Las Vegas!

[ToryStelling]

Anyone been? Did you love it? Where did you stay? What would you recommend for a first-time visitor?

DH and I both really want to go to Las Vegas (milestone birthday to celebrate later this year), and I’m thinking of booking with Virgin as they have a policy that allows you to change your dates/destination for free due to COVID.

Would love some suggestions on where to stay, where to eat, which shows to see etc. I want to live vicariously, even if we do end up booking it and changing the dates!

I absolutely LOVED it, for the people watching alone. I'm going against the grain here and saying stay downtown. I stayed at the Golden Nugget, which is a proper old school Vegas hotel. Fantastic. Really varied guests - I chatted to so many different people. I found the Strip very intense so much preferred to just go there in the evening for a stroll and a drink. We had dinner at the Bellagio one night - pretty good, but not amazing. We also did a hike in the mountains outside the city one day which was incredible. Highly recommend doing that. We also went to the Neon Museum which I loved, but wear warm clothes because the tours are at night (obviously) and it gets pretty cold.
Oh, and we had fantastic cocktails at Downtown Cocktail Room.

I'd go again tomorrow in a heartbeat.

Oh, and as others have said - we got Ubers absolutely everywhere! We made the mistake of hailing a cab to our hotel from outside the airport when we arrived, and we got totally ripped off. We retraced our journey later and realised he'd taken us basically all round the city. So yeah, get Ubers or prepare to be taken for a ride (pun intended ).

@ToryStelling

If we can fly I will be there in October

Might see you there @fitflopqueen! Reading through all these experiences and ideas has made me so excited!

I would LOVE to do the helicopter to the Grand Canyon, but wow it’s expensive!

Our first choice of hotel would’ve been the Encore (we like a bit of luxury and have got a decent budget as we haven’t holidayed in so long), but I am slightly put off by how far out it seems in comparison to some of the other strip hotels.

Location is everything - the Strip is massive so if you're not careful you can end up spending a long time getting where you want to be. We stayed at the Stratosphere the first time (which is at one end) and it was a pain as you're far away so I would try and get a central hotel. It's literally in the middle of the desert so as you fly in you get this neon glow appear on the horizon that gets brighter as you get closer and then you start to see the buildings (the statue of Liberty, a pyramid, the Eiffel tower etc). It's brilliant madness

I recommend staying in the middle of the strip everything is walkable. Except thw stratosphere which has an mazing restaurant

I'll go against the grain and say I didn't love it . We stayed at the Bellagio which was lovely but I felt as if I was in Blackpool the whole time . We arrived on a Friday along with half of America it seemed . So loud so busy and so hassly . Every time we ent out we were hassled for something. The shops were extremely expensive and full of drunken people. Apart from being a great base for the canyon I was underwhelmed. I was glad to come home for a rest , I've traveled all over the USA and loved it all except Vegas . It is what it is and I wouldn't return.

@TooManyAnimals94 Ahhh well errr yes

If you’re ruling out Encore due to location then in my experience you also need to rule out MGM Grand. For me, Encore is a better location, attached to Wynn, across from Fashion Show Mall and on the other side you have Venetian/Palazzo. Also Resorts World is at that end now too. I prefer central strip - which for me is from Mirage up to Planet Hollywood and Cosmopolitan.

@Vicliz24

I'll go against the grain and say I didn't love it . We stayed at the Bellagio which was lovely but I felt as if I was in Blackpool the whole time . We arrived on a Friday along with half of America it seemed . So loud so busy and so hassly . Every time we ent out we were hassled for something. The shops were extremely expensive and full of drunken people. Apart from being a great base for the canyon I was underwhelmed. I was glad to come home for a rest , I've traveled all over the USA and loved it all except Vegas . It is what it is and I wouldn't return.

I agree - the first time we went was because flights were cheap and we spent three weeks touring with just a couple of nights there. It is a weird, fake place. If you want to go there though, I suggested some activities to make the most of a visit. Second time I went due to attending an event I could have done without. We stayed off the Strip at Embassy Suites and tried to do some different things in our spare time.

We go every year. For a month. We have family there, but stay in a hotel. First time visit you must stay on strip. I wouldn't go for too much luxury, you're not in the room enough. Bally's is nice large rooms. Aria is lovely but pricy. I don't like bellagio rooms. Also factor in the resort fee, it's flipping ridiculously high for some. Try and do the canyon, love the helicopter ride over. Definitely go down Fremont, evenings are the best. Full of cranks but good fun. Don't stay in circus circus or the strat. Not a nice area. Be prepared to spend lots, prices seem to have shot up for most things. When gambling tip your waitress well, she will come back more often. No need to pay for drinks when gambling, just tip well. I love the place, but be aware it's a bit to full on for some.

It's an amazing place. However I would wait until Covid restrictions are lifted so you can enjoy everything so much more e.g. not having to prebook the pool, buffets open properly etc.

I've stayed at a fair few hotels: Harrahs, Bellagio, Golden Nugget, TI, Venetian, Monte Carlo (now Park Mgm), Cosmo, Caesers and Wynn. My favourites were definitely Wynn, Caesers and Venetian. If I had to choose one I'd say Venetian.