Questions to our first trip in Las vegas!

Hi,
A very Happy New Year to all of you!! Me and Hubby are going to las
vegas in Feb. This will be our first trip to vegas and the last
(hopefully) before we become 3!! Thought we should cover the sin city
before we enter the family kingdom! The last of our lazy-n-free
days...
So here are a couple of questions:
1) can you name some really good shows that we can see. I've no idea
about them. 'R' is also acceptable and 'G' also!
2) Can you name some good hotel we can stay in? Its full of them, I
know but personal recommendations will help a lot. I am looking in for
a romantic and richly decorated hotel. Bellagio is good but the prices
are not! I am looking for a 'ok' budget.
Priority no. 1 : Romantic and great stay
Priority no. 2 : Price
We don't care about gyms and pools etc. We'll be roaming around the
city anyway!
3) Can you tell me about some websites/Offers or phone numbers that
have great prices on hotels? I can get 100000's on the web ...but here
again personal reviws are 10000000 times better. Also is it atall
possble to negotiate on deals????
4) las vegas is the 'night city'. can you suggest any activities for
the day there?
5)Long time ago I heard someone say, or saw on some TV channel that
one of LV restraurant has the largest variety food. Do you know which
one it is? Any recos for some 'good and tasty' restraurants or better
still 'good-tasty and cheap' food'!
Okay, that was a lot of Questions for one letter! Please, Please do
give as many suggestions as you have. Waiting eagerly for your
responses. Thanks a lot!

I'll embed my comments below. There are a lot of opinions about all of
these which will differ from mine.

"Sandra" wrote in message
om...
Hi,
A very Happy New Year to all of you!! Me and Hubby are going to las
vegas in Feb. This will be our first trip to vegas and the last
(hopefully) before we become 3!! Thought we should cover the sin city
before we enter the family kingdom! The last of our lazy-n-free
days...
So here are a couple of questions:
1) can you name some really good shows that we can see. I've no idea
about them. 'R' is also acceptable and 'G' also!

Top shows: 'O' - Bellagio, Mystere - TI (get tickets ASAP, they sell out
very early)
Other good ones: Blue Man Group-Luxor, Penn and Teller-Rio
Many other good ones as well.
Check at the hotel's website for tickets

2) Can you name some good hotel we can stay in? Its full of them, I
know but personal recommendations will help a lot. I am looking in for
a romantic and richly decorated hotel. Bellagio is good but the prices
are not! I am looking for a 'ok' budget.
Priority no. 1 : Romantic and great stay
Priority no. 2 : Price
We don't care about gyms and pools etc. We'll be roaming around the
city anyway!

Top: Bellagio, Venetian
Next: Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Monte Carlo, Aladdin, Paris (Last 3 are usually
reasonable), Golden Nugget(downtown)
Next: Luxor (can be uneven in people's impression, I think it was fine),
MGM, TI
I think your best bet for a reasonable price is Paris or Aladdin, sign up
at their website for deals.

3) Can you tell me about some websites/Offers or phone numbers that
have great prices on hotels? I can get 100000's on the web ...but here
again personal reviws are 10000000 times better. Also is it atall
possble to negotiate on deals????

There's always promotions. I think the general concencus is to book air and
hotel seperately. Usually the direct hotel price is as good as any deal
you'd find (Priceline excluded, the Venetian can be had there)

4) las vegas is the 'night city'. can you suggest any activities for
the day there?
General sight seeing. Shopping. Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, other natural
and desert sights. Some shows are offered in the day. Rick Thomas at the
Tropicana puts on a pretty good inexpensive show, 2 for 1s are pretty
available. There's a lot to do for a few days

5)Long time ago I heard someone say, or saw on some TV channel that
one of LV restraurant has the largest variety food. Do you know which
one it is? Any recos for some 'good and tasty' restraurants or better
still 'good-tasty and cheap' food'!

Lots of great restaurants, but they're not cheap so I don't usually hit
those. The Venetian's Grand Luxe Cafe is very good at a moderate price.
Maybe others will chip in with the specials they enjoy

Okay, that was a lot of Questions for one letter! Please, Please do
give as many suggestions as you have. Waiting eagerly for your
responses. Thanks a lot!

Have fun

"Sandra" wrote in message
om...
Hi,
A very Happy New Year to all of you!! Me and Hubby are going to las
vegas in Feb. This will be our first trip to vegas and the last
(hopefully) before we become 3!! Thought we should cover the sin city
before we enter the family kingdom! The last of our lazy-n-free
days...
So here are a couple of questions:
1) can you name some really good shows that we can see. I've no idea
about them. 'R' is also acceptable and 'G' also!

Mystere and "O", both Cirque du Soliel shows.


2) Can you name some good hotel we can stay in? Its full of them, I
know but personal recommendations will help a lot. I am looking in for
a romantic and richly decorated hotel. Bellagio is good but the prices
are not! I am looking for a 'ok' budget.
Priority no. 1 : Romantic and great stay
Priority no. 2 : Price
We don't care about gyms and pools etc. We'll be roaming around the
city anyway!

Don't know about your budget, but we like the Venetian.

3) Can you tell me about some websites/Offers or phone numbers that
have great prices on hotels? I can get 100000's on the web ...but here
again personal reviws are 10000000 times better. Also is it atall
possble to negotiate on deals????
4) las vegas is the 'night city'. can you suggest any activities for
the day there?

Anything you do at night you can do during the day -- it's a 24-hour city.

5)Long time ago I heard someone say, or saw on some TV channel that
one of LV restraurant has the largest variety food. Do you know which
one it is? Any recos for some 'good and tasty' restraurants or better
still 'good-tasty and cheap' food'!
Okay, that was a lot of Questions for one letter! Please, Please do
give as many suggestions as you have. Waiting eagerly for your
responses. Thanks a lot!

Go on over to alt.vacation.las-vegas. You'll get better information there.

I agree with most everything that A
"anonymous@noway. net/A said;
just a couple additional thoughts...

* I have stayed at both the Paris and Venetian and had a great time;
they'd be excellent choices if you're looking for a romantic atmosphere.
They aren't cheap, but are less than the Bellagio. And the Paris is right
across the street from the Bellagio, making it easy to see the
spectacular and romantic Bellagio fountains.
(Keep in mind that you get what you pay for; if a Las Vegas hotel
advertises a very low price it may be because it's rundown or
inconveniently located.)

* If you're on a budget, keep in mind that lunch prices are usually
cheaper than dinner prices. We would often have a big buffet for a
late lunch (there are a number of excellent ones) and then just
grab a sandwich in a cafe for dinner. Also, you can save money
(and time) by making your own breakfast instead of going to a
restuarant for it. Just pick up some cereal, donuts, fruit or
whatever the night before.

* There are a number of web sites that compare the various
hotels, shows, list special offers, etc. One of them is
lasvegasadvisor.com, and I'm sure there are many others.

* Regarding show tickets, if there's a particular show you want to
see but can't get tickets, it's sometimes easier if you are staying
at that hotel, as they often put aside some tickets for their guests.

Have a great trip!

James

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Remove "NOSPAM" from my address when sending me e-mail.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-

Shows, I cam recommend, Rooms, I can't.

G-rated shows: See Clint Holmes or the Scintas, or Mystere. Comedy: Rita
Rudner.

R-Rated: Jubilee--a classic Las Vegas revue, and someday there won't be
any classic Las Vegas revues.

Blue Man Group is so weird and so clever that it could induce labor.
Excuse me, eh? I meant labour.


Sandra wrote:

Hi,
A very Happy New Year to all of you!! Me and Hubby are going to las
vegas in Feb. This will be our first trip to vegas and the last
(hopefully) before we become 3!! Thought we should cover the sin city
before we enter the family kingdom! The last of our lazy-n-free
days...
So here are a couple of questions:
1) can you name some really good shows that we can see. I've no idea
about them. 'R' is also acceptable and 'G' also!

--
"Governing a great nation is much like cooking a small fish."
--Lao Zi

In article ,
Sandra wrote:
1) can you name some really good shows that we can see. I've no idea
about them. 'R' is also acceptable and 'G' also!

I third (or fourth?) the recommendation for "O." Personally, I'd
recommend it over "Mystere" because the latter is more like Cirque
du Soleil's touring shows that you might have a chance to see near
your home sometime, whereas "O" is unique. (Unless at some point
they figure out how to travel with 1.5 million gallons of water
and the associated hydraulics. :-))


Patty

www.cheapovegas.com

Mac King Comedy Show at Harrah's

Ellis Island Steak Special

"Sandra" wrote in message
om...
Hi,
A very Happy New Year to all of you!! Me and Hubby are going to las
vegas in Feb. This will be our first trip to vegas and the last
(hopefully) before we become 3!! Thought we should cover the sin city
before we enter the family kingdom! The last of our lazy-n-free
days...
So here are a couple of questions:
1) can you name some really good shows that we can see. I've no idea
about them. 'R' is also acceptable and 'G' also!
2) Can you name some good hotel we can stay in? Its full of them, I
know but personal recommendations will help a lot. I am looking in for
a romantic and richly decorated hotel. Bellagio is good but the prices
are not! I am looking for a 'ok' budget.
Priority no. 1 : Romantic and great stay
Priority no. 2 : Price
We don't care about gyms and pools etc. We'll be roaming around the
city anyway!
3) Can you tell me about some websites/Offers or phone numbers that
have great prices on hotels? I can get 100000's on the web ...but here
again personal reviws are 10000000 times better. Also is it atall
possble to negotiate on deals????
4) las vegas is the 'night city'. can you suggest any activities for
the day there?
5)Long time ago I heard someone say, or saw on some TV channel that
one of LV restraurant has the largest variety food. Do you know which
one it is? Any recos for some 'good and tasty' restraurants or better
still 'good-tasty and cheap' food'!
Okay, that was a lot of Questions for one letter! Please, Please do
give as many suggestions as you have. Waiting eagerly for your
responses. Thanks a lot!

Sandra wrote:
1) can you name some really good shows that we can see. I've no idea
about them. 'R' is also acceptable and 'G' also!

For a great R show, I really had a good time watching The Amazing
Johnathan at the Golden Nugget. He has been on cable TV for years and
is hysterical. Sort of a Magician, but never quite gets things right.


2) Can you name some good hotel we can stay in? Its full of them, I
know but personal recommendations will help a lot. I am looking in for
a romantic and richly decorated hotel. Bellagio is good but the prices
are not! I am looking for a 'ok' budget.
Priority no. 1 : Romantic and great stay
Priority no. 2 : Price
We don't care about gyms and pools etc. We'll be roaming around the
city anyway!

Can't help you there as we never stay at the Casinos themselves. Rather
we stay off the strip at one of many suite style condos/hotels. One in
particular we liked was the Malibu Suites on South Vegas Blvd. which I
believe is now a Ramada. Huge rooms with separate kitchen and living
areas. Costs were less than $100/night. Very nice, comfy rooms but I
don't know if I'd call it romantic. It does not offer any onsight
amenities like restaurant etc.

As far as Bellagio goes, you are right, the rooms are way out of my
price range. However, the brunch there is fantastic. Lunch is the
better value than breakfast or dinner.

4) las vegas is the 'night city'. can you suggest any activities for
the day there?

Depends on what you like to do for the day. The amusement park at
Circus Circus is fun. Take a drive to Hoover dam for a tour. They no
longer do tours inside the dam, but you can still take the elevator from
top to bottom and walk through the tunnels to the generators.

5)Long time ago I heard someone say, or saw on some TV channel that
one of LV restraurant has the largest variety food. Do you know which
one it is? Any recos for some 'good and tasty' restraurants or better
still 'good-tasty and cheap' food'!

Again, the Belagio buffet is great value. For a fun night out we always
liked Hamada's on east Flamingo. It is a japanese tepanyaki restaurant
where they cook in front of you and put on a bit of a show. They also
have restaurants inside many of the strip casinos but I prefer the
original one off the strip on Flamingo.

If time permits you might think about staying one night in Laughlin
about 1 hours drive south of Las Vegas. The Casinos are not as big nor
as extravegant. However, I find this to be a bit more romantic in that
its much more laid back. An late night stroll along the the Colorado
River bank path which runs between many of the casinos is very romantic.
Stay at the Ramada Casino and get a Parlor room with in room spa. If
on a sunday, the brunch at either the golden nugget or at pioneer are
both great.

We stayed at the Paris last weekend and it was lovely. Very nice room
and while it wasn't Paris for real, it did a good job of reminding me of
Pris. The Venetian seems hands down the most "authentic" in the details.
I'd definitely like to stay there sometime.

We found the deal on Expedia.com. It was a package that included
airfare- but I don't think the airfare was too good. The hotel rate was
very good, however. And another one I tried firsat said there were no
vacancies- at least they hadn't bought a book of rooms.

There are plenty of shows and things in the evening- which I've never
bothered with. But the hotels and casinos along The Strip are sort of
their own show- not just the dancing waters at the Bellagio or the
Volcano at the Mirage or the gondolas and other similar things but the
decor and construction of all of them is a sight!!

Try the Jewish deli in the street scene part of New York, New York.
Cheap and absolutely delicious food! (Since I'm a Jew from New York, I
know good deli food when I taste it. I'm drooling as I think of it.
especially the Matzo Ball soup- and ask for it with noodles in it too.
Cheap and yummy!)

I personally didn't think that Hoover dam was all that interesting
though lots of people do.

Actually, Las Vegas is garish and overdone and really gross. But if you
can just decide to put aside your judgements and get into the swing of
it, it's amazing!!! Enjoy-

Susan

Sandra wrote:

Hi,
A very Happy New Year to all of you!! Me and Hubby are going to las
vegas in Feb. This will be our first trip to vegas and the last
(hopefully) before we become 3!! Thought we should cover the sin city
before we enter the family kingdom! The last of our lazy-n-free
days...
So here are a couple of questions:
1) can you name some really good shows that we can see. I've no idea
about them. 'R' is also acceptable and 'G' also!
2) Can you name some good hotel we can stay in? Its full of them, I
know but personal recommendations will help a lot. I am looking in for
a romantic and richly decorated hotel. Bellagio is good but the prices
are not! I am looking for a 'ok' budget.
Priority no. 1 : Romantic and great stay
Priority no. 2 : Price
We don't care about gyms and pools etc. We'll be roaming around the
city anyway!
3) Can you tell me about some websites/Offers or phone numbers that
have great prices on hotels? I can get 100000's on the web ...but here
again personal reviws are 10000000 times better. Also is it atall
possble to negotiate on deals????
4) las vegas is the 'night city'. can you suggest any activities for
the day there?
5)Long time ago I heard someone say, or saw on some TV channel that
one of LV restraurant has the largest variety food. Do you know which
one it is? Any recos for some 'good and tasty' restraurants or better
still 'good-tasty and cheap' food'!
Okay, that was a lot of Questions for one letter! Please, Please do
give as many suggestions as you have. Waiting eagerly for your
responses. Thanks a lot!

Hello Sandra!

I see that you've gotten some really good advice from everyone here so far.
The one thing I'd like to mention is Travelaxe. You can download this
wonderfully easy to use browser at http://www.travelaxe.com What travelaxe
does is search over a dozen hotel brokers at ONCE and returns the results to
you in a spreadsheet format that you can sort by price, name or class of
hotel. It really is a neat tool. Once you settle on a hotel from travelaxe,
go to that hotel's website and see if you can find the room cheaper, or
better yet, call them directly and see if they have any offers that will
beat the travelaxe price.

I'm going in a couple of weeks with my honey and I plan to see Mystere and
"O" with her. These are both shows that I have seen (but she hasn't). They
were so fabulous, I'd see them again, even at the exhorbitant prices. I read
somewhere that someone suggested the Amazing Jonathon. I'd like to second
that as well.

If you are looking for a nice hotel, let travelaxe search for all the hotels
and then use its "filter" tool to return results for 3 or 4 star hotels.
Their 3 star hotels are very nice and include Monte Carlo and Bally's. Their
4 star hotels include Mirage and Paris. If romance is your #1 option, it
would be hard to pass up Bellagio or Venetian since they are definitely
designed with that in mind. Mirage is an option for people looking for
romance, but its funny to think of a 3000 plus hotel as romantic. The V and
B are though!

Are you renting a car? I would recommend that and avoid the tours. Its
pretty easy to find your way around. Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire and Red Rock
are examples of day trip destinations that are all under an hour's drive
away without needing a tour guide to get you there and to enjoy it.

Two restaurants I would recommend that are outstanding are Stefano's at
Golden Nugget downtown and Piero's near the Convention Center. Both are
Italian and both very nice places, but on opposite ends of the spectrum when
it comes to dining experiences. For really good cheap eats, the Pasta Pirate
at the California has never let us down. That's downtown as well.

Hope you have a great trip!