Are you thinking of making an excursion to Vegas? Here are some helpful tips: Initially, you will want to check the various online travel sites for reasonably priced airline tickets. As a general rule, travel on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday is inexpensive. In addition, book your trip at least fourteen days in advance in order to get the best bang for your buck. Red eye, late night, flights are cheap but be cautious! Many flights leave on one date and arrive on another; also beware of time shifts from one zone to another. More than once, I have miscalculated so if you create an error in your airline ticket because you picked the wrong date initially, the online booking agent will charge you an extra $100 or even more! In my opinion, a direct flight is best. Many times I've scored a direct flight to Vegas but only a connecting flight out of Vegas. One is better than none.
Many online travel sites, such as Orbitz Expedia, Cheap tickets and others will offer you discount deals If you book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, airline parking, show tickets, etc. as one package. Check out all your individual options before you buy a package. In Vegas, weekend hotel accommodations are double the week day rate so in order to save money, stay downtown at the Golden Nugget on Friday and Saturday nights. Book your week day nights on the Strip. My favorite is the Bellagio but Harrah's generally gives you a good rate. If you have kids, the Mirage is an excellent choice. If you are planning on consuming a quantity of alcohol while you're in Las Vegas, I suggest that you skip the rental car and just take taxis. However, if you do rent a car, the parking is free at every hotel casino. Taxis are expensive but the drinks are free if you gamble; be sure to tip your server though! Men and women have different needs when it comes to a hotel room. Be warned, ladies, that some of the hotels on the Strip and downtown don't necessarily accommodate our feminine nature. For example, I require a bath tub not just a shower stall. I need a dressing table with a lighted make up mirror as well as a hair dryer and iron. I also love a cup of coffee before venturing out into the day; but no coffee machines are available in Vegas hotel rooms. If you want coffee in your room, bring your own, call room service or send your significant other down the elevator to Starbucks to retrieve a cup of steaming hot java. Travel light. Get yourself a couple of rolling bags and mark them with your personal touch so that when you pick them up from the baggage carrousel on arrival you will be able to easily identify them. Girls, I know you think that you have to take ten pairs of shoes and a handbag to match each pair but don't. Plan wisely. Take a cute little black cocktail dress and some black heels and purse. There's no place in Vegas where this attire would be inappropriate after 6:00PM. Take a comfortable pair of walking shoes because you will be doing a lot of walking. Mix and match your casual outfits. Take one or two pair of jeans and several tops. The humidity is very low in Las Vegas so your body must adjust. Drink lots of water even if you don't think that you're dehydrated. Bring some chap stick and use it, My fellow feminine creatures, guess what- your hair looks great while you're in Vegas; the humidity is only about 10% so no frizzes-hooray! Great food abounds in Vegas for a reasonable amount of money. Breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets are available at every hotel/casino. These buffets, like the rooms, are of all shapes and sizes. The dinner buffet at the Bellagio is excellent, a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. By the way, if you don't want to stand in line outside the Bellagio buffet for an hour, I suggest that you arrive by 5; 00PM. If you're looking for a romantic evening, many aesthetically pleasing restaurants are available, however many are expensive. One reasonably priced bistro where I experienced a great culinary extravaganza, was Wolfgang Puck's "Trattoria Del Lupo", nestled inside Mandalay Bay on the Strip. If you're downtown, in old Vegas, try "slumming." There are still some small older diners that have a great breakfast for low bucks. Many shows are available in Las Vegas. The best ones are sold out in advance or too expensive for the average budget minded consumer. I found online websites for show tickets to be good sources with as much as one half off the regular price. Once you step off the plane, you become a part of the wild and crazy Vegas energy. It's best to plan ahead so that you don't get caught up in the whirlwind Set a limit on your gambling money for the day. Vegas makes it way too easy for spending to get out of hand. I personally go for the $100 a day limit but whatever your limit is, stick to it. Don't ever bet what you can't afford to lose!
Downtown Vegas
The Vegas downtown area, located about five miles from the Strip, is often overlooked by the first time visitor. If you want to experience a small town atmosphere in the midst of a large metropolis, venture downtown. Many of the original Vegas hotels still stand as a monument of the past. All the hotels downtown are small compared with the hotels on the Strip. Downtown, you can easily walk from casino to casino. One hotel downtown stands out from all the rest, the newly renovated Golden Nugget. The renovations produced an environment comparable to the finest hotels on the Strip. The Nugget features a luxurious new deck and pool area complete with fountains, bar, whirlpools, shark tank, and water slide all surrounded by a lush garden atmosphere. The shark tank feature is innovative and of course draws a considerable amount of attention.
Every evening, in the downtown area, you will be entertained by the Fremont Street Experience. A several block area is quartered off for pedestrians only and encompassed by an overhead ceiling which turns into a light show accompanied by music. The entire population stops to watch and photograph this thirty minute experience three times during the evening and it's free! Not much in Vegas is free; take advantage of this one. It's well worth your time.
Downtown, you can choose to scarf down some cheap grub at McDonald's or dine in an exclusive culinary bistro. At The Golden Nugget you can feast on a sandwich from the snack bar, a leisurely breakfast at the eatery next to the pool or dine at the ever popular buffet. In addition, if you're looking for a night out, a new lounge with music and a great Italian eatery are readily available too.
Small stores abound within the parameters of the downtown area. You may not think this is important but let me tell you that you could pay as much as $6.00 for a bottle of water in a casino run gift emporium. Remember you're in Vegas now where a constant supply of drinking water will be a major priority. Indeed, you can save on other supplies such as: lighters, cigarettes, liquor, cameras and gifts, just to mention a few.
The downtown tourist area is perfectly safe at night as long as you don't wander off into the unlit streets which surround the Fremont zone. Visit downtown and catch some of the local flavor, save yourself some money and have a small town experience inside a big city!
The Strip
All the dazzling glitz of Vegas awaits you as you disembark from your flight and arrive in a city that never sleeps, Las Vegas. You can hear the bells and whistles of the slot machines; you can feel the excitement in the air. You retrieve your bags and head out of the busy airport terminal. Several transportation options are available; taxis and limos which are expensive but fast and buses which are cheap but time consuming. If you have a rental car secured, you have saved money on transportation already. The price of a rental car can be justified quickly as the taxi fares in Vegas are exorbitant. However, you now have to make your way through the heavy traffic snarls that always exist on the Strip. Many streets are one way and the cab drivers know how to navigate; you don't.
As you arrive at your hotel, the laborious process of registration begins. These strip hotels have as many as 10,000 rooms so count on waiting to confirm your reservations. With room key in hand you trudge your tired worn out body through the casino to get to your room; the walk could be half a mile. You must show your room key to an attendant before you enter the elevator. Now, in normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a big deal but you are now rolling your bags with both hands and have to stop and find the room key that you stuck in your purse. Finally, you've reached your floor only to discover that your room is a block away from the elevator.
You're settled into your room and now the fun begins. You're ready to explore the casino. Lock up your valuables in the safe provided in your room and take your ID, some cash, your cell phone and room key in a small purse or pouch and get into the action. The first stop should be for a free Comp card to insert in the slot and video poker machines. This card earns you points which are redeemable for food, free rooms, gifts and money contingent on your level of play. Play more, earn more. You will need to present your ID to obtain this card.
Now armed with every advantage available, you sit down at the slot machine to try your luck. I've found that the dollar machines pay out better than the quarter ones. In most casinos, you can find penny, nickel, quarter, fifty cent, one dollar, five dollar, fifty dollar or hundred dollar machines. As you play, cocktail waitresses will bring you free drinks. The atmosphere is festive and you're getting an adrenalin rush but if the slots aren't hitting, try sitting at the bar and playing video poker; your money will last longer.
After a little betting action, you venture on to the street. The Strip is always packed with tourists and a great deal of walking is required to get from one big casino to the next. Wear comfortable shoes; it is imperative! Even if you grab a cab or drive your rental vehicle, once inside any of the Strip casinos, walking is your only option.
I offer this word of advice to all first time visitors; don't think that you have to experience every themed extravaganza in every Strip casino in Vegas during your five day vacation. You'll be exhausted; choose three or four.
The Bellaigo
We've been travelling to Las Vegas several times a year since 1999. On our first trip, we stayed at Harrah's. It was clean, comfortable and had all the amenities we needed in a room; the price was reasonable and its central Strip location, across the street from the Mirage, was excellent. The next year, even though it was a little more expensive, we stayed at the Mirage, you know, the one with the flaming volcano and the tiger showcase bonanza. The pool, snack bar, casino, sports book and buffet were more appealing at the Mirage than at Harrah's. Still, neither of these Strip hotels satisfied my aesthetic needs. When we walked into the lobby of the Bellagio, we knew we had found the spot to stay next year. On the domed ceiling were 2000 glass flowers, all hand blown in a variegated color design. You could hear the piano music resonating from the Petrossan Bar. All of the décor suited our tastes. It was an oasis of decadent opulence inside of this crazy, sometimes less than classy town. We had found our silver lining.
We knew accommodations at the Bellagio would be expensive but we just had to see what it would feel like to be in the lap of luxury for a few days. As we arrived at the reservations counter, we could taste the excitement in the air. We were finally staying at the Bellagio. As we opened the door to this spacious room, with its cherry furniture, plush comfortable bedding, marbled tile floors, whirlpool bathtub, his and her plush robes and an assortment of scented soaps and oils, we thought we were in Heaven! In addition, music channels where you could immerse yourself in any variety of sounds that you desired 24 hours a day, added to the ambiance.
After unpacking, we headed to the Pool Café for a sandwich before basking in the sun for the remainder of the afternoon. We still talk about the $16 tuna sandwich; hey- it's the Bellagio. After consuming a glass of wine we forgot all about the price of the tuna sandwich and just started enjoying the exquisite surroundings that encompassed us. The pool deck was a large tropical setting with plush lounge chairs surrounded by bursts of steam to keep you hydrated. Plush large towels topped every chair and cocktail waitresses arrived to bring you drinks. We sauntered into a pool area bearing an Adonis statue in the center, surrounded by a bubbling fountain of water. Our dips in the grandiose pool were quite cool and refreshing and the wine was exhilarating!
Rejuvenated by our afternoon at the pool, we sauntered back to our room for a siesta. The Bellagio was magical! We were mesmerized by this romantic setting that turned out to be a perfect spot for lovemaking.
Basking in the afterglow, he jumped into the spacious shower and I drew a steaming hot whirlpool bath in which to soak. Our plush terry cloth robes, provided by the hotel, came in handy. As we dressed for our evening adventure, I had to pinch myself. Was I was living in a fairy tale?
Our first stop was the Petrossan Bar where we lounged in soft rose colored velvet chairs and listened to a solo jazz artist play his notes on a magnificent Steinway Grand. Jerry had an imported beer with a fine cigar; I had a glass or two of Ferrai Carono Chardonnay. We loved this tea room; we revisited it several times during our stay at the Bellagio. After all this alcohol, dinner became mandatory; we were off to locate the Bellagio dinner buffet.
Wow, this was not just any Vegas buffet; this was the crème de la crème of buffets, a little expensive, $58 for two, but in my opinion well worth the price. We feasted on crab legs, prime rib, chicken Wellington and shrimp; this buffet offered a variable smorgasbord of sumptuous delightful cuisine. Jerry says I ate five crème brulees that night. After dinner, armed with our digital camera, we headed outside to catch a glimpse of the famous Bellagio fountains.
Every fifteen minutes one thousand synchronized jets of H20 spray two hundred and fifty feet into the air over the eight acre artificial lake. The 4000 light extravaganza is set in time to music. The lights, music and water patterns vary from show to show. The Bellagio fountains water show was an awe inspiring vision to the naked eye and coincidentally, a delight for Jerry who snapped a multitude of digital images.
Exhausted by our day's adventures, the video poker bar seemed the perfect spot to settle in with a nightcap before we retired for the evening. OK-here's how the free drinks work in Vegas. You put your voucher or money into the machine and the bartender serves you a drink, on the house. At the Bellagio, any top shelf brand is available; just tip your bartender a buck or two per round. I told you this place was classy!
The next morning we went to the Café Bellagio for breakfast. I had a lobster, asparagus and cheese omelet accompanied by a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and some delicious berry muffins. The combination of taste sensations is one that I still remember fondly to this day. Jerry had a somewhat heartier delectable breakfast
Having completed our meal, we decided to stroll leisurely through the elegantly decorated shopping areas of this totally decadent casino-hotel. Expensive jewelry, designer clothes, French pastry, chocolates and espresso all enticed us to join in the lifestyle of the rich and famous. After walking for hours through this maze, we lunched at a small bistro that featured deli sandwiches, pastries and a variety of coffee drinks.
Our stay at the Bellagio indeed surpassed our expectations. This sensually delightful adventure was one we shall remember for a lifetime and we didn't even investigate the "fine dining" option, the spa, the clubs, the art museum or the Cirque du Soleil. Who knows, maybe we'll win the lottery and return to the Bellagio to feast on more outrageous decadent experiences.
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