Hi,

I'm going on a 4-day vacation with my girlfriend this Xmas The last time I went there, I was 11yr old and barely remember much of it. I have a few questions for those who live there or have travelled there.

We're going to be staying at the MGM grand. I think we'll just stay around that area and won't go far to other places. We'll also visit some famous hotels there like the NYNY, Mirage, etc.

1) Do we have to rent a car? Or is it close enough between hotels/locations that we can simply walk? If we have to rent a car, is there any car rental company that supplies GPS systems?

2) Restaurant recommendations please We love sushi, seafood, or simply good american food. Price might be a concern as we can't afford those really fancy expensive restaurants. I'm thinking to spend no more than $35~$45 each meal for 2 before tips.

3) Any shows that are absolutely must-see? We've bought the tickets to the David Copperfield show and that's about it.

4) Anything that I didn't ask/mention in this post that you'd like to give me advice/recommendations. Thanks!


Thanks everyone. Really appreciate it. Cant wait to go.

 

1. You don't need a car, there's a bus that runs down the strip. or you can cab it every major hotel can be reached by a 15-20 min walk that is on the strip.
2. Every hotel has excellent dinning choices, but since you do have four days goto the buffet at the Bellagio(check the spelling but you should get what I mean), the Hard Rock has a special thats not listed on the menu( I believe its steak and shrimp/or maybe lobster I forget) you have to ask for the steak special.
3. See if you can snag tix for Mystere at treasure island an old show but still very good.
4. If you do a lot of gamblingmake sure you get rated.

 

re: 1) there's also a new monorail that is even more convenient.

re: 2) there's a damn fine restaurant right there in the MGM. I forget the name, but I think it's an upscale Chinese food place. there is a wall that is a waterfall right outside it. I think I had their Mongolian beef and I about fell out of my chair, it tasted so damn good. definitely paid for that quality, but the price was worth it.

re: 3) but don't watch "O" in the Bellagio. it's pretty good, but it damn sure as hell isn't worth the $$$ they charge.

4) as far as the "theme" casinos, my favorite is Paris!Paris!, the lighting and temperature inside is like it's always a nice Spring sunrise. I love it. I could sit in a coffee shop along the cobblestone walkway for hours, reading, drinking tea, meeting people, and watching the mime f*ck with the tourists. the Venetian is also very nice, and you and your gf might have fun riding a gondola on the canals. personally, I think NYNY sucks ass.

as far as the "luxury" casinos, my favorite is the Bellagio. it's definitely fun to get nicely dressed up and play craps there. lot's of incredibly beautiful women as well... and if you're starstruck (which I'm not) you'll see the most # of famous people in that casino. Mandalay Bay is also quite nice. Luxor only looks cool from the outside, IMO.

have fun, try not to lose too much $.

 

If you rent a car, make sure to drive out to the Hoover dam.
You can rent a Ferrari if you want. Otherwise, it's real easy to get around without a car.

If you want the real lowdown I'd post this in the Vegas forum....and as long as you don't lose your a$$ gaming you'll have a blast!

 

Wow. That's some great information. Thanks. I really appreciate your input :-) I'll also post those questions in the Vegas forum like S TWO K suggested!

 

Fountains at the Bellagio, a must see.

NOOOOO need for a car.

 

If your into shopping then you can check out the newly remodeled mall, the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace, the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian, or some of the higher end stores at the Bellagio. There is no need to rent a car. Most places that are good to see are walking distance and you can easily take a cab if you want. For food, my favorite place to eat is the buffet at the Bellagio. When are u going? I'm going to be at Vegas from the 17th to the 21st.

 

Rent a car, take a day and drive to Sedona. It

 

You do not have to rent a car but I always do because it is hard to get an idea of just how big the strip is and when I go, I generally vist 90% of all strip hotels and walk 10+ miles per day. The car helps park down at the far end of the strip to see one section, drive downtown for laughs, see more things, go to the dam, etc.

Depending on how active you want to be there is tons to see. For hotels, I would take a peek in Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Luxor, Venetian, and Ceasars for sure. The GF will probably LOVE the fashion show mall down near Treasure Island, and the shopping district in Ceasars and Alladin is neat as well.

For free stuff to watch nothing beats the Bellagio Fountain. Go into the lobby and see the concierge and get a fountain schedule. If you want a nice romantic moment with the GF you can not beat seeing the song Con Ti (spelling?) at the fountain after dark. There is a free conservatory just past the concierge in the Bellagio that should have a nice Christmas display right about now. There is a neat animitronics show in Ceasars near the Cheescake Factory restaurant. The floor shows at Rio are OK. The volcano at Mirage is ho hum. The Pirate Battle at at Treasure Island has been replaced by "Sirens" which sucks really hard, watch at you own risk. Downtown is full of really old people and very run down, but go if you want a to see scuzzy vegas.

For a few bucks I recommend the Big Shot ride at the top of the Stratosphere. And a gondolla ride at Venetian.

For restaurants, if you are looking for a dress up dinner but not too expensive, Olives at the Bellagio is nice and reasonably priced, make a reservation. Also I have heard that dinner at the restaurant in the Statosphere is really good, but I have not tried it yet. The view is spectacular, especially after dark.


A car will help you see this stuff and Hoover is cool for a day trip. Have fun, I love that town.