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We''re Going to Vegas, baby!

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Gypsy

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I have been dying for a vacation and John surprised me with three days in Vegas from the 18th to the 21st of November! YAY!!! I''m so excited! We''ll be staying at the Paris Las Vegas hotel and casino, which I''ve heard is nice, and WE''LL BE AWAY FROM IT ALL FOR DAYS!!!! And I''ll have my new camera with my to photograph BLING WITH!

Okay... so where do I *have* to go? And any ideas on places to eat, both nice (for a night out) and value (for other times)?

YAY YAY YAY. We''ll leave on Las Vegas Wednesday and get here Wednesday night (we''re driving). My aunt and uncle (who are hosting Thanksgiving) have been hinting about having ''Thanksgiving'' on Friday instead of Thursday for their convenience... and it''s had me irritated, but now? I DON''T CARE! They can do whatever they want, and I''ll show up with the Turkey and the Stuffing... and next year we won''t be here for the holiday-- so NO frustration about not having the holiday on the DAY of the freaking holiday!

Vegas. *Sigh* I''m SO happy!
 

Gypsy

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Ok. We don''t have to stay at the Paris Hotel, reservations are cancellable, and I just read the trip advisor reviews. John liked the location... but apparently the service isn''t great and the sheets have hole problems.

I found comparable priced rooms at Mandalay Bay. Bellagio and Ventian are more than we want to spend... but hotel recommendations are welcome if you''ve got them.

A REAL VACATION!
 

katebar

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Gypsy we just came back from Las Vegas and stayed at the MGM Grand Signature apartments they were fantastic and IIRC they are voted the number one accomadation on tripadvsor. Great rooms and amenties if you are wanting a little peace rather than the whoo hoo ha of Vegas. They are non smoking too which is nice.
They are part of the MGM but believe or not are about a brisk 10 minute walk ( this is all inside) from the gaming rooms and resturants so I think it the best of both worlds.
Others will no doubt pipe up!
 

dani13

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How fun, Gypsy!!! We love Vegas too! We have done alot of traveling, but we always come back to Vegas.
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There is just so much to do there, and everything is so FAB!!!

Out of the hotels you mentioned, I recommend Mandalay Bay. Its really nice...a little off the beaten path (not directly on the strip), but its really clean and stylish, great rooms/bathrooms, and there is an awesome bar/lounge/restaurant on the top of it called Mixx that I definitely recommend going to. The views from up there are amazing!!!

We have stayed at other hotels like Bellagio and Mirage, but I do honestly think the best value for the money is Mandalay Bay. Next time we go (hopefully this spring!) we'll probably stay there again...maybe in "The Hotel" part which is part of Mandalay, but has a somewhat different vibe that I would like to try out....

Anyway, have fun, and come back with lots of pics!!!!
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TravelingGal

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Paris has a great location. I really don''t like the rooms, and I have stayed there several times because my company usually books the Paris and Bally''s when our big conference is there. Sheets and bed are awful.

If you DO have to stay there, specifically ask for a room on a higher floors AWAY from the generators in the back of the hotel. It''s noisy.

Have fun!
 

jcrow

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we stayed at paris when we went a couple of years ago. LOVED it. SUPER location! decent rooms.
must go to the wynn. graff in the wynn. and shops at ceasar.
 

ChargerGrrl

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Mandalay Bay all the way!!
 

monarch64

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DH loves the Wynn...just food for thought, lol! My MIL and two of her girlfriends always stay at the Paris, in fact they are there right NOW! Tuesday was my MIL''s b-day, and DH called the hotel while she was in flight and had a dozen roses sent to their room. By the time they got there, they''d been upgraded to the Penthouse! Can you believe that? DH doesn''t know if it was him telling them (he had to go through something like 4-5 people to get the right person to take care of the rose thing and he gave them all the same spiel about it being her b-day) it was her b-day, or it was a fluke, but anyway they got this fab upgrade and were ecstatic. These are women who play the penny slots for crying out loud...it''s hilarious.

We''re planning on getting out there just for a Saturday night through Tuesday night getaway before the end of the year, we haven''t been to Vegas for a couple years now and we always have a blast. Two or three days there is enough for us, so a short getaway will be a good thing.

Do a chopper tour of the GC if you get the chance and you aren''t afraid of heli''s, it should still be warm enough there for you to do a little landing and champagne picnic. We did it a couple years ago and it was a little scary for me, but a fun activiity altogether!
 

surfgirl

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Oh for the love of god Gypsy! Just get married while you're there! JUST.DO.IT.Already!
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With regard to where you *have* to go? Graff in the Wynn shopping arcade. Fred Leighton in the Bellagio Shopping arcade.
 

snlee

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Oh how fun! Another vote for Mandalay Bay! We''ve never stayed there but have always wanted to hang out at the Mandalay Beach.
 

poshpepper

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How fun for you and what great timing! Have a great time!

As for the hotels, I have never stayed at Paris, but Mandalay Bay is great. I actually just stayed there this past September and it was wonderful. Great service and rooms were great (we had a suite in the Hotel).

Have loads of fun (are you sure this isn''t an elopement?
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)
 

Gypsy

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Date: 10/25/2007 4:12:29 AM
Author: katebar
Gypsy we just came back from Las Vegas and stayed at the MGM Grand Signature apartments they were fantastic and IIRC they are voted the number one accomadation on tripadvsor. Great rooms and amenties if you are wanting a little peace rather than the whoo hoo ha of Vegas. They are non smoking too which is nice.
They are part of the MGM but believe or not are about a brisk 10 minute walk ( this is all inside) from the gaming rooms and resturants so I think it the best of both worlds.
Others will no doubt pipe up!
This was my first choice, but it''s out of budget for the dates we are going unfortunately. But NEXT TIME, it''s on the list.
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ROFLMAO @ Surfgirl. The thought did occur to me, I''d be lying if I said it hadn''t. Don''t be too surprised if I come back with wedding pics with Elvis in them.

Okay, great recommendations on the shops.

Everyone seems to like Mandalay Bay.

And awful beds and sheets are NOT okay, as we both have back issues, and my skin gets rubbed raw if the sheets are rough so NIX Paris.

Food recommendation? Any buffets to avoid, or to places hit.

The beach at Mandalay Bay sounds perfect. YUM.
 

sumbride

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Date: 10/25/2007 12:23:19 PM
Author: surfgirl
Oh for the love of god Gypsy! Just get married while you''re there! JUST.DO.IT.Already!
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I was totally thinking that too!! Come back married!
 

Beacon

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Hey Gypsy - I just got back from Vegas last week. Had a fabulous time!

We stayed at Venetian and our room was fantastic. Three flat panel TVs in there and very , very luxurious. We stayed in the tower that was just redone, everything including the mattresses was only 4 months old. Our room was with two queen beds as I went w/ one of my girlfriends. Huge room, 600 square feet. Even the window blinds were on a remote control. We were there mid week and the price was very fair for the suite we got.

We ate at Enoteca, a Mario Batali restaurant which was good and sort of reasonably priced. We also ate at Michael Mina at Bellagio, which was fantastic though very expensive. We toured Tao, the mega restaurant and determined that we would not want to eat there as it is very dark and very loud! But what a remarkable place. I think it is the largest restaurant by volume of sales in the US.

We did not go to the buffet at Bellagio b/c the friend I went with is not into buffets, but I have had it a couple times before and I love that buffet - would recommend.

Bling wise my favorite was probably Fred Leighton in the Bellagio. So many old and interesting items, most were huge. Walking around the stores there are some very large but rather unattractive blingy things but also the best shopping IMO outside of Manhattan. We visited both Tiffany stores (one in Bellagio, one in Caesar''s) and Cartier. We just walked by Harry Winston - I got turned off to it after reading some other PS thread about it.

We shopped at Prada which was awesome and they have a gorgeous Hermes store, both in Bellagio. For some "nature" we walked over to the Flamingo Hilton to look at the birds. They are outside in the courtyard. The Hilton is literally falling apart, but the birds are pretty and free to see. Also huge koi fish out there.

For $15 we saw the dolphins, lions, tigers and leopard at Mirage. It''s prerry expensive for that, but I have not seen a dolphin up close before and we wanted to get into the relative quiet and open air environment for a break.

My friend bought a Baume and Mercier watch at the Toureau store and they discounted it about 10 per cent for her.

We also saw the "O" show at Bellagio. I recommend that whatever you want to do, make a reservation well in advance. Everything was busy!
 

snlee

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My husband loves the buffets. That's one of his favorite parts. LOL. According to him, Bellagio and Aladdin have good buffets.

We recently had a stopover in Vegas so we got an aerial shot of the Strip as the airplane took off. It was very cool and we so wished we were there! Have fun!
 

Gypsy

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Date: 10/25/2007 1:20:10 PM
Author: snlee

My husband loves the buffets. That''s one of his favorite parts. LOL. According to him, Bellagio and Aladdin have good buffets.

We recently had a stopover in Vegas so we got an aerial shot of the Strip as the airplane took off. It was very cool and we so wished we were there! Have fun!

Oh GOOD. I''m glad someone else''s man loves buffets. John''s excited about them too. LOL.

Aladin and Bellagio. Got it! Bellagio should be fairly easy to hit.

Anyone know if Mandalay Bay is part of the mono rail system?
 

Fly Girl

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Date: 10/25/2007 12:23:19 PM
Author: surfgirl
Oh for the love of god Gypsy! Just get married while you''re there! JUST.DO.IT.Already!
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This was my first thought, too, when I read the title of your post. Wedding and honeymoon! Just marry that guy!

In any case, have a great time!
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Skippy123

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Hi Gypsy, how fun and it will be the perfect time to go since it won''t be too hot. We have stayed at the MGM, TI, Venetian and I think those 3 are pretty central. I wouldn''t mind staying at the Bellagio and I think the Venetian is running specials on their suites but not sure. We went around Labor Day and I don''t know if you had a chance to see my bling pics but they are HERE if you like to check them out. I love Olives at the Bellagio for a nice lunch; Todd English is the chef and it is delicious Italian food. I also highly recommend the Bellagio Buffet (we eat there everytime we go to Vegas). Bellagio has Tiffany''s and Fred Leighton and the 1st pic was from Fred Leighton''s. Ceasars has DeBeers and Harry Winston close to each other. Wynn has Cartier and Graff; those place I would recommend to see fun bling. I love the Forum shops in Ceasars; I could spend all day looking at the stores. hehee Sounds like a great time!
 

VegasAngel

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Are you going to be spending a lot of time in your room? If not then as long as it is clean, has a good location, & the best rates-Paris is fine. Mandalay Bay is on the strip it's just the last hotel. I always say take hotel reviews with a grain of salt unless you see the same complaint over & over. Some people are NEVER satisified & can/will find anything to complain about. Enjoy your stay in Las Vegas.

Thank You. Former Venetian employee, lol
 

Tacori E-ring

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I really like Paris when we stayed there. The beds and sheets were fine in our room. Also it is smack dab in the middle of the strip (which is awesome). There have been a lot of other vegas threads if you do a search. I always suggest seeing "Love". It is SOOOO good (though might be sold out by now). Chocolate Swan (mandalay bay) is an ALL time favorite of you have a sweet tooth. For other shows you can buy at the coke bottle for 1/2 off. You will have a blast.
 

floridagirl

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I have stayed at several hotels on the strip (Luxor, Paris, Mirage, Flamingo). I really like Paris too. I don''t remember any bedding problems and I love the whole "french ambience" thing. Plus, it''s right across the street from the Bellagio so you get a great view of the fountains. Their buffet is to die for and I love all the little parisian style shops and especially the bakery. I don''t take anything I read on tripadvisor too seriously. I swear some people aren''t happy with anything. Typically, in Vegas, not much time is spent in the room anyway - you are too busy seeing the sights, eating at all the buffets, seeing shows etc. There is so much to do!

I loved The Mirage. The room was really nice and the bed comfortable. Stayed at the Luxor once, and that''s the only place I really didn''t like. The whole place had a mildew smell and it''s too far down on the strip (right next to Mandalay), so we walked a LOT! We just got married at the Flamingo which we chose because of the beautiful chapel and the wedding package. They have recently renovated and modernized most (not all) of their rooms and it''s in the heart of the strip with easy access to everything. The room was big, and the bed was extremely comfortable! I am sure Mandalay Bay would be fantastic, but do plan on walking a lot or taking taxi''s everywhere if you plan to visit the top tourists spots, such as the Volcano at The Mirage, The fountains at the Bellagio etc. The strip doesn''t seem that long, but it is when you are walking it! There is also a monorail, but it''s a little slow and I''m not sure how far it goes down on the strip. I kind of like to stay in the middle of the strip myself.

oooh, just talking about it makes me want to go again. l love that place! Have fun!
 

Independent Gal

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Wow, I totally thought you were going to say you were going to Vegas to get married!

Hey, why not? Save you all the family angst.
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have fuuuuuun!
 

~*Alexis*~

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my BF and I went in August...it was HOT!!!!!!!!!!! We stayed at the Stratosphere...we were upgraded to the Premier Tower. We liked it because we had a room away from chaos and they have the best odds on the strip....I have heard NY NY was a great hotel (they also own Paris) just walking into the hotels are really cool. Wear comfy shoes....if you can go see Mystere at Treasure Island...the best show on the strip!! We also saw Zumanity and that was good but I liked Mystere just as much if not a little more....we ate at Top of the World....great food, but for the 2 of us including 2 drinks was around 150 bucks....
 

aljdewey

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Date: 10/25/2007 12:23:19 PM
Author: surfgirl
Oh for the love of god Gypsy! Just get married while you''re there! JUST.DO.IT.Already!
31.gif
WOO-HOO! I agree with SG, Gypsy!

GET MARRIED! LOL
 

Tacori E-ring

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NY NY is nice too but its been years since I stayed there. Bally''s had surprisingly nice rooms (didn''t like the pool though but I doubt in Nov it would be warm enough anyways). Actually DH just went and stayed at the flamingo. They just redid it and he sent me pics. SO cool. Really modern. They had a flat screen tv in that bathroom mirror (totally flush). Make sure it is a new room. I think it was one of his favorites and he has stayed almost everywhere. I am sure they have good prices there too (DH gets comp rooms b/c he gambles enough) Also the casinos at Bally''s is nice b/c it is smaller and not as crowded. The more popular hotels get a lot of people walking around just to check it out.
 

katebar

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Gypsy the last stop for the Monorail is the MGM grand which is quite a way from Mandaly Bay. Quite frankly I think the monorail is overated. It stops at the back of the Hotel and THEN you have to walk all the way through the hotels to get to the strip.Their is a shuttle bus but we never found out where it stopped and only saw it once.
We walked most of the time but that meamt we had to leave our heels behind lol.
We did''nt enjoy that all because I hate smoke and all the gaming areas had people gasping away at their gaspesr!
 

Gypsy

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Okay. Mandalay Bay or Hilton Grand Vacations Club® at the strip?

Inquiring Minds want to know. Although Tacori''s Flamingo recommendation bares investigating, if we can get a renovated room.

ROFLMAO at all the votes to get married.

Skippy, I''ve ogled your lovely pics many a time... and did so again last night! It was the one of the first things I did after I posted this thread, cause I remembered you had gone, and had reviewed when you came back!

Vegas, While there is a lot to see, we are largely going to relax, and for us, that means time in our room together, alone. So the room is important. Thank you for the perspective though!
 

Skippy123

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Date: 10/25/2007 6:20:24 PM
Author: Gypsy
Okay. Mandalay Bay or Hilton Grand Vacations Club® at the strip?

Inquiring Minds want to know. Although Tacori''s Flamingo recommendation bares investigating, if we can get a renovated room.

ROFLMAO at all the votes to get married.

Skippy, I''ve ogled your lovely pics many a time... and did so again last night! It was the one of the first things I did after I posted this thread, cause I remembered you had gone, and had reviewed when you came back!

Vegas, While there is a lot to see, we are largely going to relax, and for us, that means time in our room together, alone. So the room is important. Thank you for the perspective though!
Ops, I saw your post after I posted. hehee Heck, if you can snag one of the Go Rooms at the Flamingo I would do it. They are extremely central located. Where is the Hilton Grand Vacation? I don''t remember seeing that on the strip.
 

LAJennifer

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Date: 10/25/2007 6:20:24 PM
Author: Gypsy
Okay. Mandalay Bay or Hilton Grand Vacations Club® at the strip?

Inquiring Minds want to know. Although Tacori''s Flamingo recommendation bares investigating, if we can get a renovated room.

ROFLMAO at all the votes to get married.

Skippy, I''ve ogled your lovely pics many a time... and did so again last night! It was the one of the first things I did after I posted this thread, cause I remembered you had gone, and had reviewed when you came back!

Vegas, While there is a lot to see, we are largely going to relax, and for us, that means time in our room together, alone. So the room is important. Thank you for the perspective though!
Honestly? Neither - both are too far away from everything else. Mandalay is worth it during the summer (the beach). If this is your first time - you really need to stay somewhere central. I''ve stayed everywhere - I vote for the Flamingo (its very central and kind of small so it doesn''t take forever to walk to the elevators to get to your room. Don''t worry about the rooms - they''re just fine.

I should add that I would stay at Mandalay before I would stay at HGVC. I believe HGVC is pretty bare bones (nothing to look at or do).
 

LAJennifer

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Date: 10/25/2007 6:20:24 PM
Author: Gypsy

Vegas, While there is a lot to see, we are largely going to relax, and for us, that means time in our room together, alone. So the room is important. Thank you for the perspective though!
One more thing - have you considered The Palms?
 
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