# Vegas tips



## christinad (Apr 30, 2013)

I've decided to go to Vegas and am looking for tips. What restaurants and shows are worthwhile to go to? I'm particularly interrsted in free shows.

Thanks!


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## none (Jan 15, 2013)

If you want to go to a free show go to a time share presentation. They'll give you free stuff to just sit there and try not to take the con.

Why go to vegas and try not to spend money? What's the point? Just go spend some cash and enjoy some decent shows. I saw jersey boys there and it was great.

Get your hotels via priceline. Staying in a 5* hotel for less than $100 was pretty great.


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## Guban (Jul 5, 2011)

There is the small zoo inside of the Flamingo, the water fountains outside the Bellagio, the volcano outside the Mirage and the circus performances inside of Circus Circus that come to mind. Unfortunately, I heard they cancelled the pirate show outside of Treasure Island.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Great food but not too expensive, go to the Cosmopolitan, Jaleo for tapas. 

In terms of shows, I would highly recommend KA at the MGM Grand. Awesome.

Have fun!


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## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

The Rio has that huge international buffet and Penn & Teller have their shows there. You can catch a free shuttle to the Rio and Sam's town which has an inexpensive buffet behind Harrah's in the middle of the strip.

Also when your there just walk through the various hotels and the casino's on the strip just to see all the amazing architecture and work put into these buildings. At the same time put a dollar here a quarter there and try some of the slot machines that are just fun to play with moving parts in them and so on. They are a fun way to lose a little money instead of the boring useless machines we have up in Canada. At least you could win some money there unlike up here where you might win a few dollars at best. My budget was like $30.00 a day which isn't much to gamble but I do it just for fun.

Also if you do gamble for fun stay away from the machines like Roulette and play the real table or the one with the camera onto the real table with a real person spinning the ball. I found the machines are hopelessly rigged and were usually empty of people because they probably never win very much.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Go to the hotel casino where you are staying and get a players card ,charge all meals to your hotel bill and at end of trip ask for comps.Even the people who say they dont plan to gamble will gamble so best advise is eat sleep and gamble in the same place and you will then get free room offers there for life.Not just for ballers ,I have friends who have gone and spent maybe $800 at slots for a 4 days trip and now go and stay 3-4 days at a time for free at Venetian.Time share in Harrah's will give you any free shows and the buffet if you suffer through the 3-4 hours of the presentation ,we did that once but used show tickets and the buffet but gave them back the 40.00 so we did nto have to continue with the torture lol


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Wow, really marina? Free room offers for life? Geez, I had no idea....


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## Letran (Apr 7, 2014)

Don't miss the Grand Canyon. When you go I highly suggest taking the helicopter ride package. A bit pricey but well worth it.


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## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

The dam was the highlight of the trip for me but I'm a bit of a geek. People watching was fun and the setups for sports betting were pretty impressive.


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

Letran said:


> Don't miss the Grand Canyon. When you go I highly suggest taking the helicopter ride package. A bit pricey but well worth it.


I'd second this. We took Maverick's sunset tour - over the Valley of Fire, along and into the GC, and then returned at sunset to fly the length of the strip. I've got a lot of hours in a Jet Ranger, but wife and daughter had never been in a helicopter. Boy, their EC-130's sure are comfie & quiet compared to the Bell 205. Expensive, but you're buying memories that will pay dividends for years to come.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

I used http://www.tix4tonight.com/locations.html to get show tickets at a discount. you do have to do some leg work, to go there, buy the tickets, go to the venue to register your tickets, then return to the show that evening. But you do save $. At one Cirque show, it wasn't too busy, so once inside, they moved us up closer. We paid about 25% of the price for that show for the seats that we sat in. Generally I would expect 20% off though. I do recommend seeing a Cirque show.

Also, when you check in your hotel will give you a coupon booklet as well. Alot of the hotels are also in on restaurants, so they want you to eat there too.


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## Tinman (Feb 17, 2014)

I've seen most of the Cirque shows, please do yourself a favour and see 'Ka' at the MGM. It's the best, with 'O' being a close second.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

KA was amazing...at MGM. Worth every penny.

The Hoover Dam is an engineering marvel, if you're into that thing (I am).


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## wendi1 (Oct 2, 2013)

I hated Vegas, but loved the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.

None of the games are as much fun as the ones you already have on your smartphone.


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## fersure (Apr 19, 2009)

caveat - if you have a basic understanding of math, vegas is a terrible place to go. However, if you don't mind losing money...

Free stuff - 
- Bellagio fountains / Chihully glass in the lobby, conservatory (cheap - art gallery).
- Wynn conservatory, Encore casino (beautiful room), art throughout the casino, Lamborgini store
- Mirage volcano at night. Cheap - Secret Garden
- Fremont St canopy display, concert series and general freakshow at night

Other stuff
1) Downtown Vegas (Fremont St.) is underrated. 10 different casinos in the same distance as the Bellagio's frontage.
Better odds on table games (and cheaper table mins), better payouts on slots and cheaper meals. Limited quality hotel options (Golden Nugget is the only property comparable to the Strip, but the D, and Golden Gate Suites have decent rooms. Eat at Triple George/Pizza Rock (across from the Downtown Grand) , Andiamos (the D) , Triple 7 pub (Main St. Station casino) for lunch/dinner, duPars (Golden Gate) or El Cortez cafe for breakfast. The better outlet mall for shopping is a 10 dollar cab ride. 

2) Use the SDX bus (limited stops) if you want to travel between the strip and downtown/outlet malls during the day. Use cabs at night. Avoid the Duece bus if you can- too crowded, too many stops. Bus is $8 for a day pass, versus $25 cab ride each way between strip and downtown.

3) On the strip - Bally's is the best value - best location, recently renovated rooms. Mirage and Monte Carlo are decent, if not somewhat tired locations. Caesars comp club is better than MGM

4) Luxury - Encore/Wynn is the best hotel on the strip, but ask for a room facing away from XS nightclub and the Strip unless you don't mind bass thumping all night. Bellagio is also good, but ask for a room in the main tower - not the spa tower. (Spa tower rooms are a 15 minute walk to the Strip).

5) Morning breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi (Paris hotel) is a good value for the strip, especially if you can get there at 7am on Saturday morning and watch the walks of shame (good patio)! Cheap breakfast (under $5) can be found at several places in the Miracle Mile shops (Planet Hollywood). 

6) Subscribe to the Five Hundy by Midnight podcast on Itunes. Listen to episodes 450-453 (Good, quick summaries of all the major casinos on the Strip and downtown).

*7) Never, ever play 6:5 blackjack.*


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## RCB (Jan 11, 2014)

Stayed a the Flamingo last year. Tired areas, but inexpensive rooms just redone, clean and quiet. Gardens, ponds, waterfalls, Koi, birds, vegetation all a lovely change from the craziness of the Strip. Excellent restaurant in the Forum across the Strip at Caesar's Palace...Joe's something or other. Hash-a-go-go, next door at the Quad was great for breakfast. Buffet at The Nugget downtown was very good, as well.

We were there 7 days, never once saw a show. Far too much free to do and see. Did pay for the car museum on the Strip, forget which hotel it was in. Not free, but worth the money. Definitely do not miss the downtown Freemont area, go in the afternoon, so you can catch it at night.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

We are going next week for the Nascar Race ,there is so much to do in Vegas although some things can get very pricey.We booked dinner at CUT and Lavo before we get there as a walk in reservation usually never works for us.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

fersure said:


> caveat - if you have a basic understanding of math, vegas is a terrible place to go. However, if you don't mind losing money...
> 
> Free stuff -
> - Bellagio fountains / Chihully glass in the lobby, conservatory (cheap - art gallery).
> ...


 Mon Ami Gabi is amazing and Bouchon (Venetian) serves brunch starting at 7am for us all nighters !


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

Vegas isnt' a place you go to save money. For sure there are some free things or real inexpensive things, but it's the place you go where you can do almost anything. The Bellagio fountains are my favourite. I've been to Vegas 4 times, and always check them out, every night.
Vegas is the place you can rent a supercar and take it on a road track and drive it at any speed you want (Exotics car racing).
Or suit up and take the controls of an aerial acrobatic plane and do mock dogfighting in the sky (that's the plan for the 40th bday).
Or go indoor skydiving/free falling, or fire any gun ever made in a shooting range (if you're in to that).
As mentioned, the hotel room should be one of your lowest costs.
I don't think I've taken the bus once, and not the cab either. Took that monorail once or twice. Walking down the strip, particularly at night when the temperatures are pleasant, is free fun.


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## christinad (Apr 30, 2013)

Thanks for all the tips! It should be fun.


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## lonewolf (Jun 12, 2012)

I think Vegas is a great test to test if you are a gambler. Anyone that has gone to Vegas & has put money into a slot machine is a gambler in my opinion & should be very weary of playing the stock market.


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## Moemoe13 (Mar 2, 2015)

*The Wynn*

We are going to Vegas in April. This will be our third time. We are staying at the Wynn this time and not only is it a 5*, they are the only hotel offering free breakfast buffet. $40.00 every morning for 5 days. Pretty good deal.


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