Hi Luci

Having read your previous trip reports, I know you are a Vegas regular

I have been twice before and both times stayed at the IP, no problems with it. Basic but don't spend much time there anyway and good location. Next year I am off on a ranching holiday in Arizona, Sedona for a few days, Grand Canyon South Rim, then Vegas for last 2 days. I am quite happy to stay at IP again. However, 2 fellow travellers are against it and want somewhere a bit more upmarket!! They have previously stayed at The Luxor. Nice but too far up for me, I would prefer more central strip. You seem to have got some great deals for your hotels. Can I ask which websites you book them with??? I may just be able to persuade the others to stay at Bellagio or similar if I can get a good deal.

Thanks for your help
jannerlilly

4 weeks pebbles! Now I'm the one to be jealous! We just don't get enough holidays from work to be able to do that. I shouldn't complain as, in the last year, we've been to Vegas twice, Torremolinos twice and Benidorm once.

Jannerlily

I keep an eye on FAT WALLET for offers and promos. Page 1 gets updated regularly, but have a look at the last few pages to give you an idea of the deals.

There have been several Planet Hollywood promos since we booked, but they have all been a lot higher than we're paying. I would recommend it as a step up from the IP, but you usually need to have a player's card to get the promo.

I think I first saw the Bellagio promo on Trip Advisor's Las Vegas forum and booked as soon as I saw it. It also has gone up for our dates. No player's card needed although we have one.

There is another topic on Las Vegas hotels and deals HERE

luci

Thanks Luci

Enjoy Vegas!

I'm back!! Had a great time. Changed a few things on the planner. Went to see Stomp Out Loud again as I won tickets twice and we were too tired after a day's shopping to see it the first night I booked it for. When I won tickets again a couple of days later I thought someone somewhere was trying to tell me something!

Shopping was great, and that's from someone who hates shopping.

Bellagio was wonderful and we got upgraded to a lake view room for a $20 tip. Same at Planet Hollywood. Booked a basic deluxe room with no view and was upgraded to a remodeled Resort Room with a view of the Bellagio fountains. Jackpot!

Might do a trip report in the next couple of weeks. HT and jetlag permitting. I usually suffer for 10-14 days so I'm dreading that. Luggage didn't make it back from Manchester to Aberdeen so we're still waiting for it to be delivered by courier.

Just checked my Nationwide credit card online and we got $2.085 - $2.103 and the same for cash withdrawals.

Any questions, fire away.

luci

I know how you feel Luci. I've been back 2 weeks today and only just finished my report. It tooks days before I could even think about it.
So- tipping is the way to an upgrade then? I wonder if that only happens in LV- never thought about trying that before

Yes the $20 trick as it's called works like a charm in Vegas! Not sure if it would work elsewhere, but must be worth a try.

Copied this from a reply to another topic, but will post it here as it's sort of a report.

Went to the LV Outlets south of the strip. You can catch the Deuce (double decker bus) outside the hotel for $2 one way or $5 for a 24 hour pass. It now goes directly to the Outlets instead of going to the SSTT (South Strip Transfer Terminal) first, although you go to the SSTT on the way back. It took us 25 mins from centre strip. However the Deuce is notoriously unreliable and we have twice waited 50 mins for one to arrive.

Levi jeans were $28 (£14), Calvin Klein's $50 (£25). Hubby got a jacket at Timberland which was reduced from $124 to $89 then had 50% off so it only cost $44.50 (£23) with tax. Print off THIS and take it to the Customer Services Desk and you will get a discount card for some of the shops. The Levi/Dockers shop was offering 10% of 3 items or more, Calvin Klein 20% off a single item so $50 jeans were only $40 (£20). Adidas Samba trainers $50.

There were some great deals at Macy's in the Fashion Show Mall. Take photo ID to the Gift Wrap/Customer Services and get an 11% discount card. Hubby got shirts which were reduced by 50%, then there was a ticket saying take another 25% off and we got the 11% off of that! It ended up being buy one get two free! He also got dress trousers cheap too. I got a beautiful textured metallic leather jacket reduced from $160 to $119 less 11% made it $106.

luci

John Toohey wrote:

Report well I know you wont but weather, money spent, did you win? did you drink in loads of places

Weather was fantastic. Record temps of 82F and 84F (29C) the last 2 days and up to 69F at night. Wall to wall sunshine apart from one day when there was light cloud.

Spent a bomb. Bought loads of clothes as you can see in the earlier post. Got some fantastic sparkly clothes for the cruise next year at a fraction of what they would cost here. 2 Black Hills Gold pendants, a necklace, bracelet and diamond ring all as presents for MIL.

Turned $20 into $128 on the Goldfish slots in the middle of the night when we woke at 1am and couldn't sleep. Donated quite a few $20's otherwise.

Mostly had the free drinks while gambling apart from wine with meals. Ate at Mon Ami Gabi (excellent), Grand Lux Cafe (not great), Cortez Room at the Gold Coast (good), Planet Dailies ( excellent) - all filet mignons, I do love my steak. Had buffets at the Spice Market, Bellagio, IP, Harrah's, Sahara.

I have quite a few coupons left if you would like them. They expire at the end of the year. There is one for Paris buffet, Cafe Lago, Harrah's, Flamingo. There may be a 2 for 1 for a meal at Ellis Island and also for 4 free cocktails, but I can't remember and they're in my luggage which hasn't made it back yet. Let me know which, if any, you'd like. I also have one for money off the monorail - $7 off a 10 trip ticket.

luci

Nice one Luci I see that you enjoyed it all.

I will definitely take the coupons from you and what we were intending doing anyway (if you think they were worth it) is to go to downtown and buy a couple of the ACG books then what we have left we will donate also when we get back.

We were thinking of breakfast at the Paris buffet first morning and if memory serves me correctly there is a bar facing the theatre in the Miracle Mile shops that had $10 drink as much as you want Miller for a few hours Monday afternoon, so we will sit, sup and people watch

John

I think it's Blondie's that has the all you can drink for $10 inside the Miracle Miles shops although I've read that the food isn't good there.

Send me your address by PM and I will try to get the coupons to you ASAP. We definitely saved a lot using the ACG. We had a 2 for 1 for the Legends in Concert show which was only $57 with tax for both. We could have got them at the Half Price Ticket place, but we saved on the service charge and got good seats.

I would highly recommend the LV Hilton dinner buffet which I think was only $16.99 for both with the coupon and they served oysters and shrimp. You also get all you can drink beer and wine. That worked out at less that £4.50 each and was a bargain even at full price. However someone has mentioned that it's not in the 2008 ACG. I would still go back.

What dates are you going? I know it's the end of the month.

Been pricing up flights for May, but hoping to get them a bit cheaper especially as we got such a bargain this time at only £389 with a connection from Aberdeen. Don't think I'll see those prices again though, but sub £500 would be brilliant.

luci

Glad you had a great time luci.
Know what you mean about the shopping. With the exchange rate this year we bought a lot of things too (far too many things in fact ).

Sorry you didn't like the Grand Lux Cafe......we thought it was fantastic in there and the portions were massive (I could only eat half of what was on my plate).

Lexie.........

We've twice attemtpted to go to the Grand Lux Cafe before, but I didn't fancy anything on the menu so we decided to go for steaks. I had the filet mignon and hubby had the rib eye, both rare. They were charred on the outside and raw on the inside and a bit tough. I had several filet mignon's while we were there and they were all perfect. Hubby's beer was also much more expensive than other places.

Maybe we were just unlucky.

luci

My husband had the New York strip steak and he likes it well done and that's what he got. I only had the BLT with fries (honestly couldn't get over the portion size) but only managed half of that. He had a lager and I had a coke and the bill wasn't at all expensive (can't remember how much though). We will definitely return there next year

Luci pm has gone

John

Coupons in envelope ready to be posted tomorrow. There are a couple of restaurant.com ones too for Cafe Baba Reba and the Tilted Kilt for $25 off a meal and one for 4 free cocktails at Ellis Island.

luci

Well we only got back on Friday morning and tonight we have booked to go back April/May for 12 nights.
Got a really good price on the flights so I'm dead chuffed. Now I have the fun of looking for offers on hotels for our dates. We will be there over 2 weekends, one of which is one of the busiest in Vegas - Kentucky Derby weekend (and my birthday!) so we will probably stay at the IP those nights.

luci

Hi Luci,

I am stil;l in Spain until Saturday so hopefully the coupons are at home waiting for me

We will definitely be picking up a couple of books and we leave next week on the 25th so looks like you will have some coupons to take yourself in May.

We ate the buffet breakfast in Blondies and it was awful but beer is beer lol.

£4.50 each for the Hilton buffet is amazing seeing that your drinks are included and we want to go there to see if that woman from louis Theroux's prog on the Vegas Hilton is still sitting playing her machines

John

In Spain and reading about Vegas eh - me too. We have just finished a canary island cruise and we are in Santa Cruz now and go home this afternoon. I suppose I should really get a move on and go get lunch soon. Dont want to come home but I will be glad to get rid of the sickness feeling I have had all week........not proper seasickness but just sort of wobbly - even when ashore.

Might start thinking about vegas when we get back. Are there good flight deals on just now...cant find question mark on spanish keyboard

Hi Lesley

Hope you enjoyed the cruise.

bmi have/had a USA sale on. There were promo rates on their website which disappeared then reappeared again.

luci

Welcome back Luci
Glad you had a good time
I got back last Thursday(8th) and I still cant sleep at night for thinking its early evening and time to go out.....
Not got round to doing my TR yet but I will do it promise.