't a big gambler. I would have a hard time being there for more than 4 or 5 days (so much drinking!) but for a shorter trip it's a great place to go.

[Deleted]

I've been three times, and actually just booked our trip there for March for MH's birthday! I've stayed at Mandalay Bay, New York New York, and the Monte Carlo. All three hotels were fine, and honestly I'd stay at any of them again

We are staying at the Cosmopolitan this time, and I've heard incredible things about it. The bars are a lot of fun, the restaurants are fantastic, and the amount of sight seeing is incredible. It's even fun to just sit and people watch along the strip. Three or four days is my limit on how long I can be there before begging to come home, but it is a lot of fun.

Oh, we also saw Absinthe at Caesars Palace when we went back in October. If you do go, I highly recommend this show. I've never laughed harder in my life!

[lgraceh]

I LOVE Vegas. We even got married there. My tip is to make sure you hit up Fremont (the old downtown). It's super fun, more classic/old Hollywood, and cheaper overall. Also, if you guys are into "checking in" places on social media, do so before you actually get there. There are so many coupons, offers, specials that pop up when you check in at a specific bar or show. If you've already purchased tickets, it's a bummer. Oh, and the Linq is worth it. Great views of the city and you can have booze if you are a little nervous about heights.

[cookswithwine9]

I love Vegas too! I have been 3x. I have stayed at the Cosmopolitan, beautiful girly hotel. But the other times we stayed at the Flamingo. It's a central location and a good price. You will be walking A LOT! Bring comfortable shoes. The distances are longer than they look. Vegas is also expensive! It's like a theme park for adults though!

[PepperPottsJ]

Love Vegas!! Have stayed in Cosmopolitan, Wynn, Four Seasons and somewhere else I can't recall. Def do the Grand Canyon helicopter picnic, see shows, I'm not really a gambler, but if you are into that... The pool parties are fun (am a brat a insist on a reserved space for the huge ones), definitely watch the fountains, and explore! I wish we had not spent so much in the rooms because we weren't ever in there, and I also will not wait for more than 3 minutes to get into a club . It can be a totally romantic trio, or nothing but chaotic fun, that's the magic of Vegas, go for it!!

[rooskie]

H and I did Vegas last year and will be going back this spring.

Last year we stayed in the Excalibur, because we are never in our room. If we planned on spending time there we would have picked another hotel but we pretty much slept and showered there. We went to see Zarkana, Tournament of Kings, and the aquarium at Mandalay Bay. We ate at the buffet at Aria and Bellagio. And at Shake Shack twice. We spent most of our days walking from casino to casino checking out the decor and shops. We put $20 into penny slots here and there for free drinks. We did take the bus down to Fremont and it was really neat to see old Vegas and play slots with coins instead of just getting paper wins. We always went and changed clothes around 5pm before dinner and the shows and grabbed a jacket. Normally we would stay up until 2-3 am then sleep in the next day.

I think this year we are maybe staying at NYNY. We want to see the Jersey Boys show and KA. I really want to see the Tigers at the Mirage too.

With our current free offers and discount airfare we can stay/fly for about $600 for a week which is really cheap.

Also if you're into Facebook games we both play myVegas. You play slots and blackjack on mobile apps and on your computer to earn gold. You can cash in gold for three offers every 90 days. Last year we got bogo buffets and show tickets and saved some money. Usually I just play on my iPad while I'm running and set the slots to autospin. It gives me something to watch and we can save money on our next trip.

[madamewaffles]

I like Vegas. I go 1-2x a year, usually once for fun and once for an annual work conference. I like to stay off strip at Embassy Suites on Paradise Road because of the following:

1) There is no casino. I do gamble, but it is nice to not have the noise and heavy smoke smell, as well as not having to trek so far in the hotel to get to my room.
2) Free cooked to order breakfast. One less meal to pay for each day. With the exception of one visit to Hash House A Go Go because everyone needs an 18" pancake at least once on their Vegas trip.
3) The monorail is about a block and a half walk away. You can buy a weekly pass and use that to get to the strip.
4) Manager's Reception. Every evening from 5-7, I think, there are free drinks in the bar at the hotel. Not always great quality, but wonderful for pre-gaming for the night.
5) Rates are usually lower for off-strip hotels.
6) Proximity to off-strip restaurants. Again, usually cheaper and I absolutely recommend eating at Firefly, a wonderful tapas restaurant with killer cocktails.

For shows I recommend Absinthe (Hilarious. If you sit in the front row, be ready for audience participation), any of the Cirques, or La Reve (between this and CDS, I recommend this one more. Absolutely beautiful).

[madamewaffles]

Double post.

Look away!!

[PepperPottsJ]

Feb 2, 2016 14:50:23 GMT -5 ugaqueencity said:

Feb 2, 2016 14:22:52 GMT -5 PepperPottsJ said:

Love Vegas!! Have stayed in Cosmopolitan, Wynn, Four Seasons and somewhere else I can't recall. Def do the Grand Canyon helicopter picnic, see shows, I'm not really a gambler, but if you are into that... The pool parties are fun (am a brat a insist on a reserved space for the huge ones), definitely watch the fountains, and explore! I wish we had not spent so much in the rooms because we weren't ever in there, and I also will not wait for more than 3 minutes to get into a club . It can be a totally romantic trio, or nothing but chaotic fun, that's the magic of Vegas, go for it!!

Absolute yes to getting a reserved space if you're doing one of the day club pool parties, and the required minimums don't end up being bad at all since they cover the whole group. I would recommend avoiding Rehab at the Hard Rock, it apparently used to be really fun but it was pretty gross when we were there. Like we saw a used condom floating in the pool. We stayed in our cabana and had fun, but the actual party was pretty sloppy

OMG that is nasty...

We did the encore beach club - and drinking the minimum did not go so well, was vomiting in a luxurious bathroom for 10 hours... Not my brightest moment - but it was an amazing day !!

[wannabmama]

I've stayed at the Bellagio, Mandalay bay, and MGM. Two were girls trips, last was a big group with H, too.
I liked all the hotels but Mandalay is probably my favorite. I love the pool area. I love just hanging poolside most of the day to rest up for the nightlife. I have no patience for lines and clubs, but can usually find fun bars or will play slots on the floor for drinks. I want to go back for shows and that kind of stuff. H was kind of a brat when we went, so I doubt I'll go back with him...but that's just bc he hates glitzy over the top displays of wealth and gluttony, ha. (I think they're fun...for a couple days!)
Oh yeah...I cannot imagine spending more than about three days there, but that's because I tend to drink a lot and stay up until sunrise when I'm there and I'm too old for that sh*t nowadays.

[britta]

I might be the odd person out, but...

I've been, we went for a long weekend (Thurs to Sat) at the beginning of March. It was just ok. We stayed at the Luxor. I was underwhelmed.

That being said, I'm not much of a gambler and went with my ex, whose main objective was to play in some poker tournaments. The pool was closed (it wasn't all that warm anyway), so I was kinda bored trying to keep myself occupied playing slots.

We did do some sightseeing (I thought the fountains at the Bellagio were cool), went to one show and one exhibition (which was super cool-The Body or something it was called). Maybe if we would have done more of that it would have been more exciting. I'm trying to convince H we should go (he's never been) to see if my opinion would change going with someone else, but he has absolutely no desire. There is a conference being held there this year that he could attend and he's still not interested, even with his buddy from work saying that he would go too and telling him it would be awesome. *shrugs*

[TheEleventhHour]

Yay! Thanks for all of the suggestions ladies. I am in trip planning mode. It has been way too long (try SIX years) since we have been away alone.

[TheEleventhHour]

Feb 2, 2016 14:50:23 GMT -5 ugaqueencity said:

Feb 2, 2016 14:22:52 GMT -5 PepperPottsJ said:

Love Vegas!! Have stayed in Cosmopolitan, Wynn, Four Seasons and somewhere else I can't recall. Def do the Grand Canyon helicopter picnic, see shows, I'm not really a gambler, but if you are into that... The pool parties are fun (am a brat a insist on a reserved space for the huge ones), definitely watch the fountains, and explore! I wish we had not spent so much in the rooms because we weren't ever in there, and I also will not wait for more than 3 minutes to get into a club . It can be a totally romantic trio, or nothing but chaotic fun, that's the magic of Vegas, go for it!!

Absolute yes to getting a reserved space if you're doing one of the day club pool parties, and the required minimums don't end up being bad at all since they cover the whole group. I would recommend avoiding Rehab at the Hard Rock, it apparently used to be really fun but it was pretty gross when we were there. Like we saw a used condom floating in the pool. We stayed in our cabana and had fun, but the actual party was pretty sloppy

OMG nooooooo. DNW. 

[bearfootz]

We stayed at Bally's. While the rooms were nothing special, the location was perfect and the price was right.

I'll admit that I like the cheesiness of Vegas. Gambling on penny slots, watching Big Elvis sing, seeing the volcano erupt in front of The Mirage. We rented a car one day and had breakfast at a diner in Boulder City, went to Hoover Dam and stopped at a little casino outside of Vegas that had a super cheap buffet and gave DH non-stop free drinks while we gambled (and actually found slots that paid out). We also did tour of Red Rock through Scoot City tours that was pretty fun.

I'm not into the club or pool scene. I had a bit of anxiety our first day there about leaving the kids so realized drinking made everything better. DH and I would grab beers at the corner stores and walk the strip, duck into a casino and play a while and have a "free" drink, then walk some more.

Bring comfortable shoes for walking and some extra gambling money and have a blast.

[bearfootz]

Feb 2, 2016 14:50:29 GMT -5 madamewaffles said:

I like Vegas. I go 1-2x a year, usually once for fun and once for an annual work conference. I like to stay off strip at Embassy Suites on Paradise Road because of the following:

1) There is no casino. I do gamble, but it is nice to not have the noise and heavy smoke smell, as well as not having to trek so far in the hotel to get to my room.
2) Free cooked to order breakfast. One less meal to pay for each day. With the exception of one visit to Hash House A Go Go because everyone needs an 18" pancake at least once on their Vegas trip.
3) The monorail is about a block and a half walk away. You can buy a weekly pass and use that to get to the strip.
4) Manager's Reception. Every evening from 5-7, I think, there are free drinks in the bar at the hotel. Not always great quality, but wonderful for pre-gaming for the night.
5) Rates are usually lower for off-strip hotels.
6) Proximity to off-strip restaurants. Again, usually cheaper and I absolutely recommend eating at Firefly, a wonderful tapas restaurant with killer cocktails.

For shows I recommend Absinthe (Hilarious. If you sit in the front row, be ready for audience participation), any of the Cirques, or La Reve (between this and CDS, I recommend this one more. Absolutely beautiful).

I love this place - twisted farm cuisine, is that the tagline?

[TheEleventhHour]

Feb 2, 2016 15:45:13 GMT -5 bearfootz said:

We stayed at Bally's. While the rooms were nothing special, the location was perfect and the price was right.

I'll admit that I like the cheesiness of Vegas. Gambling on penny slots, watching Big Elvis sing, seeing the volcano erupt in front of The Mirage. We rented a car one day and had breakfast at a diner in Boulder City, went to Hoover Dam and stopped at a little casino outside of Vegas that had a super cheap buffet and gave DH non-stop free drinks while we gambled (and actually found slots that paid out). We also did tour of Red Rock through Scoot City tours that was pretty fun.

I'm not into the club or pool scene. I had a bit of anxiety our first day there about leaving the kids so realized drinking made everything better. DH and I would grab beers at the corner stores and walk the strip, duck into a casino and play a while and have a "free" drink, then walk some more.

Bring comfortable shoes for walking and some extra gambling money and have a blast.

We are not either which is why I've never really considered going but it sounds like we could fill our time with a lot of other things!

[samanthasays]

I stayed at Ceasars in a normal room with a girl friend, we LOVED being able to walk down to the shops and get all of the crazy drinks by the yard that we wanted Our boss had the rain man suite, that was pretty awesome! He got us a table and bottle service at Pure, again, awesome. Serendipity has super fun desserts, and the Beetles cirque du soleil show was the best! Oh and I LOVED walking around the Venitian, I would actually really want to stay there next time I go. Oh and Bellagio has this beautiful indoor garden that is free and so fun to walk around. They redo it 4 times a year I think. Even the blown glass in the lobby is beautiful and worth a visit. They also have a chinese (I think) restaurant that overlooks the fountains, that is a fun place to eat

[bearfootz]

Feb 2, 2016 16:05:02 GMT -5 TheEleventhHour said:

Feb 2, 2016 15:45:13 GMT -5 bearfootz said:

We stayed at Bally's. While the rooms were nothing special, the location was perfect and the price was right.

I'll admit that I like the cheesiness of Vegas. Gambling on penny slots, watching Big Elvis sing, seeing the volcano erupt in front of The Mirage. We rented a car one day and had breakfast at a diner in Boulder City, went to Hoover Dam and stopped at a little casino outside of Vegas that had a super cheap buffet and gave DH non-stop free drinks while we gambled (and actually found slots that paid out). We also did tour of Red Rock through Scoot City tours that was pretty fun.

I'm not into the club or pool scene. I had a bit of anxiety our first day there about leaving the kids so realized drinking made everything better. DH and I would grab beers at the corner stores and walk the strip, duck into a casino and play a while and have a "free" drink, then walk some more.

Bring comfortable shoes for walking and some extra gambling money and have a blast.

We are not either which is why I've never really considered going but it sounds like we could fill our time with a lot of other things!

We went Wed-Sat which was probably one day longer than we needed and the weekend was way busier.  Seriously, there was so much to walk around and look at and lots of ways to fill your time besides gambling.

[rooskie]

Feb 2, 2016 16:05:02 GMT -5 TheEleventhHour said:

Feb 2, 2016 15:45:13 GMT -5 bearfootz said:

We stayed at Bally's. While the rooms were nothing special, the location was perfect and the price was right.

I'll admit that I like the cheesiness of Vegas. Gambling on penny slots, watching Big Elvis sing, seeing the volcano erupt in front of The Mirage. We rented a car one day and had breakfast at a diner in Boulder City, went to Hoover Dam and stopped at a little casino outside of Vegas that had a super cheap buffet and gave DH non-stop free drinks while we gambled (and actually found slots that paid out). We also did tour of Red Rock through Scoot City tours that was pretty fun.

I'm not into the club or pool scene. I had a bit of anxiety our first day there about leaving the kids so realized drinking made everything better. DH and I would grab beers at the corner stores and walk the strip, duck into a casino and play a while and have a "free" drink, then walk some more.

Bring comfortable shoes for walking and some extra gambling money and have a blast.

We are not either which is why I've never really considered going but it sounds like we could fill our time with a lot of other things!

H and I don't do clubs or pools. Or even really bars. If you Pinterest look around for "free things in Vegas" or "things for couples". You can seriously spend half an hour + walking through the M&Ms store.

[RajahMD]

We just went to Vegas last month for CES. I had never been before.

We stayed at Planet Hollywood. Previously DH has stayed at Westgate and Circus Circus (I think).

I had a blast. We spent most of our time at CES during the day, but did stuff each night. My favorite meal was the dinner buffet at the Bellagio- amazing! And the fountains there are so cool (we could see them from our room at PH). We also saw a show at the Westgate.

My favorite part was the High Roller. They were unusually slow last month. When we went to ride the High Roller (the giant ferris wheel), we splurged for the all you can drink package, assuming we'd get like 2 maybe 3 drinks. Well, they were so slow that we had the entire cabin to ourselves, with our own private bartender. Needless to say, we only vaguely remember eating dinner afterwards, and neither of us remember catching a cab back to our hotel. Oh, and I drunkenly bought cupcakes.

Honestly, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it, but I loved it. In fact, we both loved it so much that we bought a timeshare in Vegas at the Westgate Resort and Casino. I was totally set to say no, but then they offered us a deal we couldn't refuse (less than the cost of MH's Jeep).

So yeah, now we have an excuse to go back to Vegas and I cannot wait.

[TheEleventhHour]

RajahMD Oh my gosh, I totally forgot you got the timeshare! That is so awesome. I've been researching a lot. I haven't asked H if he would want to go because I know he thinks he will hate it so I am basically going to plan the entire thing (short of booking) to show him all the fun things we could do.

[TheEleventhHour]

Feb 2, 2016 17:12:39 GMT -5 rooskie said:

Feb 2, 2016 16:05:02 GMT -5 TheEleventhHour said:

We are not either which is why I've never really considered going but it sounds like we could fill our time with a lot of other things!

H and I don't do clubs or pools. Or even really bars. If you Pinterest look around for "free things in Vegas" or "things for couples". You can seriously spend half an hour + walking through the M&Ms store.

Awesome idea! I feel like tonight is going to be spent in a "things to do in Vegas" Google/Pinterest spiral lol. 

[Deleted]

You really can't run out of things to do in Vegas. Even if you're not a huge drinker/gambler. The first two times I went, I was under 21 and still didn't have a chance to see half the things I wanted to. The strip doesn't seem all that big, but when you're actually there walking it, it's enormous. Definitely check out pinterest for some ideas of things to do. The list really is endless.

[requiressnacks]

RajahMD, I too loved the High Roller in October! Would definitely do that again

Oh, and we did Madam Tussauds (sp?) wax museum and loved it. One of my favorite non drinking activities.

[RajahMD]

Feb 2, 2016 19:21:41 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

RajahMD, I too loved the High Roller in October! Would definitely do that again

Oh, and we did Madam Tussauds (sp?) wax museum and loved it. One of my favorite non drinking activities.

I wanted to go the Madame Tussauds so bad! Unfortunately we didn't have time. Just another reason to go back!