Trip Help and suggestions

Hi All, been reading the forums lots and picked up some good information.

We are making our first trip to Vegas from September 9th - 16th. Arriving at 6:55pm Vegas time on the 9th, departing 7:30ish in the morning on the 16th. We do have a rental car for the entire trip.

We are staying at the Las Vegas Marriott Suites - 325 Convention Center Drive. This can%26#39;t be changed as it is company provided. However, we are looking for another location or two for our last 4 nights.

We want to see as much of Vegas and the surrounding area without being rushed. we plan on seeing the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, as well as various shows, etc. We were thinking we would try and see the off the strip stuff while staying off strip. We were also thinking about staying around Freemont St for a night before spending the final 3 nights on the strip. I am open to suggestions - there is no work related stuff to be done, its just a perk for doing a good job :)

We plan on getting our hotels for the last 4 nights through priceline and are hoping to spend between 50-60 for a decent spot per night. We have no problems changing hotels if need be, but would need the hotel to have parking (free is a bonus)

Anyways - what do you suggest we see... How should our itinerary work? We don%26#39;t plan on having Hour 1 - This Place for 2 hours, Hour 3 to this place - we%26#39;d like to have Day 1 - Grand Canyon, Day 2 - Hoover Dam or something like that, if both can be done easily in a day, we%26#39;d do that - We just want to have a plan of sorts as to what to do, so we don%26#39;t miss anything we really want to see.

Anyways, I know this is a jumbled up post, so if i missed something, feel free to ask questions

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Trip Help and suggestions

Well you have some tiem to plan. Check direct with the hotel websites. You can get some great rates without Priceline and if you need to change you will not have a hassel (Mirage has $49/nt)

The trip to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead will take a good part of the day as well as the rim of the canyon. So that takes 2 days.

No need to stay downtown unless you like to gamble (less table stakes) You can take the duce one evening to see the light show and sights, maybe catch the Strat on the way to or coming back. Circus Circus and other remaining older hotels. It takes a whole day just for The Wynn, V/Plazzo area. Red Rock is a nice trip.

Trip Help and suggestions

I would check out DT for at least one night, if you bid on Priceline you can get the Golden Nugget (best place DT) for cheap. The secret is- it%26#39;s the only 4 star property DT. So just choose 4 star, DT area and bid LOW. I got it for $45 a night on my first bid. Too bad I didnt try $35 first!

But I would definitely stay on the strip for 2 or 3 nights. $50-$60 on the strip limits you to very little. Even with priceline, you will probably end up at IMperial Palace, Circus Circus, Flamingo, Stratosphere, or Bill%26#39;s Gambling Hall. I would extend your budget for a nicer room on the strip, 4 star aim btw $100-$120 for a decent choice center strip.

check out www.smartervegas.com for links to all the coupon codes and specials for the hotels and shows in Vegas.

I would forget about staying downtown for a night, you don%26#39;t want to have to change hotels three times in one week. For first time visitors, I generally recommend you pay downtown a visit and see if you like it - you can always try staying there on your next trip! Other than convenience to the downtown casinos, there is nothing about downtown you have to stay overnight to experience.

Someone said Mirage for $49 a night... can%26#39;t find that anywhere... any links?

As long as you have a car you can just drive downtown one night rather than stay there. I would stay on the strip for the 4 days.

It takes 5 hours to drive to the Grand Canyon. Most people prefer to stay overnight rather than spend 10 hours driving which wouldn%26#39;t leave you a whole lot of time at the canyon itself.

You can combine Hoover Dam with Valley of Fire. The scenery is spectacular.

http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm

I would definitely recommend you eat at Rosemary%26#39;s. You will have no problems getting there with a car. You can%26#39;t beat the food and service. It is a great place to have a great meal- lunch or dinner- off strip. Look at their promos.

http://www.rosemarysrestaurant.com/

If you have never seen a Cirque show- Mystere would be perfect. It is the one I always recommend since I think it has the most WOW moments. If you love the Beatles- Love is fabulous. It is another Cirque show but it is entirely different from the rest of the CDS show- the emphasis is on the music.

Here is a list of attractions- both on and off strip:

http://www.vegas.com/attractions/