I need a good 4 days vacation idea

Last year, my wife and I spent a week at a very nice all-inclusinve in Cabo. Airfair, room (8 nights), food and unlimited alcohol ran us $2900 or so. The drinks served at the pool (the swim-up bar was pretty dandy) were kinda weak, but each room had a wetbar with lots of liquor, so we'd just fill up a cup with tequila and spike anything we ordered. We spent 7 days under the hot Mexican sun, guzzling Pina Coladas, Margaritas, and Mudslides. The place had two enormous pools populated with hot gals in tiny bikinis; it was grand.

I want (wait, make that NEED) something similar this summer, but I'm terrified of flying, and I don't really want to dump $3k. My wife and I are in SoCal, and I'm looking for something close. Here are my options:

1. A 4+ star place in Vegas. I'd stay at Mandalay Bay, as I hear it's got a great pool (11 acre pool area). However, the pool is currently closed for construction. Anyone got a good place with an awesome, relaxing pool, without the typical d00shy Vegas phonies everywhere?

2. Palm Springs. I stayed at the Palm Dessert Marriot in the early 90's, and it was pretty sassy then. Anyone know of a bougie joint in Palm Spring that's quiet, relaxing, and with a great pool?

3. Anyone heard of the Red Rock Casino near Vegas? I'm considering that place as well.

I'm somewhat tapped for ideas beyond that. I essentially want to leave on a monday morning and check-in around noon--stay till thrusday morning. I figure $600 for the room ($200/night), and maybe $600 for food/drink. Probably the last week in May.

Ideas?

 

I hope the "d00shy" term isn't taken the wrong way. I'm talking about the 22 year-old guys who, the minute they hit the strip, walk around as if they've got a 14 inch pee-wee and a bank account with tens of millions in it. I guess I'm talking about The Palms and what they call their "MTV Clientele."

All I really want is a clean, relaxing place with a great pool and fellow guests that aren't trying to one-up everyone else.

I'm ok with super-hot. In fact, the hotter, the better. It makes the pool that much more enjoyable; all I plan on doing it getting sloshed at poolside for 4 days. How is the pool at Red Rock?

 

I don't do shows (not knocking them, I've just never felt compelled to see one), and when I gamble, I do it the "smart" way (haha, if there is such a thing). I'll take $100 bux and head to Fremont St. for a $2 Let it Ride or Craps table. Free drinks, long play time (if you don't get greedy or terribly unlucky), and I have as much fun playing the tables at $2/hand as I do at a $10/hand table.

Also, I'm fairly low class, and my wife and I get by well enough with a $100 dinner. I do diet coke, she does water. Neither of us are fans of wine (although I dig a great tumbler of nice scotch every now and again.)

If you want to have a good time in Vegas and not spend a lot, do this:

1. Call the El Cortez Casino in downtown and ask for a room at The Ogden House (a hotel they own next to El Cortez for overflow). $19.99 on weekdays, $39.99 on weekends. It's clean, safe, with AC and cable. I never spend more than 4 or 5 hours/day in a room while in Vegas, and I've never understood the need to pay a ****-ton just to have a key card that reads "Bellagio." Of course, if I'm going for non-gaming reasons, it makes sense to stay in a nice place. But I rarely go for non-gaming reasons.

2. Gamble downtown. Unless you just can't stand playing plebian tables next to friendly retired folk, then downtown is the place to play. Winning is winning, whether it's on a $10 hand or a $2 hand. Additionally, downtown tables have cool side bets that, while often a quick way to lose your bankroll, are cheap and reap nice sums if you win (not common, though).

3. Eat dinner after midnight. The food is a hell of a lot cheaper if it's on the late-night menu. It's not food you'll find in a place with a 3rd Michelin star, but you'll get a satisfying Steak and Egss for $3.99. And you can look like you just got hit by a train (which I often do at 3:00am in Vegas) without drawing stares from your fellow dining peers.

4. Finally, while this is not a huge money saving tip, it's the best thing I can ever advise anyone hitting Vegas to do: Bring a lot of Gatorade. I hit AM/PM on my drive out there and will usually buy enough for two bottles/day. Gatorade does wonders for stemming hangovers or curing them. RIght before you pass out from too much booze, chug a whole bottle of gatorade. When you wake up, repeat with some aspirin. Makes "the day after" much easier to bear.

 

Now that looks nice. I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip.

 

Sounds great, but I'm scared of flying (irrational, I know), so I'm looking for places within a 6-8 hour driving radius of Los Angeles.

 

Here's where we stayed last year; I'd like something similar.

Pic one: View from our balcony. The pool is one of two the resort had.
Pic two: View from one of the pools. They were very, very clean.
Pic three: A view of the inside of the room itself. Marble floors, real wood work, great AC, very clean (ignore the messy bed!)
Pic four: The wetbar and fridge, stocked daily with ice Cold Coronas, sodas, and bottled water (a God send in Mexico). Gotta love the all-inclusive.
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Your description makes me want to stay there! I don't mind being far from the strip - we might hit it once over the four days, and I'll have my car so the cab fare isn't a concern.

Just one final question: I'm not the type that gets "dressed-up", especially when I'm on vacation. I don't mind tossing on a collar for dinner, but I don't want a place where I can't be dressed comfortably (tees and shorts, flipflops) without getting the evil eye. How's the general attitude there?

The rooms are $149/night during the week I plan on staying. To me, that's a steal.

 

I know what you mean!

[Homer Voice]Eternal wetbar.......mmmmm[/Homer Voice].

 

Hahahaha! That's the wetbar pic from the vacation that the *ahem* wetbar manager *ahem* won't destroy me for posting here.