Lesley,
We've done both and in my opinion Valley of Fire SP is better than Red Rock Canyon. Of course if you can do both then great, it is well worth the hour or so drive from Vegas and is a nice contrast from the strip. We actually did the Valley of Fire ATV tour which was fun, and then we got to do the scenic drive through the park on the way back to Vegas. Definitely spend some time at the Visitor Center and make sure you get out of the car and do some short walks, it's the only way of really appreciating some of the strange formations. Be prepared for heat though. Energy sapping at it's finest (and it was September we went).

For me now with Vegas, it's as much what we can do around the area as it is on the strip itself. This September we are hoping to jetski on Lake Mead and visit the Hoover Dam again amongst other things.

Still undecided on hotels though. Plenty of time.

Ju,

Definitely go jet-skiing on lake mead, it's great, you can go all the way around to the Hoover dam! It cost me $80 last year for 2 hours hire and that includes the fuel I used, I thought it cost more than that but found my receipt recently I'll be going again in September. Oh, and wait till you see the bass (fish) in the water around the harbour, I can't explain it but you'll see what I mean, unbelievable. Try to take a loaf of bread with you to feed them, it's great.

TC

Teecee,

Thanks for the info on the jet skiing on Lake Mead. Please tell me that unlike some of the other big lakes in the USA you don't have to hire a transporter to get the jet skis down to the lake itself? I know when I was looking into Lake Powell a lot of the suppliers were mentioning this, but I guess they don't have a premises directly on the lake.

$80 for 2 hours is good value. I remember paying significantly more than that down in Key West but then again it was jet skiing on the Atlantic....

Thanks. Ju

Ju,

No problem, you are on the water itself! They have built a little harbour and the shop and outbuildings are all on pontoons so you're floating anyway!
The jet-skis are out of the water but you sit on them and they just push you back into the water, you have a speed limit inside the harbour of 5kph which takes a couple of mins to exit, then you can open it up! I got 72kph out of mine last year and that was with the missus on the back too - great fun. You can ride round to the Hoover dam, within about 100 yards of it, there's a boom to stop you going closer, for security.

TC

Anyone got any thoughts on how to do Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire in one day?

I've only done Hoover dam on a bus trip about 8 years ago. We'll have the car for 4 days, starting Labor Day (for shopping, we will pick car up in afternoon and shop into the evenign). Then we will be looking for other things to do, partly touristy and partly shopping.

Should we do VOF first early in the morning while it's still cool? Is there a basic tour out at Hoover Dam? Will we also be able to have a look at Lake Mead?

Another day out is likely to be Red Rock breakfast buffet, Red Rock Canyon, shops opposite Red Rock (Marshall's, Best Buy, Home Depot), maybe with Wal Mart on Charleston and the Outlets near downtown. We will probably do Boulevard Mall on Labor Day and maybe Belz outlets if we have time.

TeeCee which company did you use? There seem to be a few in the vicinity that aren't on the lake itself and offer you a hire car with a tow bar to take the JetSki down to the lake (which sounds like a bit of a hassle).

Regards Mike

Lesley,
I think we were cruising through Valley of Fire just after lunch and the heat obviously put people off because we had the place to ourselves (sort of). If you are used to Vegas heat, which clearly you are, I don't think you will have a problem with Valley of Fire. Sure it's exposed and there is little shade but with plenty of suncream and hats you can definitely take advantage of fewer crowds. You have to remember also for a lot of the time you will be doing the scenic drive anyway, just stopping at areas of interest.
However, with your first timers who may not be used to such extreme heat, an early start might be in order.

I would say it's fairly comfortable fitting in Valley of Fire with trips to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead in one day. An early start will help and it really does depend on how long you stay in the Valley of Fire (you could just drive through in 20mins, or stay for 3hrs+) but there are no major distances to cover. It would be an awesome day in fairness.

Finally, on your Red Rock Canyon day I hope you have better weather then we did in Sep 07. Our first ever encounter with clouds and rain in Vegas. Most inconsiderate, especially with a convertible. I remember cruising down the strip after going to Red Rock and a guy pulled up next to us and practically insisted we put the hood up on the car because of the impending rain. We thought, stuff that, we haven't paid for a convertible to have the hood up and just carried on. He look bemused.

September 07 was the only september since 2001 when we didn't go! We went in June in 2007. I did later hear the the weather had been iffy, so was sort of glad.

Regarding Vegas heat, yes we are fine with it, however one of the others is at a funny age and sometimes gets rather warm rather quickly. I think she'll need to buy that cooling spray because she sometimes finds it hot in Scotland Maybe morning would be best for us. I'll need to have a look and see if I've got any ACG coupons for buffets out that way at all - 2/1 brekkie or lunch would be a bonus too!

Anyone know if there's any shops out that way?

There is little to nothing out near the Valley of Fire State Park which I think is what appeals to me. Certainly, Red Rock Canyon is closer but it didn't seem far enough away from the abundance of strip malls out that way. It's a bit like when my Wife and I are discussing where to go for a weekend away in England and I mention Cambridge, and she pipes up that it isn't far enough away from Norwich

Anyway I have gone . It's definitely worth the drive Lesley and I'm sure you will have a good time. Don't expect Yosemite (as if, its the desert after all) but it is quite a facsinating place and pretty much like nothing I have ever seen on my travels around the world. If you think it's boring, it's only an hour away from those slots!!!!!

blackmme -

This is a link to the place that I use. It's really easy to get to from the Vegas strip and only takes about 40 mins to get there. I normally go east on Tropicana, then up towards Henderson where I do a left towardLake Mead, then drive around the edge of the lake for a bit to the harbour.

This is a web site for the whole harbour
http://www.boatinglakemead.com/content.asp?cpid=8051&

This is a map, the harbour is where the red star is

http://www.boatinglakemead.com/cgi-bin/mapquest/mapquest.aspx?dealername=Las+Vegas+Boat+Harbor&streetaddress=+&city=Hemenway%20Harbor&state=NV&zip=&country=US&level=9&bvdid=&lat=&lng=

Cheers,

TC

Have to say that Monte Carlo is looking more tempting.............they have now reduced prices to $42 a night at some midweek times and $77 for weekends. Bearing in mind that the City Centre Project is due to open in December (barring further money issues) then I guess outside construction should be well finished by September, making MC a quite reasonable choice again? At those prices it is highly tempting.

TC

It's $56 adn $77 for my nights (4 week, and 2 weekend), making a total of $378+tax.

Comparing with $535+tax at Paris, $574+tax at Mirage and $506+tax at TI, it is making it sound a good option. It also includes 2/1 buffet, 2 spa admissions. Excalibur Widescreen is $363+tax. I'm liking the sound of the new adult pool at Excalibur though....maybe you can excape from all the kids at excal after all?

I also got a Venetian offer today, was $139 I think for weeknights, which is quite good. I'm not sure how the room set up would be for 2 women in our party sharing. I'm sure they're all king room, but sounds like some have sofa bed. The offer is also on at Palazzo, but they don't have my weekend nights at either at a good price.

I wonder if I should consider:-

5 nights Orleans (already booked, uncancellable)
2 nights TI or Mirage
4 nights Venetian. The move after 2 nights might be a bit annoying....but probably would feel worth it. We have others travelling with us, so have to consider that too. Would be great to stay at Palazzo though....

What do you all think!???

The pallazzo seems so souless to me.

Looking to go in Sept too, what do they put in the water that makes everyone go back?

A 2 night stop might be annoying, but as you'lll be over the jetlag by then not having room access for a couple of hours wont be a problem.
If you're going in a group perhaps you can split the check in and outs between you - as long as you dont have a zillion bags.....

Well we think we may have quite a few bags. We are there 6-17th. We have a car 7-11th, so we will have the car for the move from Orleans to wherever, so that is all fine. We will also do most of our shopping when we have the car. We plan to take 1 case and 1 holdall per person, plus hand luggage. That can be a bit tricky to carry, and last year at MGM we ended up letting the bellhop take our luggage, which is something we don't usually do. It was just a bit too much for us to carry! With 6 people though it is easier to do in some respects, ie you can have one person watch the pile of luggage, one person at an elevator, one at the top landing etc, and you can relay the luggage, whereas with 2 people you can't do that. I was sort of thinking that maybe TI to Venetian isn't too bad. I agree about Palazzo, nothing draws me other than the fact that Venetian is my favourite hotel, and technically Palazzo should be a nicer newer version. We didn't spend any time in it though on our last trip really, so unable to really form any opinion. Still undecided, and I'm off now to see if there's any more new deals!!!

It's been a tad quiet on the Vegas deals front over Easter which I suppose isn't really a surprise. Like Lesley I have the Monte Carlo coming out at $56 on our dates which currently seems to be the best deal around. I also got the Venetian deal as well but I'm not overly keen on paying $139 a night (even if it is a reasonably good deal) when hotels in Seattle and Portland are going to be high as well.
The latest MGM deal is coming out at $114 on my dates which certainly won't convince the Wife to stick with the Grand for the third year in a row......

Need deals, and want them now.

Well, here they come Ju.....

Flamingo has rooms down to $45 in August, won't be long till September comes down too

Excalibur has dropped their rooms to an amazing $29 a night in September for some dates!
Even the widescreen rooms are down to $50 for some of my days

They are starting to come through!

TC

TeeCee, where do you find all these amazing rates?

My parents are looking to go back in November.

Helen

Excalibur is still $36 for a standard Tower room and $50 for a Widescreen on code XAPRP. Good deals, although you have to take into account the annoying resort fee as well which bumps it by a $5 per night.

Not overly fussed about staying in the Flamingo to be honest. At the moment it's between the Excalibur and Monte Carlo, I would say the Monte Carlo ($56) is going to nick it for us because it would be a new property, however at the same time $50 for a Widescreen at the Excal is a cracking deal.

I'm keen to see if the Mirage comes down nearer the time, and of course I'm sure the MGM is going to come lower then $114 a night midweek in September as well.

Got this Excal offer last night - still the same price for my dates as the previous offer.

So, in order of price, cheapest to most expensive I've now got (all + tax):-
Luxor Pyr. $335
Excal W/S $363
Monte Carlo $377
TI $506
Paris $535
Mirage $574

Funny that there's nothing much in the middle - ie in the $400s....would that be the MGM offer that might slot in there....or maybe that would be lower.

I really really can't decide yet. Still have Paris booked, although we know we possibly won't stay there. Excal is looking good I think, because they now have an adult pool. Does anyone know if it's definitely free though, it's not one of those fancy youngster pools that you pay $20 to get in is it?