Viva Las Vegas!

Viva Las Vegas

After traveling the world, Vegas is one of the most exciting cities on the planet. I spent a great deal of time in Las Vegas when my Grandparents lived there during my Grandfather's tenure running the Nevada Nuclear Weapon Test Site including Area 51, which is about an hour from the strip. Next time you are in Vegas, check out the National Atomic Testing Museum and ask for Troy Wade, our family friend who runs the museum and who worked with my Grandfather. 

 

Since my Father (now retired from the airlines) afforded us free air travel growing up, Vegas became a home away from home. It wasn't unusual to be in Vegas 2x a month. Hmm... that hasn't seemed to change!  I remember the numerous times my Grandmother took me to Circus Circus for the shows and rides along with MGM Grand for movies where they had waitresses serving you during the film. I was five years old and eating up every minute of it. Since I've kept all of my boarding passes since the age of six months (thanks Mom!) I've been to Las Vegas 126 times, and each time I go back I discover something new. 

Vegas Hotels

The great thing about Vegas is there is something for everyone, and at every  price point. With that in mind, I'll be gearing my blog to the discerning traveler who demands the best but does or doesn't want to pay top dollar. 

Before planning your Vegas trip, ask yourself and those traveling with you 'What experience do I want?'. Are you going to be a hard core gamer? Going to take in the shows? A foodie perhaps, trying out the world class restaurants? Or do you love the nightlife and day club scene Vegas pools are world famous for? Of course many like to do a little of this and that, so my posts will be geared to those tastes minus the gaming because I don't gamble, ever. To me it's a pointless waste of money, but I thank those that go to Vegas and blow their cash because it affords all the ancillary attractions that makes Vegas so much fun!

 

The Winners 

The best all around hotel goes to Encore and The Wynn. (Ok, really one and two, but they are connected so it seems like one hotel). Steve Wynn knows Vegas and his properties on the northern end of the strip bring world class entertainment, accommodation, top chefs, a golf course on property (the only on the strip), best nightclub in town if not the world, XS (yes that amazing), Encore Beach Club, two spas, high end shopping I can't afford and a on-premises Ferrari and Maserati dealership. 

 The second runner up in the best hotels of Vegas would be the Palazzo, which is the sister property of the Venetian. Do yourself a favor and never consider the Venetian and go right for Palazzo for its cleanliness, better dining, clubs and shoppes. 

The third best hotel, in my opinion, is The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas which is located between Bellagio and Aria on the southern end of the strip. The Cosmo had financial difficulty at the outset and is now owned by Deutche Bank and ran as a Marriott Autograph Collection property so your Marriott and Ritz Carlton rewards cards will work here. A word of caution on The Cosmo: Yes, the killer views of the Bellagio Fountains are amazing but if your not prepared to be surrounded by those in their 20-30-somethings who love to party and smoke weed then don't stay here.

 

The other thing to warn you of (just as with any other Vegas hotel) is day-of-week prices change dramatically. For example:Friday is always the most expense night of the week. If you want to save a few bucks, go on Saturday instead. You will still get the weekend vibe at half the price! Early and midweek is even cheaper. The trade off is some shows and clubs are dark early in the week, so plan accordingly. Just give Priceline a shot and you'll see what I mean. Oh and if you want to know which properties are the 5 star express bids just ask because I know. As we used to say at the travel firm "If your paying rack at a hotel, you be a sucka". 

Honerable Mention

A hotel that deserves the nod for Honerable Mention for value and amenities would be the Aria.  Be sure to sign up for a MLife rewards card free online for great offers. Since MGM owns Aria your room key will work at all their properties on the strip (which are many).  Another property which is a part of Aria city center is Vdara, and while the rooms are clean, modern and huge it is off the strip, has no restaurants worth mentioning and the pool is lame. If you wanna bring your dog to Vegas then they do allow you to bring fido with you for a fee. They also have a pet menu and dog park. That being said if you're looking for value, quiet, smoke-free enviornment and no casino, then check out Vdara.

 

Considering a family vacation to Vegas or looking for something different near the action but not in the middle of it? ThenMandalay Bay and sister propertyTheHotel are for you. The water park is amazing, including a wave pool, real sand beach (not desert sand but beach sand) a lazy river far nicer than Monte Carlo's and two awesome club pools, one being European style bathing for the ladies (Moorea Beach). While Wynn calls his dedicated topless areas European, the Mandalay puts a spin on the vernacular and calls Moorea 'Toptional'.      

 

Finally, the Mandarin Oriental is a newcomer with their classy zen joint right on the strip. The place is amazing and is zen amongst the craziness, and you won't find a night at a Mandarin any cheaper then in Las Vegas. Since zen is the theme here you will find no clubs, no party pools and limited choices on restaurants. Twist by Pierre Gagnaire is the signature restaurant for foodies but price-wise is out of my league. The meal at Twist on a weeknight will easily cost 2x your overnight room charge, but if that is what your going for then that may be a value to you. 

In Need of a Facelift

 

Bellagio; there is no denying the lobby and grounds are beautiful but unless your a high roller, the average rooms are just that; average. For the price point you will find better value elsewhere. 

 

Other hotels in need of CPR are Caesars,Paris, MGM Grand and Four Seasons. Four Seasons is a chain that lacks a consistent product. For example: Four Seasons in Vail is amazing, in Philadelphia just as in Vegas, the property is stuck in early 90's trying to find a identity. If your reading this Four Seasons, are you ever upgrading Philadelphia??? 

 

One thing that Four Seasons did seem to kick start is the new trend in Vegas hotels: the hotel within the hotel. Caesars just opened The Nobu Hotel down the hall from the Nobu restaurant. While I'd say Nobu offers the best sushi in town, skip the Nobu Hotel and stay elsewhere.

 

Monte Carlo owned by MGM has a boutique property called Hotel 32 located on floor 32 of the hotel. While the floor and rooms are amazing you do need to realize you are still in The Monte Carlo which is not a place I'd ever stay because there is better value elsewhere. Aria also offers aSky Loft product but unless your getting a hell of a deal your value is better at the other properties recommended. 

On the Horizon

 

Any new hotels on the way? Well this is a town that constantly reinvents itself and the construction bust has in recent years started up again. The next hot hotel to open on the strip will be in 2014 when SLSopens to give all 5 star properties a run for the money. SLS has a amazing property in South Beach Miami and in LA. The owners also run the world famous SLS club in LA as well as Hyde in the Bellagio which next to XS at Enore and Marquee at Cosmo is the best nightclub on the strip. Later down the road there are plans in development on the north end of the strip to build a 4,000 room Chinese theme hotel/casino with replica of the Great Wall. Only in Vegas!

Oh, and for the newborn member of the royal familyVegas is waiting for you. :)

 

Welcome to the 72-hour Traveler

Welcome to the 72-hour Traveler -  a blog designed to get the most value out of your travel experience. The views expressed in my postings are that of my own and no person or entity has compensated me for the recommendations outlined in any way. Furthermore, my recommendations are for entertainment purposes only and by reading my posts you understand your experience may differ from my own and that I hold zero liability if your travels fall flat. The goal here is to simply provide information about the cities I have traveled to and list what's hot and what is not. 

About the Author

Since I was in diapers the travel industry, namely airlines, has been in my family.

In the industry, a child of an airline employee is referred to as an 'airline brat', and my sister and I lived it up traveling all over the world First Class, often sitting next to celebs, pro-athletes and CEO's of large companies. Those stories are a blog of their own but let's just say George Steinbrener put the hot and heavy moves on my Mom once on a flight from Vegas, and I had great flight experiences sitting next to Charles Barkley, Dennis Quaid, Richard Simmons and Lynn Swan, to name a few. Before I entered grade school, I had logged an average of 100k miles each year and found travel a wonderful experience to supplement my studies. Reading something in a text book is one thing, but living it is vastly different so I took full advantage.

 

To this day, I still travel as often as humanly possible - with careers and kids it makes travel a little more challenging, which is why most of my travels span only 72 hours, hence the title of this blog. I've become something of an expert on the 'quick hit' - the perfect 3 days (and sometimes only 2 or 1 day!). Seeing and experiencing other cities, other cultures, is one of my passions - the journey is the other. I hope you enjoy what you read!