Las vegas tips please

[crunchtime]

I have been reading all the stuff on tripadvisor forum but there are so many really rude people there! Plus most of the answers are aimed at people who do big gambling and go often so...

Going in August. Will have two teenagers and grandparents with us.
Have got some ideas but wondered what normal people thought of it all and what you liked.

My two teenage dss went to a gun range and loved it. Weirdos.

Hated cirque, loved pen and teller. They liked the rollercoaster. Hoover dam is really good. They liked the Area 51 museum as well.

We went out for a day to Death Valley checking out the old ghost towns. So weird how there are just all these abandoned buildings left from the gold rush

Be careful of the porn. They pass out pamphlets on the strip as you're walking along even with a young family. It popped up straightaway when we turned our tv on in the hotel suite.

Nobody walks. It's either cars or those tunnels that go under the hotels. Or the tram service above.

The accent is insane, I felt I needed an interpreter at times.

But the food portions are amazing. And the service - British food outlets could learn a lot.

Bellagio water-show was good but I wouldn't write reviews about it.

Thought the shops were a bit naff and over-pricey: Dubai-style.

We stayed at The Hotel by Mandalay Bay but I think it may have been renamed since. It had a great transparent lift running along the outside.

Oh and saw a comedy show, can't remember where but it was excellent.

I cannot imagine being there in August. Soooo hot! Everyone walked where we stayed and we could barely move because it was so crowded. The sidewalk had escalators. We left the next day so just saw the fountains. Not that wonderful! A bit of fun.

I would not go back if you paid me. Luckily I have been in a real gondola, gone up the actual Eiffel Tower and even seen the real pyramids so don’t need to see replicas. I just cannot understand why people like it so much. The USA is better than LV and I think LV is a false pastiche. The Grand Canyon, on the other hand, is wonderful. Excessive heat might spoil it though.

The shopping is very good in Las Vegas, there are some out of town retail parks that sell cheap trainers and things like that if you can find them. North and South retail parks I think? There was also a shop somewhere selling cheap pairs of converse, but I can't remember where. Otherwise there are really great American stores like Sephora for cosmetics, Victoria's Secret, American Apparel, Abercrombie, Forever 21 etc.

No-one has yet mentioned the Bellagio's breakfast buffet, it's immense and delicious, but it is about $25 a head so if you go, make sure everyone is hungry to make the most of it. The fountain show there is lovely as well. We saw Cirque du Soleil's "O" show at the Bellagio too, and really enjoyed that.

For a really great meal try Carson Kitchen in the north of the town not far from down town. If we went back, I would spend every evening down town at Fremont Street, it feels like the authentic Las Vegas. You will recognise all the buildings from old movies and the place really has a pulse at night. Lots going on including live music and street concerts, a great big digital ceiling and zip lines. We loved it but only discovered in on our last night. Can't comment on how it is during the day. We did get a taxi there and back from the strip.

We did do a lot of walking despite the heat (in June) and it was like an oven. There are misters everywhere and you can duck in and out of hotels to cool down before you go out again. If you are walking on the street in the evening, you might see the odd cockroach, so be prepared for that, it's a bit startling if you have never seen them before.

We loved the Grand Canyon, but we didn't go from Vegas. We took a train from a little 'Wild West' town on Route 66 called Williams. That was a bit different and a lot of fun as they put on a bit of a show before you go and the train gets held up by highway men on horseback. It was good fun, and the canyon itself was very impressive. Some of the native american art and jewellry you can get the in the area is lovely if you want a nice keepsake, but its pretty expensive too.

Kiss mini golf!! Bloody brilliant. All under UV lights and nice and cool for when it’s super hot.

The shopping outlet that the previous poster refers to is called Las Vegas North Premium Outlet (the north one is better than the South one).

We did just the same as part of a longer US trip last year. Having travelled around many parts, I just could not like LV, no one looked happy, we did a lot of people watching, and it was just all about bonkers excess, I just found it pretty depressing. We were there for 2 nights.

It is just such an ODD place, you hear Americans saying how European places are, like the Venetian Grand Canal, but actually they are just like a bad Disney experience on speed.

Kids did like the the fountain show at the Bellagio, we went to the buffet at Caesars Palace, but actually used LV as a base going out to Area 51, Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.

This was last August. I'd happily never go again, but glad I've been too iyswim?

some brillkiant thoughts here.
crazybaglady-we are going to williams too and spending 2 nights there so we can explore grand canyon properly-i am really looking forward to that.

Yes to having been to the real venice and up the real eiffel tower- it's going to be funny to see what their version is like!

I like the sound of the mini golf

Thanks for the warning about the porn too.gross.

crunchtime, good call on Williams, its a great little town! If you haven't already booked I would recommend the Red Garter Inn. It's a former bordello, and has been restored to look how it might in its glory days. I'm ashamed to say I can't remember the hosts name, but she was lovely and really helpful. Breakfast is next door in a diner that's full of locals that has all the typical American breakfasts you would imagine, and there is a bar next door that looks like the pits but its loads of fun. There are a couple of really nice restaurants. The pizza place come micro brewery stands out and there was a more formal place which was also really good. I think most of the restaurants are owned by the same family and they are very good quality. The people of the town work hard to make sure everyone has a good time and are incredibly friendly and welcoming.

The train journey has entertainment both ways and each compartment has its own guide. Ours was really funny and it was an excellent trip.

The Las Vegas version of European sights will make you laugh!!! Go and have a peek at all the gambling addicts too if you want to see the real Las Vegas. Nearly every hotel has a vast casino. It’s very sobering to see them. It’s a sad place dressed up for tourists. I agree with Knotty and the idea of stuffing my face with obese Americans isn’t appealing either. I don’t see any of this as fun. Have a good time though and each to their own.

Well it will be an experience.
Also going to San Francisco and los Angeles and grand canyon.
It's a couple of nights out of a bigger trip.

I am asking questions about it because I don't know what to expect because it seems so crazy.

DH and I go to Vegas every year, we love it! There's plenty to do without being gamblers, I see PP above have made some good suggestions. Check out the thread on the MoneySavingExpert forum for some good tips as well, everyrone's very nice.

A few things:

The Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is meant to be great for kids.

If you go down Route 66 stop at Oatman, Arizona - it's a mining town with a herd of 'wild' donkeys that roam the town, you can hand-feed them, they're very friendly. Bit smelly though.

North of Circus Circus on the Strip is rough as fuck. Don't walk round there.

They seem to have cleaned the porn leaflet floggers off the Strip, or at least they seemed to be on holiday when I was last there in December.

The two North and South outlets are both good - the North is newer and shinier with slightly more shops, but in August the South might be your best bet as it's indoors with aircon as opposed to outdoors, and it's less busy.

Have fun!

two nights plenty as kids reasonably enough don't want to shop, can't drink and can't gamble. See the fountains, gawp at the big plastic stuff, eat yourself silly and then get the hell out of dodge.

Some great ideas on this thread.

We are off to Vegas for two nights in August as well crunchtime. My two are 11 and 16.

We are driving over from Anaheim.

Be careful of the porn. They pass out pamphlets on the strip as you're walking along even with a young family. It popped up straightaway when we turned our tv on in the hotel suite.

This aspect seemed a lot less obvious last time we went - a couple of summers ago. Didn't have anyone on the streets handing out leaflets. Noticed it way more the previous time, a few years before that.

Though the amenities kit as part of the mini bar was amusing to teenage dd.

Warn the kids that they must not lift anything from the mini bar or the tray on top - they are often weighted and you are charged, even if put back down! Don't put anything in the mini bar fridge of your own either, for same reason.

That's good to know Aragog we went in 2013 so it's been a while.

What was in the amenities kit?????

The amenities is known as an Intimacy Kit, a romance kit, a love kit, etc in various hotels. Contains condoms and other related items. Some hotels even include a mini vibrator or similar. Just sat there next to the crisps and biscuits :)

Ah see i didn’t mind Fremont st and gave Slotzilla a go.

We will be in Vegas for 3 nights in September and I am looking forward to it. Great tips on this thread! We're flying in to Denver to stay with friends and then driving through the national parks in Utah before visiting the Grand Canyon and finally arriving in Vegas. This will be our 4th US road trip, I have family there and DH worked there so we have plenty of places we can get free accommodation

Have a great time!

Try and make time for a visit to the Neon Museum - it’s a bit different and the guides are terrific.

You can walk through the Luxor into the Mandalay bay hotel. Freemont street light show at night was ok wouldn't rush there again. Enjoy your trip.

You'll have a brilliant time! Did similar trip a few years ago with our teenagers. If you like thrill rides, you must go to the top of the Stratosphere. We found heat manageable in August as it's a dry heat not humid. Also everywhere has fantastic aircon.

Hoover dam is worth a visit, really interesting, we did a one day bus trip as the car parks get so busy. It stopped at a chocolate factory too on way home.

I don't recall the porn aspect being a feature at all.

Monorail is ok but doesn't go very far, not the length of the strip. You can get an all day bus ticket cheaply and there's a double decker bus that goes frequently up and down the strip and right up to Fremont St. beautifully air conditioned too.

Bellagio buffet is a must. And the fountains.

Were off to Vegas staying at the Wynn and have booked La Reve which I’m really looking forward to as taking extended family with kids ranging from 10-18yrs, so good for all. Not sure what else we’re going to do for 5 days though as winter stock won’t be in shops yet.