AboutTom Expertise I can tell you detail of every major hotel in Vegas, such as the restaurants they offer and the attractions they maintain, on the Las Vegas Strip. The kind of patrons each hotel attracts. How to play blackjack, both etiquette and strategy. How to obtain comps and make the most of your money when in town. Any Vegas general knowledge.
Experience
Past/Present clients Caesar's Palace, Flamingo Las Vegas, Bally's, Paris and Las Vegas Hilton.
Question QUESTION: My husband and I are taking our first trip out to Vegas for our anniversary. We have tix to see Love on our actual anniversary and will be staying at the Mirage. Other than that we have nothing planned just yet. Can you recommend places to see? We're interested in the nightlife (can you recommend a good club/bar?) and sight seeing. My husband is the gambler, me not so much. We will only be there from Friday night to Monday so I don't expect to see all there is to see. I'd just like to know some high lights. Also we are looking for a nice restaurant to go to before the show, traditional American food...perhaps a good steakhouse?
Thank you very much in advance for any tips you might have!
ANSWER: Hey Karen,
You're staying right in the middle of all there is to see and do, and you're at a great hotel with all kinds of attractions and activities. So you won't have any problems finding plenty of diversions while you're there.
Let me say up front that you're going to be blown away by Love. I saw it last summer and couldn't believe my eyes. I'm not even a huge Beatles fan and I came out of there wanting to buy all the merchandise in the gift shop. Anyway, you're going to love it.
For places to sightsee, you since its your first visit I would try to stop at all the big (admittedly cheesey) attractions on the strip. Walk down to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. Cross over to Flamingo and tour the flamingo gardens. Try to schedule a visit to Bellagio at night to see the dancing fountains that rise from the lake in front of the hotel, and then go inside to walk around the conservatory. If you get time, go downtown in the evening and walk around under the Fremont Street Experience - its a big neon canopy with animation that covers all of "old" downtown Vegas. You'll also want to spend some time out by the pool. Mirage's pool is very nice.
For bars and nightlife, well, I would need to know what kinds of places you enjoy. For big boomin' 'Paris Hilton' style nightclubs, try Jet at Mirage, or Tao at Venetian across the street. Tryst at Wynn is beautiful, set on a lagoon with a waterfall. But those places can be hard to get inside, so make sure to arrive early and get on the guestlist if you can. If you're looking for something less intense, try a rooftop lounge like Mix at Mandalay Bay or Voodoo Lounge at Rio. Or if you just want to hang loose with a band in a casual setting, try the Carnival Court at Harrahs. Just keep your eyes open when you get to town, I'm sure you'll see plenty of places that interest you.
There are plenty of great restaurants all around your hotel. I like Stack at Mirage, which is a new trendy steakhouse with a modern atmosphere. There's also a brand new French steakhouse across the street at Palazzo called Morels with an outdoor patio right on the Strip. For that matter, I also adore Mon Ami Gabi, another French Steakhouse, with outdoor seating on the strip directly across from the Bellagio fountains. Once you've had your fill of steak, make sure to try Social House at Treasure Island (Japanese), Dos Caminos at Palazzo (Mexican) and the incomparable buffet at Wynn. Oh, and the breakfast buffet at Paris is the best in town.
You'll find so many things when you get to town you won't know where to begin. Make sure to check out the tourist magazines in your room and in the back of the cab, they'll have plenty of suggestions as well.
If you need any other specific details,, just let me know!
Have fun!
Tom
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks so much Tom, that is all very helpful info. I am really looking forward to Love. I've heard it's amazing from so many people.
As far as the nightclubs how does one get on a guest list? Does it make sense to try to get on one if it just me and my husband? Not even sure if we will try one of the larger clubs but just in case I'm trying to do my homework :-)
Thanks again, this was a huge help.
Answer It never hurts to be on a guestlist or have a pass, so try to get these if you can. The problem is, they're not even a remote guarantee that you'll be pulled inside right away.
All the nightclubs are in stiff competition to be the "hot" spot, and the more exclusive they can be, the more people want to go there. So one of the ways they become exclusive is to tightly control admission. The longer the line outside the door, the more exclusive and "in demand" they appear. Its really just a big game of promotion.
So the passes and guestlist give you an edge over the other people in line, but the doormen will ultimately decide who gets inside and when.
Here's the best method:
ONLINE LISTS:
Check out www.NapkinNights.com and www.ClubPlanet.com where you can sign up for guest lists to certain clubs and e-mail a confirmation to yourself. The lists become available usually about 2-3 weeks prior to the date of the event.
You can also get e-passes from riovegasnights.com for the clubs at the Rio hotel.
PAPER PASSES:
Usually cabbies and trendy clothing stores will pass out paper cards for free admission to certain clubs. There are nightclub promoters who stand out on the strip and try to give them to you as well, but I'm not sure if they expect you to pay them or not. The ones from the cabbies or stores should be free for the taking. Sometimes the passes are for 'front of line' and sometimes they're just for free admission. Just read the details printed on the card.
Ok, so once you either have your name on the "list" or you have a pass, then you just have to be brave and burrow your way to the front of the line and get the doorman's attention. Bat your eyelashes and tell him your credentials then see what he says. Even if the passes/list work, you'll probably still have to wait in a shorter line for invited guests.
Best thing to do if you're planning to go to an exclusive club is to get there early, like right when they open or even before. If you go on a weekend and arrive at 11pm or later, the lines will be crazy and everyone will be trying to get the doorman's attention.
Hope that helps a little bit. There's really no guaranteed method unless you are an A-list celebrity or fork over thousands of dollars.
