pkphilip

Since you are Vegas newbie, here's what I have to say.

When: Vegas is good all year around, I will not go during summer months. Those 3 months you asked for, they are all good.

Accomodations: Why pay for 5 stars when you are out most of the day? My last "super-cheap" stay at Vegas is at Circus Circus, not as new, but sufficient. On your 3 choices, I go for: Aria at CityCenter $513.90, Palazzo $556.98, Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas $559.61

Transport: Rent a car - last time I bidded a mid-size for like $18/day + tax at priceline. I drove about 150 miles in 5 days (mostly outside of the strip). Bring your own GPS, get ICBC for out of country rental coverage and you are all set.

What to do: Shows, shows, shows + shopping. See Vegas.com for shows and shopping at Fashion Show Mall and Premium Outlet is a must. We saw most of Cirque Du Soleli and they are AMAZING!

What to eat:

1 - Lotus of Siam for dinner
Best Thai ever. Order garlic prawns, one of the fried sea bass dishes and massaman curry. That will fill you 2 up easily. No reservation needed. Lots of room. DO NOT go for the lunch buffet.

2 - Bouchon at Venetian for breakfast
Either go at 7AM or after 9AM. Get a patio seat - wait if you must. Worth it. The dinner is French bistro -- kinda meh for the money. No reservations taken.

3 - Milos at Cosmopolitan for lunch
Get a patio seat. Seriously. Get the lunch prix fixe. If you like it, I recommend paying extra for the octopus appie. Sooooo good. Order the whole fish for your main. It's huge and a ridiculously good value. The included desserts are meh. But you won't care coz you'll be so full by then. I don't think they take reservations... but you might want to check.

4 - Fukuburger for late late night (11PM+)
AMAZING burger. These guys know flavour profile and just exactly how much to put onto the bread. Get the tamago burger - it's their specialty. Order whatever else you like. There WILL be a lineup. The later you go, the smaller the line. I'm talking 2 AM...

5 - Raku for dinner/late-dinner
Order the agedashi tofu - best I've EVER had. Order anything on their specials menu. Make reservations at least a week in advance. I'm not kidding.

What to watch out for: Time Share people, they will offer you free/discounted stuff and just kindly tell them "I am leaving today". If something is too good, it is probably. Go to Walmart the first thing you leave airport, pickup some bottle water for cheap, you will need it.

Get the most out of the trip:
Priceline, Hotwire, Kayak are your friends. You can also sign up for hotel's email list to get some special discounts too. If days are flexible, watch for WestJet Vacation, AlaskaAir Vacation sites, they may have package that will save you lots. Fly from Bellingham via Alaska or Allegiant is about $200 cheaper than YVR per person.

For priceline and horwire, you can try your luck to bid a 4-5 stars for under $100/night. Please do the homework before and check the overall pricing as they are final. They have a bid history for Vegas and I go by that.

I try to go to Vegas once a year as it is very economical.. but my wedding is soon so I need to save up.

Finally... if you ask me, I will leave the kids at home. Vegas is not kid-friendly. :-)

PS. Get me a bottle of wine in Total Wine! They are like the superstore of wines!

Philip

pkphilip

Actually....vegas is not that bad w/ kids...
I would bring my bb again when she's a bit older ...her ...
fibbi 發表於 2012-8-9 15:58

I have no preference on those 3 because they are all new and luxrious.

If you shop around, I am sure MGM Grand, New York New York could be booked at less than $90 a night. I was able to book New York New York for $80 a night from Priceline, then I asked nicely at checkin, they gave us a quieter building on the 34th floor. It was quiet.

Vegas is noisy all day around, so ask nicely and see if they could upgrade/change to a better room.

Philip

pkphilip

Basically with Priceline, the final price you see "in green" will be the total you pay. Keep in mind that Priceline bid are final and no refund. If the price is too low, then you will have to wait 24 hours to bid again on the same "grade". You can bid as many as you want as long as you are not choosing the same grade.

I would suggest you read through the fine details in the Name Your Own Price section as there are a lot of small details you may want to know.

Philip

pkphilip

Unfortunately, most of the travel site only offers car rental at the airport. If you need to book a car in the strip, probably need to find it and book it directly.

I think Budget with Costco code is the cheapest in Vegas. Both of my last trips were using Costco BCD codes and by using Express, it's so fast to get it and out.

Philip

pkphilip

You can bid on priceline on specific? Nice!

To be fair, I think any hotel on the strip is decent. Just some are more decent/upscale. If you plan to sleep a lot, then go for more decent, otherwise I tend to find a good bed and play all day the day after.

Philip