“All you see Las Vegas show buffet” Harrahs All Stage Pass

Anyone who likes shows but can’t make up their mind as to what to see should consider the  exceptional value of the  “Harrah’s All Stage Pass”  as well as pretty cool logo this is a ticket that allows you 48 hours access to 20 Las Vegas shows across 9 Las Vegas resorts.  Apparently if you get your timing right and you can move pretty quickly you can get in 10 shows in the 48 hour period ! The cost of this ticket is $119 + tax of $99 + tax for Harrahs Total Reward Members so the smart guy will join Harrahs Rewards before purchasing the Harrahs All Stage Pass. These passes can be purchased at Show Tickets Direct in front of Ballys,Planet Hollywood box office, and the Crown box office at Rio

Access to the shows listed below is included in the price of the ticket in addition to this you can purchase tickets for top headliners Donny and Marie, Barry Manilow or Penn and Teller for only $40.

Matt Goss Fri.-Sat. 9:30pm
George Wallace  Tues.-Sat. 10:00 pm
Chippendales®  Thurs.-Tues. 8:00pm Fri. & Sat. 10:30 pm
Dirk Arthur  Mon.- Sat. 7:00 pm
Legends in Concert  Mon.-Thurs. 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm; Fri. & Sat. 8:00pm
The Mac King Comedy Magic Show  Tues.-Sat. 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm
The Price is Right™- Live Stage Show  Tues.-Thurs. & Sat.  2:30 pm; Fri. 7:30 pm
The Improv  Tues.-Sun. 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm
X Burlesque  Nightly 10:00 pm
Absinthe  Tues. & Thurs.-Sat. 7:30 pm & 9:30 pm Wed. & Sun. 7:30 pm only
Donn Arden’s Jubilee  Sat.-Thurs. 7:30 pm & 10:30pm
The Platters, Cornell Gunter’s Coasters & The Marvelettes  Nightly 7:00 pm
Anthony Cools  Thurs.-Sun. & Tues. 9:00 pm
Nathan Burton  Tues.-Sun. 4:00 pm
Frank Marino’s Divas Las Vegas  Sat.-Thurs. 10:00 pm
Human Nature  Sat.-Wed. 7:30 pm
Vinnie Favorito  Nightly 8:00 pm
Matsuri  Sat.-Wed. 4:00 pm Fri. 8:00 pm only
Defending the Caveman  Nightly 7:00 pm extra on  Sun. & Mon. 3:00 pm
Viper Vixens  Mon.-Sat. 9:00 pm

Direct links to the hotels ;

MGM Grand Excalibur Mandalay Bay, Luxor Aria Bellagio, The Mirage, New York New York, MGM Signature

Curfew in Las Vegas !!

Many people always ask about whether or not Las Vegas is a family resort well and whilst it is certainly not my first choice to take my 2 year old I would not shy away from it either but I would not stay longer than a couple of night as I don’t think that there is enough for her to do and she would get frustrated and bored

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department does not want minors on the street at night and has a night time curfew in place where anyone under the age of 18 can not be on certain Las Vegas and Clarke County streets at night without a parent. It is also worth noting that drivers under the age of 18 are not allowed to drive after 10pm unless they can prove that they are going to a place of work or organised event (such as returning from a school practice session)

 The Strip

9 pm – 5 am, Friday, Saturday, and legal holidays

6 pm – 5 am, December 31

Off Strip

Las Vegas Blvd between Sunset Rd and Sahara Ave

Circus Circus Dr

Riviera Blvd

Convention Center Dr

Stardust Rd between Industrial Rd and Las Vegas Blvd

Spring Mountain Rd/Sands Ave between Las Vegas Blvd and Koval Ln

Flamingo Rd between Interstate 15 and Koval Ln

Harmon Ave between Las Vegas Blvd and Koval Ln

Clark County and City of Las Vegas

10 pm – 5 am, Sunday-Thursday

Midnight – 5 am, Friday, Saturday, and nonschool days

Huge Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas discounts and promotions

We all know that the Cirque du Soleil shows are everywhere in Vegas, well there are 7 which means that there are is 7 times more Cirque shows than any other show in Las Vegas this makes them the best right ? Now despite the fact that more is not always better anyone who has seen a Cirque show will tell you that they are brilliant and going to a Cirque show is very much part of many peoples Vegas experience. People ask what is the best show and I can’t answer that I don’t like the Beatles so that rules out LOVE for me and I like Criss Angel but not with Cirque so that rules out Believe for me, I think that Mystere was my favourite and Zumainty – “oh so very much not for the children” was probably my second but we did have very good seats which made it better.

Steve Wynn has tried to rival “O” with his show La Reve but it has not taken the crown and “O” is still the best of the Las Vegas water based shows.

Sadly we also know that going to Cirque du Soleil shows are expensive well the good folks at Cirque have realised that there is a credit crunch on and are offering 2 tickets for $100 (+taxes nd fees) for Mystere, Zumainty, KA, LOVE, Believe between now and the end of October. These is a great deal and if you want to see a show in Vegas it is well worth taking advantage of.

 Bellagio also have 20% off of “O” on certain dates in July and September and it is very rare for “O” tickets to be discounted.

The Cique shows are on at the hotels listed below.

Zumanity is at New York New York, Las Vegas
KA,  is at MGM Grand Las Vegas
Love, is at The Mirage, Las Vegas
Believe  is at Luxor, Las Vegas
Zarkana is at Aria, Las Vegas
O is at Bellagio, Las Vegas

2 Free Las Vegas Buffets per day MGM, Mirage, Mandalay Bay, Aria etc

The MGM Mirage Group yesterday, issued a host of complementary buffet deals, if you book two nights under this offer you receive 2 complimentary buffets per booking per day. You do not have to use these in the buffet of the hotel that you are staying at  you can in fact use it at any of Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, MGM Grand, Aria, Vdara, Monte Carlo, Mirage and Circus Circus. Mirage and Mandalay Bay are my two favourite buffets on the Strip it is great that if you stay at a cheaper hotel you can still eat for free in a far more expensive hotel. These deals are available on most dates until Spetember 8th but must be booked before June 27th

All of these deals are booked directly with the hotel on the links below.  All of these offers are fully refundable up to48 hours before check in, if the rate drops after you book contact the hotel and they will adjust your rate, these deals are available for everyone over 21 and
not just selected players. It is a very good deal.

I have just noticed that this page is suddenly after a few years getting a few hits again sadly these deals are all over there are still good deals to be had the best place to find them is to go directly to the hotels themselves this gives you greater flexability and also more chance of obtaining an upgrade when you check in and if you dont book direct with the hotel it is more difficult to get comps applied against your room rates. The links below will take you directly to the hotels have a great trip.

 

MGM Grand    Excalibur    Mandalay Bay,    Luxor     Aria    Bellagio    The Mirage   New York New York,      MGM Signature

 

MGM Grand Las Vegas “Complimentary Buffet Every Day!” From $65 per night *Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffet everyday of your stay(*See site for additional details and restrictions). Promotion Runs: Jun 15 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp6/27/11)

Mirage “Complimentary Buffet Everyday!”* From $69 per night Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffet everyday of your stay (*See site for additional details and restrictions).Promotion Runs: Jun 13 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp 6/27/2011)

Monte Carlo “Complimentary Buffet Every Day!” From $56 per night *Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffet everyday of your stay (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Promotion Runs: Jun 13 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp6/27/11)

New York New York “Complimentary Buffet Every Day!”  From $55 per night *Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffet everyday of your stay (*see site foradditional details and restrictions). Promotion Runs: Jun 13 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11(Expires 6/27/11)

Luxor “Complimentary Buffet Every Day!”* From $36 per night Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffe teveryday of your stay (*See site for additional details and restrictions).Promotion Runs: Jun 13 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp 6/27/11)

Excalibur “Complimentary Buffet Every Day!” From $32 per night *Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffet everyday of your stay (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Promotion Runs: Jun 13, – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp6/27/11)

Mandalay Bay “Complimentary Buffet Every Day!”  From $80 per night *Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffet everyday of your stay (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Promotion Runs: Jun 13 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp6/27/11)
ARIA “Complimentary Buffet Every Day!”* From $129 per night Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffeteveryday of your stay(*see site for additional details and restrictions).Promotion Runs: Jun 8 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp 6/27/11)

Vdara”Complimentary Buffet Every day!”* From $109 per night Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffet every day of your stay(*See site for additional details and restrictions).Promotion Runs: Jun 13 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp 6/27/11)

CircusCircus Las Vegas “Complimentary Buffet Every Day!”  From $27 per night *Book two nights and receive two complimentary meals at any MGM Resorts buffet everyday of your stay (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Promotion Runs: Jun13 – Sep 8, 2011. Promo Code: ZBUFH11 (Exp 6/27/11)

 

How much money do you need to take to Las Vegas ?

After being asked about how to get a free upgrade the question that I am asked the most is “How much money do I need to take to Las Vegas ?” This is a very difficult to answer as it is the same as someone saying “How much do I need to spend on grocery’s each week ?”

So I will do the best I can to try and show some examples of spends and costs and what I would spend. I am going to assume that your hotel (including resort fees) and flights are paid and that you do not have a rental car and that you will not be doing any shopping. Please bare in mind that I have have great trips in Vegas on $25 per day when I have been hard up and great trips when my budegt has been $1k per day its not the money that makes it better or worse.

The first expense that you will have is getting to your hotel from McCarran you have four options cab $15 – $30(depending on hotel and time of day), shuttle bus $12-$15 (return), public bus $2.50 or Limo approx $60. How to get from the airport to the Strip

When you get to the hotel if you have bags that you will check you should allow $5 per bag for a tip for the bellboy, at the same time it is worth putting a few dollars away for the maid they do a good job and often get forgotten we generally tip the maid $3 per day or $5 if we want extra shampoos etc to take home for Christmas presents 🙂 How much to Tip in Las Vegas

We generally take in a show every two or three nights when we are in Las Vegas we book one absolute cannot miss show before we leave home so this would not come out of our budget all the others we buy from the half price booths and we have paid as little as $15 for a magic show and about $125 for a Cirque show. I think that if you budget $75 for a show that as long as you are prepared to be flexible you should be able to find something that you like. If you want to book direct with the hotel when you are out there shows vary in price depending on show and seats and day of the week etc from about $40 to several hundred dollars.

Dining in Las Vegas is something where you can get buy on say $15 a day but you can also pay $10 for a coffee so what you spend is really up to you. We tend to either have a very small breakfast just coffee and a danish then coffee shop or deli lunch and proper meal in the evening or large or buffet breakfast a snack at lunchtime and then decent dinner. Excalibur and Luxor have 24 hour buffet deals for $24.99 and then $29.99 respectively and this is probably the cheapest way to stay full in Las Vegas though not the best. We generally allow $10 for coffee and danish, $15 for deli or coffee shop lunch and then the evening can be anything from a $20 buffet to a $200 fine dining meal at Eiffel. Food prices change between hotels we were surprised to find that staying at Wynn we spent a lot more money than say at MGM Grand as everything costs more.

Drinks are free when you are gambling (subject to tipping) but if not the prices vary greatly from one casino to another and how you get them ! Casino Royale has the cheapest beer with Michelob $1 all day every day at their bars generally though expect to pay $8 for a beer and $12 for a shot and mixer in a casino bar. Following the rules in the link below will ensure that you maximise your free drinks at the same time don’t piss off the cocktail waitresses.. FREE DRINKS IN LAS VEGAS

Like everything else in Vegas you and gamble as little or as much as you like there are slots from 1c and tables from $5 up slots at $1k per spin and tables with minimums of $5k per hand. Please  remember that most machines are multi lines and to get any return you need to play multiple lines and you should expect a minimum for 25c per spin on a 1c machine Unless you have a few good wins to start with as a rule of thumb you will spend at least twice what you think that you will on slots. $5 tables now are few and far between in the major resorts but Tropicana and believe it or not Bellagio have $5 BJ tables open 24/7 but generally speaking the more upmarket the hotel the less likely you are to find low limit tables. I have had days when I have stared with $40 and it has lasted me all day and I have even left with a profit and had other days where I have dropped $200 in 20 minutes. You can get comps on your play but never ever play for comps take them as nice bonus but don’t expect or try to play just to get a comp.

So roughly here is what I would allow as spending money for a 3 night trip Las Vegas

Taxi to and from airport $40
Tips for bellboy and maid $20 (plus $20 Upgrade trick)
Show with drink $80
Food* $250
Drinks (above free ones) $80
Gaming $300 – $1000
Misc $75

*Food
1 x Luxor 24 hour buffet deal $35
2 x coffee and danish breakfasts $20
1 x med quality dinner $100
1 x good buffet dinner $40
snacks and sodas $55

Please note this is a very rough idea and you really spend as little or as much as you like in Las Vegas,

Las Vegas 24 Hour Buffet passes and Vegas Buffet Deals

Shrimp at Las Vegas Buffet

One of the things that I love about Las Vegas is the Buffets they are great OK you are best to avoid the real cheap ones as they are well real cheap !! For what is a small amount of money you get the choice of loads of different types of food and you can pick the bits you really like and avoid the stuff that you don’t which usually happens to be the healthy stuff. If you want to eat a tiny main and stacks of deserts you have it, if you want plate of starters as your main you’ve got it.  It works well when dining in a group and you all like different things each person can choose what they want without the usual arguments about the type of place you go to eat, you go to the buffet and each choose the type of food that you like.

In Vegas you kiss goodbye to your body clock when you get off the plane and buffet dining helps you with this as there are generally all types of foods at all open times buffets work better for me in Vegas than anywhere else I the World. The only problem that you have is that the decent buffets have long lines and you can wait up to an hour (more so at Wynn) to get a table.

My favourite buffet is Mandalay Bay this is because of the food and the setting it is just really nice, I like the Mirage and Bellagio buffets for the sheer quality of the food  and that the breakfast buffet at Excalibur whilst never the best is one of the best value. As a general rule the quality of the hotel will determine the quality of the buffet the worst I have eaten at is Palace Station followed closely Tropicana and I would not eat the Circus Circus or Imperial Palace buffets if budget allowed me to eat elsewhere.

Anyway Harrah’s Entertainment are offering a “buffet of buffets” pass for $44.99 this gives you 24 hour access to 7 buffets, Caesars Palace: Lago Buffet; Flamingo: Paradise Garden Buffet; Harrah’s Las Vegas: Flavors; Imperial Palace: Emperor’s Buffet; Paris: Le Village Buffet; Planet Hollywood: Spice Market Buffet; and, Rio: Carnival World Buffet. This is a brilliant deal if you think that the dinner buffet at Paris for instance is $27.99 and if you time it right you can get two dinners, a breakfast and a lunch which could cost up to $93 ! If you want a cheaper 24 hour pass look at Excalibur from $24.99 or Luxor from $29.99

“No craving stands a chance with a “Buffet of Buffets” all-access pass. It’s good all day at seven different buffets for only $44.99*. Fuel up for the morning with a made-to-order omlet, satisfy your afternoon appetite with some sushi and seafood, or just enjoy every meal throughout the day at a different spot. Simply walk up to any participating buffet and ask for the “Buffet of Buffets” pass. You’ll receive your credential which is good for 24 hours from the time of purchase. Then dig in!”

Luxor Buffet offer; all you can eat buffet passes from $29.99 for Adults and have the option of adding unlimited wine and beer for $10

MGM 2-4-1 –Buffet Deal; There is a deal at present at MGM where you can get 2 4 1 for a buffet when booking a room

Excalibur  have a 24 hour Buffet pass from $24.99

Circus Circus offer 2 free buffets with a stay of 2 nights or longer also includes $150 of dining, entertainment and retail vouchers

Youc an of course still try to get the best buffet in town for free read how to do it here !

 

 

Vegas with kids over Presidents day

I was asked the question below and I thought that it may help somone else out.

Question: QUESTION: We have decided to stay in Circus Circus. We will fly in from rural Oregon for 4 days. The hotel is cheap, but the flight is expensive. The kids are 12 & 14. We found a plane & motel package for $1400. It gave us 2 free show tickets. In general, can we get discount tickets for the kids? How are the crowds in the amusement park and midway over this holiday. We are considering the $25 all day buffet. Do we have to plan our meal times around crowds? Is an indoor pool and option anywhere-should we even pack swimsuits? How safe is the hotel? Do we need to be with our kids inside the hotel’s attractions? They are good kids, but shy and not worldly or used to cities. How do we get from Circus Circus to see some of the free sights at other hotels? Can we walk?

 

ANSWER: Hi,

OK firstly when you get to Circus Circus please ask for an upgrade the cheapest rooms are the old motel rooms I think that they are called Manor Rooms it is worth paying the surcharge to stay in the towers if the $20 trick (shown bottom of post) is not successful. The manor rooms are away from the main casino and just not very nice.

The amusement park does get crowded just like any other theme park in peak times and whilst it is the biggest indoor theme park it is not as big as even a modest open air park. I have ridden out of season midweek and there were no lines for anything I would suggest that you get their as soon as it opens stay for a few hours and as it gets busy go off and explore something else.

There are not that many shows that will offer a discount for the kids Vegas is seen as an adult resort and whilst there is plenty for all the family the shows tend to think that if they discount a seat to a kid they have lost out if another adult had bought it. However you don’t have to pay a lot of money to see a show in Las Vegas. What we tend to do is look for one show that we cant miss and book that at full price before we go then we have a look at http://www.goldstar.com (you need to join but it is free to do so) and see if there is anything we fancy the look of there we saw a Hypnotist for about $4 once, we also go to the booths on the morning of the day we want to find a show and take what seems good value on that day they change every day. http://www.tix4tonight.com/ get the coupon and print off before you go.

Sorry you have not said when you are going so I cant tell you whether you can swim or not there are no public indoor pools on the Strip in fact that only one I have been to is at Tropicana and that is a sad affair and really not worth it.

I am not happy to say whether the hotel is safe or not as that puts a responsibility on me and what I consider safe and what you do may well differ it is worth noting that there is CCTV everywhere inside the casinos and a large number of security staff. I generally feel pretty safe anywhere on the Strip and in most areas of most casinos.

You will need to be with the Children anywhere near the casino floor you should be able to leave them on their own if you choose to whilst in the theme park and of course they can walk around the Strip on their own but to be honest you are probably better off at night walking with them.

You can easily walk from CC to the other casinos it is probably about 20 minutes from CC to Treasure Island (or TI as it is now known) and from there the rest of the Strip is easy or you can walk to the Sahara and get on the Monorail. Encore is probably about the same walk maybe slightly less. I would suggest that at night you get a cab to or from these places its not that it is unsafe but particularly the walk to Sahara but it can feel a little unsafe and you don’t want to feel like that whilst on vacation and cabs are very cheap in Las Vegas.

$25 per day is of course excellent value but yes you have got it in busy times expect a long wait the other problem that you have is that the food will be very similar from one day to the next and you may get bored with it but as I said it is great value and you know you will be full up and that you will get free soft drinks. There are still good cheap options to eat in Vegas we never ever leave town without going to the Peppermill (http://www.peppermilllasvegas.com/restaurant/index.html) which is a Vegas institution cheap, huge portions and open 24/7 this site shows the menu for there and other places Peppermill Las Vegas We also allays have at least one breakfast at IHOP and have been known to pop in to Dennys. If you decide to go downtown (Fremont Street Experience is something you children will love) eat down there far cheaper than the Strip buffet at Golden Nugget is excellent, you can get downtown on the bus for $2 each. Lets face it though whatever you do (even McDonalds) you are not going to be able to do that on $25 a day.

I hope this helps you

Simon

MGM Grand and Excalibur are also both very good choices to stay if you have kids.

$20 room upgrade https://vegasuncovered.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/20-upgrade-trick-an-update-las-vegas/
Ellis Island $6.99 Steak dinner https://vegasuncovered.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/top-tips-to-save-money-in-vegas-ellis-island-699-steak-special/

 

 

Barry Manilow headlining Paris Las Vegas

Sorry it is a quick cut and paste job I saw Barry at LV hilton in December 2008 and he was mazing I woudl definitly see him again and I think it worth paying for the best tickets – Simon

Time:

7:30 PM

Price: $95-299
Venue: Paris Theatre
Seating Chart: Click Here To View Seating Chart
Reservations: 1-800-745-3000
Online Reservations: Click Here To Purchase
Group Sales: Groups of 15 or more,
call 1-866-462-5982 or click here to email.

Legendary singer-songwriter Barry Manilow brings an all new show full of music and magic to the intimate Paris Théâtre at Paris Las Vegas in March, commencing a two-year residency that promises to present the sincere and unforgettable songs of this exciting, energetic performer in a whole new light.

Over the past 35 years, songs like “Copacabana,” “Mandy” and “Can’t Smile Without You” have made Barry Manilow a true musical icon. He’s the top-selling, top-charting adult contemporary artist of all time, with 80 million records sold to date and 25 consecutive Top 40 hits between 1975 and 1983.

His show at Paris Las Vegas will be unlike anything you’ve seen before, customized for the intimate and elegant 1,500 seat showroom. “The audience in Vegas is always energized and electric, so I know that the Paris Las Vegas is going to be a special run,” Manilow said. “I’m planning something new for this performance; definitely not to be missed.”

Barry Manilow is a fitting headliner for Paris Las Vegas, a destination known for romance and energy. He will perform on selected Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights over the next two years. Tickets are now on sale for performances between March 5 and July 18, 2010. Prices range from $95-250. Get yours online at ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting the Paris Box Office. Hotel packages are also available!

Weekly Platinum Experience tickets will also be available, with proceeds benefiting the Manilow Music Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to putting musical instruments in the hands of middle and high school students. This special package combines front-row seats, pre-show Champagne reception, a meet & greet, a photo with Barry Manilow and an autographed show program. Visit www.ManilowParis.com or call 310-957-5788 to reserve your Platinum Experience.

Celine Dion back in Las Vegas 2011

Celine is preparing for her triumphant return to Caesars Palace, Las Vegas for a three year residency starting March 2011.

The brand-new show designed exclusively for The Colosseum at Caesars Palace will premiere on March 15 and features 31 musicians, consisting of a full orchestra and band. The show’s concept will be one-of-a-kind, centered on capturing the romance of classic Hollywood movies and performed with a stunning visual presentation.

Tickets are on sale now for performances from March 15 to August 14!

www.ticketmaster.com keyword “Celine Dion”

1-877-4CELINE (423-5463)

Prices range from $55 – $250, not including taxes and fees.

VIP ticket packages are available through Ticketmaster

Tickets may also be purchased at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Box Office, open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For groups of 20 or more, call 702-731-7208

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas – My Review

3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Las Vegas

NV 89109

+1 (702) 731 7110

www.caesars.com

Location Between Bellagio and Mirage Dead centre Strip; this is the marker for other casino’s location. The only problem is that when Caesars was built no one walked on the Strip; all travel was done by car. As a result the casino entrance is about 500 yards back from the Strip. Don’t worry though the good folks at Caesars have put in a series of moving walkways to get you to their machines quicker.

Theme It’s Rome, ancient Rome from the spectacular fountains, delightful statues and cypress trees that you pass on your way to the casino to the toga costumes the staff wear. This certainly is ancient Rome with electricity and air conditioning. It is a very Grand Rome with loads of marble and gold, everything that can be gold and glittery is gold and glittery. The theme like most of Vegas is completely over the top; but in the best possible way. If there was a casino themed on Las Vegas, Caesars would be it. Las Vegas at its best.

Attractions Well there are the wonderful, if slightly dated magical statues in the Forum shops these are robotic statues that come alive with the aid of smoke and lights and act out Roman and mystical type tales; free and great for the kids. The race for Atlantis IMAX 3d simulation ride, the Omnimax movie theatre where the film actually seems to surround you and several amusements arcades. To be fair the whole of the forum shops could be counted as an attraction with plenty to see

Shopping The Forum shops at Caesars is the best casino shopping mall on the Strip. Re-creations of Michelangelo’s David and a copy of the Tivoli fountain compliment the great range of shops; the whole shopping experience here is great. Shops include many usual US high street stores such as Nike Town, Macys, and FA Schwarz but also designer labels such as DKNY, Hugo Boss and Vasari. It must be good, as the average retail turnover per square foot in the US is $300 per annum whereas the Forum shops take $1200.

Dining La Piazza Food Court is my favourite on the Strip; you enter together, you chose your different food (Pizza, Salads, Hot Dogs, Chinese etc) get your drinks together and pay together. No queuing up separately just because one of you wants Pasta and the other Chinese. The seating area is lovely, on the edge of the casino allowing you to see the action, sort of inside the branches of a big tree. There is a very small buffet with very long queues and quite high prices (B$15.50 L$17.50 D$23.50, Sunday Brunch $23.50 or $33.50 with champagne) which I have not tried. There are several other high quality restaurants including Hyakumi – Japanese, Bacchanal – a six course Roman feast and Café Roma the 24hr coffee shop. General reports of food at these restaurants are good .

Gaming Caesars has 118,000 sq ft of gaming space containing over 2000 slot and video machines, over 70 tables and 13 roulette wheels. Surprisingly there is a very good range of nickel machines here, table limits can be a low $5 minimum but this is only ever one or two tables and only when trade is slow. The layout of the casino is very odd; it seems bitty; like some bits were added on rather as a second thought. Parts of the casino are very dark and others very light. The way in which the floors are arranged makes you very disorientated. I am not sure if this is deliberate or not, but this, along with the expedition back to the Strip does seem to make you stay longer than planned.

Drinks Service I found the drink service to be quite good, although I think that depends on where you sit as there are many nooks and crannies which probably do not receive such good service. I always make sure that any cocktail waitress who passes within 20 foot of me knows I want a drink and this obviously helps a great deal.

Best Thing Just the whole over the top “we have got it and boy are we going to flaunt it” atmosphere.

Worst Thing The distance to the entrance from the Strip and the that Ceasres is confusing easy to get lost and has human traffic jams.

Overall If you ask anyone to name a casino (with possibly the exception of Bob Stupak and Steve Wynn) they will say Caesars Palace. Caesars is Vegas and Vegas is Caesars. You get a chance to see “whales” (high rollers) at play and yet still feel like you are a million dollars putting your nickels into the slots. If you are in Vegas and you can only go to one casino, this has to be it. You will not be disappointed. However be aware there is a large expansion program on at Caesars at the time of writing.