The Duniyah Cricket Blog

Some of you on the Duniyah Forum have requested and are waiting for this updated guide to Vegas..so here it is.
Hotel prices can vary from day to day in Vegas, depending on demand. Off-season they will of course be cheaper but more importantly, there is the chance you could be upgraded if you are sweet enough at the desk. When I went we got upgraded from a regular room at the Venetian to a ‘Renaissance’ Suite - over 2,000 sq. feet of lounge area, walk-in shower, jacuzzi and of course bedroom Huge plasma screen too.

Stay in a hotel on the strip. This is very important or you will be walking for miles (the scale of ‘central’ Las Vegas is huge) or sitting in cabs stuck in traffic. It will take you half an hour to get anywhere even if you are staying just off the strip. The better hotels or more reputed ones at least are The Venetian (but I would stay in the new wing - the older of the two wings is a bit dated now) or its sister hotel, Palazzo which is right next door. You also have the Wynn which is more upmarket but very nice - of course you will pay for it. If you want a hotel with more young people, stay at Hard Rock - but this is off the Strip so bear this in mind.
If you want budget in the middle of the strip, try Harrah’s, Flamingo’s, Bally but, unless you are a student or really on a budget, I’d advise going for the big and best ones. You can often get deals if you look in the right places or dependent upon season and time of week (earlier in week is cheaper than Thurs-Sun)
On the topic of taxis , always tip the cabbies. It’s expected (as anywhere in the States) but these guys will give you a tough time if you don’t. On a $10 dollar fare, a couple of dollars would be fine.

The main Strip is about 3 miles long. The central part is around Caesar’s Palace, Bellagio etc. so stay here ideally. The Venetian is a bit further down but well worth considering. The service and opulence of this hotel makes it one of Vegas’ best (although I did notice from my latest visit, that its standards of service have fallen). Bellagio has the name but it probably isn’t as amazing as you would expect plust the crowd is more middle-aged couples - as the prices would frighten off the young crowd.

Allow time in Vegas to look around the hotels. This can take a couple of days in itself! They are huge. My favourite is the Venetian’s lobby. Bellagio and Caesar’s are grand too. It’s all free to walk around. The shops in the Wynn are really top end including Graff diamonds, Cartier, Dior, the second biggest Rolex store in the country (biggest one is in the ‘Forum Shops’ at Caesar’s) and plenty of others. This is where the high rollers shop! The shopping centre in Palazzo is top class as well including beautiful watch shops for those of you who are into them . Have a look around the casinos even if you don’t gamble. They are massive.
The Venetian and Caesar’s have beautiful indoor shopping malls with designer boutiques and pseudo-skys which vary with the outside light. Pretty cool. The Venetian also has indoor gondola rides if you like that sorta thing.

You must take in at least one show. Cirque du Soleil is a fantastic circus/show that are well worth seeing. They’re not cheap ($50+) but you need to see one. Treasure Island , Bellagio (”O” - done on water) and one or two other hotels have shows every night. On my last visit, we saw ‘Le Réve’ (The Dream) at The Wynn which is a show done on water where all the seats are less than 40 feet from the action. This is written by the same guy who wrote the Circ du Soleil shows at Treasure Island (Mystére), Bellagio (O), New York New York (Zumanity) which are all MGM-owned hotels - hence that’s why they can’t call this one at The Wynn Circ du Soleil -it’s not part of the group. Very chic show - ideal to see with your partner but catch it anyway. Prices are around $100 with top prices being nearer $150. Get seats about 4 rows back - perfect.

If you want to fly to the Grand Canyon from Vegas, helicopter rides can be booked from the many small operators at the top of the strip (Stratosphere end). If you want to hire a car and drive, it will take 3-4 hours to get there. This route also takes in the Hoover Dam on route. Do an overnight stay so you can catch sunset and sunrise there. While you’re there, you must take a helicopter ride over the Canyon. About a hundred dollars , a once in a lifetime experience. Must-do.

If you are feeling really flush, catch one of the live concerts by names such as Elton John, Celine Dion etc. (although I know Celine Dion does not perform there anymore, not sure about Elton John). Might have to book way in advance though even though ticket prices are in the hundreds of dollars.

MGM Grand has fully grown lions kept in a glass ‘cage’. There are glass tunnels where you can observe them at close hand. There’s also some nutter there who seems to taunt/play with the lions and they haven’t killed him yet.

Go to the Stratosphere (one of the older hotels at the top of the strip) and go on the rides. If you like scary rides, you’ll love the 3 they have there, that dangle you off the top of a tall tower. Not for the feint-hearted.

For Nightclubs, many of the hotels have their own. The better ones are Pure (Caesar’ Palace) - a great place with high celings, white drapes and a terrace that overlooks the strip. Full of hot young things strutting their stuff.
The Palms has a good one (Rain I think) . Bellagio has ‘The Bank’ which is supposed to be good on Sundays.
The ones I have experience of are:
Fridays - LAX at Luxor . Pretty good…pretty packed.
Tao (Venetian) on Saturdays - awesome. Absolutely huge place - a restaurant earlier in the evening , then a bar , club and ‘beach’ terrace in the evening. If you get a table (minimum 2 bottle spend - $300 each), then you will get a table in the open air ‘Tao Beach’ upstairs.
Sundays (during the day, 11am - 7ish) - Re-hab at Hard Rock. Crazy beach party, you’ve never seen anything like it -it’s a must-do. Can go to Body English afterwards which is the resident club. Good young crowd at this hotel as I said earlier.
Mondays - at Jet, inside the Mirage. Jumping club on Monday nights..and totally packed. Slip the bouncer $50 a piece via the touts who will meet you at the entrance andt take you to the front of the queue. (it doesn’t come any cheaper, trust me) - either that, or queue for 2 hours and pay almost the same in entrance anyway. I know which one I’d choose.

Tryst at Wynn - one of the newest clubs on the Strip - incredibly elegant and beautiful with a view of a waterfall in the middle - the grandest club I’ve ever been to. Get a table (it’s mostly tables) and try and avoid Sundays where the crowd seemed a bit older. Friday would be better.

Food - well there is so much choice and just so much food. The Venetian alone has about 25 restaurants with everything from fine dining to noodle bars. The Cut was recommended to us as a good steak restaurant but have to book weeks in advance. Basically there is so much choice everywhere, you won’t go hungry and you won’t have any problems finding what you want (not sure about Indian food though :-S)

Try the buffets. These are truly mindboggling operations where they serve breakfast , lunch and dinner all day in huge dining halls - think big Indian wedding catering 24/7 - quite incredible. A few of the hotels run them (Luxor, Bellagio) of which I’ve tried The Wynn’s buffet - not bad but not as good as ‘Cravings’ at Mirage. Better food (surprising as The Wynn is a top hotel) and better value for money too. Do not miss Cravings. Lunch is $20, dinner is around $30. Every kind of food in any kind of quantities. Must-do.

And that is that…….as far as I can remember. Enjoy..and do tell us about your trips if you do go.