Two guys coming over in September. Sort of drawing a blank...

[AndersSWE]

So yeah... Me and my buddy (both thirty-ish) are coming over from Sweden this September.
And as it's (sort of semi-)likely to be my one and only trip to Vegas I want everything to be as good as it could (barring budgetary issues).

So - Where do we stay?
Coming over on a Tuesday and staying until Sunday.
Besides the casino experience we need to hit at least one pool party (which?) and at least one nightclub (XS?).
If XS is really the answer to that second question it seems that Wynn could be the answer to the overall question. Is it?
Is there any real benefit to be staying at the same hotel as the club you're planning to attend?

Budgetary issues, like I said.
There will be no suites... A normal (in Vegas-terms, at least), two queensize beds, room will do just fine.
Somewhere around $1500 to $2000 for the entire five nights is where we're at.

What's weird for me - used to mainly staying at hotels in Europe - is that everything is extra. Never any breakfast included... Extra charge for Wifi(!).
Whatever works, I guess.

Thx!

[kp3205]

Welcome to the board.

Personally with this being your 1st trip I would suggest getting a room on the strip.

Many say Cosmopolitan. I have not stayed there. Personally Aria and Planet Hollywood on the strip are my top 2. Wynn and the Venetian are incredible but will put you at your max budget unless they have some sort of deal online.

If you play poker Venetian does have a special rate as long as you buy in for at least $300 and play for at least 6 hours a day.

Most hotels have reduced rates if you sign up for their rewards program.

EBC is the #1 spot for a pool party for a large majority on here.

Unfortunately it's Vegas....everything has a price to it.

[AndersSWE]

Thanks!
I sort of missed the 'Present yourself-subforum' and went straight for a question. Poor manners!

Yeah, The Strip is a must.
My first thought was The Bellagio - since it sort of 'is Vegas' as far as I'm concerned.
But then I read up and decided that it's maybe not as much fun, rather more of just an idea.
It's a fountain - we've got fountains in Sweden as well.

I tend to do all of my bookings through Hotels.com for whatever reason (I guess I like kidding myself that I get 'free' nights).
And if I go through there the Venetian actually looks way better value than Wynn (breakfast and Wifi included!).
The Cosmo seems nice, but bumps the price up quite a bit.
I'd like the hotel to be nice, but I'd rather put a little less on this, and a little more on spending money. Honestly I'm not even sure on what I'm budgeting on spend (though I'm quite sure that I'd do best to actually set a figure...)

Is there any benefit (besides geographic) to stay at the Winn/Encore if EBC is the place to be?

[artedm]

welcome
nightclubs open around 11pm with headline dj on around 1am open till around 5am
pool parties open around 11am with headline dj on around 3pm open till around 6pm

if your doing a lot of partying/sight seeing you will spend very little time in room.
You could go low end on hotel- there are even hostels in vegas.

Tuesday nightclub
Wednesday nightclub
Thursday nightclub
Friday pool party/ nightclub
Saturday pool party/ nightclub
Pool party on Saturday will be busier then Friday.
You can buy tickets on nightclub website do not have to be hotel guest to attend nightclub/ pool party.

You could take a bus tour to grand canyon for around $80 a person but it will take up a whole day 8am-8pm
do on a slower week day.

[maxutilsperusd]

Exact dates for when you are arriving and leaving will help with specific recommendations.

[AndersSWE]

Arriving in the morning of the 19th and leaving in evening of the 24th.

[AusVIP]

FWIW

1. Dont do bellagio... too many tourists, they are mostly old people... stay at Cosmo. Much more of a party vibe... great for foods, central etc. I made the mistake 1st time out stayed at Bellagio... didnt like.

2. Pool party... EBC or Wet on a Sat or Sun for the best pool party experience

3. Night clubs.. cant go wrong in vegas generally speaking. I think Omnia would be a good bet or if you are going General Admission.. XS

[AndersSWE]

FWIW

1. Dont do bellagio... too many tourists, they are mostly old people... stay at Cosmo. Much more of a party vibe... great for foods, central etc. I made the mistake 1st time out stayed at Bellagio... didnt like.

2. Pool party... EBC or Wet on a Sat or Sun for the best pool party experience

3. Night clubs.. cant go wrong in vegas generally speaking. I think Omnia would be a good bet or if you are going General Admission.. XS

Nope. Bellagio is off!
...unfortunately Cosmo as well - it's just too big of a difference in price. And as I said above - I'd rather put that extra money toward 'fun'.
Haven't booked just yet, but it looks like it'll be The Venetian.

Uhm... 'General admission'?

[AndersSWE]

welcome
nightclubs open around 11pm with headline dj on around 1am open till around 5am
pool parties open around 11am with headline dj on around 3pm open till around 6pm

if your doing a lot of partying/sight seeing you will spend very little time in room.
You could go low end on hotel- there are even hostels in vegas.

Tuesday nightclub
Wednesday nightclub
Thursday nightclub
Friday pool party/ nightclub
Saturday pool party/ nightclub
Pool party on Saturday will be busier then Friday.
You can buy tickets on nightclub website do not have to be hotel guest to attend nightclub/ pool party.

You could take a bus tour to grand canyon for around $80 a person but it will take up a whole day 8am-8pm
do on a slower week day.

Yeah, Grand Canyon is probably on the 'to do-list'.
If only for the possibility of showing my wife some legit photos.
Can't we just rent a car, though? Even a convertible Camaro or Mustang GT won't be that much more than $80 a pop.
Not including gas, of course.

[kp3205]

You can definitely rent a car. Personally I was not in the mood to drive to the big hole in the ground so paying to do a tour was the only option for us. It's definitely a long day.

For clubs/pools pre sale tickets are a great option.

Venetian is a great option but how much time are you really spending in your room? I've done Planet Holywood, Harrah's and Monte Carlo when it's a guys trip to save money and when the wife comes along I'll step up to Aria and Paris. Being on the strip you have access to everywhere anyway so unless you are getting an incredible rate there is cheaper out there..

[artedm]

the south rim has a $30 entrance fee per car
275 miles each way- about 4 hours each way- maybe $50 in gas
+ car rental fee
really depends if you want to sit back on bus or drive

[AndersSWE]

You can definitely rent a car. Personally I was not in the mood to drive to the big hole in the ground so paying to do a tour was the only option for us. It's definitely a long day.

For clubs/pools pre sale tickets are a great option.

Venetian is a great option but how much time are you really spending in your room? I've done Planet Holywood, Harrah's and Monte Carlo when it's a guys trip to save money and when the wife comes along I'll step up to Aria and Paris. Being on the strip you have access to everywhere anyway so unless you are getting an incredible rate there is cheaper out there..

Well, I can see how I won't be that excited to drive either. But I can also see that I won't be at all that excited to get on a long bus ride...
We'll see how it goes.

I see your point about the hotels as well. However...
Since we're splitting it in two there isn't that big of a difference. Between The Venetian and Planet Hollywood (as an example) the total difference is about $45 per night/person. It's not _nothing_, but given the fact that we're only there for a very limited time it doesn't really have that much impact on the overall.
There's also breakfast included in that $45 price difference.

[AndersSWE]

the south rim has a $30 entrance fee per car
275 miles each way- about 4 hours each way- maybe $50 in gas
+ car rental fee
really depends if you want to sit back on bus or drive

Ah, I see...
Maybe going by helicopter is an option, then.
Expensive(ish), but certainly saves time!

Like I said above - we'll see how it goes.

[gamepube]

It's an interesting question what does one need In a Vegas hotel room and what does someone want. I've stayes at the best and worst on the strip and there really is a difference in quality. I'd add MGM and the Mirage to the list of middle tier hotels as they both offer the Vegas mega hotel experience.
Can't go wrong with Venetian as well.
I remember my first time.....

[gdalestumps]

We personally love the Venetian and stay there almost exclusively now. We have stayed at Bellagio, Caesars, Cosmo, Mirage, NYNY, Wynn and Venetian. I think the rooms at the Venetian are the biggest and nicest for the money. We also like the casino and the location on the strip. And we love eating breakfast at Grand Luxe. So in my opinion you can't go wrong with the Venetian.