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You are here: Experts > Cities/Towns > Nevada > Las Vegas > Turning 21 weekend Vegas style
Las Vegas - Turning 21 weekend Vegas style
Expert: Tom - 10/8/2008
Question
Hey Tom,
I'm planning on taking a trip with about 10 people (21-30) to Vegas in January. I turn 21 on Jan 16, a Friday and plan on staying til Sunday and so I'm hoping you can help me out with planning this trip.
1. I would like to fly in sometime in the afternoon, possibly closer to the evening on Friday. Or would it be a good idea to fly in closer to noon? I'd like to rent a limo from the airport to the hotel so I was wondering how much does that run? Also is it possible/less expensive to rent it for the whole weekend?
2. Whats your recommendation for a fun/younger crowd hotel with a pool (sorry, don't know if pools are standard for vegas hotels) at a reasonable price (possibly on the cheaper side, since I'm probably not going to be there most of the time). I've read that people have been able to fit up to 15 people in one room. How could I go about doing so with 6-12 people? How much would a weekend range in price?
3. I'm trying to plan out the itenirary for the weekend (activities/site-seeing, gambling, clubbing - in that order?). What's best to do at what time? - what would you advise:
a) Where would you recommend to eat (buffet-wise) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? What are the prices and types of different dishes served? Also, what's a good place to eat after you're completely trashed, hardly standing up?
b) Please list some places and some prices for clubs, as well as dress codes, discounts, how to get on the guest list, what time to arrive, and what to expect inside a club. Any way to have a VIP section reserved or something or other? How much would that run? What are some of the must-try drinks/house specialties that I wouldn't want to miss out on?
c) I heard there are plenty of rollercoasters, virtual reality and shows. What would you recommend? What are the prices?
4. Besides a credit card, how much money should I bring in cash? $500-1000? What would be the total damage for a weekend in Vegas?
5. What time does most of Vegas close? Or does it just stay open 24/7?
6. Is there any other information I should know about for my trip?
Thank you for your recommendations!
Danny.
Answer
Danny,
Thanks for the specific and organized questions. This really makes it easy for me to give you the exact information you're looking for.
Here goes!
Q: I would like to fly in sometime in the afternoon, possibly closer to the evening on Friday. Or would it be a good idea to fly in closer to noon?
A: I can't think of a huge advantage to arriving at noon versus later in the afternoon. The official check-in time is 3pm at most hotels, so there is a chance your room wouldn't even be ready at noon. I'd say a 3-5p arrival time would be idea.
Q: I'd like to rent a limo from the airport to the hotel so I was wondering how much does that run? Also is it possible/less expensive to rent it for the whole weekend?
A: A stretch limo will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 per hour, with a minimum charge of 1 hour. I've seen rates as low as $39/hour, and as high as $90/hour for a stretch. What I'd recommend is calling your hotel and having them arrange to send their limo to the airport to pick you up. Hotel's rates are usually about the same as independent companies' rates, but if you can get the limo charged to your room folio then there's a chance you can get it comped off your bill when you leave, depending on how much you gamble during your stay. Worst case, you just pay the charge when you check out.
I suppose it is possible to rent a limo for the whole weekend, but man it would be expensive. You can typically grab a limo just about anywhere you could grab a cab... they tend to wait for customers at hotel valet stand. Or just grab the business card of the driver when you arrive, and just call him when you're heading for the door, and pay as you go.
Q: Whats your recommendation for a fun/younger crowd hotel with a pool at a reasonable price?
A: The pool will be a non-issue in January. There are a couple resorts that have year-round heated pools, but few people really use them. There won't be a scene around the pools anywhere in January. Since its your 21st birthday, you're really going to want to be at either Hard Rock, Palms, Planet Hollywood or maybe New-York, New York. Palms and Hard Rock gear their entire resorts to 20-somethings.
Q: I've read that people have been able to fit up to 15 people in one room. How could I go about doing so with 6-12 people? How much would a weekend range in price?
A: Wow, 15 people? I can't imagine how that could even be considered having a room. Assuming the hotel you choose does not have a security guard checking room keys at the elevator, I suppose you could squeeze as many people in there as you want. But the most I would do is four in a room. It just gets too crowded with everyone's stuff and no place to sleep. And the room gets trashed real quick when there are 6-12 people sharing. Plus, if the maid finds out, she could report you to the front desk, and they could charge you per person. So I'd say just get 2-3 rooms and enjoy your weekend a little more.
Depending on where you stay, hotels in the range I suggested above (Palms, Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood) will run somewhere in the $225-275 per night range on the weekends. NY-NY would be a little cheaper. But if you split that four ways it gets a little more manageable. There are other hotels that would be less expensive, but even if you downgrade I think the lowest price you'd find at a place where you'd actually want to stay would be $150-200/night. But the prices fluctuate every week, you'll just have to investigate and see what you can find. Remember, if you book a room directly with the hotel, and the price drops between now and then or if you find another hotel at a better price, you can always cancel and re-book without a penalty.
Q: Where would you recommend to eat (buffet-wise) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? What are the prices and types of different dishes served?
A: Most buffets are close to the same price. The fancier ones cost a little more, and the dull ones cost a little less. But you'll pay around $12 for breakfast, $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner. My favorite buffets in Vegas are, Breakfast: Paris' Village Buffet (crepes, eggs benedict, french toast, fruit, etc.); Lunch: The Buffet at Wynn, Cravings at Mirage (huge selection from pasta to burgers to seafood to prime rib... every buffet will have something you'd like); Dinner: Spice Market at Planet Hollywood, Buffet at Bellagio. (Spice Market has an Asian/Mediterranean skew, and Bellagio has American and French influence, but again you'll find a little of everything). Also to note, I once tried to do a buffet marathon in Vegas, but if you start with a big breakfast buffet there's no way you'll feel like eating another buffet the same day. Just too much food!
Q: What's a good place to eat after you're completely trashed, hardly standing up?
A: As long as you're not rowdy, most any 24-hour coffee shop (all hotels have one) would be your best bet. My favorites are America Cafe at NY-NY, and Mr. Lucky's at Hard Rock.
Q: Please list some places and some prices for clubs, as well as dress codes, discounts, how to get on the guest list, what time to arrive, and what to expect inside a club.
A: Some of the better nightclubs in town right now are Tryst at Wynn, Body English at Hard Rock, Audigier at TI (Treasure Island) and Tao at Venetian. There are some new clubs as well, which I don't know much about but they may be worth checking out: Rok at NY-NY, Prive at Planet Hollywood and Bank at Bellagio.
Cover for guys is usually $20, but some places have gone up to $30 on Saturday nights, and I've seen it as high as $50 for celebrity birthday party nights or other special events.
You can sometimes find comp admission passes from your cabbie or limo driver, but make sure you read the fine print and know what the pass is good for - sometimes its only for certain nights, or certain times, or only for women. You can sometimes find passes at trendy clothing stores, or there will be promoters walking up and down the strip handing out passes for admission.
The best way to get on guest lists is to check out napkinnights.com and/or clubplanet.com. You have to register with their site for free, and then you can get on certain guestlists for certain nights. But if you are in a group of all dudes, then make sure you get to the clubs early because once there's a line, only women and the guys their with will be let inside.
Dress codes are pretty simple. No hats, no jerseys, no sandals, no tennis shoes, no baggy clothes, no plain t-shirts. Most guys wear an untucked dress shirt with boot cut jeans and some kind of leather shoes. If you check out the pictures at napkinnights.com you can see what people are wearing. More on what to expect at clubs at JackColton.com.
Q: Any way to have a VIP section reserved or something or other? How much would that run?
A: You can reserve a table in a club - this is called "bottle service" and the deal is you have to buy at least one bottle of liquor for every four people in your group. Some clubs have cut it down to three people per bottle, and some clubs have made the minimum two bottles per group. It just depends on how busy they are. If they have more people than they have tables, they raise the minimums. Bottle prices are outrageous, but again if you are looking to do it right then this may be a place where you'd want to splurge. A basic bottle of rum or vodka would cost around $300, maybe more. And you are expected to heavily tip your host and waitress on top of that. But, not only do you get a reserved table and place to sit down, you also don't have to wait in line. You get escorted to your table right away.
Q: What are some of the must-try drinks/house specialties that I wouldn't want to miss out on?
A: Not sure, you'd have to ask the bar, or a concierge. But I have heard that at the Cathouse Lounge in Luxor, you can tell your host what kinds of drinks you like and they'll mix something completely unique based on your tastes. Never tried that though.
Q: I heard there are plenty of rollercoasters, virtual reality and shows. What would you recommend? What are the prices?
A: There are several roller coasters worth checking out. The "Manhattan Express" is the coaster around NY-NY, and its pretty cool. I think the charge is $15 or so. There's also "Speed" at Sahara, but not sure what that costs, probably about the same. Then there are the thrill rides at the top of the Stratosphere tower, which shoot you up the spire, and dangle you out over the edge of the tower. I think a 3-ride pass is like $25 and unlimited rides is $30.
The virtual reality ride I knew about was Star Trek The Experience, but it recently closed. There was also Battle for Atlantis, but I'm not sure if that is still operating either. And as for shows, that's an entire topic all to itself. Every hotel has multiple stage shows and headliners. The best way to get an idea of what's out there is to browse vegas.com. If you tell me what you're looking for I can help recommend something... magic, acrobatics, comedian, impressionist, drama, hypnotist, showgirls, burlesque, broadway, musical, circus and on and on.
Q: Besides a credit card, how much money should I bring in cash? $500-1000? What would be the total damage for a weekend in Vegas?
A: Well, you have to take gambling out of the equation, because you never know how that will turn out, and it all depends on how much you bet and how long you play. But assuming you'll be hitting the clubs and riding in limos and seeing some shows, I'd say two days in Vegas would run $600 in cash, if you could put some of the meals and things on the card. But again, the casino has a way of sucking your wallet dry, so bring a little extra if you plan to spend time at the craps table.
Q: What time does most of Vegas close? Or does it just stay open 24/7?
A: Most of the restaurants, shows, stores and attractions close around 11 or 12 on the weekends. But every hotel has at least one 24-hour coffee shop and the casino and its bar never close. The nightclubs stay open until 4-5 am, and cabs are available 24-7.
Q: Is there any other information I should know about for my trip?
A: Here are some thoughts off the top of my head:
Vegas in January is cold at night, and only mild during the day.
Get a good night's sleep for a couple days before you arrive.
Vegas is very dry. Drink water whenever you can and bring chap stick! (sorry if that seems lame, but believe me you'll appreciate it)
If you gamble, be conservative at least at first. Don't blow everything the first night, it can happen very easily.
If you gamble, get a players club card from the casino before you play. If you play enough, they might take charges off your bill when you check out, but you have to ask at the players club desk before you check out.
Bring a bottle of booze with you in your suitcase. Mix drinks in your room to pre-party.
There is no "right" way to do Vegas, and anything is possible. Don't be afraid to ask people about the things you want. Ask for room upgrades, ask for VIP passes or guestlists to clubs, ask about getting a limo ride, ask about buffet passes, or free drink offers. If you see something you want, just ask, you'll be surprised what can happen.
Have a loose itinerary of what you want to do, but don't be too rigid. Some of the best things happen in Vegas through spontaneity and meeting people.
Hope that gets you started. Have a great trip and let me know if there is anything else I can help with.
Tom
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