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vegas help.
I'm going away with the missus and her sister and partner next september. The plan is vegas for 5 days and L.A. for 5 days.
Any advice on nice hotels on the strip but for a decent price? Also poker wise I have a pass, but not a 3daydeepstacktournie-pass. Are there stt's / 1day tournies that are recommended? Any tips on cheap flights, shows, nice things for couples etc would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Comments
Location! Ideally you wanna be anywhere from Luxor at the base of the Strip, through to The Mirage. The fountains at Bellagio is basically the middle of the Strip, so anything around there means you are very central. DO NOT be seduced by the cheap prices of Stratosphere, Riviera or Circus Circus hotels; these are way too far north and will require a lot of walking to get to the action. And walking in the Vegas heat in Spetember isn't fun, trust me
I've stayed at Planet Hollywood, Flamingo and Riviera (so ^ is from experience!). Some of the hotel rooms can be a little dated, but all the rooms are generally massive and have everything you need. We got 5 nights at PH for £155 per room earlier this year, and its very central. Other hotels in a similar price bracket are New York New York, Luxor, Monte Carlo and Tropicana. Ones like MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay are a little more expensive, then you have Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Aria etc that are at the top end. It depends on how much you have to play with, as you can get some good deals at the 'expensive' hotels if you time it right. The cheapest hotel at the action end of the Strip is probably Excalibur.
Staying a weekend really pushes your hotel bill up, as can events like boxing or UFC. If you want to keep the cost fairly modest then do Sunday-Thursday in Vegas. And watch out for resort fees. Nearly all hotels do them in Vegas. Usually hovering around $20 per room per night (give or take), it covers stuff like gym access, bottled water, internet for one device etc etc. Payable on checking out. A couple of hotels don't do it. When I stayed at Flamingo in 2011 there was no resort fee.
Flights. Virgin and Thomas Cook fly direct from Manchester to Vegas (but not LA). I've recently used a trick of flying from Dublin. Not only do you save £££ vs flying from the UK, but you also go through US immigration in Dublin and thus avoid what can be very lengthy queues on the other side of the pond. If you're wanting a multi stop flight, then your best options are probably gonna be from London. BA will do a direct jobby. Others might require a single change heading out or back but can save you a few quid.
Tournaments. You are spoilt for choice, but it does depend on what you want. Some of them have very crapshooty structures, like 15 minute blinds are starting stacks of 50bb or less. If you want to sit down and look to play a 'proper' tournament with a good structure then I'd recommend the ones at Aria hotel. They have a 30 min clock, 200bb SS and feature all the levels, with antes from level 5 I think it is. They do 2 of these a day, 1pm and 7pm. 1pm one is much busier in my experience. No guarantees but there was prizepools of between $12 and $15,000 when I played them. Buy in is $125. Standard is poor
Don't forget your ESTA!
I've never really done a show in LV. There are tons though. Some outlets on the Strip sell tickets for stuff showing that evening at half price or less, so don't worry about booking anything in advance unless it's Celine Dion or whatever is popular these days.
They have the worlds largest ferris wheel on the go. $25 ish for a spin. If you like rollercoasters then Stratosphere is a must for their rides. The tower ride at the top is very good and gives you amazing views of the Strip and beyond. There is also the ride at New York New York but I've yet to go on that.
Tikay will be spitting feathers but thus far the old town and the Grand Canyon stuff has evaded me on the 3 times I've been. There are so many tours and different ways to do them so can pay to look around. Helicopter flights over the Strip are very popular, and might get you in Ms' Bloats good books as they look quite romantic
I've 'wasted' many an hour gawping at the dealers in the Pleasure Pit at Planet Hollywood. That might remove you from Ms' Bloats good books however.
If anything else comes to me then I'll yell. Please don't hesitate to give me a shout if you want assistance with flights. My first trip to America in 2011 was a triple centre jobby taking in NY, LV and San Fran, did it all DIY so I have experience of stuff like this and the best sites to look on.
I've used the Dublin trick twice now. In May, I went from Dublin to London, then direct onto Vegas using Virgin Atlantic (all one booking) This meant I didn't clear US customs until landing in Vegas.
In September, I flew from Dublin to Chicago on American Airlines, then onwards to LV. Cleared US customs in Dublin and landed in Chicago (and Vegas obvs) as a domestic passenger. So some of the flights will head straight out to America, whereas some others will fly back on yourself to London first. Depends who you fly with and their schedules.
If you're thinking of doing a multi stop flight, then I don't think Dublin will be worthwhile unless you stumble across a bargain. An open jaw flight is also an option. If you have an idea of dates then I'll happily have a mooch around for you if you wanted.
Can get London - LA - LV - London, all direct using Delta airlines, for just shy of £700 from the 7th-17th September. Solid flight times and will include baggage and refreshments, though American carriers tend to charge for alcoholic drinks.
FWIW, the above dates, 7th-17th, using flights from Manchester is actually cheaper than London, and just the one stop going out. £663 using Virgin Atlantic, including the direct LV-Manchester service coming home. The stop going out could be a blessing in disguise as LA immigration is a notoriously laboured process.
It's a decent price using a good airline, especially from Manchester. Virgin are better than BA I find. Site I use is fly.com if you want to tinker with dates and stuff.
Teddy,
You have a PM from me.
Caesars Palace also has a good variety of deepstack tournaments that are well structured.
It all depends on how long your pass out from the missus is. The one I played there was $110 buy in, and started at 12 Noon, and finished in a chop for the last 3 Players at 11 PM. The chop was for about 3K.
For Teddy and anyone interested, Thomas Cook are doing a sale that includes direct Manchester - Las Vegas returns from £549, including 23kg luggage allowance and a 3 course meal. Think it's certain dates from May to December.
Very good price if you can nab one of the sale leading fares.
Just divorce him.
Might even look at getting them Tesco vouchers myself.