Las Vegas visit 2010

The wife and I are off to LV in 2 months for the first time as well.......

 

You are correct about showing your membership card/insurance card/key to gain free entry to the Wynn Ferrari Showroom, otherwise it is only $10.

Other options for visiting the Grand Canyon, is to get a helicopter tour.

 

Stayed several times and its alright. The newer pool is topless! Just like Noosa mate!

 

While I have never stayed at any of the new hotels in Vegas (as a local, I tend to stay as far away from the strip as possible ) I can tell you that Caesars has been completely redone with new high rise towers, although I think you can still book rooms in the old section if you so desire. The current hot hotels are all basically Wynn properties. I hear the Wynn and Encore have some outstanding rooms and suites and one of his earlier projects, the Belagio, is still high on the list. The Venetian is a non-Wynn property that is also highly regarded. Pretty much hard to go wrong with any of the new hotels on the strip these days although I would shy away from the likes of the Excalibur....it was built before the current "what stays in Vegas...." campaign during a time when Vegas was trying to bill itself as a "family" destination. You will be amazed how different Vegas is now compared to your last visit in '97.

Google "Ferrari rental Las Vegas"...you will get a list of half a dozen outfits willing to rent you whatever your heart desires...well almost anything. It would end up being quite pricey due to the miles, but I suppose you could motor an Fcar all the way to the Grand Canyon and back if you wanted. A trip to the North Rim is the only way to go....fun roads, less traffic, shorter distance and surprisingly less crowded compared to the South Rim. If you want congestion, hoards of tour buses, Burger Kings and Mickey D's, then the South Rim is the place to go. Not that the views there are not stupendous, they are, but the area is over the top tourist oriented (in my opinion) to the degree that it takes away from the grandeur of the canyon.

The things to do and see in Vegas are endless...more big name chef restaurants here than you can shake a spatula at, so not to worry finding things to do. It boils down to a matter of taste as to which direction to head.

Brock

 

Hey Keith, be sure to PM before you get here. Dinner (or lunch at least) is in order.

 

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking but I'll try to give it a go.

If you're looking for a hotel with the best strip view, you might want to look at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. The rooms are very nice and the views looking north pretty much look down the strip. A couple of weeks ago I was in their bar on the top called "Mix" and the view is amazing.

If you want to good strip view directly in front of you, then perhaps the Bellagio may have the best. You can see the strip and the fountain shows.

For Grand Canyon tours, this is really easy. There are bus tours and you can even fly there by Helicopter if you have the money. The hotel you stay in can arrange them for you.

For exotic car rentals, I would bet that Las Vegas has more exotic rental miles driven in it than any other US city. I've never done it but I know many who have. There are several places that rent them. If you search on Youtube for "Ferrari 348", you'll find a bunch of posted videos of people who got their first ride in a rental from Las Vegas. 348's and 360's are most common. I think one has an 430. But, a year from now is a long way away. I don't know the costs but it's fairly expensive. Given that it's so far in the future, you might want to check back later on what's available and at what price.

The Wynn/Ferrari showroom is easy to get to and get into. Just show some kind of insurance or something like the card you descibe and tell them you're an owner. The admission is only 10 dollars if you're not an owner but I found they are not picky. They rotate the cars quite a bit so you never know what's on display. They have very few classics but a lot of newer models from 360's to Enzo's.

Also, go over to the Palazzo and see the Lamborghini showroom. It's next door to Wynn (although, that's still a half an hour walk). They also have a restaurant there.

My favorite hotels are Bellagio, Wynn, Encore, and Mandalay Bay. Least favorites are Tropicanna, Flamingo, Excalibur, Sahara and Stratosphere for various reasons. For a Rock'n good time I like the Hard Rock Cafe which just completed a refresh. Off strip I also like the Palms and Rio (both also have excellent strip views but are maybe close to a mile from the strip). The view from the dance floor at Palms is great (both the girls and the landscape!)

Also, by the time you get there the new CitiCenter complex should be finished. It's across from Planet Hollywood and pretty much dead center in the middle of the strip. It has several new hotels and may prove to be the best yet. It's certainly huge costing over 14 Billion US to build. Parts of it should open the end of this year.

The shows are incredible for night life. The Beatles "Love" is consistently rated as one of the best. I like "O", Blue Man Group, and some of the other Cirque d' soleil shows. They run all the time and tickets are easy to get online. There's also a couple of places that sell half price tickets of what has not already sold out.

One other thing is the car museum at the Imperial Palace. It's on the strip. I wouldn't stay there but they have an excellent car museum that changes all the time. There's a lot of classic and odd cars there (like Hitler's Mercedes and Mussolini's Alfa, for example). For car people, it's worth the trip.

As for the topless pools, there are a few but you have to stay in that hotel to visit. I'm not sure how many would be open in April. It might be too early in the season. All the major hotels have excellent pools and spa's though.

For food, that's too difficult to call. There's just too many to really pick from. It depends on your taste and budget but for sure you can get just about anything there. There's one I want to visit called "Picasso" in Encore that features real Picasso paintings in the entrance.

I would say Vegas has changed significantly since 1997. You may not recognize it. So, please come here and help us pay for it!

Let us know if you need any other information.

 

I made my first visit to LV in Sept. 2008 for a Ford GT club convention. I was prepared to hate it (crowds, noise, garrish excess). I wound up liking it for what it is. I stayed at the Bellagio. Fabulous, with a tremendous pool area, but everything there was pretty crowded all the time. Again, it is what it is. If you want to take in shows, plan in advance. I was there during a dead spell, when most of the major shows were dark. Bummer. Do plan on spending lots of $$, unless you get off the Strip.

Plan a half day in your schedule to get out to Boulder City to see Hoover Dam. -ucking unbelievable! The 1 hour tour that takes you right down to the generator level at the bottom of the dam was just reinstituted last Sept. I highly recommend it. The tours were cancelled after 9/11, which I find somewhat strange. You could drop a 10 megatonner on Hoover Dam and probably not dent it. There is an excellent visitors' center perched out over the gorge with great photos of the construction in the 1930s. Seeing photos of guys sitting on little more than wooden playground swings 700 feet over the river working jackhammers was mind boggling. If you don't like heights, skip this attraction. Everywhere you turn, it seems you're looking straight down.

 

Shelby museum and tour?

 

Shopping is one thing you can really do in Vegas. That I would say this the biggest change since 1997 aside from the restaurants and of course, new casinos. I was at Ceaser's forum shops 2 weeks ago on a SUNDAY NIGHT for dinner and the Gucci, Prada, Bvgalri stores were still OPEN until Midnight. No where in America can you find something like this.

The F club is small but friendly. I'm sure an aussie owner would be warmly received. (BTW, I love Australia! I was in Sidney and Melbornne a couple of years ago and loved it.)

I live right next door to the Hilton. There is a statue of Elvis outside the Hilton that most people miss. Elvis still "lives" in LV -- you can even get married by a look alike if you want to. You'd be surprised at how many do.

Driving to the Grand Canyon is easy. I'm not exactly sure when the new bridge over the Hoover Dam will be finished but it might be pretty close to your date. A lot of people drive it all the time so I wouldn't be worried. I have never done it but I have driven from Phoenix Az to LV and it's not a difficult drive. And, that time of year the weather is quite pleasant usually.

The two latest big deals in Vegas are clubs and pool parties. Every major hotel has some kind of new thing to attract people to either party all night in a club or party all day by the pool.

Here's a pretty good website by locals about what's going on with casino changes going on in the city:

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/

You can see maps and photos of the changes and new construction.

You'll have a great time. Let us know when you're coming!

 

I stayed at Bellagio last January. You can request a view of the strip and the fountains but they typically charge an extra $25 per night.

 

My recommendation on shows is Le Reve at Wynn, Criss Angel show only got a lukewarm review/response compared to the other Cirque productions.

 

Hi

I am in Vegas quite a bit and have several friends in various shows. Here are some of my thoughts:

Bellagio is hard to beat for hotels. It is my base of choice. Location and amenities are tops...I am also addicted to the fountains The Hotel is nice but not as great a location.

From my insider friends...avoid Chris Angel it is disjointed and not very good. I would opt for "O", Mystere, Love.

Check out Frommers.com and tripadvisor for restaurants and other helpful info. If you like to shop and are a foodie you will be in heaven.

If you want an amazing drive head up to Zion around the Grand Canyon through lake powell to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, then down to Sedona and back up to Vegas will take you a couple days but amazing!!

I have the region fairly well dialed. If you want more PM me and I will give you a ton of info.

 

I second La Reve. Blew my mind! Wife and I went for the first time in August. Stayed at Encore at the Wynn and it exceeded all our expectations.

 

I also have the same question.

 

Sorry. I've lived in Arizona and Nevada over 20 years and never visited the Grand Canyon -- the number one tourist attraction in the world -- once.

Someday....

My understanding is that it's not difficult. I've driven from LV to Phoenix and you can easily do that in less than a day.