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Help Me Finish Off Our Vegas Trip

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by Alpine33, Nov 2, 2014.

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  1. Alpine33

    Alpine33 Tourist

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    Hello, first post here. If you have the time or are bored enough to read a long post, here we go...

    Wife and I are planning our first trip to Vegas (I've been once; she's never been). We're young, but don't do the whole club scene. Other than that, we really want to explore. We've spent a rather long time planning this to be the "ultimate" Vegas trip for us, and we think we've got it just right, but if anyone has any other suggestions or additions we should make, or even a recommendation against something on the list, lets hear it!
    Any and all suggestions appreciated. Here's our basic itinerary:

    Hotels:

    -Staying at Encore and Bellagio. Plan on attempting to at least walk in every hotel on the strip

    Activities:

    -Shopping at Forum Shops and Crystals
    -The Gun Store
    -Adventure Dome at Circus Circus
    -Rent a motorcycle and ride out to Red Rocks Resort for an IMAX movie
    -See Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden
    -Possibly visiting the hot springs- Are these worth it, or totally "blah?"
    -Titanic Exhibit
    -Shows: Penn and Teller, Jersey Boys, and "Le Reve." Would also love to see a comedy show, but not sure which one.
    -Spa at Encore and Bellagio, with a possible visit to Qua
    -Visit Fremont Street and do the Fremont St. zipline
    -Play the classic coin slots at Circus Circus (Spending most of the gambling time@Encore BJ/Roulette tables and MGM Grand Slots)
    -Visit the Bellagio Conservatory and Gallery of Fine Art (Worth it?)
    -Also would like to spend some time in the pool. Anyone know if the Wynncore/Bellagio pool are open November/December?


    Restaurants/Food:

    -Wynn Buffet
    -Wicked Spoon Buffet
    -Donuts at Fix
    -STEAK: Can't decide between Prime, Cut, or Carnevino. Help?
    -Chocolate Shop at Bellagio
    -Dinner at Joel Robuchon
    -Possiby Le Thai
    -Afternoon Tea: Is the tea at the Petrossian Bar or the Mandarin Oriental better? Should we do both?
    -Sky Bar@Mandarin
    -Tableau (Wynn)
    -Sinatra Restaurant
    -Wynn Country Club
    -Rainforest Cafe @ MGM
    -Dinner at the Top of the World@Stratosphere
    -Le Circque
    -Secret Pizza@Cosmopolitan
    -Also looking for a good recommendation for an oyster bar

    ...Suggest away!
     
  2. heatherlovesvegas

    heatherlovesvegas VIP Whale

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    Wow lots of plans!! I'm young, and don't party so maybe I can help haha :)

    I'd skip Circus Circus.. I don't see any reason to go there. I'd play the coin slots downtown at the D if you really want to do that.

    Definitely go to Red Rock, but on your motorcycle take the 13 mile scenic canyon tour! It's like $10 to get in, it's beautiful. The resort is great too.

    Titanic Exhibit was pretty cool, but see if you can find a discount. It's really expensive for what it is.

    Comedy show 100% see Carrot Top!! It's on sale for $30 on TravelZoo.com right now if you are going in the near future. I didn't care for Penn and Teller. Jersey Boys is fantastic!

    Steak should be Gordon Ramsay!! :)

    Tableau is pretty good for breakfast at the Wynn, so is Terrace Pointe and Society at Encore.

    I'd trade in Top of the World for Eiffel Tower Restaurant.
     
  3. MojaveJoe

    MojaveJoe Tourist

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    Looks like you have a great trip planned.

    As far as a raw/oyster bar goes - I'd recommend two places if you're looking for a casual place to grab a beer or nice glass of wine and enjoy a few fresh oyster:

    Todd English P.U.B. (Shops at Crystal on the strip adjacent to Aria) - nice pub atmosphere, raw bar is decent, but fresh.

    Oyster Bar at Harrahs - underrated in my opinion due to its location. Raw bar has always been fresh, I like getting the Seafood platter (all raw). If you stick around for a little bit at the bar, they will whip something up for you to try on the house. Oysters are fresh and the service is top notch. Ask for the french fries done in funnel cake batter.

    As far as comedy clubs - we've only ever been to the Laugh Factory in the Tropicana. Got a 2 for 1 groupon as a last minute change in plans. Small place, but the show was fun. Would go again.
     
  4. roycpa

    roycpa High-Roller

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    HI Alpine, and welcome to the boards! You have a lot planned - how long are you staying in LV? I need to read between the lines to make any suggestions, but you certainly have a wide variety of things planned.
    1. Based on your hotels and shopping and eating picks, I'm assuming money is absolutely no object, since you've generally picked the most expensive places in town to stay/eat.
    2. If the above assumption is correct, I'd skip Circus Circus entirely - there are better amusement parks all across the country.
    3. If you are considering Red Rock Canyon, (not red rock resort) then a motorcycle trip might be great, though the weather might be questionable. If you're renting cycles just to see the IMAX at the Red Rock Casino, there are better ways to spend your time and money.
    4. Unless you are staying at least 10 days, you'll want to cross several restaurants off the list - It's hard to eat a great meal after you've just stuffed yourself at a buffet, and vice versa. After a few days your stomach seems to rebel a little.
    5. Your gambling sites for table games and slots need a little further clarification, unless you are playing enough to get comps. Hopefully, though you are new to LV, you aren't new to gambling, otherwise your gambling budget will be gone quickly.
    6 Playing old coin in/coin out slots, no matter where you play them will get old very quickly. If you last 5 minutes, I'll be surprised. This activity doesn't seem to fit in with your other planned gaming activities.
    7. Springs Preserve is interesting and worthwhile, but I wouldn't recommend it for young folks on a first time visit.
    8. Lastly, I'd forget the Rainforest Café - just a chain restaurant with kitzy surroundings and average overpriced food.

    Whatever, enjoy your trip - make lots of memories - have so much fun you'll come back often!
     
  5. roycpa

    roycpa High-Roller

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    oops
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2014
  6. Spivderman

    Spivderman Macallan 17, please!

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    Are you staying for 3 weeks?

    It's always exciting to plan a special trip for 'the lady'. I have lots of fun doing that myself. It seems that you are not on a tight budget but here are a few suggestions:
    • Do not, under any circumstances, enter Circus Circus with your lady.
    • My lady and I have done both tea services and they were both great but I think the Bellagio was better overall.
    • Based on the steakhouses you listed, Cut is my choice.
    • The Red Rock Resort is very nice and worth visiting.
    • I agree with the Top of the World dinner experience. Go an hour early and have drinks at the bar one floor from the restaurant.
    • Since you are staying at Encore, my lady and I loved La Cave.
     
  7. Alpine33

    Alpine33 Tourist

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    Thanks guys!

    Still curious if anyone can help us make the choice between the steakhouses. And to answer your question, yes, it's a 9 day trip:beer:!
    We're not particularly uber-wealthy, but we do enjoy the nicer places and have mostly everything big pre-paid for. As fa as gambling goes, I'm not a "new" gambler per se, but I come from a place where it's illegal, so I like to play when I can, mostly BJ and the wife likes Roulette. However, I was at a place recently where I played the old coin style slots, and had a blast, and was told CC had them (which is my only reason for wanting t go there).I don't really worry about the comps system...if they care to give me free stuff, fine. If not, I'll enjoy my vacation just the same. Is springs preserve where the hot springs are?

    And thanks, MojaveJoe, for the oyster bar recommendation! Better half loves oysters, so it's a must. Basically, we're trying to combine the trip with some of the "finer" things available, but also to enjoy some of the tacky "'Merican" stuff, like Rainforest Cafe. I didn't grow up around chain restaurants, any of the cheesy theme stuff, so it's fun for a visit every now and then, and oddly, Rainforest cafe was one of my favorite non-bourgeoisie experiences during my last visit. That, and though I really enjoy the theme of the Encore casino, I remember really loving the MGM grand...it just had a certain energy about it.
     
  8. Mrs. K.

    Mrs. K. Low-Roller

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    I think you can probably scratch "pool time" off your list unless you're from somewhere really cold and think 65 degrees is warm.
     
  9. Alpine33

    Alpine33 Tourist

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    65 is just fine. I'll do my aqua relaxation in the spa, but I'm really hoping they'll have a pool open for some morning laps.
     
  10. kittyglitter_mm

    kittyglitter_mm Low-Roller

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    I'd go downtown for a night instead of Circus Circus. Several places on Fremont St have coin-in machines. Be prepared for nasty black fingers from the dirty coins! Since you are staying at Encore, did you consider SW Steak at Wynn? It seems to be the most highly regarded on this board.
     
  11. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    You have a FULL schedule. I know on our trips, half of the stuff we plan to do never happens.

    As to places to eat (steak house) - I am big on eating at the same hotel we are staying at so that we do not have to make a "trip" to get there and "trip" to get back. We do our walking and touring mostly during the day. With that said, there are plenty of great food options at Bellagio.

    I am surprised you got as many answers as you have, since this is posted in the misc section which is so full of... how do I put this nicely? Crap!

    Hopefully, you have scanned through the food and entertainment sections here that provide great ideas.
     
  12. waverunner

    waverunner ------VEGA$------

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    As others have said, do the 13 mile loop at Red Rock Canyon.

    Get discount tickets at Tix4Tonight or at the box office and do the combo Titanic and Bodies the Exhibition.

    Ride the Ferris Wheel and check out Brooklyn Bowl.
     
  13. JeaniGo1

    JeaniGo1 Tourist

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    I would agree that the D is better for playing coin in coin out slots and they have a Sigma machine which is the best cleaning machine ever since you're going to be downtown you might want to try Oscar's steak house because it has a nice view of the Fremont Street Experience it's in the Plaza Hotel
     
  14. JeaniGo1

    JeaniGo1 Tourist

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    Stupid phone cleaning means coin in
     
  15. roycpa

    roycpa High-Roller

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    No , the springs preserve is not the hot springs you asked about. They are out by Lake mead I think, and you will have to hike a long distance to get there. Not anything that gets discussed much and I've never been there, so maybe someone else can help you with that.
     
  16. Junkyard Hog

    Junkyard Hog High-Roller

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    I'd skip Circus Circus

    If you want to laugh hysterically and are open to something other than a "comedy club" I'd suggest seeing Absinthe. It's a little risque, but I've never laughed harder.

    As far as steakhouses, I'd recommend SW or Cut. I'd definitely do almost any steakhouse in Vegas before I do Carnevino again. Food was ok, service was terrible.
     
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