I have watched many, many episodes of CSI: Vegas and from that I have come to the conclusion that you are very likely to be murdered if you visit the place, probably by a serial killer. Hopefully that was helpful.

Absolutely stay on the strip. Taking a cab back and forth sounds like torture. I don't know how much that trip would cost in monetary terms, but in mental terms the cost will be enormous.

If they want to hang out on the Strip (and where else would you hang out on a first visit?), staying off Strip without a car is totally going to kill the fun. Even the Strip itself is looooooooong and requires a lot of walking or a bus pass for The Deuce (the local bus that runs up and down the Strip). Where are they looking at staying? What sort of things do they hope to do? I heard the rooms are kinda junky, but we had a ball playing $1 Blackjack every night at the Sahara.

Where is the timeshare? Can they trade it for somewhere closer to the strip? My aunt and uncle let us use their timeshare to stay at the Marriott Grand Chateau, which is right around the corner from Planet Hollywood on the strip.

I have never been to Vegas, but the BF seems to think that seven miles off the strip will get pretty expensive going back and forth in cabs. Maybe not $50+, but expensive and a pain in the ass. He stayed just off the strip at Paradise Blvd. or something of the like and says it was affordable. "An easy stumble" to the strip, to be precise.

Weretable is probably right about the serial killer, but the crime scene will likely be covered in semen, leading police right to the people responsible. However, will be little consolation to your corpse.

Also, $0.05 Kenny Rogers slots in old town. WOOOOOO!

Hi, CF! I'm back

Here are Vegas taxi rates.

A 7 mile trip would cost $3.30 + 7mi*$2.40 = $20.10, assuming no traffic delays.

I want to go back to Vegas :( Tell them to take me with them! I know all the good spots.

Wow, thanks a bunch guys! This is all very helpful. Good find on that taxi rate site, Mullac.

Where are they looking at staying? What sort of things do they hope to do?

They're staying at the grandview, it's a timeshare 7 miles south of the strip. According to the GF, "it has no hotel accomodations; no restaurant, no cleaning service," etc.

She sent me one review she found on a website for the place, "On the strip, but waaaaay down. Definately NOT walking distance which equals a $20 cab ride each way. One small resort shuttle must be reserved 24 hours in advance and only runs after 1pm until 12:00pm. Very inconvenient for getting to the main strip area. Staff at the front desk was unsympathetic to transportation needs and failed to call taxis, even when prompted repeatedly."

As far as plans go, "going to see the sights--on the strip, drinking, a little gambling." The usual Vegas experience it seems.

The GF says the hotel she was looking at for $150 for the week is the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. So now we're trying to figure out if transportation to and from there would be cheap/convenient. I've sent her the link to this thread and we're also looking for information about The Deuce, regarding passes and how much they cost.

Thanks again guys.

TPS I'll see what I can do about getting them to take you on as a consultant ;)
And hi YG44!

Hard Rock is right off the strip. Cab rides between strip hotels from there will be affordable. I haven't been in about two years now, but Hard Rock is my favorite Vegas hotel.

Ha! Well in that case I'll be sure to tell her she's got good taste. Is there a shuttle or anything (also still trying to figure out how the deuce works) or will they mostly be relying on taxis? It's good to know they'll be affordable, if so.

$150 each for the week at the Hard Rock is a steal!!! That is about a 10 minute walk to the back door of Planet Hollywood, although I wouldn't walk it after 10 pm.

Looking at Grand View on the city map, the Deuce does not travel that far south and the local bus to South Point Casino is a major pain in the ass. If staying at the Grand View, renting a car would be their best option. With few exceptions, I have heard nothing but complaints about off-strip shuttles.

assuming no traffic delays - In Vegas, always assume traffic delays, and tell the the driver to stay off the Strip as much as possible. If planning to see a show or otherwise need to be somewhere at a specific time, arriving an hour early and grabbing a drink to pass the time is best.

Also, they will want sunglasses to keep the sand out of their eyes.

[lived in Vegas just off the Strip for 5 years.]

Side note: Except for breakfast, buffets under $15 are not really worth it (usual steam table fare with canned vegetables and the same bagged salad you find at your own grocery store). On the flip side, they must eat at the Bellagio buffet at least once regardless of cost.

Also, no, the $20 burger and fries at Wolfgang Puck's Bar & Grill at MGM Grand is not worth $20.

The daily bus pass for the Deuce is a MUST. The strip is really long, and also, you can get downtown that way. (And it's worth seeing the downtown casinos at least once while you're there.)

There are electronic kiosks all along the strip where you can buy the bus pass.

The Grandview, ha! We did a timeshare presentation at the Grandview in April. "On the strip", my ass. The NYC equivalent is saying, Oh yeah, I'm in a show "on Broadway"- Broadway and 215th Street. It was a long ride to the Grandview. Nice property, and all; good for families with kids who want to swim in the pool and old people content sitting in front of the same slot machine day after day (there's a property right next door that has a casino). But to your girlfriend and her friend, it's BFE.

Cabs are hell in Vegas -- if you're at a major place at night, the lines are loooong.

The Bellagio buffet is wonderful. It's perfect for larger groups who want a nice experience but don't want to deal with all of the individual preferences. Plus you can have sushi AND pudding!

Hint: don't go to the Bellagio the first night, because everything else (okay, except the MGM Grand) will look trashy.

If you like Thai food, Lotus of Siam is highly recommended by just about everyone.

The Bellagio buffet is very very good, but we went to the buffet at the Wynn and HOLY COW it was insanely very very good..

I remember Wynn saying before his signature casino opened that he would NEVER have a buffet in it. heheh

Well the buffet he did allow is SPECTACULAR. OM NOM NOM. Wish I was there now. From here forward you can see some of our pics from when we went.

I can well imagine it is. Another point in Wynn's favor is the huge shopping mall directly across the Strip. With that knowledge, TPS, I am putting Wynn at the top of my "Must See" list.

Yes, Fashion Show Mall! On weekends, they have fashion shows that are totally must-see; if you don't enjoy fashion, you'll enjoy watching the runway and two-story entrance structure with models posing inside RISE FROM THE FLOOR LIKE WE LIVE IN THE FUTURE OR SOMETHING.

Thanks so much guys! I'm pretty sure her friend loves Thai food so I'll definitely pass that along.
Now I want to go to Vegas!

I could always give you reasons why not to go.

Haha oh jeez, no, save it until after they get back.

Thanks so much for your help guys. The girlfriend was surprised and said it was cool how helpful everyone was--she's not familiar with this brand of internet usage, so she was pretty surprised there were normal people out there that could offer help and insight into things. Good job. ;)

They're leaving this Saturday and staying at the timeshare for a night, I guess just to say they used it. After that they're going to Ballys at $51 a night, cheaper than the Hard Rock. "It seems to be right on the strip and the monorail runs through it according to the route I looked at online," she said.

They're also really excited to give the Thai place a try because they loovvve Thai food, and she promised me they'd do the buffet because it sounds really good. She also loved your photos TPS and wants to go check out some of the places you went. So I'm glad they got a couple destinations out of this thread as well.

Thanks again/as always, guys.

Bally's is great location, central to everything worthwhile on the Strip. They should avoid the monorail; it's expensive and not nearly as convenient as it may seem--unless they plan to spend a lot of time at the Convention Center or the Hilton. The Deuce is a much better deal.

I agree re: Bally's and the monorail vs. The Deuce.

Ah, Vegas. Want. We got married there four years ago and went last year, too, and had an absolute blast both times. Totally agree on both the Bellagio and Wynn buffets (though the buffets did have me on a gingerale and crackers diet the last couple of days last summer, but I have no gall bladder, so). If they like heights, try the you've-got-to-be-out-of-your-mind rides at the Stratosphere! Or just go for dessert at night and watch all the pretty lights.