Damn the torpedoes - Las Vegas here we come...

Well, strike or no strike we're off to LV for a long weekend - Thursday-Monday in August, and would like some advice (apart from take cool clothing and sun-block )...

Hotels - Virgin are offering the Platinum Hotel & Spa at what looks like a good price, and the Trip Advisor reports are unamimously good (but these days can you trust it); we quite like the look of it, but want to hear from other Vegas experts which are the best lesser known hotels on/near the strip? We don't want totall manic, but not in the sticke either!

What to do - got a few days to explore, and most of it won't be in the casinos, so what's worth seeing/doing in Vegas. Thought about catching a show (cirque du soleil maybe), drive out for half a day. What else is good/fun/interesting?

Restaurants - are there any "must-do" restaurants, or really good ones that aren't that well known etc?

All advice on freebies/insider knowledge v. welcome too!!!

Thanks y) y) y)

Apparently the Lotus of Siam is supposed to be one of the best thai places in the US.

If you like high end italian, then I'd recommend Scarpetta. I haven't tried the LV one, but ate at the NYC one and the food is delicious.

If your looking for a cheap hotel on the strip we go to Bills Gambling Hall ,next to the Flamingo. The rates were about $25 a night last time i looked and the rooms are big , enjoy im going back next May

Location, location, location. August will be VERY VERY hot I've been twice in high summer and it was like a furnace even in the dead of night. I've stayed all over the place in Vegas (including off strip a few times) and personally I would recommend staying centrally on the strip. Getting about can be a pain ,either on foot or car/cab/ Deuce adnd I have to say I find the monorail a bit of a waste of time. When I was there in March the Deuce was painfully slow and fit to bursting (it was the first time I'd ever used it).It did however beat sitting in a taxi for an hour to reach the end of the strip as the traffic can be dire (except early in the morning).
Vegas is all about madness and bling- just go with the flow and enjoy. I'm hooked and will be back there in October. Woo hoo .
No doubt our resident chocolate monster Scrooge will be along to give some help too .
DL

If you're looking for condo style places (such as the Platinum) I couldn't recommend Vdara highly enough and it's reasonably price IMO.

Tripadvisor is full of people moaning about the walk to Aria/Bellagio. They must be fat/obese/lazzy because it's a one minute walk from the doors of Vdara to the doors of Aria and a couple of minutes to the back area of the Bellagio. If you want to get on the striop quicker you go down the steps which are on the left as you exit the front doors of Vdara to Aria. It'll take about 5 mins to walk down there. August is hot but you get used to it. I've been in just about every month and July/August are manageable if you;re sensible.

I keep messing with my dates but all being well on Thursday I'm in Vegas for a week giving the Cosmopolitan a whirl. Location was a good selling point as was the fact it's a Marriot rewards property.

I stayed at the Mandarin in April, it was nice but I had a few issues to say the least!

We have been to las Vegas twice in august and I would recommend a central hotel, as the average temp reached 115. We moved from hotel to hotel to keep out of the heat. Both times we stopped at the bellagio, it's a short walk to aria or Caesars palace. Most of the hotels had really good deals last year.

Sharon

The Hoover Dam is not far of a drive from Las Vegas and we found it interesting with some great views. Or if you have the cash to spend, a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon?

Vegas is all about madness and bling- just go with the flow and enjoy

Agreed. It is completely ridiculous - enjoy it as such. A good day can be spent just wandering in and out of hotels.

The Hoover Dam is not far of a drive from Las Vegas and we found it interesting with some great views. Or if you have the cash to spend, a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon?

Ditto.

It's also fun to drive out into the desert and experience some of the cultural differences that manifest themselves in shooting ranges and Pahrump.

My top tip would be before you jump in and book a hotel - double check the 'resort fee'. There is an excellent summary at http://www.cheapovegas.com/resort_fees.php

The website is Vegas favourite of mine - the hotel reviews are brilliant and the bargain bin lists any deals that might work for you.

Make time to spend an evening in the 'old' (original) part of town around Freemont Street and watch the light show on the hour. The casino's are a bit more friendly and the minimum bet tends to be lower. It's worth a couple of hours of your time.

Also, if it floats your boat and you've got a car (it's a 5 mins from Freemont St), check out the website of the Las Vegas 51's - the local AAA baseball team. The quality is excellent (a notch below pro) and you'll have a good (cheap) evening with the locals. Popcorn...beer...natchos and unlike over here, you can pretty much guarantee it won't be rained off!

I'm making my annual pilgrimage the second week in August.

Enjoy your trip.

My top tip would be before you jump in and book a hotel - double check the 'resort fee'. There is an excellent summary at http://www.cheapovegas.com/resort_fees.php

The website is Vegas favourite of mine - the hotel reviews are brilliant and the bargain bin lists any deals that might work for you.

Make time to spend an evening in the 'old' (original) part of town around Freemont Street and watch the light show on the hour. The casino's are a bit more friendly and the minimum bet tends to be lower. It's worth a couple of hours of your time.

Also, if it floats your boat and you've got a car (it's a 5 mins from Freemont St), check out the website of the Las Vegas 51's - the local AAA baseball team. The quality is excellent (a notch below pro) and you'll have a good (cheap) evening with the locals. Popcorn...beer...natchos and unlike over here, you can pretty much guarantee it won't be rained off!

I'm making my annual pilgrimage the second week in August.

Enjoy your trip.

The thing about the resort fee is I like it It's great value for me because I use the gym daily and the internet so it depends what you do as to whether this is an issue for you. Obviously if you're not into gyms or using the internet then it's a bigger consideration.

The only place I can think of that hasn't charged me for using the gym is the Mandarin Oriental but their 24 hour internet rate is a shocking $18 (or $84 for a week).

[Darren Wheeler]

If you're looking for condo style places (such as the Platinum) I couldn't recommend Vdara highly enough and it's reasonably price IMO.

Another vote for Vdara. Of the CityCenter properties, Vdara is the most reasonably priced and is well equiped. Even the most basic suites have a small kitchenette and as you go up, you get more features, even a washer/dryer in the 2nd basic suite. It's also a non-smoking and non-gambling, which helps make it much more relaxing.

I spent 1 night there in May and have just booked another 4 nights in October.

Signature and Four Seasons both fab hotels

Restaurants/bars to visit are Cheesecake Factory, House of Blues and Toby Keiths I Love This Bar

Day trips....helicopter to grand canyon, Hoover dam and Red Rock Canyon

We have stayed at the Platinum 7 times now. After trying all of the hotels on the strip over the past 15 years we have finlly "done that been there" and all we want now is a home from home. It is an 8 minute walk to Ballys front end, so as close as a lot of hotels to that point, it is totally non smoking even on your balcony. The pool is intimate with lovely wooden loungers and soft mattresses but it can be a furnace in the summer. There is free wi-fi in the lobby/bar and around the pool as well. Just book a Solitaire suite and on arrival ask if they could offer you a free upgrade, no $20 trick needed. We have always gotten upgraded to a Princess suite just by asking. It is the no.1 hotel in Vegas for a reason.

The 'LOVE' and 'O' shows by Cirque du Soleil are both brilliant, if I had to choose one, I would recommend 'LOVE' Well worth seeing.

Resturants wise, they are not cheap, but I would recommend Mix at Mandalay Bay, Le Cirque and Picasso at Bellagio and if you really want to treat yourself, Joel Roubuchon at MGM, which is one of the best Restaurants I have eaten in. You also have to go to the breakfast buffets at the Bellagio and Wynn.

Have a fantastic time

Another on strip (and middle of it) cheap hotel is the Imperial Palace, sure you won't get the big resort feel of MGM etc, but its as cheap as the old town hotels (215 quid for 7 days July). The rooms are largely the same as my previous comparison hotel, the Bellagio (minus the built in safe you get).

Depends on the experience you want, first time people often want the "big hotel because I'm in vegas" experience (but considering it will cost 4 times the IP price for MGM and 6 times for the Bellagio). The Bellagio was wasted on me personally, the designer shops etc weren't my thing, it was a bit further back from the street than the hotels on other side, and if I wanted to the see the rest (fountains, restaurants, casino etc), you can visit... I did however, go middle of January, so the pools etc might be something you value far more.

As for to do, the Cirque du Soleil are great though the best are expensive. I've seen O (twice), Ka, Zumanity and Criss Angel. Avoid the last two (I will harbour resentment towards Criss Angel till the day I die for that appalling show). But Mystere is supposed to be very good, and a show very like the Cirque is La Reve. One thing to say about the Cirque du soleil, if you've seen their travelling tours, that most of the vegas ones will never travel, only place you will ever see them is there...

If you like the Middle of the road music, people like Elton John, Celine Dion and Barry Mannilow often have shows there (indeed, I think all 3 are there at the moment).

Grand Canyon west rim is about 5 hours each way by bus, and has the skywalk, good view of the vertical drops of 4000 feet, just about bearable trip by bus. The South Rim is about 8 hours each way, massively wide and a sight to behold, but they do (relatively to bus) expensive flights to get there, but the 14 hour round trip makes them worthwhile. Seriously, the bus is like 5am leaving, midnight back, and only getting like 2 hours at canyon.

Death Valley has smaller car trips from Vegas, and is closer than the Grand Canyon, and wider area to cover in a sense. However, we went in winter, I think its a whole different experience anytime not January.

Old town is worth a visit. Its cheap. Bit grubby at ends, but this is often the Vegas you might recognise from being shown in movies even 10 years ago...

People say that Vegas is expensive for food, but I'd say that depends if you want to eat in all the high end restaurants. Most casinos have perfectly reasonable restaurants with great food in them (best steak I've ever had was from Bills Gambling house for $20). You'll find it expensive if you go the big hotels and go to their most expensive restaurants.

Breakfast buffets are a thing too, La Reve and Cosmopolitan are current top recommended, I've yet to try either (I did Mirage and Bellagio).

And this is all without the gambling.

THE hotel at the Mandalay Bay has amazing suites, the best pool complex in Vegas and a good view of the airport too. Restaurant wise the Brazilian in The Mirage or Mix at THE hotel has the best view of the strip.

THE hotel at the Mandalay Bay has amazing suites, the best pool complex in Vegas and a good view of the airport too. Restaurant wise the Brazilian in The Mirage or Mix at THE hotel has the best view of the strip.

All about opinion and what you want I guess. I hate the MB pool it reminds of the sunbathing area of Wet n Wild Orlando and feels really dated, as does the hotel.

But compare it to most if the other large hotels where the pool complex literally consists of a small pool and some sun loungers, granted the newer ones do have a fresher and more modern feel but are still relatively small by comparison

Grand Canyon west rim is about 5 hours each way by bus, and has the skywalk, good view of the vertical drops of 4000 feet, just about bearable trip by bus. The South Rim is about 8 hours each way, massively wide and a sight to behold, but they do (relatively to bus) expensive flights to get there, but the 14 hour round trip makes them worthwhile. Seriously, the bus is like 5am leaving, midnight back, and only getting like 2 hours at canyon.

We drove from Vegas to the main Grand Canyon Resort (take route 93, I-40 then route 64) in about 3.5/4 hours each way.

But compare it to most if the other large hotels where the pool complex literally consists of a small pool and some sun loungers, granted the newer ones do have a fresher and more modern feel but are still relatively small by comparison

Absolutely, it depends what you are looking for. I prefer the modern pools. A lazy river doesn't bother me. As I say it's down to opinion and what you're looking for y)

Absolutely, it depends what you are looking for. I prefer the modern pools. A lazy river doesn't bother me. As I say it's down to opinion and what you're looking for y)

Mmmm lazy river... 8D

Thanks for all the input so far - keep it coming! Anyone know which Casino was used for the film Casino?

Thx...

Thanks for all the input so far - keep it coming! Anyone know which Casino was used for the film Casino?

Thx...

Filming locations for Casino:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112641/locations

If you have a few spare days stop at the south rim then travel onto lake Powell at the far east then return on the north side of the canyon through Zion canyon back to Vegas. Amazing scenery and can be done in 3 Days, 2 at a push.