las vegas oct half term

[womanofdulwich]

Anyone been there that time of year? any recommendation for a hotel teenagers would like? My teenager thinks there is no point going unless he can visit casino.

Of course I am really only going to hire a Harley and live out a fantasy without him- but need to stay somewhere that he will enjoy too.

[cate]

You have to be 21 to gamble/go in casinos and to drink alcohol in Vegas.

[womanofdulwich]

i know i know- hence he is a grump a lump- i need to offer something else- i have offered flight to grand canyon and sitting on back of Harley Davidson. Too old for fantasy castle hotels Excalibur etc.

[HonaloochieB]

What's the betting WOD's next post will be a request for the best source of fake IDs?

[Otto]

There are actually a lot of spectacles there for a teenager - it is so odd he might be happy. It will be warm enough to swim so pick the place with the best pool...the place with the eiffel tower has a good one.

[sazzle]

I stayed at the bellagio which was really nice, a few pools, mailny people posing though.

We didnt get round to it but want to go to the pool at mandalay beach hotel as heard it was good. Its right at one end of the strip.

http://www.mandalaybay.com/thingstodo/beach.aspx

The helicopter to grand canyon is great we went with papillon, did a landing and breakfast at the bottom.

The stratosphere has some thrill rides so your son might like them, you can jump off the edge and take a roller coaster over the edge too called x-scream.

http://www.stratospherehotel.com/

[giggirl]

I have been to Vegas for Christmas/New Years and there is plenty to do.

You don't have to be over 21 to go into a casino in Vegas but you do need to be 21 to gamble. Nobody will stop him going in, seeing the shows, eating in the restaurants, checking out the action etc. But he can't sit down at the tables. People watching is excellent though so he will enjoy.

I have stayed at the Wynn (which I didn't like very much) and have stayed at the Landmark MGM (which is fabulous). The Landmark MGM is located at the back of the MGM Grand. Not much at the Landmark for kids though so I would give the Belagio a try (always wanted to stay there).

Definitely take a helicopter ride over the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon (do not take a bus tour - it's too far to go). That's something you'll both remember for the rest of your lives. Don't take the early trip - take the slightly later one as the helicopter will take you back to McLaren via the Strip which will be all lit up at night.

Go to one of the Cirque du Soleil shows - my favourite is O (at the Belagio) but Ka (at the MGM) is also good.

Take the tour of the Neon Graveyard. This place is run by volunteers and you need to contact them to book in as the tours are very small and don't run often. It's really good. Vegas is a town with no history because when the hotels start to look old they tear them down and start again. The Neon Graveyard is the only place in Vegas with anything old in it - you get to see all the original old Vegas signs. Plus, they found a dead body there once in CSI. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[giggirl]

Oh - another thing WoD - the helicopter rides are expensive but really worth it and I have my helicopter ride somewhere on CD. If you want to borrow the CD and check it out for yourself you can determine for yourself whether it's worth the $$$$.

Definitely don't do the coach tours - I've only ever heard bad things. People who don't want to spend the $$$ on the flights do the coach tours and spend all day on the road getting there and back and end up disappointed.

[woofmarkthedog]

Please...

For me, let your son post his view of the holidaywhen you get back

If he's into G.I.l.Fs, then a day trip to Palm Springs should do the trick

( I'm on the record here: I hated Vegas )

W**F

[womanofdulwich]

i am sooooooo excited.

[jalapeno]

Expect soaring temperatures and a rather vulgar crowd - sorry, I hated it. Bellagio or the MGM would be ok for accommodation. Everything is expensive. If you like a grandeur scale of Ibiza, this is your place.

But the city is big and the bright lights will amaze you and you're reminded why America is the one of the richest in the world.

[Applespider]

I've stayed at the Bellagio - amazing! And New York, New York - OK. O at the Bellagio is absolutely amazing to watch - my jaw was dropping through most of it. Especially if you get good seats at ground level. I'd booked Bellagio on a deal through Opodo and the O tickets online weren't great but I called the concierge there before I left - and he arranged for me to get seats within 4 rows of the front since I was a guest in the hotel. Whichever hotel you choose will probably be able to do that for their home show at a minimum.

Didn't end up spending that much time in the casino on either trip - it was more a 'we should try some tables' rather than a burning need. Bear in mind that all the hotels have attractions to get guests into the casino (from exhibitions and concerts to malls and rollercoasters) The Stratosphere coaster is a bit tame but the ride where you think you're going off the edge is quite fun. Just down from the Stratosphere is a hotel with a great coaster too - the NYNY one was all right but nothing special.

Try to find a trip to the South Rim of the Canyon rather than the West which is where most of them go. The first time I went, we went to the West where you get the helicopter to the bottom and it was cool but I didn't really feel I'd got a sense of the scale of the place. Turns out that you're not allowed to take helicopters to the bottom of the Canyon proper so you're just outside the National Park when they do it.

If you go to the South Rim, it's a longer plane ride over more of the Canyon. Then you do the helicopter ride across it - at one of the widest points, you don't drop into it - but you do fly at rim level. You get some time at the Rim too (no barriers) and I felt like I had more appreciation for the scale of it. There is a South Rim Tour where you can spend a night in a teepee near the Rim but since I was going in December with snow on the ground that sounded a little chilly!

He might be too 'old' for Excalibur but just wandering round the Luxor, the Venetian is fun since you have to suspend your disbelief that someone has gone to such extremes.

I couldn't live in Vegas but it's a fun place to spend a few days every so often. Have an amazingly good time!