Vegas Tips for First Timer

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The Neon Muesum is one of the more unique and nearby off-the-beaten-path things to see, and is quintessentially Las Vegas.

We've done the night tour but if someone was interested they could do both the daytime and nighttime because they do offer two different types of experiences. Night will have the lights lit up but daytime allows for more clear looking at the lights details.

 

[_19disnA]

We always rent a car and use that to easily get around since the casinos on the Strip are MUCH farther apart then they appear. We have always rented/returned our car at the airport. If you want to rent elsewhere you still need to get from the airport to your hotel which is an added cost. If you go in the summer when it is generally 100+ degrees everyday, it feels like walking into an oven the moment you step outside........so walking between casinos wouldn't be my first choice. The casinos closer to the airport are classier/newer/larger then those downtown. We went to see Fremont St. last time we were there since friends we were with also had never been there. Will never go back to Fremont St............there is no place close to park if you aren't staying at one of those hotels and the surface parking means you have to navigate past all of the homeless/sketchy people begging for money. The casinos downtown are all tiny compared to those closer to the airport. It is a place to avoid, in my view.

If only there for 1 day or a weekend, you won't have time to go to other places like Hoover Dam or Red Rock Canyon. The Strip is wall-to-wall cars at night so either drive around during the day when traffic is lighter or take that freeway running parallel to the Strip. Taking a taxi doesn't help since you will just sit in traffic at night with everyone else. Every casino has several restaurants so it depends on your budget and what you like to eat. Reservations are generally not required unless you are eating at one of the very high end restaurants. All of the casinos are fun to visit to see the design/architecture/theming.

Depending where you are staying or plan to visit, there are various monorails connecting certain hotels. Check out a recent LasVegas map of the area (there are several websites with that information) to see the best options for getting around and to get a sense of where the major casinos are located.

 

[Mysterian]

The Neon Muesum is one of the more unique and nearby off-the-beaten-path things to see, and is quintessentially Las Vegas.

This place looks amazing. It's like a pop-apocalyptic Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Apparently it's a popular wedding spot too.

 

[gmi3804]

Encore and Wynn are two of the most beautiful resorts not only in town, but in the world. Their attention to service and detail are second-to-none, and the rooms (Encore is all suites) are sumptuous and exceedingly comfortable. Wynn just had a renovation of all their rooms.

A great “locals” place is Herbs & Rye, on Sahara. A multi-page cocktail menu, organized by years/eras. They also have a “happy hour,” every night until 7PM, then again from 9PM to closing, during which a great many of their butcher-quality steaks are half price.

And for great tiki bars, go to Frankie’s Tiki Room or The Golden Tiki.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If you go in the summer when it is generally 100+ degrees everyday, it feels like walking into an oven the moment you step outside........so walking between casinos wouldn't be my first choice.

I agree with this but depending on where you're coming from it's really just the risk of sunburn rather than the heat in terms of walking from resort to resort. When we were out there it was 110-113 I think one day was 108 or so but then it was only 13% humidity on one of the days it was 113. That's insanely low (it's the desert) compared to where I live in the Midwest. 113 back home would not be advisable to walk outside. 113 in Vegas is like yeah it's hot and uncomfortable but doable to get between the hotels, you may just choose to take a longer walk through A/C or eat inside more than you might when it's a tad cooler.

 

[kdonnel]

I agree with this because we did this a ton back in 2017 and some in 2019. But a notation on this is the monorail is currently only one 1 side of the strip (expansion to the other side seems to waffle back and forth between greenlit and not), also because it was built after these places the entrances/exits are usually behind the buildings and there's a good walking distance to get to them often through the casinos. When we stayed at Hilton Grand Vacations on Paradise in 2017 the monorail was invaluable because we would walk just a few mins nextdoor to Westgate where they have a stop and go to the Strip so we used it as a main way to actually get onto the Strip but we found there's still a lot of walking involved with the stops because of where they are located at...sometimes it's an eternity to get to the stop. It will be interesting however to see how The Loop pans out in terms of convenience on this once more and more of the stops are done.

The monorail is probably dead and it doesn't know it yet.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) bought the monorail in late 2020. The LVCVA is all in on the Vegas Loop tunnels.

The LVCVA has said they expect the monorail to operate another 8-10 years max.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The monorail is probably dead and it doesn't know it yet.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) bought the monorail in late 2020. The LVCVA is all in on the Vegas Loop tunnels.

The LVCVA has said they expect the monorail to operate another 8-10 years max.

Honestly I thought the pandemic was the nail in the coffin of it. That investment though of the expansion was announced just before the pandemic and with the Loop coming on I'm just not sure if they see the point of it. Sad as that is because I was really digging using the monorail but still see the inconvenience of it only being on one side. You're still walking from the stop and to get to the other side the pedestrian bridges and walkways. The Loop does sound cool though, I can't remember if they plan to do an all-day pass or not??

 

[Erica Ladd]

This input is invaluable everyone. I really appreciate it! And if DH wants to visit the Dam maybe I can extend our trip by a day or two!!

 

[kdonnel]

Honestly I thought the pandemic was the nail in the coffin of it. That investment though of the expansion was announced just before the pandemic and with the Loop coming on I'm just not sure if they see the point of it. Sad as that is because I was really digging using the monorail but still see the inconvenience of it only being on one side. You're still walking from the stop and to get to the other side the pedestrian bridges and walkways. The Loop does sound cool though, I can't remember if they plan to do an all-day pass or not??

We made heavy use of the monorail oddly on our Caesars trip even though Caesars is on the wrong side of the road. That was the first time we visited Westgate and Sahara. We also went to the Palms and Rio that trip

You are right that the walk can be extensive. Vegas is definitely a walking vacation.

I don't think the Loop has opened to the general public. It has only opened to convention goers. I don't think they know how or if it will open to the general public. There is no real sense until it goes anywhere other than the Convention center.

They are building an Encore stop but it is still just on the Convention center line.




There are grand plans though. I have a feeling that the yellow is all that gets built for a long time. One of the proposed stops is for a resort that was just torn down so the pipe dream map is already out of date.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't think the Loop has opened to the general public. It has only opened to convention goers. I don't think they know how or if it will open to the general public. There is no real sense until it goes anywhere other than the Convention center.

They are building an Encore stop but it is still just on the Convention center line.

I'd like the Encore stop because that's where we've been staying. But without the connecting points to other places it's not there yet.

I think I remember reading something like 50+ stops for the Loop and I thought then that's a lot and probably going to be paired down maybe even significantly. I do see it as an innovative solution to getting from place to place. I think a key point may be where those entrance/exit points will be within the resorts for your casual visitor to use them.

It is open to the public now (a few months back it opened) however general public can't exit at the convention center (that is just for convention goers still) and are just doing round trip. So I guess it's their way of getting people a taste of what it's like.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Is it worth upgrading the room for a strip view? Or getting club level? (I saw the Venetian has this option…) Or will we be too busy looking around at different resorts? Is it a better plan to get a decent/good resort with very good location and save the $$ for eating out and stuff?

 

[kdonnel]

Is it worth upgrading the room for a strip view? Or getting club level? (I saw the Venetian has this option…) Or will we be too busy looking around at different resorts? Is it a better plan to get a decent/good resort with very good location and save the $$ for eating out and stuff?

We have done trips with spending money on great rooms and views and trips with the cheapest rooms and views of air conditioners and roofs.

It really depends on what you want to do or would he happy with.

On our Encore trip we were on the 40th or so floor and had a great view up the strip towards the Strat. We often found ourselves just looking out the window and watching the world go by.

 

[gmi3804]

Fun Fact about Wynn/Encore: There are no floors labeled 40-49, in recognition of Asians’ superstitions about the number 4, much like our aversion to 13. There’s no 13 either. Floor numbers go to 50 after 39.

 

[_19disnA]

I don't believe any hotel has a 13th floor due to the superstition surrounding that number. They jump from 12 to 14.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Is it worth upgrading the room for a strip view? Or getting club level? (I saw the Venetian has this option…) Or will we be too busy looking around at different resorts? Is it a better plan to get a decent/good resort with very good location and save the $$ for eating out and stuff?

It depends on the resort because sometimes the buildings don't exactly face the strip full on or are obstructed by another building.

Our most recent Encore stay we actually were given an upgrade (located on floor 31 considered panoramic because of the floor level and why that is considered an upgrade) and it faced Resorts World and the mountains. It was not bad at all although you'd see the electronic display all the time from Resorts World. I don't believe I took a picture. In our case we wanted a room earliest as possible so we did not request only a main Strip view just whatever came first available, likely how we were given the upgrade as we were there on a comp/special room rate.



This was our view in December 2021 which is a Strip view at the Encore:



Here's from that same trip but at the Bellagio which you can see some of the strip but from the side and overlooks a pool as well as more the back part towards the mountains, Bellagio would have more "fountain view" as a preferred room view:



Here's our Strip view at the Wynn from March 2021



Personally while it is nice to see the rest of the Strip this is more what do you think you'll value more if you're needing to pick between the two (dining or view). There are a lot of places where you can eat and have good views.

 

[nicolita3]

My husband abs I love staying at Bellagio, Mandalay, and Paris. Each have their own positives. We like having a view. We drive from Arizona and hardly use the car once there. We love walking around checking out the sights, hitting up various restaurants and buffets. We also like the mob museum. There are so many free things to check out in each hotel.

 

[mikehn]

Depending on when you go, the pool parties are a big draw. Downtown Fremont St is worth a visit. Any restaurant with a celeb name on it will need a reservation, but sometimes if you're patient you can get bar seating for two. Between bellagio and Ceasars palace, there's more dining options than you know what to do with. Enjoy!

 

[DL1WDW2]

 

[DL1WDW2]

After the Neon Museum jump into a taxi and stop at the Peppermill Lounge All night for great breakfast food and this :

 

[DL1WDW2]

New …we know it as a Soarin experience

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