Greetings from 'Sin City'!
SizzlininIN said:
Anyone been there recently? I'm thinking about surprising DH with a weekend trip there for his Christmas Present.
You would obviously have to pick a weekend before you search for flights and rates, as they change depending upon the month and day of the week. You can usually get better rates Sun-Thu, but if you don't want to or can't take the time off work, weekends are a good time to be here. You'll get the 'Vegas experience' either way, because it's crowded all the time these days (mid-week used to be kinda dead. The weekend will be MORE crowded... it just depends what you like).
I guess you wouldn't be planning to go immediately, so you may want to plan your trip around something special to you... such as an anniversary or something. I would check the web for the tour dates of his favorite band or musical artist. Most stop in Vegas, and I think it would blow his mind to get that kind of Christmas gift (he'll open it to find two concert tickets to see Elton John or Mariah Carey - - or whoever he's into, and then see that the concert is in Vegas... THEN you can surprise him with the second part of the present... Whoo HOOO!!!).
SizzlininIN said:
Anyway, tell me about your experience and what you'd do over again and not do over again......any tips would be great too.
If you PM me and let me know the dates you're thinking of, I could let you know what's going on in town at that time. Everybody seems to enjoy different things. I see that gambling isn't your 'thing' but it's good that you want to plan SOME time for it. Put a few nickels through the slots, but take one of the free 'Craps' lessons offered by a few of the casinos (like Saturday mornings at the Gold Coast) and get involved in some of those lively games. Great Vegas-y fun (and be aware that some places allow a lower minimum bet than others).
There are lots of fun and interesting things to do for free (or for low cost), some of which have already been mentioned. The Freemont Street Experience is downtown, away from the Strip in 'old Vegas'. This was the original Vegas Strip, with lots of flashy lights and neon. The street itself was closed to vehicular traffic some time ago and a giant TV-like screen now canopies the street for a couple of blocks. They have free live entertainment frequently under the canopy as well as lower limit gambling in historic casinos like the Golden Nugget and Binions.
One "can't miss" freebie is the Fountain Show in front of Bellagio (especially at night). Did I say CAN'T MISS?!? For an even better viewing, take the elevator ($9 each) to the top of the Eiffel Tower across the street for a truly breathtaking experience. Inside the Bellagio you'll find a beautiful botanical garden area just off the (also beautiful) hotel lobby. Each season they decorate the gardens with a new and spectacular theme. Come to think of it, they just changed it... (note to self: check it out this weekend).
If you like shopping, many of the major casinos on the Strip have shopping malls built right into them. I think my favorite is the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace, but there are also very interesting 'theme malls' inside the Aladdin and the Venetian (Forum Shops are the biggest I think).
Although I haven't been yet, they say the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is well worth the $20 (I think) each admission.
I think buffets are over-rated. I can't really eat enough to really enjoy them, and the food is usually not as good as some other places. By the time I sample a few of the many, many dishes... I'm full and don't feel good. I'd rather have a nice meal somewhere (such as... oh, I don't know... Mesa Grill inside Caesar's Palace springs to mind first. Very, very good food there, and not rediculo-expensive either - try the salmon). I also like 'le creperie' inside Paris. I like the berries n cream crepe. YummO!
SizzlininIN said:
Also, how do I go about setting this all up? I want to find like a packaged deal with airfare, hotel and maybe some meals included. A legitamite site would be great.
I usually find best fares when I use travelocity or orbitz. Both are pretty user-friendly sites that I've had good luck with in the past.
If I can be of any more help, please let me know by PM (in case I miss the thread or something).
Viva, Viva, Las Vegazz!
Z
