Just back from Las Vegas - any questions feel free to ask :)

[Lisa-R]

Hi there all

Just arrived back yesterday from sunny Las Vegas. Had a terrific time - can't describe in a few short sentences how wonderful it was (on a parr to Orlando in my opinion). A great adult place, but not really fun for kids due to the 21 age limit for bars, casinos etc.

We fitted in such a lot in our 6 days there - my poor little feet are ready for a rest!

One of our highlights was my sister's wedding. Guess what though, she was on the news with her fiancee! They went to the get their marriage licence Downtown and got there early due to their jet-lag. Upon arrival they were told they were the first couple to visit the newly opened Regional Justice Centre to get their wedding licence and were asked to be interviewed on TV and did a live broadcast on Fox News. They called us and we jumped into a cab for the official ceremony at 10:00am. The ceremony again featured them doing live interviews for about 3 stations, they had photos for the news and were presented with gifts and photo. Elvis was there (well, not the real Elvis) and there was a huge cake, balloons etc. Definitely their 15 minutes of fame - it was a great experience and a great start to the holiday.

If anyone is visiting soon and I can help with any questions, I will try and help. I also have some Visitor Info/Guides that I picked up so if you want them, please let me know.

Would like to say it's good to be back, but leaving that beautiful weather was very hard. I would definitely love to go back - now hinting to DH that it would be a lovely way to spend my birthday
:blush:

Lou

[Flo]

Where did you stay and did you gamble?

I loved Vegas, I stayed at Excalibur and played plenty of roulette.

[mnis]

Oh Lou - you got me really excited now!! As you see from my countdown - its not long til we go!!! Cool for your sister and the wedding!!!!
Was the weather warm?
Is it cooler at night?
Whats the dress code like?
Is the shopping good?
Where did you stay? - we're staying at Imperial - did you see it - does it look nice?
Are you doing a trippie;)

mnis:angel:

[Lisa-R]

Hi Flo & Sharon

Thanks for your replies - I did think of you Sharon (honest) as I had seen your countdown before I went - do you want me to send you some info - pm me if you do?

We absolutely loved LV - it was fantastic - Disneyworld for adults and so much more. It is a 24/7 fantasyland place, you can do as much or as little as you like, but I can honestly say that it has something for everyone.

We stayed at the Aladdin which is mid-strip - it will be a Planet Hollywood soon and I hear they will be making changes, but it was 10/10 for us - great location, room very nice overlooking the strip, big casino, live music every night etc.

Weather - beautiful every day and I hear Oct/Nov is a great time. The sun shone, the sky was blue and the temps were around 75-85 degrees. The heat is dry and so you won't feel like you do in Florida where it is humid. My hair is prone to going frizz-balled at the slightest hint of moisture. In LV my hair stayed poker straight and shiney the whole time - BONUS!!! It was a bit windy some days, but refreshing. At night the weather cooled a little, but not really that much. In fact, a perfect climate at this time of year.

One thing I would say to help you choose what you are wearing is -take a light jacket/cardi if you are wearing sleeveless tops. Those casinos, restaurants and malls have fierce air-conditioning and it can be a bit chilly. My DH was fine in his t-shirt (but then he never gets cold). I am not a sleeveless type of gal and so my arms were covered and I still got a bit chilled in some places.

Gambling - where do I start!!!! Hundreds of Casinos and you can do as much or as little as you want. We didn't play the tables (only once) but I played the slots. At first, I wasn't that interested, then one night we won $40 at the Mirage and I was hooked!!! We went to most of the mid-strip casinos and had a budget, once it was gone, we were gone!! Didn't win our fortunes though.

Dress code - as you please. We went casual in the day - jeans/cut-offs and t-shirts/cotton shirts. Some days we didn't change as we just carried on going and some days we went back to the hotel and changed and dressed up a little - sparkly top for me - DH polo shirt etc. We saw people in flip-flops and shorts alongside people dressed to the nines (with face-lifts to match :blush: ) I would suggest though that if you go to one of the posher restaurants (as we did for the wedding dinner) go a little dressed up.

Shopping on the strip is a real eye-popping event, with lovely dispays and fanstastic interiors. Mostly there seem to be 2 types of shop 1) tack and cheap 2) designer....However, there were some shops to suit the average budget. Lots of hotels have their own mall attached. For instance the Aladdin had 'the Desert Passage' with over 130 shops inside - GREAT PLACE and there were some reasonable priced shops inside. Forum Shops (Ceasars Palace) is more upscale, but has a good Nike World store and a big FAO Schwarz. I wept for the shoes, bags and jeans, but came away with nothing as everything I saw was $$$$$+:cry: If you love shopping, there is a great mall called 'Fashion Show' which has just had a $1billion re-fit, yup that's right $1 billion!! They have Neiman Marcus, Maceys, 5th Ave, Skechers all the designer brands and more - and a food court. If you are looking for bargains, there is the Designer Outlets Downtown, which is just like the one in Florida. They have the big-brands and designer stuff at reduced prices. Even if you are not a shopaholic like me, you must go to at least one hotel/mall. For instance, at the Venetian the inside replicates Venice with cobbled floors, windling alleyways and a false painted sky-ceiling. There are fountains, Marks Square, Gondola rides on the canal - it is staggeringly beautiful. Eash hotel has a little theme and there is much more than just shops.

Imperial Palace - we saw this hotel and went in as the Monorail station is right inside. I will be honest, it is not as grand as some, but it is slap bang in the middle of everything - you could not have chosen a better location! It has an oriental theme and I would imagine is a lot older than some of it's rivals, but overall it looked clean enough and there was a Krispy Creme shop inside :wink :D :wink

And speaking of which, my only regret the whole holiday was that we didn't buy a Krispy Creme. We kept saying everytime we went past a shop - oooh must get a KC - but each time we had just eaten lunch/brekkie etc or were on our way to eat and so didn't buy one.

Oh well, there is always another time and I have already made up my mind that we will go back someday.

I hope you have a good time Sharon - my tips would be (and I know they are obvious):

Take comfy shoes - we walked 8 miles the first day!!

Divvy up your cash for each day and have a budget for the Casinos. We did that and tried not to go over - of course we did, but hey ho:blush:

If you can afford it - take the helicopter trip over the Grand Canyon. For x2 it cost us a little over $500 - we booked via the internet and got a cheaper deal that booking there. We did a 3.5hr round trip and landed on the canyon floor had a snack and champagne - it was breath-taking.

Top eats:

1) YOU MUST, MUST, MUST go to THE WYNN HOTEL for the buffet breakfast it costs $15 each and is well worth the price. They have lunch and dinner too, which I'm sure is just as good. We did buffets at the Aladdin (which is rated no. 1, the Mirage and The Wynn). The Wynn was the absolute best - the choices are awesome and the setting breathtaking, the food was out of this world and like nothing I have seen or tasted. GO.

PF Changs at the Aladdin - superb Chinese - we chose the Mongolian beef and it was luvvvverly - in fact our server said it was his fave, but then he would though wouldn't he!

Steakhouse at the Luxor - we went for the Wedding meal and this was vvv pricey. Great food though, excellent service and beautiful setting.

I can honestly say that we had some lovely meals and there is a humoungus choice for all budgets, you will not be disappointed.

For cheap drink/supplies go to Walgreens - this was the only largish grocery/drug store on the strip (that I saw) - they are building another though. Go and get your water and crisps/snacks here - it is located south of the strip near to the M&M factory. I was hoping there would be a Target, Wal-Mart or the like, but sadly nothing.

Fremont Street Experience - You can get the bus to Downtown for this one. The bus is only $2 each one way, but it is a little slow to get along the strip. Fremont Downtown is the original part of Vegas and the light-show is spectacular - there are plently of souvenir shops and cheaper gambling there. It's free!!!

I seem to have done a mini-report here waffling on.....I will try and do a proper trippie and may try to upload some piccies (we only took 400ish :blush: ).

I know that you'll have a great time Sharon, let me know if you think of anything else.

Lou

[Rio]

I loved LV when we went last year and would love to go back sometimeas we only had 2 days there (travelled from Anaheim).
We rode a gondola inside the Venetian which was great and the shops there are good too. We also went to the Secret Gardens at the Mirage Hotel and that was fantastic!!!
We stayed at Circus Circus, I know it's a bit dated but it was cheap and clean and the breakfast there is amazing.
Is the Wynn the new bronze/gold coloured hotel across from Niemans Marcus?
We were there in August last year and it was still 95 degrees at midnight, but not humid like Orlando, Anaheim goes quite cool in the evenings, even in August.
Fremont Street lights were just brilliant, we spent a whole evening there and never saw the same show twice, we had our photo taken with 2 showgirls and Elvis there.
I need to start saving to go back there.
Love Rio

[Michelle]

Welcome Home Lou

Sounds like you have had a brilliant holiday. We were just watching a TV prog the other day and it was behind the scene tour of LV..
All I can say is I will never do the rides at the top of the stratosphere. ;)

One day we will get to LV

[Lisa-R]

Hi

Rio - Yes, the new Wynn hotel is the huge bronze hotel curved hotel, it is beautiful inside. I will try and upload some piccies.

Tinkershell - I DID THE INSANITY RIDE AT THE STRATOSPHERE!!!! In fact there are 4 rides up there now. The Big shot, which shoots you up in the air (like Dr Doom's deathfall), the roller coaster around the tower, the Scream ride which shoots you off the edge and Insanity which is like a giant claw that takes you over the edge and then spins you around.

I was terrified before I went on - just being 1000 feet above the strip scared me - I am afraid of heights! My heart was in my mouth before I got on, we waited for 2 rides before our go. I knew that once strapped in there would be no going back. I was really scared when the ride slowly eased over the edge of the buidling, but once over, I felt calmer and the spinning actually didn't bother me. In fact, after the initial terror, the ride was quite pleasant.

I feel really brave for doing this.

I really want to go back and we have already talked about going in 2007 - better get that countdown ready!!

[Michelle]

OMG Lou you are so very very brave!!!!!

Well done for doing them. I felt sick watching them, talk about sweaty palms...LOL

[kirstenjet]

Sounds like a brillaint time and glad to hear the tips too, I'm off in a month!
No way am I even going up the Strat. let alone doing the rides, that really was brave :D

Zoe

[Lisa-R]

:blush: I am quite proud of myself for going on the Insanity ride!

I have just put some photos onto the Dibb Gallery if you would like to see them - just click on the photo icon above my avatar. Some files are too big and keep getting rejected and so I will have to reduce them to add them in.

Thanks all

X

[Pino_Spetzberg]

Great pics ! :thumbup:

[pepsicube]

I'm sooooooooooo jealous, it's the place I want to visit more than anywhere in the world!!!!
I'm waiting for my 4 year old DD to be a bit older - do you think 7 is old enough for a few days? We could then go to LA for Disney etc & see a bit of the Californian coast.
Fantastic photos.

[Lisa-R]

Thanks Pino

Pepsicube - to be honest, we didn't see a lot of kids in Vegas it really is an adult's playground. Saying that though, you could take a 7yr old or even younger as long as you stay out of the Casino/club and bar areas as there is a 21yr age limit. I did read that if you are a resident of a hotel with you child, you will be able to pass through the Casinos, but not play.

If you don't mind skipping the Casinos, you could still have a great family holiday. Some of the shows are for all ages - i.e. Blue Man group and Cirque shows (there are currently 4 Cirque shows on I think! -I saw 3 advertised and a risque one!).

There is also a waterpark nearby, M&M factory (where we saw local kids and it's free) and the hotels are awesome! We didn't go to Circus Circus Hotel (this time!) and there is a huge indoor theme park there and I think that is the most child-friendly of hotels. You could also do the helicopter ride and do Fremont Street, so in fact now thinking about it, there is a lot to do as a family.

vegas.com is a great website and has a section for touring with the family if you want more ideas.

Have fun and happy planning
Lou

[pepsicube]

Wow, Vegas.com is good, I think I can happily plan (planning is easy, it's the saving up bit that's difficult!), obviously plenty for DD to do & I can probably have a few hours in the Casino while good old DW babysits (& plans the divorce lol). Must see the Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam too.
Thanks

[Michelle]

Fantastic photo's Lou

We're hoping to get there for DD1's 21st birthday in 2007 DD2 will be 14, there should be plenty to do for us.

[BONZO]

I can't to go at some stage too!

Bring on those rides on the Stratosphere!

[kirstenjet]

Love the cactus photo :D Thats something silly I am really excited about seeing.

Zoe

[Lisa-R]

Thanks

It was quite surreal seeing a real live cactus like that in the proper environment - it's the little things that please me!!!

Have a fun trip - I'm sure it will be great.

Lou

[swv]

We went with DD 22 and DS 17 and two of their friends and i told them when they go on their own to vegas they can do the rides on top of the Strat, but not when they are with me, they scare me silly, especially the ones that hang over the edge lol. it is a fantastic place to go to tho

[Lisa-R]

:D :D SWV

I surprised myself by going and once on the Insanity ride, it wasn't too bad - even with my phobia of heights!!! eekk:eek:

It's a great place isn't it - dare I say it here - I liked is just as much as Orlando - BUT it's like comparing apples and pears, a whole difference experience.

Can't wait to go back. Just got the credit card bill GULP:cry: :cry: