So the wife and I are going to takeoff and go to Vegas for four days for our very first time. We are clueless. Haven’t done this. Not really looking to go shooting…just wanna have a romantic getaway with just us away from the grandkids and the kids. Be leaving a week before Christmas, just a short getaway. Best hotels? Advice? Things to do? Anything you can suggest would be greatly appreciated. Pitfalls to avoid, etc. We’re thinking about staying at the Venetian, but we don’t know if that’s a good choice or not. Probably catch a couple shows, go out to eat, that kind of thing…maybe some gambling, or perhaps maybe go take a tour somewhere. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Stay out of downtown during the night

Our last trip we stayed at the Cosmopolitan and it was awesome. Private balcony, overlooking the fountains at the Bellagio.

GREAT restaurants in the Cosmo as well, the Wicked Spoon buffet is a must - think high end food in a buffet setting. Asian, Mexican, Italian, comfort, breakfast, pastries, and more. STRONG mimosa, two of them put me on my ass.

“Eggslut” has fantastic breakfast sandwiches.

About 4 miles from the strip is a place called “Komex” Korean/Mexican fusion food. We ate there 3 times in 5 days, it’s that good.

https://www.komexexpress.com/



Little hole in the wall joint that was recommended to me by another SF member (Beanhead) in my recommendation thread from last year.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...900011774#5900011774

Highly recommend going to Valley of Fire state park.

First of all, there is lots to do in Vegas but it all costs more than most other places. The Venetian is a very nice hotel. The shows are mostly great ( I really like all of the Cirque du soleil shows. There are lots of top notch restaurants. My wife always has a great time and I do too once I can look past the prices.

Rent a car and take a road trip out of town. Hoover Dam (maybe closed now) or even Monument Valley.

I stay at the Cosmo. Get the 1br with fountain view. You get a balcony with a view of the Bellagio fountain. Giant soaking tub included. Get a higher floor. The Boulevard tower is closer to the street so can possibly be louder when on the balcony but it's closer to the food and the casino floor. The Chelsea tower has less street noise but is a walk from the elevators to food, gaming, and the strip. The walk gets old the 4th or 5th time every day. The Cosmo has a ton of great food on site and very good late night options. It's centrally located mid strip.

I've seen a few Cirque shows and they're great. Pick the one with the music you like. A great addition or alternative is Absinthe though the humor can be called slightly raunchy if that's an issue. It's the best show on the strip.

There's a great seasonal floral display at Bellagio.

If you're into a art/light display there's a pretty cool exhibit at the Louis Vuitton store in Crystals. It's an immersive experience by James Turrell called Akhob. It's free but reservations are required.

Eataly at Park MGM is fun. You can buy a bunch of different small plates. It starts to add up.

If you want to splurge on a meat heavy meal check out Bazaar Meat at the Sahara. It's a car ride from the strip. It's gets pricey fast but I had one of the best meals of my life.

Mon Ami Gabi at Paris is good for people watching and is reasonably priced considering.

Food tends to cost more than most people are used to spending for the equivalent back home.

The Venetian, Cosmo, Aria, and Wynn are about the same level though the crowd differs. The Wynn is the most upscale. Cosmo trends younger, prettier, with money to spend in Vegas doing Vegas things. Aria is the mega hotel crown jewel for MGM. It's like Cosmo-lite. The Venetian is a typical nicely acquainted property with an older crowd. I'm in my late 40s and not exactly the Cosmo's target audience but I go to Vegas for fun.

There are two non gaming hotels on the strip. The Four Seasons is great but at the southern end of the strip which means you'll be taking cars to go anywhere. It's attached to Mandalay so there's an attached casino and food options but I found there's much less that interests me at that end of the strip. The Waldorf is just south of Cosmo and has a great bar with a view but little on site.

The getaway sounds great. Yes I’ve been a handful of times, not really a gambler though.

Yes, get out of town a day or 2, if able. The dam is always an option, lite hiking too.

https://urbanoutdoors.com/hiking-in-near-las-vegas/

The Grand Canyon is kinda far, maybe an idea.

Walk the strip & check things out. I’d be watchful as it turns to latter evening/night.

Do research on shows you may like to see, from cheesy to mainstream.

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The Grand Canyon is kinda far, maybe an idea.

4-1/2 hour drive to the South Rim visitors center. We did it back in July when we were there for 8 days.

Just outside Vegas is Red Rock Canyon, even just the drive through is worth it. About a half an hour from the Flamingo on the strip where we were staying.

A little further outside of Vegas is Mt Charleston, about 45 minutes. We made it halfway up the Cathedral Rock hiking trail before it started to rain. If I recall correctly, the elevation difference between the strip and the parking lot at Mt Charleston was about 5,000 feet. I would check the weather and their website before heading up there though https://www.gomtcharleston.com...-condition-closures/

We were able to hit both Red Rock and Mt Charleston in the same day, mostly because we were pushed off Mt Charleston due to storms and we didn't really hike at Red Rock, just drove around taking pictures since it was 115 degrees.

ETA: I do not recommend staying at the Flamingo.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kx90,

As someone else said, go see a Cirque du Soleil show. I also highly recommend the Penn & Teller Show.

Bring money. The food is extremely expensive on the strip.

The Venetian is a good hotel, you'll like it.

If you want the best day trip, go to Valley of Fire S.P., it's terrific. Going from LV, take I-15 North to Lake Mead Blvd, go East to North Shore Drive and go north. You'll come to the east entrance to VoF. There are some very short hikes to viewpoints and rock art. Return out the west entrance and take I-15 back to LV. Just need good sneakers to visit here.

http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire

quote:

Originally posted by Unishot:
So the wife and I are going to takeoff and go to Vegas for four days for our very first time. We are clueless. Haven’t done this. Not really looking to go shooting…just wanna have a romantic getaway with just us away from the grandkids and the kids. Be leaving a week before Christmas, just a short getaway. Best hotels? Advice? Things to do? Anything you can suggest would be greatly appreciated. Pitfalls to avoid, etc. We’re thinking about staying at the Venetian, but we don’t know if that’s a good choice or not. Probably catch a couple shows, go out to eat, that kind of thing…maybe some gambling, or perhaps maybe go take a tour somewhere. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.

The Venetian (and the adjacent Palazzo) is an excellent choice. The rooms are much larger than most standard mega-resort rooms with some nice amenities. Entering the room from the hallway, you have a small, marble tiled foyer with a double door to your bathroom area. The bathroom area is large, and has a large soaking tub and a separate glass surround shower. There is a vanity with lighted mirror that I'm sure your wife would appreciate. The commode is in a closet off of the bathroom area. Continuing through the foyer you have the sleeping area (King or 2 queen beds) with an armoire-type television stand at the foot of the bed. There is a railing and a three step sunken living area with a sofa and another TV, a writing desk and floor to ceiling windows. On check in, if you mention that you are celebrating an event, it may get you a better view from the room.

While part of the fun of Vegas is roaming around even to check out the sights, the Venetian has a great selection of restaurants, the Grand Canal shops and an interior mall that is designed to mimic the Venice scenery, with a replica of St. Mark's square and daylight to dusk lighting in the sky dome roof. There are gondolas both inside and outside for rides if you wish as well. The Venetian is pretty central on the strip, across from the Mirage and close to Caesar's, the Forum Shop (mall). Uber and Lyft stations are at every hotel/casino.

There have been several new casinos that have opened recently, since my last visit and I am anxious to check them out next time I go. I tend to think of Vegas in three areas; the strip, downtown and the rest of Vegas. I stay both on and off strip, and usually move once for comp rooms during my stay. You will find two major corporation own a majority of strip resorts, either Harrah's or MGM properties, but Venetian and Wynn are independently owned (Venetian is owned by Las Vegas Sands Corporation, CEO was Sheldon Adelson before his death. He was an outspoken conservative supporter, so I tended to like him to get my gambling money).

There are basically unlimited options for entertainment, from restaurants that you might want to try if you are a foodie (people tend to drift to the Gordon Ramsey places but I have had mixed results with food quality at the Pub in Caesars). Great Italian and Steak restaurants as well. There are great tour options, including a double decker tourbus ride that is not that pricey.

I have had several gambling buddies who have continued to go to Vegas during the pandemic; their reports at the peak of it were that you were fine if you stayed on your resort property, but there was a large increase in street crime, aggressive panhandling and offers to sell drugs. Situational awareness, no eye contact and keep moving, and don't be drunk and wandering back to your hotel at 2am and you should be fine. I recommend a tour or ride out to the Hoover Dam, its incredible to see as well as the Lake Mead area around it.
The area between the old Imperial Palace and Flamingo has a lot of walk up food places and entertainment including the big ferris wheel with the enclosed gondola cars that is a great view. Going up in the Stratosphere tower is also a great view of the entire valley. Once you get there you will realize right away that there is no way to see or do as much as you think that you plan to, so just enjoy what you c an and save it for the next trip.

Gambling on the strip, especially blackjack, has basically sucked for years. On the strip you usually see casinos paying no better than 6-5 for a blackjack instead of a much more favorable 3-2. May not sound like much, but it is a really crappy rule in favor of the house. If you are a slots player, have fun, nothing is different and the machines are entertaining with graphics and engagement. Take pictures! The sheer size and architecture is amazing. Have fun!

I like the Venetian, Cosmo, and Winn hotels.

HashHouse a GoGo for breakfast.

Cirque shows are great.

Do NOT use the monorail to go between casinos. The monorail stops are in the back of a casinos and there is a lot of walking involved to get back there. Take the bus instead which stops right in front of the casinos on the main drag.

Just remember that what you see on The Strip and Downtown, is but a small slice of Las Vegas and doesn't represent everything there. Vegas exists to support two industries, gambling/entertainment and the US DoD; a more cynical view would say, Vegas is simply a suburb of the Los Angeles metroplex. Most residents who live there, unless they work or, support the entertainment industry, avoid the two major entertainment areas. Vegas is an international destination, besides Orlando and certain airports, you will encounter a massive swath of people from all across the globe. This means you can find food options from a LOT of cultures internationally.

Berto pretty much nail'd what I would said about Vegas. From a higher-level view, Vegas is to adults, what a Disney park is to children; its all man-made entertainment and you really get to see the range of human behavior, how much do you want to pay for it? Many visitors are overwhelmed with the open alcohol container laws in the entertainment areas and of course push the limits of what's allowed, with boorish behavior follows. The sex industry is more liberal there and like the alcohol laws, people will push the limits. Many of the casinos have a variety of attraction to lure people in and keep them on property, some put together very elaborate seasonal displays, light displays, water displays, art galleries, etc; just keep in mind its all designed to loosen the cash from your wallet/bank account. It's ok to be entertained but, be mindful of its purpose.

If you're looking for a more reserved, possibly upscale or, sophisticated environment, you can find that as well. The 'nicer' or premium casinos, such as Wynn/Encore, Aria, Bellagio, the youthful Cosmopolitan or, the longstanding now classics Mandalay Bay and Venetian you can somewhat avoid the skid-row appearance of various parts of the strip. Vegas has gone through a number of building booms and busts over the last 30-years, you'll see a variety of empty, uncompleted build projects and others that will look like they were cobbled together from a variety of disparate ideas.

I used to go to Vegas a lot for trade shows and would include some gambling, today I go to catch-up on what's new, and enjoy the variety of dining options. For first timers, I recommend staying somewhere in the middle of The Strip...Cosmo, Bellagio, Ceasar's, Paris. You'll likely want to walk around and being in the center will help the eventual sore feet. You will not need a car rental, unless you plan to go visit the Hoover Dam or, Grand Canyon.

One of the underrated and fascinating places I enjoy visiting is the National Atomic Test Museum. Besides a nice respite from the noise, smoke and chatter of the entertainment areas, its a nice getaway on an interesting topic and yes, even non-military/science aficionados can find something interesting there. Since this is an adult getaway for you and your wife, I'd book tickets to a show, spurge on a nice dinner and keep a light itinerary, sleep-in one night, maybe treat her to a spa.

Since I live in Vegas, I really can't offer any suggestions on hotels as I never stay there. However, Aria is a beautiful place across from the Cosmo.

As for outings, bear in mind that you'll be visiting in December and the Grand Canyon, even the south rim (elevaton 7000) as well as Mt Charleston (elevation 12,000) might be snowed in. Better options are Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon. Also, Snow Canyon just north of St. George, Ut. is a great place for hiking. And Zion is about 2 1/2 hours north of Vegas. Then there is always, Death Valley, really winter is the only time to visit there, and Ryolite ghost town which you can see on the way to DV.

In town, there are two interesting museum, the Mob Museum and the Atomic Testing Museum. Both are about a 1/2 day experience.

Be aware that our libtard governor has declared masks must be worn indoors whether you're vaxxed or not.

Been there 30 times in 30 years. Pick a central hotel location on the strip. Go on the internet for specifics. Bring very comfortable walking shoes!!! The strip itself is relatively safe. Shows are expensive but worth it. I recommend the discount ticket kiosk Tix-For-Tonight. You won’t see it all in one visit. Check the weather report. Vegas is Disney World for adults. Have fun and good luck.

My last half dozen trips or so I've stayed at the Palazzo. I prefer the atmosphere over the Venetian. If you rent a car the Palazzo garage is much more convenient and parking is free at both. The two resorts are connected with lots of restaurants. I highly recommend Grand Lux for breakfast/lunch. I usually do their breakfast buffet. It's small but has all the basics. Both the Palazzo and Venetian have one but the only the Venetian location is open 24/7. Bring your walking shoes regardless of where you stay and have fun just exploring all the resorts.

Do not wear a cowboy hat. Remember Midnight Cowboy? Dress like the locals, nothing flashy and no gold jewelry. Belly up to the craps table and watch. It is entertaining. Learn the stick calls. Forget vising the Rick Harrison Pawn shop. Have fun!

Bonnie and Clyde's shot up car is down in Primm, but not much else. I used to stop in Primm because the craps were $2 min with 10x odds on the pass line. Best odds in NV. I don't know if that's still the case.

Cash in your 401(k) and blow it out. Go nuts.