Viva Las Vegas
I am currently adjusting to the grind of normal life after spending a weekend in Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.
My most recent trip was a college reunion with people from my business fraternity. After graduation, we moved all over the U.S. (well actually just to 3 general areas: New York, LA and San Francisco), so Vegas was a central place where we could all hang out and party for the weekend.
Vegas is also PERFECT for these large group gatherings because of the affordable accommodations, buffet style dining and clubs
-- that is if you know how to plan it! Here are some recommendations I have after having gone to Vegas about 3 times in the past year (it's not much for Californians, but a bit much for someone living all the way in NYC). I hope it's useful!
Read more for tips on accommodations, buffets, activities, clubs
The key to finding great accommodations for big groups is multiple bed suites and pull out sofas! These kinds of hotels generally fall into two categories, casino resorts or non-gaming/smoking hotels that are associated w/ a casino resort.
Non-Gaming Properties
Pros: Newer properties that are kept nicer because of the no smoking policies, usually much cheaper, usually come with full kitchen and 1-2 bedrooms
Cons: A little farther from the action, sometimes more family oriented, no convenient casino downstairs
My Pick:
This is where we stayed on this trip and I thought it was very ideal in terms of location and value. It's located behind Planet Hollywood, which is across from the new Project City Center and near the Bellagio and the Paris hotels. The Towers are connected to Planet Hollywood through the Miracle Mile Shops (basically a suburban mall) and there are ABC Stores (like in Hawaii and they sell alcohol so great for pre parties) and a Fat Tuesday (where they sell the slushy daiquiri drinks)!
The towers are brand new and come with jacuzzi tubs, drop down projector TVs (it comes down in front of the windows in the photo on the right) and full kitchens, dining rooms and bar areas (perfect for pre parties). The sofas pictured on the right turn into queen pull out beds (you can sleep 3 on the bed + side of couch). The decor isn't the best, but at ~$90 a person for 2 nights in one 2 bedroom king suite and another 1 bedroom king suite, it's a great value! Leaves more money for shopping/eating/gambling!
Other Choices:
I stayed here last year and the rooms are super nice/luxurious and the property is great. The only thing is that the signature towers are SO far away from MGM Grand and MGM Grand itself is already so far away from everything else. I like PH Towers location better and because their walkway was shops/malls whereas the MGM Signature to MGM Grand walkway was empty space (it looked like an airport).
Casino Resort Style Hotels
Pros: Closer to the action (casino, restaurants, clubs)
Cons: May be more expensive for older rooms
My Pick:
The Venetian is an all-suite hotel that suites large groups and can get you in the middle of it all. It's across from Caesar's Palace, next to the Wynn and Encore (the two hottest hotels right now) and Tao nightclub is in the same building (not the "it" club anymore, but still a fun place!).
The Venetian Rialto suite can get you 1,100 sq ft of space with 2 king beds and a queen pull out sofa. Its open layout lets you fit ~9 comfortably (3 per king and 2 on queen sofa bed and 1 on couch), but last time I was here, they fit around FIFTEEN people in this suite (although it involved carefully orchestrated positioning of sofa cushions on the ground and an efficient use of ground space). Great for college students I'd say!
Another Popular Choice:
My old roommate always stayed at the
. These one or two bedroom suites look like they have a great layout and she says this is where she always goes. It's a great location right next to Caesar's Palace and across from the Venetian. The only bad thing I've heard about it is that the rooms are a bit older/outdated. I myself like shiny chrome and all things modern =P
Buffets
Vegas is all about going "big" and this applies to food too. My favorite buffets are the Rio Seafood Buffet and the Bellagio Buffet.
Rio Seafood Buffet
- Opens at 3:30pm on Fri & Sat and 4pm on other days. Go 30 minutes before it opens, be prepared to wait in line and then eat until you can't eat anymore! ($38 + tax)
The Bellagio Buffet
- I liked this buffet because it's pretty high quality, not too overpriced and has a good selection. It's also convenient because there are so many things to see in the Bellagio (to be discussed later)! (~$36 with tax, option for $5 unlimited champagne brunch on weekends)
Activities
Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas Sign
- GREAT photo opp location
- Changes by season / holiday (we were there for the Chinese New Year display)
Shopping at City Center
- The new
not only has top luxury hotels (Mandarin Oriental, Aria, Vdara and Veer), but its shopping center has all the luxury stores of Rodeo Drive, Fifth Avenue and Magnificent Mile packed into one place (
)! I personally recommend stopping by the Louis Vuitton store to dream, try or buy! (This is where I fell in love with my first LV bag -- still saving up for it as I type!)
Fat Tuesdays
- Great alcoholic slushy drinks that you can carry around with you all day. Located in the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops or Caesar's Palace.
Clubs
Clubs are great, but sometimes getting into them can be frustrating or extremely expensive. After going to Vegas several times, I have learned a few rules about how to get in with less pain and less $$. No matter what, it kind of sucks for the guys because they are disadvantage at almost every turn -- just something you have to get used to in Vegas unless you're ready to spend big $$.
Rule #1:
Have a good ratio. If you are trying to get in without buying a bottle, etc, it helps A LOT to have at LEAST a 1:1 ratio between girls/guys
Rule #2:
Find a promoter: a reliable promoter can be a great resource! With a promoter contact, girls can skip lines and not pay cover. Guys however at best can probably just skip the line and pay cover. However, it really varies by club. I have some phone numbers collected from friends, so feel free to email me if you want me to send them to you!
My favorite club in Vegas is XS
. I know it's old news now and it's quite popular (I heard that XS makes ~$90mm a year!). I've noticed that each time I go, the crowds seems a little more ghetto... Although the club maintains a dress code, it seems like money is the only factor on whether you get in or not. But hey, I am okay with this since I may not be able to get in if it were extremely selective and catered to the over 5'7" model crowd!
The club is half outdoors and half indoors. Outdoors, there are private cabanas, a lagoon and an island where there is a bar and craps, blackjack, poker tables! Beware though, heard lots of people lose money here =P
Cover is usually $30 for guys, $20 for girls! If you come to Vegas, you MUST go here!