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Angus_Young

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If you really don't care about the hotel, stay at the Flamingo. Hotel isn't the greatest, but it's cheap and the location is excellent.
If you want the best combination of value, location and hotel, stay at Mirage or The Cromwell.
If you can get a room within your budget, though, stay at Caesars or any of the City Centre properties (Vdara, Aria etc).

As mentioned above, don't stay off strip, and if you can, stay as near to Bellagio/Caesars/Paris/Flamingo as you can, as you're in the middle of everything.
 

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17 hours ago, Angus_Young said:

Looking for recommendations for hotels please. Going for a week next June and obviously hundreds to choose from. 

Location is probably more important than hotel itself as I don't imagine we will spend a huge amount of time in it. 

Depends on a few things.  What's your budget?  If you're just looking for somewhere to rest your head then you can consider somewhere like The Tropicana, Excalibur or Monte Carlo.  Circus Circus is probably the cheapest hotel "on the strip" but it's right up at the top end and not a great location.  

If you're happy to spend a wee bit more money and would like something more central then I'd recommend something like Paris or Planet Hollywood.  These are both a bit newer, probably a star grade higher than the others I mentioned and you'll be able to get rooms with views of the Bellagio Fountains which are pretty stunning at night.

If you want something with a balacony your best bet is either the Signature at MGM or the Cosmopolitan.  The Signature is more reasonably priced but doesn't have it's own casino and while the rooms do have strip views you won't get a Fountain view.  Cosmo has both of these but you'll pay a bit more for the privilege.  I stayed in the Signature on my stag and loved it.  It's connected to the main MGM by a covered walkway and it only takes about 5 minutes from your room door to the casino floor.

If you want to up the bracket a bit more you can look at the likes of The Bellagio, The Venitian or The Wynn all of which have some cracking suites and are at the top end of the market.  Lastly, I think in terms of on site entertainment you struggle to beat New York New York.  It's in a great location and has some cracking bars and restaurants such as Coyote Ugly (tacky but worth a visit), a Gallaghers Steakhouse and a cracking sports bar.  If I was going back (which I will be within the next 12 months) I'd probably stay in either NYNY, Paris or Planet Hollywood.

I work in travel and although not in that role anymore I sold Vegas for about 15 years so give me a shout if you have any questions.  I can even give you an idea of prices if you have rough dates in mind.

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Cheers for the replies.

FB - when we decided to go when really had no clue what the cost would be although guessed around £500 each for flights which seems to be quite accurate.  Looking to go 12th, 19th or 26th June next year for 7 nights.  We have no real preference out of those three dates so will come down to whatever is the cheapest. 

A lot of the comparison sites wont let me look at prices any further than May at the moment so I initially looked on Thomas Cook to get an idea on costs.  Most of them were around the £1800 - £2000 mark (for two) for the likes of Circus Circus, The Luxor, Paris, New York New York,  with the Belagio, Mirage, MGM a little bit more expensive.  Out of interest I did a price comparison with Expedia and seen that it was a LOT cheaper to do it all separately, so I think I'll be steering clear of Travel Agents.  You can get The Stratosphere for around £1400, Best Western Plus Casino Royale £1500. 

After getting the prices from TC I was probably prepared to pay upwards of £2k but now that I've seen the deals you can get I would hope to do it a good bit cheaper.  Certainly I was paying  up to, or a wee bit more than £2k, it really would need to be worth it.

Any comments on any of that welcome lads.  We will definitely be looking to stay on the strip and as said above, a relatively good location is important to us.  I've since found out the The Luxor, for example is a bit further out so that put us off there.

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5 hours ago, Angus_Young said:

it was a LOT cheaper to do it all separately, so I think I'll be steering clear of Travel Agents.

Definitely this.
Any time I've went I've just booked the flights I wanted directly with the airline, then booked the room directly with the hotel as and when the price was best.

Hotels have so many offers or opportunities to get a great deal that you just don't get with a travel agent, expedia etc.
For instance, if you book a room at a specific nightly rate, then later on see the same room at the same hotel being advertised at lower rate, call or e-mail the hotel and they will amend your booking to the reduced rate - not something that can happen with a package pre-booked through a third party.
You could also sign up for a players card on-line, like Total Rewards, which covers all the Caesars properties, or M-Life, which covers MGM properties. Through these players cards you get e-mail offers for reduced room rates and sometimes an automatic reduction in the rate published on the web. They're also used for recording your playing time when you actually get there, which may end up in a free meal or a night in the hotel being knocked off your bill, depending on how much you play on the tables, slots etc.

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Ignore everything that's been said on this thread and always book with a Travel Agent..........

However, use an independent agent as opposed to a High Street multiple (Cooks etc).  Multiples tend not to have the ability to "shop around" and will use they're own in-house rates or a Tour Op who they are bound to.  A Independent will shop around for the best deal and traditionally have lower mark ups than the others so you tend to see pretty significant savings.  Plus their staff tend to be more knowledgeable as well.

Edited by Fairbairn
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  • 1 year later...

I'm looking to go to Vegas for 5 nights next October (first week in the month) with 2 of my mates. 

Anyone been recently and can add anything to the advice above on the hotels? Currently looking at the Elara by Hilton. While not directly on the strip, it appears to be joined to Planet Hollywood and shares their casino. Anyone know much about this hotel/apartments? 

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  • 1 month later...

Been Las Vegas twice (two times too many!).

If you are hiring a car when you are there, then staying off strip is potentially a very, very sensible option.  On my last stay there, I drove and parked in strip hotels car parks.  It was free and all you had to do was tip the valet driver.  The hotels off the strip are usually considerably cheaper.  I stayed at the Alexis Park Resort. It was pretty much across the road from Hard Rock cafe.   Everybody's mate, Simon Cowell, was staying there on one occasion that I was.  I think it was an American X-factor party or something.

I stayed one night in a suite in the Luxor.  It was OK.  There was a large jacuzzi bath in the bedroom and a separate living room.

Las Vegas is hot, dry, dusty and dirty.  Once you have strolled through the public areas of the hotels you are pretty much done, unless you have money to burn in a casino or want to watch a show.

I drove to Grand Canyon one one of those trips.  It was around an 8 hour soul-destroying drive.  Nothing really to see except that, at that time, I drove across the Hoover dam (the bypass road appeared on sat nav but was not there physically at that point - 2007).  Stayed in Red Feather lodge in Grand Canyon village.  It was like a Travelodge.  There was a hotel just down the road from it that did excellent steaks at a very reasonable price.  I was rather underwhelmed with my Grand Canyon experience but it may be more impressive flying in a helicopter and landing at the bottom.  If I were to venture that way again, I would make sure that I went to Monument valley.

If you are building your own trip, consider paying on credit card.....check the credit card companies terms......as you could be covered by their insurance if something happened, like the hotel or airline goes bust.  Remember that airlines can change their flight schedule up to 3 months before the departure date and they don't owe you anything if you have to change your accommodation dates/hire car/etc..

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On 11/16/2017 at 11:53 AM, Parklife said:

I'm looking to go to Vegas for 5 nights next October (first week in the month) with 2 of my mates. 

Anyone been recently and can add anything to the advice above on the hotels? Currently looking at the Elara by Hilton. While not directly on the strip, it appears to be joined to Planet Hollywood and shares their casino. Anyone know much about this hotel/apartments? 

7 of us going same time mate - 1st to 8th. Staying in The Linq Hotel, looks the business

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On 11/16/2017 at 11:53 AM, Parklife said:

I'm looking to go to Vegas for 5 nights next October (first week in the month) with 2 of my mates. 

Anyone been recently and can add anything to the advice above on the hotels? Currently looking at the Elara by Hilton. While not directly on the strip, it appears to be joined to Planet Hollywood and shares their casino. Anyone know much about this hotel/apartments? 

I don't know much about the Elara but I think I read somewhere that a lot of the apartments in it are timeshare.  Since my last post above I've been back to Vegas twice, in May and October last year (one holiday, one with work).  If you have the money I'd definitely recommend staying in the Cosmopolitan.  I've stayed in about half a dozen hotels in Vegas and the Cosmo is by far the best.  The rooms are great, the balconies make a huge difference and it has, in my opinion, the nicest casino on the Strip.  it also has 3-4 cracking restaurants and the best buffet breakfast I've been to.

Going back to the Elara, it is linked to the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood which links in to the Casino.  Miracle Mile has my favourite sports bar in Vegas, Blondies.  It has about 60 different screens and if there is any sport at all you're looking to watch they'll put it on for you.  I watched the Slovenia games there back in October.

also, if you're not tied to dates and going for 5 nights I'd recommend going Sunday-Friday.  The hotels all put their rates up considerably Fri/Sat so if you avoid the weekend you should get it a bit cheaper.  Every day is like the weekend in Vegas anyway so you won't be missing out on anything!

I've been to Vegas  4 times now in the last 5 years so have become a bit of an expert.  If there's anything else you're looking for or pointers etc just give me a shout.

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13 minutes ago, Fairbairn said:

I don't know much about the Elara but I think I read somewhere that a lot of the apartments in it are timeshare.  Since my last post above I've been back to Vegas twice, in May and October last year (one holiday, one with work).  If you have the money I'd definitely recommend staying in the Cosmopolitan.  I've stayed in about half a dozen hotels in Vegas and the Cosmo is by far the best.  The rooms are great, the balconies make a huge difference and it has, in my opinion, the nicest casino on the Strip.  it also has 3-4 cracking restaurants and the best buffet breakfast I've been to.

Going back to the Elara, it is linked to the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood which links in to the Casino.  Miracle Mile has my favourite sports bar in Vegas, Blondies.  It has about 60 different screens and if there is any sport at all you're looking to watch they'll put it on for you.  I watched the Slovenia games there back in October.

also, if you're not tied to dates and going for 5 nights I'd recommend going Sunday-Friday.  The hotels all put their rates up considerably Fri/Sat so if you avoid the weekend you should get it a bit cheaper.  Every day is like the weekend in Vegas anyway so you won't be missing out on anything!

I've been to Vegas  4 times now in the last 5 years so have become a bit of an expert.  If there's anything else you're looking for or pointers etc just give me a shout.

Thanks for that, really helpful! 

We've booked flights (Thurs-Tues) but still on the lookout for hotels. Because there is 3 of us it is proving quite awkward getting something suitable. Ideally we'd have an apartment style accommodation but those seem out of the norm. I've been looking at places in the MGM Signature on Airbnb but even those aren't ideal, as we'd essentially all be sharing one room. Which isn't ideal when we'll probably not have identical sleeping routines! 

Thanks for the heads-up on the sports bar! Will keep it in mind when we're looking for somewhere to watch the football. 

Not too worried about it being a bit dearer at the weekend as we want to be there for (hopefully) a big name DJ and to spend an NFL Sunday watching it in Vegas. 

Did you play much poker when you were there? I'm thinking of playing a couple of the lower stakes tournaments ($100 max entry fee) and was wondering if you would recommend any in particular? 

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I'm not really a poker player so can't give any advice on that front.  All the main casinos will have tournaments going on though and I'd imagine they'll all have different levels to suit most budgets.

3 people in the one room is a bit of a problem.  I recently booked up 3 of my mates to go and put the in Excalibur where it was 2 beds plus they paid an extra supplement for a rollaway bed to be added in.  That worked for them and they had a blast although I'm not sure I'd fancy sharing 1 room with 2 other blokes for 5-6 nights.  And they were on a pretty strict budget which is why they opted for Excalibur and to be honest it's not one I'd personally recommend to anyone looking to book.

I'd need to check if you can get a rollaway bed in it but something like the Signature at MGM might not be a bad shout if you can.  We stayed in a 1 bed roomed suite which had a massive bedroom, separate living room and 2 bathrooms (plus a balcony).  The living area had a sofa bed which was more than conformable enough and there's plenty of space to fit in a rollaway without the 3 of you living on top of each other for the week.  It's a really nice property and the rooms are excellent but it tends to come in a bit cheaper than other's in it's class as it's non gaming and off the strip.  That's not a problem though as it's connected to the MGM Grand via a couple of walkways and you can be on the strip 5 minutes after leaving your room.

 

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On 20/01/2018 at 12:35 PM, Fairbairn said:

I'm not really a poker player so can't give any advice on that front.  All the main casinos will have tournaments going on though and I'd imagine they'll all have different levels to suit most budgets.

3 people in the one room is a bit of a problem.  I recently booked up 3 of my mates to go and put the in Excalibur where it was 2 beds plus they paid an extra supplement for a rollaway bed to be added in.  That worked for them and they had a blast although I'm not sure I'd fancy sharing 1 room with 2 other blokes for 5-6 nights.  And they were on a pretty strict budget which is why they opted for Excalibur and to be honest it's not one I'd personally recommend to anyone looking to book.

I'd need to check if you can get a rollaway bed in it but something like the Signature at MGM might not be a bad shout if you can.  We stayed in a 1 bed roomed suite which had a massive bedroom, separate living room and 2 bathrooms (plus a balcony).  The living area had a sofa bed which was more than conformable enough and there's plenty of space to fit in a rollaway without the 3 of you living on top of each other for the week.  It's a really nice property and the rooms are excellent but it tends to come in a bit cheaper than other's in it's class as it's non gaming and off the strip.  That's not a problem though as it's connected to the MGM Grand via a couple of walkways and you can be on the strip 5 minutes after leaving your room.

 

Yeah. Have managed to come across a couple of 1 bed suites at the Signature so have sent them to my mates to take a look. 

The non-gaming aspect isn't a big deal. We can go anywhere for a bet. I think it'll be probably just a few poker tournaments and sporadic gaming for the Vegas experience. 

I seen folk complaining about it being off the strip and referencing the 1/4 mile indoor walk as an issue :lol: 

i think we'll avoid the bunk beds, thanks! :lol: 

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4 hours ago, Debian said:

@Parklife, if you're not fussed about Politics, you should look at the Trump Hotel.  We stayed there Oct 2016.

The hotel is at the end of the strip and was cheap as chips, 5 star and treated you like a King.

Cheers. Did you book direct through them or book through a site like Airbnb for your suite?

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17 hours ago, Parklife said:

Yeah. Have managed to come across a couple of 1 bed suites at the Signature so have sent them to my mates to take a look. 

The non-gaming aspect isn't a big deal. We can go anywhere for a bet. I think it'll be probably just a few poker tournaments and sporadic gaming for the Vegas experience. 

I seen folk complaining about it being off the strip and referencing the 1/4 mile indoor walk as an issue :lol: 

i think we'll avoid the bunk beds, thanks! :lol: 

Had a quick check this morning and Signature don't do 3 in a room.

All of the Caesar's properties do roll away beds (except Linq with the bunk beds!) so that'd be Caesar's Palace, Nobu, Bally's, Harrah's, Flamingo, Paris, Planet Hollywood & Rio (quite a bit off Strip). 

Edited by Fairbairn
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On 19/01/2018 at 2:23 PM, Parklife said:

Thanks for that, really helpful! 

We've booked flights (Thurs-Tues) but still on the lookout for hotels. Because there is 3 of us it is proving quite awkward getting something suitable. Ideally we'd have an apartment style accommodation but those seem out of the norm. I've been looking at places in the MGM Signature on Airbnb but even those aren't ideal, as we'd essentially all be sharing one room. Which isn't ideal when we'll probably not have identical sleeping routines! 

Thanks for the heads-up on the sports bar! Will keep it in mind when we're looking for somewhere to watch the football. 

Not too worried about it being a bit dearer at the weekend as we want to be there for (hopefully) a big name DJ and to spend an NFL Sunday watching it in Vegas. 

Did you play much poker when you were there? I'm thinking of playing a couple of the lower stakes tournaments ($100 max entry fee) and was wondering if you would recommend any in particular? 

Planet Hollywood has a decent tourney on most nights with an $80 buy in.

Played cash in Binions just to say I had and pretty well gave my money away. I think I'm a pretty good player but the whole Vegas thing stops you playing right. Find tournaments pretty much mechanical so don't really vary from normal game and have some sort of chance.

 

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1 hour ago, ceudmilefailte said:

Planet Hollywood has a decent tourney on most nights with an $80 buy in.

Played cash in Binions just to say I had and pretty well gave my money away. I think I'm a pretty good player but the whole Vegas thing stops you playing right. Find tournaments pretty much mechanical so don't really vary from normal game and have some sort of chance.

 

Thanks man. Will check it out. I'll avoid cash games. Can lose stacks quickly doing that! 

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  • 8 months later...

Anyone been to Vegas recently? 

We head out on Thursday and would be good to get a recent report! Anywhere people would recommend for watching Scottish football? We're hoping to catch the Rangers vs Hearts game on Sunday (7am KO Vegas time). 

Thanks 

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20 hours ago, Parklife said:

Anyone been to Vegas recently? 

We head out on Thursday and would be good to get a recent report! Anywhere people would recommend for watching Scottish football? We're hoping to catch the Rangers vs Hearts game on Sunday (7am KO Vegas time). 

Thanks 

I was actually supposed to be going this weekend too but had to cancel due to work getting done on the house.  For any sport I'd recommend Blondie's in the Miracle Mile shops in Planet Hollywood.  They have something ridiculous like 60 different screens and if they can get that game they'l put it on for you somewhere.  We watched the Slovenia Scotland game this time last year in there at something like 9am on a Sunday morning.  There is also a Rangers Supporters Club that would definitely be showing it but it's a wee bit off the beaten track so probably not something you'd be up for seeking out (I've never been to it but I'd imagine it could get a bit sash-bashy).

 

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