Is there anyone who has seen Vegas Nocturne? It’s by the same producers as Absinthe and the review I’m reading says you should see it completely unprepared. I’m good with that but an upvote would be help push me to book 
I have to disagree about the buffets. I have found the Fremont to be the best buffets in town and Binion’s Horseshoe serves the most wonderful breakfast I have ever had anywhere in the world. The portions are huge and the food is delicious. Just a simple meal like bacon and eggs comes with all kinds of extras including pancakes, hash browns and lot of other stuff. The service is wonderful. I would move to Las Vegas just so that I could eat breakfast there every day.
If you are going to Las Vegas, do try the breakfast at Binion’s Horeshoe. It is wonderful. Also, their steakhouse is out of this world. The prices are not cheap. But the steaks are fantastic and the extras are incredible. I had a side dish of sauted mushrooms that was so exquisite it made me cry. Fabulous!
For steakhouses, we’re partial to SW Steak at Wynn and CUT at Palazzo, but there are dozens of good places. Surprisingly, the Steakhouse at Circus Circus is supposed to be one of the best, despite it being located in a total dump of a hotel. Lots of people say good things about Prime and Stripsteak.
I disagree with your disagreement violently.
About buffets, most of the lower and mid priced buffets in town server all the same food. They all use the same vendors and there isn’t much difference between a lot of them.
On a non-food related note, there are some new things opening up. There is a giant Ferris wheel called The High Roller that should be open shortly. Silenus mentioned it but the opening was pushed back.
There is also Fly Away indoor skydiving which is pretty neat.
If you have some cash to spare and a bit of time you can head out to the LV Speedway. They have a couple driving experiences, from getting a ride in a stock car to driving a Lamborghini Aventador. I got to drive the Gallardo (gotta love IT vendors, they give all kinds of cool ‘business’ lunches…) and it was a blast.
Slee
We’re going to Vegas for a library convention in June. We’ll be staying at LVH because it’s close to the Convention Center. Is that a decent place?
Yes. LVH was the Las Vegas Hilton until recently when it was sold and the new owners wanted to “re-brand” but it turns out they aren’t very imaginative.
What I’ve learned on my Vegas trips:
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Always eat outside on the deck at Mon Ami Gabi (@Paris) at least one night. Mid priced good food with absolutely the best people watching and fabulous views of the fountains. My all time favorite place to sit, have a glass of wine and dinner (or breakfast) and just soak it all in.
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Stay mid-strip. I got a great rate on a strip view room at Planet Hollywood last month- a fantastic view of the Bellagio fountains for the same price as a standard room elsewhere. Also, PH is in one of the best locations on the strip, because you can walk almost anywhere from there.
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Peppermill for drinks and atmosphere. Haven’t tried their pancakes so I can’t compare to HHAGG.
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Check out the Chihuly at Bellagio and the garden while you are there.
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Absinthe was as good as any Cirque show and I still can’t get over what those people can do, a year later.
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If you do decide to stay at Mandalay, they have one of the best pools, a great celebrity chef-run Mexican restaurant, and the shark aquarium which is a nice break on a hot afternoon.
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If there is any chance you will feel overtired or overwhelmed (not saying it happens a lot, but it could happen…) do not go into Caesar’s or MGM “just to look around.” You may never find your way back out. Those places are friggin’ huge!
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Finally, take a cab downtown one night. It’s a unique experience you will never forget.
Decent, but far away from everywhere and seriously lacking fine dining options. You might think about picking up monorail passes to take you to the places on the east side of the Strip.
So…what exactly are these
They sound…intriguing
Unfortunately they only take reservations 2 weeks out so I’ve got a reminder in my calendar every month or so until we leave just in case they decide to open a longer reservation window.
Came here to say Lotus of Siam, which a large number of my friends say is a must-eat in LV.
Absinthe is really good.
Go to mon ami gabi at Paris and wait for an outside table. Lots of sitting and drinking and watching people and theBellagio fountains .
I also recommend Absinthe, though I should point out that it is an adult show. Not in the “Wow, girls have boobies!” sense (though there is some of that), but in the “Lots of offensive jokes towards pretty much every conceivable race, nationality, etc.”
The jokes are pretty omnidirectional, and it works in the full context of the show, but I think it is worth mentioning in case there’s someone sensitive to such things.
Beyond that, the show is something of a turn-of-the-century themed feats of strength and athleticism act. It’s in the round, all seats are very close and very densely packed, and the whole thing comes across as very…human(?) as opposed to some Cirque-type shows that are spectacular but kind of cold and mechanical. For example, when there’s a girl doing acrobatics on a swing in the air, you can follow the heavy rope up and around to the side where it’s being managed not by a computerized automatic motor, but by a couple of strong guys.
Transportation-wise, if you’re going up or down the strip or to Fremont, keep the bus lines (Deuce or SFX) in mind. Those are special lines that pretty much only hit the Strip and Downtown areas–the Deuce hits pretty much every resort, the SFX is more of an express, and you can grab 24-hour passes pretty cheaply.
Also, there’s a free shuttle between Harrah’s and the Rio, since the Rio is off-strip. And the Rio is where you find Penn and Teller, which I also strongly recommend.
The Venetian and Palazzo (ritzy) just switched to 6:5