VEGAS HOTELS ADVICE.....

hotel basterdos

mirage was v nice imo and had great location

Best way of booking.....use fatwallet.com for deals and book direct with the hotel. Deals for May will start to come out soon.

3/4 star - 3 in a room means two queens and a rollaway or sofabed, but they surcharge the third person, so I would go for two rooms, maybe adjoining (special request).

Hotels - beware the crap rooms in the good hotels eg the Classic room in the Roman Tower in Caesars, or the unrefurbished rooms in Ballys.

I would suggest somewhere like MGM, PH, Mirage, Paris.

Something like this offer

https://reservations.mgmmirage.com/bookingengine.aspx?pid=001&host=group&code=INB323

Your 96 Hour sale offer includes:
* Complimentary daily access to the Gym
* Complimentary daily internet access
* Complimentary nightly admission to Studio 54 or Tabu Ultra Lounge
* Complimentary local and toll free calls

Most midweek nights are $62.

Book by 1st Feb. DIfferent offers have different freebies, eg some have free buffets.

If its refundable (see the T&Cs), book it now and cancel if something better comes up.

Dont go too far north or south, ie not Mandalay Bay or Stratosphere.

Dont go too cheap ad nasty eg IP, Excalubur, Luxor.

Jersey Boys at Palazzo and KA at MGM were the best shows Ive seen there. Dont do Zumanity. LOVE and Phantom were also good.

Heres a map

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en-GB&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=105863286002279699212.0004692e030c9f2196755&ll=36.10938,-115.163927&spn=0.033354,0.076818&z=14

with stuff to do.

great advice froggitt... thankyou

Its good advice, however if you want advice from a man whos been over 30 times put a call out for PK01

i stayed at MGM Grand, it was pretty excellent, decent value and absolutely huge hotel. I booked through trailfinders and it was piece of cake.

stayed at planet hollywood great location free champagne every day centre of strip clean and tidy booked with virgin matey ok

saw phantom 2 awesome didnt think i would like it but was very wrong great show a must see tix4tonite booth for cheap tickets -)

stayed in Treasure Island, great location on the strip and one of the cheaper hotels -
more basic than the others around the middle of the strip, but nice clean and comfortable room,
and very close to many of the big hotels, Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, Ceasars, Palazzo, Mirage.
Booked it all with Virgin. Would stay there again, but may try Mirage next time.
(If you book with Virgin you can pre-book airport/hotel transfer return, lot cheaper than taxi.)

going end of may...

-- my m8, the jeweller pointed me ur wy....

a) which hotels
-- most rooms have king beds (1) or 2 queens - can sleep four if you need to!
hotels suggest:-
-- expensive - mirage, venetian
-- mid range - planet hollywood, mgm
-- cheaper - excalibur, tropicana
-- off strip (but not far away) (cheap) - Gold Coast

(I dont think you will be disappointed - look for the deals

-- I wouldnt.... on the strip .... stratosphere, sahara (although some poker players love sahara)

b) best way of booking
-- have a look on expedia, ebookers

c)
-- too much to suggest. Try it all, first time. You can knock it off next time you go if you dont like!
-- Cheap beer at O'Sheas and a game of beer pong! Poker there too - nice small game 3 x daily. Foot long hot dogs @ slots of fun... cheap beer there too!
-- Miss the buffet @ Bellagio's - not worth the queue and deffo not vfm
-- Pick up a show if you can. Have a look in the brochures but try to pay 1/2 price! (I think someone already suggested)


-- Register with the Slot Club in your hotel. Links to how much you play and you may get some discount at end of vacation.
-- Have a great time

Let me know if you need anything else... other than money!

PK

http://www.smartervegas.com/

promo codes/deals for all hotels mate

For recent reviews of hotels TripAdvisor is very good website.

For first timer MGM is very good and thats where you will find the best deals.
They do deal every thursday on twitter its called MGM twitter thursday, if u have twitter look out for them if not ill post them on this thread for ya when they come out. You only get 24hrs to book them tho from when they are released but they are fully refundable which is gd cos you can still hunt for better deals.
To give you an idea of the deals i got a bungalow suite at MGM for 7 nights in June for $571with lots of extras like entry to there nightclubs, spa stuff and buffet stuff for free.

BELLAGIO THERE IS NO OTHER

gotta say, fantastic advice all round... WSOP starts around then too so gonna try and qualify for one event if possible.. just to say i played in it :)

Decide on your dates...and do it yourself.

FLY DIRECT.
Watch Virgin and BA sites. Prices change daily. Virgin from Gatwick and BA from Heathrow. Times of flights are better with Virgin imo...and usually a few quid cheaper.If you see around £450 returrn..buy it.

MONITOR HOTEL PRICES. They can change daily. Read deposit and cancellation rules.
The budget hotels are fine...stayed at both Ballys..and Luxor... Great value for money. (Luxor is a little south..Ballys is centre strip).
Only paid around $500 last year for the room in Ballys - $250 bucks each :-) for a week. We originally bought at around $700..but price dropped..rang to cancel and we got the new price.

Going again in 3 weeks. ..Trying the Mirage this time...£670 for direct flight with Virgin and the room.

DO THE RIDES AT THE TOP OF THE STRATOSPHERE :-)

and report back.

Everone's idea of a "decent hotel" is different. It depends what you want out the hotel experience. I've stayed and seen several Vegas hotel rooms and none of them, even the Tropicana, have been that bad. I don't think you can go too far wrong.

Best value for money by far has been the Desert Rose which is just opposite the MGM and next to Hooters (five minute walk to the sky bridge), and used to be condos so are huge. I'm thinking of booking for later in the year with Expedia, and with the discounts and 10% off voucher/cash back, it's about £33 a night and that includes free wifi and breakfast. But it doesn't feel like you're in Vegas when you're in a 3-storey building and they don't even do room service.

Second best value is booking the MGM Signature privately thorugh VRBO or luxurysuitesintl. $80 a night is a reasonable price to pay for what is a luxury room and very good service. Room service above standard for Vegas.

The best hotel for luxury was the Wynn, in every possible way - best room and best room service I've ever had. It beat Bellagio hands down for me. I haven't seen the Venetian/Pallazo rooms though.

Worst hotel was Bills, which would have been great (given the price) were it not for the old air-con which competes with the street noise to annoy you. Had to wear earplugs.

Best overall when there's a good price going, especially for people new to Vegas I'd say is the MGM Grand. Rooms are a bit tired now, and don't even have a mini bar, but they're comfortable enough and the MGM is a big and fun property with a very good poker room (my favourite for low limit cash). But it's worth upgrading to a place like Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Wynn if it's only a small difference.

Oh and when it comes to flights, Virgin is normally the way to go as it saves 5 or so hours compared to non-direct flights, that's got to be worth £60 more. The Virgin plane is very very tired though and I'd expect the BA plane to be nicer, if that makes any difference. I normally go Virgin Premium economy and some of the seats are absolutely shot.

When you get off the plane, move quick. The wait at customs can be over an hour so you want to be at the front of the cue.

And I wouldn't bother with booking airport transfers. Why wait around for your bus to leave, and it might be stopping at a few hotels before yours, when you can get in a taxi almost immediately and get to mid strip for $20? Remember not to get long-hauled around the interstate like I did last time. The cabbie might ask you something like do you want to go the quickest route? Say no, you don't want to use the highway (it's normally not quicker anyway and adds $10 to the bill). If you drive thru a tunnel, you're getting screwed.

going on the 21st staying at the flamingo go rooms cant wait 14 nights of avin it large with me mates cant wait

If you drive thru a tunnel, you're getting screwed.

lol..

again all fantastic advice, thanks again....

mgm twitter deals sound decent, gonna have a look at those.

can get ba prem economy for 900 quid, think business at 2.2k is prob a touch high for the journey, esp when i paid 3k business to australia just now.

Business class to Vegas is always expensive because the lack of seats. You can get much cheaper deals flying business to LA, which is only a short hop to Vegas and the saving is often enough for a weekend at the beach.

book economy seat if going midweek and turn up at airport early and very well dressed. Ask at the checkin if there are any upgrades available as your secretary booked this in error. Say you dont mind paying of course.

May seem cheesey this but I have had so many upgrades (they dont usually charge you even if you look the part and smile etc) over the years including one to business class back from melbourne although that was a more complex blag. Even if they do charge you you will get an upgrade to premium economy for less than $100 usually and its well worth it.

similar when you get to your hotel. when you give them your passport for ID make sure there is a 50 in it and when they take the 50 ask if there are any upgrades on your room available. they do know how to play the game and not once have I been told sorry no there are none available- had a few very decent suites with that one ;)

You can get upgrades very easily at hotels, but airlines have very strict policies these days re upgrades. The days of blagging them are well and truly over. Virgin for example, there will be dozens of people with Gold or Silver cards that will be given upgrades before you - and that's only if economy is full, which it wouldn't be in midweek. And LOL at a $100 upgrade to premium - I wish! It's cheaper to book premium ahead of time than upgrade at the desk.

ok ive not done it at least a dozen times then lol- you know best.
I have only ever paid for an upgrade once and i paid $100 to go from economy to premium economy.


what the worst that can happen? they say no. if you dont ask you dont get and trust me if delivered right upgrades are still blagable.

I'd bet my cat that you haven't blagged an upgrade a dozen times. Not in the last decade anyway.Ask anyone who works for an airline like BA or Virgin and they'll tell you that operational upgrades (economy is overbooked) go to the frequent flyers first and asking for an upgrade is almost a sure fire way of not getting one - especially if you act like some jumped up** who says "I normally fly business...". The desk hears "any chance of an upgrade" about two hundred times a day - they are never impressed.

I don't mean to be horrible or anything, but I'm not very good at allowing complete BS to pass.

there are many different blags that work and you have to judge which is best depending on which memeber of staff you are dealing with and which airline you are on. Also different airlines do have different methods of upgrades but the 2 airlines you mentioned there (BA and Virgin) are the 2 easiest to get upgrades on.

you are obviously the kind of person who would spend an hour stood in line outside a club instead of going to the front and getting straight in with a few lines or if you bumped into a supermodel you would be too busy oggling while the bald fat northern ugly bloke is chatting to her and buying her a drink.

confidence is everything and upgrades are very easy to get but you keep believing they arent and its one less person who is trying.

my blagg to upgrade is using my ff pts, thats what i did on the way back from oz upgrading to first on the new A380 :D now that was cool!!

anyways, can anyone shed light on the differences between the various MGMs, is signature better than the normal rooms, any tips?
heard loads about slipping the 50 in with your passport when checking in and i will try that, seems to work reasonably often so good advice there.

tip+smile+english accent gets you pretty much anything you want in vegas mate.

my blag to business class on emerates back from oz was a more complex/front method. just went to check in and asked for my new ticket...should be here waiting for me etc. had a problem on the flight over and spoke to customer services who promised me upgrade for flight back to make up fo it. then standing there impatiently while she checks system/drawers etc obviously no ticket there. at end when no ticket is found be polite and say its ok I know its not your fault I will deal with it when I get home and I wont be flying emirates again (luckily my passport has more stamps in it than a post office)...key is to be very polite to the girl while still being clearly p1ssed off you havent got your upgrade you were "promised" (i had already checked customer services in dubai were closed at the time of the flight from melbourne- do your research for a successfull blag as there was nobody they could check with which made it more believable) . my frinds who were on same flight had a good giggle at my expense and couldnt believe my front but i told them dont worry i would get my upgrade. when we were at the gate a tannoy came over saying could mr cawley please come to the front of the queue ;) every memeber of staff has the authority to upgrade you or can arrange for it to be done if you sell the blag right :) business class on emirates is superb btw and i did send back champagne and truffles for the lady in the group just to really rub it in hehe

ok, so where do I send my fluffykins, Russ?

The MGM Signature rooms are MUCH nicer than the in the MGM Grand - it's the difference between 3 star and 5 star in my mind and well worth a bit more money, especially the 1 bedroom corner suites which I happily stayed in for a month. The only downside is the location - the walk from the Sig to the MGM poker room is just as long as if you were staying in NYNY, Tropicana, Hooters (God forbid) or Desert Rose, only without the views.

Oh, and never accept the West Wing as an "upgrade". The only reason they make it $10 more is to psychologically fool people into believing they are better than the towers, when they are in reality tiny and dark rooms with no view and with a strange damp smell about them.

Apparently a lot of the upgrades aren't really upgrades and are just a higher floor. When I stayed at encore the room was enormous and had a good view on 26th floor and I was far too gutless to try 50$ note trick lol.

really appreciate this guys

mgm Twitter thursday deal is not very good this week, just some movie promo where they give you credit for the room.

BTW do you know that memorial day/weekend is on 28th may and that makes it quite a bit more expensive. Vegas will be extremely busy tho, for me thats a good thing not sure for u tho.
If ur dates are flexibl going may17thseems to be cheapest for flights and hotels.

are they all king size or queen beds...

would prefer twin rooms etc .. the guys im going with ive known for years but still wouldnt trust them in the middle of the night after watching strippers all day..:)

trying to pick way through deals but there is so many to choose from :)

looks like it could be 3 of us for 26/27/28 with another lad flying in from denver on 29/30/31st..

would you recommend those stay two nights get third free type deals...

need room that sleeps 3 then prob 2 x rooms (adjoining if possible) or one of those condos..

cheers

MGM - can't go wrong.

NYNY too cramped.

Best tip: travel light.

I was over for a fortnight a few years back amd hauled two suitcases of gear across the Atlantic, only to discover that I could've bought the same stuff there for half the price.

There's a big outlet mall about 5 miles out in the desert from the Mandalay Bay end of the Strip. It's worth a trip out if you're going to be there for any length of time.

As for the hotels, be careful of the budget options. Some (including the Luxor) don't have safes in all the rooms. That means checking-in valuables at the front desk every time you go out, which is a pain the hole.

The MGM is a good mid-range option. Plus it has lions prowling round in the lobby.

Caesar's Palace is worth a look for the window shopping, and unlke most of the casinos which seem to have their buffets in the basement beside the boiler room, the room at Caesar's is bright and sunny and feels more lke a proper restaurant.

Be lucky.

good deals in The venetian via Hotelclub.net
l

I have probably done vegas 30 times as I used to attend the Comdex an CES shows and have been back on the poker a few times since.

If going to party and gamble the hotel is pretty immaterial as you go to bed late and then vacate as soon as you are up. Best value is Circus Circus and a $20 tip to the guy on reception will get you a top floor room with a view right down the strip. Ask for the tower with elevators that come out in the casino.

Right across the street is Dennys, great for breakfast! And also the Peppermill Restaurant, one of the best value in Vegas and often seen on CSI.

If you want luxury, stay at the Wynn, costs a fortune but pure pleasure.

Fly with Virgin, everybody else is a hassle as you have to change.

or BA.....however flying to SFO and doing the sights there for a couple of days then getting cheap flight to Vegas is also fine (Alcatraz, bridge, wine). SFO to Vegas is about 8 or 9 hours to drive.....LAX is about 4 or 5 hours and very doable.

booked flights today with virgin... gonna try and book mgm by looks of it... unless see great deal somewhere else...

does most hotels do twin rooms etc cos one of the guys really worried bout sharing lol...

Yup, most rooms are twin queen or one king, just ask for a twin, no problem.

A twin room will never be two single beds like over here - the majority of Yanks are far too fat to fit in a single.

got all my flights sorted, going via washington for a few days, prem economy not too bad with BA for the price. Also braving a united flight from DC to vegas, thankfully snagged an exit row seat.

also think i might have a bash at one of the vegas shooting ranges, unleash some fury!! ;)

http://www.thegunstorelasvegas.com/guns.html

Sheriff are you going for the gambling ?

im going over 1st week in July.

Why arent you doing the WW or TSBH bets anymore ?
are you doing these bets in Secret ?

hope your going over on bl sq winnings mate ;)

can anyone clue me in if i can expect to find an omahahaha cash table and if so what their experience has been re standard of play?

well a big shout out and thanks to the person who tipped up the mgm twitter thursday offer. just booked using their latest promotion which is only available for 24hrs, $1 upgrade to bungalow and the total for 6 nights is under $500.
very happy with this, a nice result!

WD David. I'm over the moon for you :)

thank you honey, my ears are ringing and i have had too many bournbons but anyone who doesnt like this offer can get a sppoon and eat my a$$.

woo hoo... just got one too for first three nights for 3 dollers etc for the three of us.. missed out on the weekend one thou cos i was too late.. grrr... great deal

grrrr.. fuming we missed the weekends deal too...

any good deals or vouchers for the 28th 29th 30th may , 4 lads, 2 queen rooms please.. three of us in mgm for first three nights, 25th 26th 27th bungalow suites for only 331 dollers...

i wanted to book the weekend too there for 831 dollers for the four of us in two bungalow suites and mate started humming and harring... .... couldnt understand how good a deal it was.. now its $1,545.54

just to get into the tower rooms...

any advice on what to do...?

if we wait would the rates come down again..?

Just back.

It's rubbish, don't go.

P.S. Flight to Vegas (Virgin) had 272 empty seats. There was 5 of us and we had a complete section (not row...section) to ourselves.

People from premium, which was packed, were trying to downgrade ;)

Heres a great deal until April

http://hotels.travelzoo.com/las-vegas-hotels/750528

Signature at MGM Grand $79 weekdays/$99 weekends.

Two adjoining rooms can be converted into one by use of the clever outer doors.

see you there Rosco - am going the exact same dates!

Ive been to Vegas many times and stayed in approx 20 different hotels

Trust me you do not want to stay on the strip but close to it

The big strip hotels are great at first but become very very tiring they are so big and very busy

Also the complimentary offers are not so good

My advice is to stay at a smaller hotel/casino my particular fav is the SILVERTON nice about right size good food no queues very friendly staff and free shuttle to the strip
Also the pool is lovely and quiet

If you must stay on the strip avoid Luxor Treasure island NYNY

Probably Paris is the nicest on the strip but expect massive queues

Best advice I can give tho is hire a car the distances are so big walking really is not an option

Good luck and enjoy it it really is wonderful

Further to last

Do not book a package get a flight and book hotel direct with hotel

Direct flights to Vegas are readily available

Or fly to LA and drive rest of way

The room rates are for the room small extra cost for 3rd person but if you say you want a gamblers deal you get massive discounts depending on your wedge

oberfuhrer9.

Hi mate. You give some good advice but i must disagree with a few things. ;)

Luxor and Treasure Island are very good hotels.

Walking is definitely an option. I make it a point to walk most places because i just don't want to miss what Vegas is all about by getting a taxi or driving from casino to casino.

I used to do what you said re booking flights and hotels via the airlines and directly with the hotels, but the last 2 years i have booked via Expedia, and this year via DialaFlight. They were both cheaper than doing it individually which amazed me. DialaFlight actually undercut Expedia by £500 for a group of Five of us for the whole package. We paid £653 for 10 nights in the Imperial (I know it's not everyones cup off tea, but perfect location and fine for a group of blokes) and direct flight with Virgin. The flight value of the £653 was £473 which is what he charged us and which i could have got via Virgin direct.

I do agree with you about not nedding to stay in the big hotels 100%, although it seems that people (Especially poker players) would rather spend $000s on a room which they will hardly ever be in if they are having a good time :)

well i havent been yet but booking direct got me a much better deal, this mgm twitter thursday offer from last week netted me a bungalow suite for 6 nights incl taxes for under $500.

i would guess without being comped or using poker rates that would be very hard to beat.

JPJ you have any touristy recommendations for the newbie? I already have a canyon trip and maybe some quad biking planned. I might even visit the shooting range for something different...

if you are planning on being a "toursit" and not just a poker player then hire a car and drive to the canyon etc.

convertible sports type car with air conn etc i shopped around on the internet and got one for less than £200 for 17 days including all the insurance and airport taxes etc. The drive out the west ridge of the canyon is spectacular and you see the joshua trees and sand funnels (min tornados created byt he heat) etc. Youc an also stay out overnight at the canyon and we stayed in a teepee which was surreal. overnight at the canyon is bizarre and you will never see it so dark in your life anywhere in the world (no glare from lights or anything)

I've been 10 times in the last 10 years mate and every year i plan to do more but never really get round to it because time flys by. I've been to the Hoover Dam, thought it was superb. Only 50 minutes or so by car, you drive through all the old towns that still retain their age. It's like being in another world really. Then you come over a hill and see Lake Meade, such a great view and site.

I've seen 3 shows.

Love at the mirage. Beatles themed, with Cirque de solie doing all the acrobatics etc. Absolutely brilliant, and you don't have to be a Beatles fan to watch it but it helps.

Le Reve at the Wynne. Acrobatic (Cirque like but not them) done over water. Again, amazing and brilliant. All seats are excellent.

Chris Angel at the Luxor. Loved his stuff on TV which is why i was really excitede about seeing him 'Live'... Absolute garbage. Can't believe this show will keep going as i can't see it getteing repeat customers.

If you go to see any shows then buy tickets from the 'Tickets4you' boothes around the strip. Some tickets are not available through them because they are always sold out, but most are and they save you decent money. Probably 30% or so on prices.

If your into rollercoaster rides etc (Like me) then do the rollercoaster at NY NY, Extreme at the Stratosphere. Also go to the Stratosphere and go to the viewing area (Daytime is best imho) You can combine the viewing tower and any rides as they are one and the same. The views over Vegas are amazing from there.

Do the buffet at the Rio. $25 all you can eat, amazing food really. Look on in horror as at 10.30pm they start throwing all the 'leftovers' in to wheelie bins :( som many homeless and so much wasted food ffs.

Bellagio fountain obviously must be seen, they are on about every 45mins or so. Mirage Volcano. TI sirens. (these are all free viewing 'shows' )

Eat at the 'Outback' which is in the 'Casino Royal' directly over the road from the Mirage. Have the Baby Back ribs with Aussie ***** and ask them for the honey and mustard source as a side. Lovely :)

Play poker at the Venitian. Get a players card. If your playing any comps there you need your passport as ID or you cannot play. (same with getting a players card)

Go to the Bellagio, walk through the reception area to the shops and see the chocolate fountain. Eat crepes there :)

I buy all my trainers from Vegas, visit the Addidas or Puma shops, or go to the outlet stores either end of the strip (By car/taxi) See the price differences :)

Don't go off strip..... Seriously :^0

Enjoy

cheers, thats good solid advice!

thought about just doing a helicopter trip out to the canyon, but sounds worthwhile grabbing a mustang convertible for a day to do lake mead, hoover dam etc.

I'm out there for 6 nights so will be a mixture of cards and sightseeing, will plan some stuff and play it by ear for the rest. I prob will head off strip for the fremont st experience one night, with a side trip to binions just to have a gander.

^^ JPJ's advice about not going off the Strip especially relevant down Freemont St.
Best to stay on the main part and not go around the streets down there.

TAKE YOUR GOLF CLUBS

some terrific places to play around Vegas. they're not especially cheap but desert golf isn't.

:)

have you played the wynn dibbs? had a look and it looks very scenic, although at $500 a pop i dunno if its worth it.

think this time i will leave the clubs at home, next time i go over they will come with me

yes mate - have played there. it's pretty stunning but not worth $500. you also have to have a caddy which will cost you $100 or so.

better bet is to rock up to bali hai on the other end of the strip which is a decent course and you'll find some other folks to play with too. not the case at Wynn which is beyond most people's price-range.

Shows in Vegas.

Ive seen Jersey Boys which was excellent, as was KA.

Phantom and LOVE were very good.

Copperfield was OK although he looked rather bored by the whole experience (I think it was his fourth show of the day), as did Penn and Teller.

Wayyyyyyyydown the bottom of the list is Zumanity which was a pile of steaming shiiiiiiiiite.

Anyone been to the newer hotels on the strip and have comments?

The big ass glass ones - are they good for a night, food or poker / casino?

Cant remember the names of the top of my head bu ti think MGM own them - the Ariya?

Also - is the Palazzo Sports book still open?

I agree with JPJ.

Last 2 years we booked flight and hotel directly with Virgin and hotel..(Luxor and Bally's) - No problems with either.Great value for money.

Hotels for next week were much higher priced..(Nascar weekend)..so had to hunt around more.

Luxor a little 'out of the way'...but you eat and drink so much a bit of walking does no harm.

Going next week...got a great deal with Last Minute...Virgin flight...+ 7 nights at The Mirage for £670....did go as low as £630 with Virgin Holidays until the flight prices went up.

You just need to keep looking..and keep going back.

Going this Friday - Virgin direct and MGM Signature 1 bed Suite for £720 - booked that on EBookers and couldnt find a better deal anywhere else or by any other means. The City must be broke like Dubai - some value to be had.

ttt

anyone got link for what mgm twitter deal is this week please..?

put mgm twitter into google, or you can visit here ;) http://twitter.com/Mgmgrand

the current offer is a few entries down the page, something about rooms from $55 and $25 spa credit, just click the blue link in the post and it will take you to the booking page

I don't think any serious person will follow the advice of someone who stays at The Imperial Palace.

who is staying at the IP?

nothing wrong with the IP , when i stayed the poker room was ok
food was more than adequate although most of the time you eat out anyway
hotel was clean ,rooms were basic but i was sharing with a mate so all we wanted , staff were fine but most importantly the hotel is central to everything
all depends what you are after and on a lads holiday apart from the 4 s`s who spends more than ten mins a day in their room

:^0 Midas.

The doors work well now ;)

someone mentioned hiring car and doing the caynon etc that way.. is it just credit c ard and driving licence needed and over 25.... any advice about who or where to hire car through.. prob only want it for a day or two tbh....

it might have been me, but i wouldnt drive out to the canyon myself, i'm taking a helicopter tour. its over 250 miles by road apparantly so it would be a full day trip by car.
i was thinking of hiring a convertible for a day and going to lake mead, hoover dam and there is some national park nearby that i cant recall the name of.

It would be a hell of a long drive. There are different tour options though.
You can get a helicopter trip that lands in the Grand Canyon and even include
a boat trip on the Colorado River. They also fly over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam.

It depends how you want to do it, several options, or maybe you'd still prefer to drive out.

I still recommend the drive, I've done both and the view from the south rim is unbelievable. The helicopter doesn't go anywhere near as far in and the view from the bottom looking up is frankly like looking at a couple of cliffs in hte distance by comparison.

Make it two days, stay in a hotel on the rim, trust me, the view won't get boring.

be great if could find out which company ariston... i could forward info to other lads then and talk them into it..

HeliUSA Airways/Grand Canyon West Ranch

was the compnay we used- just found the reservation email.

i have photos if you want to see them just add me to msn. i can highly reccoment it and the sitting round the campfire toasting marshmallows in the middle of the desert was surrel to say the least

Seen them in Vegas and London.
described as a multi media performance,
which is a fair discription. Great show.
Only tip, make sure you dont have a ticket for seat D10. (unless you are happy to perform in front of a large audence!)

email sent russ.. cheers

where is best place to buy dollers guys... is it buy now or wait also

i have bought with crown currency exchange (google it) but since the £ dropped last week its all gone tits up

i got 1.72 buying in advance but that was late feb when they had some cancelled contracts, none available atm unfortunately.

mmm.. gonna wait on the doller then for a bit...

Just make sure you dont see Zumanity (NYNY). Absolute drivel.

KA (MGM) on the other hand was excellent. As was Jersey Boys (Palazzo).

Keep a load of loose dollar bills for tips.

Drinks are free if you are playing poker but a dollar tip is customary. In casinos where the**tail waitress isn't so regular, a $2 tip speeds her up no end.

Soft poker rooms for $1/$2 - the MGM wasn't as soft as the internet makes out, lots of students and holidaying grinders but still beatable. Planet Hollywood was like playing poker in a Yates at chucking out time - loads of drunk frat boys. Imperial Palace & Hurrahs, bit of a dump but holidaying Americans very soft. The Flamingo was like playing on a real life Paradise table - old granny, guy in full cowboy rig out, frat boy, scruffy looking degen etc, had my best result here during an early evening session.

The Bellagio's room is cramped, staff are moody and not so much dead money. The Venetian is class all round but for value tournies only considering so many other soft games in town.

As someone said, don't try and bluff tourists. Also plenty people that talk a good game eg "Did you see that hand on After Dark with Ivey and Hellmuth?" but are still rubbish.

Take ID with you everywhere, casinos don't usually ask but every restaurant will regardless of your age. I forgot one night and was refused a beer - I'm 37.

The Freemont St experience, just don't venture too far from it down side roads.

Also as someone said, pack light. Got 3 pairs of adidas for about $40 each and a pair of Timberlands for about $70 from the outlet mall near the airport. Also cheap Levis etc.

Texasdebrazil is a Brazilian restaurant about 5 mins from the bottom of the strip. All you can eat place where the waiters constantly come round your table with huge skewers of different kinds of meat - it's ace.

Try the $10/$20/$50 dollar upgrade trick when checking into your hotel, it didn't work for me but if it doesn't they give you the money back.

Get annoyed by clicking Mexicans giving out calling cards for ladies of ill repute.

excellent post.

superb..thanks...

ttt just b4 it drops off :)

Mr Rossi 16 Mar 20:07


Keep a load of loose dollar bills for tips.

From experience, keep the dollar bills and 100 dollar bills in separate wads. :(

ttt for other guy

so who is where next week? I am in the MGM from tuesday

mgm...tuesday till fri in the bungelow suites (upgraded via twitter offer for 1 doller extra per person, then mgm queen rooms with the maximum experinece 2 for 1 offer.. think its about 300 dollers for whole six nights each... superb.... all thanks to advice of this thread... :):) cheers guys...

Im just back.  Had a ball.  Make sure you set aside time for drinking and time for poker and try not to mix the two to often.  This is tough though as drinks are free when your playing.  Maybe just play $1/2 for $100 and get hammered while doing so without topping up.

The buffet at Planet Hollywood and the Rio were fab, must do!  Get a buffet wrist band that gives you all you can eat at 7 different buffets in Vegas for 24 hours.  I'm still getting over it.  Managed to squeeze in 2 evening meals, a lunch and a brekkie.

Seen Ka while there.  Was good but would have prefered to have been at the tables or getting smashed.

Have fun Sheriff, very jealous.