Category: Las Vegas

My wife, Kathy, and I have been travelling together for almost 40 years.

We started going to Las Vegas on our 10th anniversary and have been returning for the last 25 years.  Our visits have numbered in excess of 50 and we have always worked within a budget. We have frequented most of the MGM property resorts and can offer some insight if you are planning a trip to Las Vegas. I will cover the hotels and shows in other  posts.  In this post I will discuss some basic planning considerations.

Basics for Las Vegas

• Rental Cars

If you intend to leave the strip for shopping or sight seeing you may want to get a rental vehicle.  Las Vegas is quite easy to drive around, especially with access to a GPS or google maps.

Costco members can book cars online through the Costco Travel account (http://www.costcotravel.com) and all you need is your Costco membership number.  The savings are  significant and they provide car rental comparisons for up to four different rental car companies. They also include  a second driver at no extra charge.

There is a dedicated transfer bus system from the airport to the car rental terminal.  It takes less than 10 minutes.  Be sure to book online to save time. I have used Alamo and have been able to get pre-approved to “skip the counter” and go directly to the cars for pickup.

There is a Chevron gas station south of Mandalay Bay to fill you car before returning to the rental car facility.

• Parking

The hotels now charge for parking. There is a way to have this covered when staying at MGM Resorts with the  Mlife players card discussed below.

• Mlife Players Card

We are not big gamblers and rarely play slot machines.  We tend to play blackjack and we do stay a the MGM Resorts.

The Mlife players card is free and does track your play when you use the card in slot machines or provide it at the blackjack tables.  The second level of the card is “Pearl” and this is the level I seem to stay at.  This status gets us free parking at MGM Resorts. In addition, we book our rooms on the Mlife website and there are discounts on the rooms.  In the past we have had free night room offers sent to us as well.  These offers appear to have dried up.

You do hear of people who have their rooms comped and I expect their play is far higher then ours.  Las Vegas is not designed to be free so their play must justify the perks.

• Blackjack 

If you are new to Blackjack, Las Vegas will be happy for you to learn at their tables.  Before hitting the tables, go to the nearest snack store in a hotel and spend $2.95 on a card showing the “basics of blackjack”.  You can go online and get the same information.  Once you have studied the basics, play at a machine to get the game down before you venture to the tables.  The other players will appreciate this and so will the dealers.

• Tipping the Dealers

When it comes to the dealers, be sure to place a dollar in front of your bet for them when you are having good luck.  If you win, they win. If you lose, they lose as well.  They share these tips and most work hard at dealing and are helpful when you ask for advice.  I think it is embarrassing for a player to walk away with a nice profit and to have not given the dealer any consideration with tips.

• Restaurants

Las Vegas has a wide variety of excellent restaurant options and the prices can vary.  Most of the hotels have high end restaurants with prominent chefs.  Expect to pay more.  We went to StripSteak at Mandalay Bay and it was good; however, for us, the price does not justify the difference in other restaurants.

We have found very good food at reasonable prices.  New York New York has the best restaurant options.  The Beerhaus on the walkway to T-Mobile Arena (between New York New York and Monte Carlo) has a good happy hour from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm everyday, other than days when there are events at the T-Mobile Arena.

We tend to go to the following restaurants and enjoy our experience.

New York New York – Beerhaus, Gonzalez y Gonzalez, America, Il Fornaio, Greenbergs Deli, Tom’s Urban, Broadway Burger Bar and Grill.

Luxor – Pyramid Cafe for breakfast.

Mandalay Bay – Burger Bar, Slice of Vegas, House of Blues, Fat Tuesdays for drinks.

Excalibur – Food Court for breakfast or snacks, Lick for a candy treat.

Planet Hollywood – P.F. Changs.

MGM Grand – Food Court for breakfast, Fat Tuesdays.

Flamingo – Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville for margaritas and wings and nachos.

Mirage – Carnegie Deli (share sandwich), LVB Burgers and Bar.

Treasure Island – Gilley’s BBQ.

Ellis Island – Off the strip and has a good BBQ deal.

IHOP & Black Bear Diner  – Both are south of Mandalay Bay in front of the Las Vegas Premium Outlets South.  Good for breakfast.

Boulder City – Southwest Diner.  Go here for breakfast when you go out to see Hoover Dam.

You will note there are no buffets listed.  We have not been to a buffet in years as we tend to eat more than is needed!

• Shopping

There is shopping on the strip and it is quite expensive – Shops at Caesars Palace, Fashion Show Mall and Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

We tend to go to the Las Vegas Premium Outlets North and South.  The North Outlets have good parking and have outside access to each shop.  These are probably the best of any and are located off the I – 15, north of Circus Circus. The South Outlets are located south of Mandalay Bay and also have good parking. They have inside access to the shops.  You will need a taxi or car to get to either location.

• Taxi, Uber and Lyft

The hotels provide good access for taxi’s.  More of the hotels are now providing dedicated spots for Uber and Lyft pickup and drop-off.

 

The best way to get to know Las Vegas is to get out and enjoy the warm weather and entertainment.  You will find things that work for you that may not be workable for other people.  Las Vegas will be happy to take your money no matter what your budget is – so ENJOY!

My second cup is now empty……………..

 

My wife, Kathy, and I have been travelling together for almost 40 years.

We started going to Las Vegas on our 10th anniversary and have been returning for the last 25 years.  Our visits have numbered in excess of 50 and we have always worked within a budget. We have frequented most of the MGM property resorts and can offer some insight if you are planning a trip to Las Vegas. I will cover the Las Vegas basics and Las Vegas shows in other  posts.  In this post I will discuss the hotels we have visited.

Las Vegas Hotels

Take Note.  Be careful when you book hotels in Las Vegas because there are hotel fees that do not necessarily show up on your booking and are charged at the hotel on check-in.  These fees are in the $30 t0 $40 range per night.  If you book vacation packages or on travel websites, you may get a surprise when you arrive at the hotel.  Do not assume the fees are included.  Read the fine print!

Parking. The hotels now charge for parking so be prepared for a charge that was not there before.  See my November 29, 2017 post that talks about the MGM Resorts and the Mlife card that can waive your parking fees at their hotels.

Checkin.  Many hotels now offer a mobile check-in.  They request your checkin information including your credit card and time of arrival.  They email you when the room is available and you go to a separate place to print your keys and avoid the long check-in lines.  Works great.

• New York New York

This is now our “go to” hotel in Las Vegas.  The New York New York has a good location towards the south end of the Strip and is on a corner with MGM Grand, Excalibur and Tropicana.  The parking is at the back with a walk directly into the hotel and down to the check-in.

The rooms are a good size and the King bed rooms are what we usually get.  The elevators to the rooms are centrally located so the walking is not bad in relation to many of the hotels.

The hotel has the best range of restaurants for us on the Strip.  Try the Beerhaus for happy hours and snacks.  There are good opportunities for Mexican food, burgers and pizza.  Try the chicken soup and share a sandwich at Greenberg’s Deli.

Walking inside and outside of the New York New York is excellent.  The hotel sits on the walkway to T-Mobile Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The gaming tables are getting better because there seems to have been an improvement in dealers.  We never used to play blackjack here even when we stayed at the hotel.  That is changing as they have picked the place up a notch. You can find enough $10 blackjack tables.

Hotel room prices are going up as people have found the same things we have.

• Monte Carlo

Next door to the New York New York and on the other side of walkway to T-Mobile Arena.  We stayed at Monte Carlo last year and will also be there in early 2018.  Good hotel but nearly as good as New York New York yet the pricing is about the same.

The parking is good at the back and the walkway takes you right in for check-in.

The hotel is currently undergoing renovations at the front so Diablos and 800 Degree pizza are now gone as are the restaurants inside the hotel at the front.  Do not expect the changes to be finished until late 2018.

Some of the hotel rooms have been renovated and they have separate rates for them as compared to the older rooms.

• Excalibur

This is a lower budget hotel in the MGM Resort properties.  We stayed there many years ago and it started to slide over time.  Lately, it seems to have picked up and looks much cleaner.  If money is a little tighter, this is your best option to stay on the Strip.

Parking is easy and it is a good walk to check-in and then to your room.

Good Food Court upstairs and, if you take kids to Las Vegas, they have a kids game area downstairs.  Just a note – why would you take kids to Las Vegas?  It is NOT the place for kids at all.

You can get $5 blackjack tables here; however, they also come with players who do not know how to play.

• MGM Grand

We have never stayed here because it always seems so big.   We do go over to play blackjack and catch a Fat Tuesday’s downstairs past the check-in.

It is getting harder to find a $10 Blackjack table so we may not be as frequent customers.

Ka is here and we have seen it twice.  One of our all time favourites.

• Luxor

The Luxor is located between Excalibur and Mandalay Bay.  There is an inside walkway connecting all three hotels.  There is also a Tram running from Excalibur to Mandalay Bay, with a separate Tram from Mandalay Bay to Luxor.

We just stayed at Luxor and it was disappointing.  Clearly on a slide and needs some TLC in a hurry.  The pricing is starting to reflect the way it is going.  Check out other options, and that now includes the Excalibur, if the budget is getting tight.

Parking is good at the back; however, you must walk all the way to the front for check-in and then possibly to the back for the far elevators.  Once on your floor the walk can be long if your room is in the far corner.  We did this and hence the poor rating.

The Pyramid Cafe is good for breakfast and the Carrot Top show was excellent.

The gaming tables are not bad and you can find a few dealers that talk to you.

• Mandalay Bay

Really nice hotel.  We stayed there twice and the rooms were excellent.  The price is top end for MGM Resorts. It is on the south end of the Strip and a bit out of the way.  Lots of walking or else consider taxi, Uber or Lyft.  Driving is usually out is you are having a drink or two.

Parking is good at the back and then you do walk to the front for check-in along the casino.  The elevators to your room are right by the check-in.

Lots of restaurants and the options are quite good, especially on the walkway to Luxor.  Burger Bar and Slice of Vegas are good.  Fat Tuesday’s has a nice slushy drink.  Add a shot to finish it off!

The Blackjack tables are at least $15 and this is a bit much for me.  I’ve never found Mandalay Bay as a place to sit and gamble.

• Tropicana 

We have not stayed here for a long time.  They have renovated the rooms and casino and they all look good.  This is an independent hotel (not MGM Resorts or Caesars Group) and is in a good location.

The Laugh Factory is in the Tropicana and we have been to it many times as we did with the predecessor, The Comedy Stop.  Never had a bad show!

• Mirage

The Mirage is located in the middle / north end of the Strip between Treasure Island and Caesars Palace.  We have stayed here a number of times and this is a MGM Resort.

Parking is good and the walk to check-in is not bad.  From check-in to the elevators you must walk through the casino which is weak.

The rooms are good and the price is comparable to New York New York. The restaurants are decent with huge sandwich at the Carnegie Deli.  Consider sharing with a bowl of soup.  The Terry Fator show and Love are excellent and we have seem them both twice.

I think the blackjack tables have slipped because the dealers do not seem as friendly anymore.  Overall, if we were going to stay this far down the Strip it would be at the Mirage.

• TI, formerly Treasure Island

We only stayed at Treasure Island once and the junior suite we had was excellent.  This is an independent hotel (not MGM Resorts or Caesars Group).

The Gilley’s BBQ restaurant does not fit with the hotel theme but it is good BBQ on the Strip.

The gaming is good and when we are down at this part of the Strip we usually stop in for some Blackjack.

My second cup is now empty…………….

 

My wife, Kathy, and I have been travelling together for almost 40 years.

We started going to Las Vegas on our 10th anniversary and have been returning for the last 25 years.  Our visits have numbered in excess of 50 and we have always worked within a budget. We have frequented most of the MGM property resorts and can offer some insight if you are planning a trip to Las Vegas. I will cover the Las Vegas basics and Las Vegas hotels in other  posts.  In this post I will discuss the shows we have visited.

• Cirque de Soleil

We have seen almost all the Cirque shows – Ka, Love, “O”, Zumanity, Mystere, Michael Jackson and Beatles (no longer showing).  We have not seen Criss Angel MindFreak.

Our favourites are Ka and Love and we have seen them twice.  They are all excellent productions and absolutely amazing.  Hard to go wrong going to any of them.  Zumanity is adult oriented if that is an issue for you.

All the seats are good and you will get a different perspective from the back or front.  We have sat close to the front in Love where the performers could touch you.  Very dramatic.

The price of tickets is up there; however, it seems that Mystere (the first  Cirque in Las Vegas) and Zumanity have some deals.

• Comedy / Variety Shows

There is lots of variety when it comes to comedy shows.  We have been to the Tropicana to see The Laugh Factory, which followed the The Comedy Stop, and have never been disappointed.  Affordable.

Absinthe – we went last year and very funny.  Clearly adult oriented and not politically correct. We will go again. The price is around $100 US.

Jeff Dunham – good humour and glad we went once. Affordable.

Terry Fator – been there twice and no hesitation to recommend. I did not think I would enjoy a ventriloquist but I was wrong.  Fator came out the winner of “Americas Got Talent”.  Tickets in the $80 US range.

Carrot Top – we just went two weeks ago and he puts on a good show.  Very funny and he brings in some current events to keep the show fresh.  We will go again for sure. Tickets about $55 US.

Defending the Caveman – Basically 90 minutes of my life I will not get back. Better options out there.

• T-Mobile Arena

Vegas Golden Knights – we went to a hockey game this month and it was great.  Entertaining from start to finish with a full, younger crowd. The team is doing well in their expansion season.  Tickets on Stub Hub for about $55 US.

Carrie Underwood – great concert and her voice was amazing.  Will easily go back to the T-Mobile for concerts.

• Randoms

Le Reve – similar to a Cirque show and very well done.  Similar price to Cirque show.

Jersey Boys – one of the best shows we have ever seen in Las Vegas.  Highly recommend! Prices in $80 range and all seats looked good.

Blue Man Group – worth seeing but not your first show in Las Vegas unless you get a deal on tickets.

Elton John – we have been twice and would go again.  Simply the best.

Thunder from down Under – Kathy has been to the show three times with lady friends. Obviously, very good.  I stay away to avoid humiliation!

Tournament of Kings – Dinner show with Knights jousting and the King Arthur story.  Good entertainment if you get tickets for a good price.  Kids will also enjoy this show.

 

I do hope this gives a good feel for the Las Vegas shows!

My second cup is now empty…………………