Good work TC We love the Rio but have only visited. We stayed in there for a while last August playing Video Blackjack trying to make $20 last as long as possible and to get as many drinks as well. We did well. The drinks service was probably the best I have seen during a daytime.

With regards to hotel photo's, there is a guy on Tripadvisor called Lowrance who has taken hundreds of pictures of the rooms/suites he has stayed in during his numerous visits to Vegas (I think he lives in LA). I'm sure he has them hosted on Flickr or something similar, trying clicking on his userid on TA and see if there is a link. Not only do you get to see a lot of standard rooms and basic suites, but because he's always meeting up with others, some of which are major players, you can see how the other half live in Vegas as well. Nice chap also.

TC, TGI's ribs are good, but Tony Roma's still rock better for me!!!!! As for Gaylord, never eaten there but it does remind me of many cases of sniggering in Orlando when we've gone past the Gaylord Palms resort.

Glad you've got it booked anyway.

BTW has anybody had any luck finding cheap BA flights to Vegas from October now they have opened that route? Best I could do was £468 (I think) return, which was midweek dates. The weekend rates are horrendous, especially on the inward leg. I was clearly asking for too much for BA to come in on a new route and blow me away with prices it seems.......

booked the flights yesterday £1000 each flying Virgin PE staying in a tower room at the http://www.luxor.com for £430 booked by my host. This is for a ten night stay leaving August 16th.....cant wait now its my 13th trip which I hope doens not mean I will be unlucky

Nice one Vegasone, it's a good feeling to get it booked isn't it

TC

I'm now back from Tunisia and busy prowling through all the deals to see what's new. Excalibur is still looking good at the previous deal $50 widescreen on weeknights. Tempted I must say.

I see there's a slightly better MGM deal out...but no free buffet deal etc, so it's not probably better, but just lower rates. Not low enough yet I'm afraid!

Of course if anyone has seen anything for 11-17th Sept do let me know! I just checked Hotwire for movement and there's nothing on there either...disappointing I must say....it must be time for more deals please please...

Excalibur deal has dropped in price slightly if anyone is interested.
https://reservations.mgmmirage.com/bookingengine.aspx?pid=EXC&host=offer&code=xsmr

I really hope that Excalibur deal continues for a few months. If, and thats a big if at the moment, we do end up going to Vegas in September I think we will have to try and do it as cheaply as possible and $36 for a standard Tower room or $50 for a Widescreen weekdays would be a decent price to pay I think. I'm not getting any cheaper rates than that though Lesley????

At the end of the day, any trip to Vegas and even staying in a hotel we have already stayed in is better than no Vegas trip at all!!!

Ju

Your views on a trip to Vegas have changed a bit over the year...presumably your wife has warmed to the idea of going too! Quite funny how you started off saying you were having a year out going to Vegas - now you're seeing any hotel as better as not going I think it's an addiction we all have. I sometimes wonder if it will ever end...will we ever just say "ok I've had enough now lets stop"??

I am also getting $50 for widescreen. Dollar is up at 1.62 just now, so definitely improving, $50 plus taxes etc will still come out at under £40 per night I would say, which is really good! I definitely think it's worth the extra $14, in fact I would maybe splash out and get a deluxe or strip view version for $57.
The widescreen spa rooms however are double at $99, which I don't think is worthwhile. I want an MGM spa room for that

I have just re-read - I realise what you are saying about it still being $50 after me saying it dropped - it's my weekend nights that have dropped.

New offer from Flamingo just out - most weekdays in August are now $35 or $45. Pretty good, will be tempting if those prices go into September!

TC

Our addiction was Orlando initially. We went on honeymoon there, and had frequent trips, even going there for 11 nights on our round the world trip in 2006. However, since 2006, Vegas has taken over, often combined with a new city or area in the USA (last year it was New Mexico as you might remember). With Vegas you can guarantee the weather (Florida, Sunshine State...yeah right) and its not quite the military operation that Orlando is, i.e. must get to the parks for something o'clock. What Vegas has over Orlando and many other places is the chance to win some or all of your holiday cost back in casino winnings. I remember turning up in Vegas on our round the world trip with a low budget (we had been away for 7 months prior, and still had over a month in the USA to go). Saturday night was Motel 6 (after having to drive from Fresno in the end), the other three nights were in the Excalibur and at the end of those 4 nights, we had more money left then when we left Yosemite on the Saturday morning to head to Vegas!!! Now that's my kind of Vegas trip

In terms of my Wife, I think she is always keen to try out new cities and places so return visits to Vegas often seem like she is missing out on spending time in these other places, but I don't think she has any issues with a combo trip including 3 or 4 nights in Vegas. It's trying to find a balance. She always says she needs a holiday after a US holiday, but in my opinion Vegas affords an opportunity to chill out more than maybe an Orlando (unless you don't do theme parks), or certainly a city break like New York or San Francisco.

The Excalibur deal certainly looks interesting, as does that Flamingo deal Teecee mentions which would be good if it rolls into September. The new deals have dried up a little in recent weeks though, but I'm sure over the next few months we should start to see some serious tempters, which should coincide with us being able to make a decision regarding what to do in September. Whilst the thought of a week on a Greek island sounds tempting, how can I miss out on my Vegas/USA fix in 2009? It would be the first time since 2001 we haven't been to the States and that was because we moved house that year. Fingers crossed eh? Although I shouldn't be too ungrateful for the opportunity to have a holiday at all, some people don't get that.....

Yes offers have dried up a bit, but maybe it is time now... Only thing is, I booked Paris at a crappy exchange rate, so will lose out a little if we cancel (3 rooms at $115 each plus tax deposit).

I'm kind of wary about Flamingo. We had a go room booked last year but changed to MGM. I like the area, I don't even mind the buffet (I know others dislike it), but I don't really like the pink-ness of the Go rooms, and have read bad reports and don't much like the photos I have seen of the other rooms. Just not sure... It's a huge hotel, so I would suppose it can't be that bad or it would be empty! I also keep reading that the pool is freezing, which would really annoy me.

Ju, we also missed out in 2001 the year we got married and went to Acapulco instead. Acapulco was probably ok, but I think we just wanted to be in Vegas so I think we probably put it down a bit more than it deserved.

As for Greek Islands...we had a really nice holiday in Kos a few years ago - hotel was Luca Blue Lagoon near Kos Town, really nice All Inclusive. Definitely not the basic standards I would have expected to see in Greece - really really nice.

Ideally I think my first choice would be MGM without a tie to a buffet deal, then maybe Mirage or TI. Excalibur deal is still the best at about $375 + tax right now (down from $395 the other week). Our current booking is Paris $535 plus tax so that's what we're comparing with for now. Patience eh........

Lesley,
With the Flamingo you have to remember a lot of the coach tour operators from the UK use the hotel, companies such as Titan Tours etc. I remember when we travelled to LA in 2007 (we were going to Vegas though) we got chatting to a big group of people booked with Titan and they were so looking forward to the Flamingo which was nice to see, but I did feel a bit mean when I mentioned we had a Celebrity Spa Suite in the MGM Grand. I sometimes think we have been spoilt in Vegas, I mean, we've not stayed at any level above the MGM but would I consider the Flamingo? If it means a trip to Vegas then yes. I would even stay in that Motel 6 again I suppose, but why would you when you can pay less to stay on the Strip certainly midweek anyway?

If the $ rate keeps improving, it will only help our chances of having September in the USA...

After a nice chat in the pub (where better?) with my Wife, it has been agreed that as long as things come together in time, we will be off to Vegas again early September There is no way we can save up for the Pacific Northwest and a two week break in the next few months, so initial thoughts have turned to 8 nights in Vegas, leaving Monday 7th September and returning 15th September (which will actually be the 16th arrive home). We have two weeks booked off from the 4th September, so will have some nice chill out time around the trip.

After some playing around on Expedia last night, I am seriously surprised at just how cheap these 8 nights could be!!!

Flights are indirect, with United via Washington Dulles on the way out, and back via Chicago. No real issues with that. Times are good also, arriving Vegas mid afternoon, and back in the UK early morning. Flight price alone is £323 each. However, it is when you combine flight and hotel on Expedia you start to see the value of going to Vegas at this time.

Working from highest to lowest, these are the prices quoted (all per person, flights and 8 nights hotel):-

Wynn £679, Venetian £659, Palazzo £622, Bellagio £603, Mandalay £551, Mirage £543, NYNY £539, TI £525, Planet Hollywood £495, Paris £490, MGM Grand £488, Monte Carlo £456, Luxor £452, Excalibur £419 & Stratosphere £378.

Pricing up the Monte Carlo for example seperately, flights are £323 and the excellent deal of $39 first four nights, $76 Friday & Saturday and $56 Sunday/Monday would bring it very close to the £456 quoted by Expedia depending on exchange rate at the time. Of course, the benefit of this would being able to change if a better deal came up somewhere else.

On the subject of flights, Virgin direct is ridiculous on those dates, cheaper the next day but still £500+ each. I also checked on the price for Virgin into LAX, which is £368pp but we would then need to get a Southwest across to Vegas. On the plus side, Continental is only £354pp via Houston, which is one of my favourite airports in the USA to transfer through, and times are excellent also.

Definite food for thought here......

Those are excellent prices. The cheapest flights alone for us coming from NE Scotland are £450. Most of them are over £500 and that with a connection in LHR and one in the US.

luci

Ju

Try putting in a hotel for only some of your nights. That way you can get a discount for booking together, and then get a deal for your other nights elsewhere It might be best to book the weekend nights for your expedia package, I think that sounds like your first part.

To get the option on the dates for the hotel you have to choose the 'more options' bit under the normal seach, then select the box 'I only need a hotel for part of my trip '.

From your list of options, the hotels are really in exactly the order you'd expect when you decrease by price - so no 'obvious' choices - it's all a case of get what you pay for. Have you ever looked at Platinum. I really LOVED that hotel. Best ever. The pool is small, but the rooms are fantastic!

I can't believe it. I just logged on to Harrah's website just to check the rates, and I've got comps for Bally's, Harrah's and IP! I'm so surprised! I've also got a lower rate for Paris, where we are already booked ($410 instead of $535). I am supposing that this is only for one room though - logged on with hubby's card and he doesn't have as good deals as me. I'm a super low-roller too - I'm shocked! Not sure what to do since we need 3 rooms...

We're staying free at IP just now Lesley. Between us we had 12 nights comped, Tony has a card but never plays anything, so we were surprised to say the least. We didn't have comps for anywhere else, just reduced rates. We got Rio for $40 per night.

Where were your comps showing Lesley? Were they under My Offers on under Hot Deals when you logged in?

I've never had anything in My Offers, but got 3 comped nights in the Hot Deals calendar last time.

luci

It is on hot deals rather than an actual offer on 'my offers' or whatever it is. Not had time to go back in and look, but I was very surprised!

Thanks. No comps here.

luci