Birthday trip 16th to 20th August - advice please

[Vegas2017]

HI

I am new to the forum and have already found out so much useful information

5 of us (guys) 30-40 year olds are going to Vegas from 16th to 20th August from the UK for a birthday celebration. I needed some advice and apologies for all the questions below

we are staying at the encore

Looking at clubs and bars we are planning to try and hit the following:
Omnia
XS
Encore Beach club

We wanted to book a table at one of the clubs and do VIP tickets at the other - hence were thinking a table at XS and VIP tickets at Omnia - would that make sense?

Omnia:
Would it be worth getting a table or will VIP ticket be good enough - does a VIP ticket purchased in advance guarantee entry - what is the queuing time like? Also once in is there space to stand / sit or will we be standing all night without a chance to rest anywhere? is this any good on a Thursday as it seems only the terrace is open that day

XS: we want to book a table here - we have been offered a 4 tops table for $1500 min spend plus taxes gratuities etc - is this a decent table and does this spend sound about right? looks like this is only open on Friday and Saturday?

EBC: only open on the Friday 18th and Saturday 19th when we are there - again assume we need a beach couch at a minimum which for 6 people we are getting for $1000++

as we are at the encore we get preferential entry tickets for like $100 - are these good enough or would people recommend a table?

bottle costs: Out of interest how much is a bottle at EBC for like a bottle of premium vodka or bottle of champagne - will give an idea how much we can get with our minimum spend

Hosts for arranging tables: I assume that the hosts on this website are the best / most cost effective options to secure tables rather than try and arrange on the strip when we get there

Outside of this on the other nights would like to visit some of the more down to earth commercial places like hard rock and planet Hollywood - do we need to buy tickets in advance here too for the bars and clubs. I also remember going to club RA at luxor many years ago which was a laugh - do places like that still exist - i.e turn up get in and have a laugh or is everything prebooked these days?

we also plan to have drinks at some of the cooler bars like chandelier and bond bar at cosmo

There is so much information easy to get confused - just want to ensure we hit the key places and also don't end up wasting time queueing etc whilst there but also not go crazy on the spending

any tips advice would be hugely useful

Evening itinerary looks like:

Wednesday: Bond bar / Chandelier bar at Cosmo followed by Hard rock or Planet Hollywood clubs - just to break ourselves in
Thursday: Omnia club terrace
Friday: Encore Beach Club in day / ghost bar at palms after plus any other local bars
Saturday: XS

which other hotel bars are worth checking out?

Also has anyone heard anything about intrigue and surrender at encore and how they are?

thanks in advance for your help

[gdalestumps]

Wow, that's a lot of info. Let me see if I can help a little.

If you don't get bottle service you will not have anywhere to sit at the nightclubs. You might find some wall space to lean on but don't count on it.
The price of the table really depends on the location, day of the week, and DJ. If you get a host you trust you can communicate with them what you are looking for.

Yes, presale tickets guarantee entry, but I think you may have to get there by a certain time. The amount of time in the line can vary, but if you get there before too late I would think no more than 30 minutes.

You can google bottle costs for most of the clubs, and some have it on their website. If you can't find it I think there was a thread on here at one point.

Check out Vista Cocktail Lounge at Caesars, great drinks. And Clique bar at the Cosmo.

Hope that helps a little

[kp3205]

Going to bounce around with my answers but hopefully it helps. This is all based on my preferences with what is going on that weekend

Don't bother with Hard Rock. Stayed there a few times the past 3 years and the club is meh at best while working a Bell Curve into it. Would be my very last resort if everything else was unavailable. If you're into rock memorabilia and such and need to see it then just do the Center bar and walk around. Personally to many options on the strip to go off strip just for that to have to go back on the strip after an hour or so there. Or do it during the day. Will be verrrrrryyyyyyy slow/dead there during the daytime. I stay there due to my room is always comped and just cab/Uber to the strip for everything activity wise..

Friday dayclub would be Marquee with Andrew Rayel. Have seen him twice and an outstanding set plus Marquee is one of the best Friday dayclub spots IMHO

Saturday Dayclub Diplo at EBC vs Martin Garrix at Wet Republic. Personally EBC is my #1 must on the weekend and Diplo is very good. I would go pre sales tix for this or such. If you could get a couch definitely do it but you'll be fine w/o it.

Google Encore Beach Club bottle cost and go to the images tab and you will see pics with prices from menus people snapped on their phone to give you an idea of cost depending on the type of liquor.

Nightclubs you pretty much need to have a table with the exception of XS as I feel it's the most accommodating for non table people. I haven't done Omnia and understand there is an outdoor patio but no intel from me on that so hopefully someone else can chime in.

[AusVIP]

It would be good to get an understanding of total days and nights budget per day or for the whole trip. Then forumites would be better place dto give you advice.

[drozzy]

Hey mate, I'm there during that time too, it's my 8th trip so I'll give you some advice: Don't bother with Ghost Bar or anything off the strip on Friday. You will be missing out on some incredible parties on the strip.

Ghost Bar is pretty lame. If you don't want to go to clubs on Friday, walk from casino Bar to casino Bar (Bellagio, cosmo, aria have some good ones). Make Friends, it's heaps of fun.

The strip is where it's at, look for clubs and bars at cosmo, aria, wynn and encore, Caesars... the big fancy casinos with heaps of people. They have the best bars and clubs... and women.

Intrigue is a smaller but Dillon Francis is playing there on Thursday the 17th... it will be a killer crowd. He's a very entertaining DJ. I'll be there, you should too. You'll thank me later!

[Vegas2017]

Thanks for all the advice Will Dmitri Vegas and like Mike at ecb on August 18th be good ? Also in terms of Omnia what is the age range here - usually a younger crowd or is it mixed as we have some who are just over 40 in our group and wandering if it may be too much - is it a pure dance club or also a good place to meet and mingle with people On the latter point as well as getting to listen to some great music we also want to go to clubs with more of a social vibe where we can chat and mingle with others - which are some of the best places to do this ? We are there for 5 nights 15th to 20th August and budget is flexible as per question above. Thanks

[gdalestumps]

There will be all ages at the clubs, but mainly mid-20's people. I am in my 30's and have never felt out of place. If you are looking to talk and socialize the larger clubs may not be what you want. The music is loud and you can't really hear each other. There will be no place to sit unless you buy bottle service so it's just wall to wall people dancing. The dayclubs are better for socializing because you can hear each other and you can mingle in the pool, or sit on the edge of the pool if there is room. I would check out lounges like ghostbar for more socializing. The chandelier bar at Cosmo is great for people watching as well. But go to a major club at least one night to get the experience.

[Vegas2017]

That's great advice - thanks - we plan on doing intrigue and xs as we are staying at encore so we may give Omnia a miss then and perhaps do another day party - what else is good outside of EBC

[gdalestumps]

Depends on the vibe you are going for. Wet is my favorite party pool, but it gets really crowded and by 2-3pm the pool is nasty. Of course if you drink enough you don't care, lol. For a more chill day we like Bare at the Mirage. Good food and drinks and a smaller crowd. We go every trip to just unwind after all the other partying.

[Vegas2017]

Sounds good - we were also looking at drais and marquee nightclubs - which one of these would be better on a Saturday and I assume bottle service would be preferable ?

[gdalestumps]

I'm honestly not sure which club would be better on a Saturday. I would say check the DJ and see which you prefer. Bottle service is always better if it doesn't blow your budget

[AeroSKI5150]

Agreed with the advice given so far! drozzy, I was looking at Dillon Francis on Thursday night as well, let me know if interested in a table split... Definitely hard to go wrong on a Friday or Saturday at any Tier 1 club for sure, and if you can swing a table (even split with another group), it's well worth the investment. Above all else, tip well and have fun!