Advice on good, yet reasonable eats and activities

Hi all,

My husband has a work conference in Vegas the 23 through the 27th of April. We will arrive midday, Thursday the 19th and will have all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to explore. Plus we will have Mon %26amp; Tues. evenings after 5 or 6PM as I leave Wednesday to go home to the kiddos.

We are already planning on going to the Valley of Fire and the Hoover Dam. The Grand Canyon has been tossed around as an idea, but it seems like that needs to be an overnight trip and we have already booked our hotel. I have heard that there are plane trips over the canyon that are good that can be done in less than a day. Anyone have any recommendations?

Any other attractions/ideas suggested would be great!

One the subject of food - WE LOVE IT and we%26#39;re not picky. I know that Vegas is expensive and I do plan to splurge at a meal or two, yet I am a pretty frugal person who loves to get great quailty at a reasonable price - bang for the buck. Plus, I would raise a king%26#39;s ransom if we ate at fine dining establishments for every meal. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Any ideas on free activities that are worth while?

We do have a rental car lined up if that helps with your suggestions on where to go.

All of your help is greatly appreciated in advance.

Thanks!

Advice on good, yet reasonable eats and activities

Well, I feel a little like a broken record because I%26#39;ve posted this a bunch of times, but you can get a high-quality and inexpensive meal at La Salsa Cantina, a Tex-mex chain with five locations on the Strip. Great margaritas and very good for breakfast too.

Also, you should be able to find coupons for discounts at some of the buffets. I recommend the Carnival World Buffet at Rio for lunch.

Advice on good, yet reasonable eats and activities

You didn%26#39;t mention where you%26#39;re staying.

In LV, I love to eat at these ';cheaper options';. Most are around $15 - $20 per person for shared appetizer and two entrees.

Grand Luxe Cafe in the Venetian. It is similar to a Cheescake Factory and everything we%26#39;ve ordered has been wonderful. The prices are great for a casino restaurant. You don%26#39;t have to dress up, but you won%26#39;t feel like you%26#39;re in the coffee shop, either.

Le Provencal in Paris (limited Italian menu, but has great ambience and singing waiters at night).

Carnegie Deli in the Mirage. Huge sandwiches. You won%26#39;t be disappointed if you like deli food.

Raffles Cafe in Mandalay Bay -extensive menu. Consistently good food, similar to Grand Luxe.

Burger Bar in Mandalay Place - a bit pricey for a burger, but yummy.

If you have a car, try the Steakhouse at Sam%26#39;s Town or Texas Station. Both are great and cost much less than the steak houses on the strip.

Have a great trip!

My favorite restaurant in Vegas is Bahama Breeze, which is located on the corner of Flamingo and Paradise. The restaurant has an ';islands theme'; and has great seafood, soup, and salad. I go to Bahama Breeze everytime that I go Vegas.

By far the best value is a quality buffet at lunch pricing...unmatched bang for the buck at the quality places

eat about 2pm, you won%26#39;t need another meal that day. (Breakfast at a good buffet isn,t a bad idea either, comparable to a limited cafe breakfast in price but many times better)

Stick to;

Aladdin, Paris, Mandalay Bay , Rio, Mirage, Wynn, Bellagio

Not as great, but OK;

Harrahs, MonteCarlo,MGM,Luxor,TI

edible cheapies

Palms, LV Hilton

Thank you all for your helpful info. Yes, I forgot to mention where we are staying. Thursday through Saturday night we are staying at the Hilton on the strip and for the rest of the time, we%26#39;ll be staying where my husband%26#39;s conference is, at the Rio.

I like the idea of eating a big meal in the middle of the day. That way we can do a little something at the most expensive mealtime of the day - dinner. Save money, yet still enjoy ourselves.

Thanks again!

You will find some of your most reasonable yet good food at the 24-hour coffee shops located at just about all casinos. Our favorites are Caribe Cafe (Mirage), Augustus Cafe (CP) and America (NYNY). The Victorian Room at Barbary Coast was also very good--but haven%26#39;t been there for a while. Grand Lux is on the agenda for the next trip.

Other less expensive options are food courts (Caesars and NYNY have excellent options) and delis (Stage is a favorite). The Roasted Bean at Mirage also had excellent sandwiches.

We enjoyed our ribs at Toby Keith%26#39;s I Love This Bar and Grill and Tony Romas at the Stardust. Of course the later is gone . . . downtown%26#39;s Romas was OK . . . but not as good as the Stardust.

We%26#39;ve only had drinks at Marguaritaville--but the food looked really good.

One thing to note . . . many entrees are very large . . . you can easily share.

I%26#39;ll second the La Salsa Cantina recommendation for breakfast, they have an awesome $2.99 special. However, it%26#39;s not offered at all locations - we found this out the hard way in November at the Forum Shops.

Attractions to consider:

- Snag a good price on last minute show tickets at one of the half price booths

- Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, this was a highlight of our last trip

- Fremont Street Experience (free)

- Bellagio Conservatory (also free), and while you%26#39;re there check out the chocolate fountain at Jean Philippe Patisserie, yum!

- Walk through the major themed casinos

Just popping in and out of the various casinos will take a chunk of time. There are many great attractions:

Bellagio Fountains

Big Elvis at the Barbary Coast- 3 and 5 M-Thur

Forum shops at CP is an attraction by itself.

Here is a list of free attractions:

http://www.vegas4locals.com/free.html

Here is a list of all the attractions:

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

Here is VP03 list of restaurants ,lotus of siam and rosemarys are reasonably priced

My favorite restaurants in Vegas(I love them all):

Andre%26#39;s(original)

http://www.andrelv.com/original

Hugo%26#39;s Cellar:

http://www.hugoscellar.com/

Rosemary%26#39;s

http://www.rosemarysrestaurant.com/

Lotus Of Siam

http://www.saipinchutima.com/

Mayflower Cuisinier (Thanks again VHB)

http://www.mayflowercuisinier.com/

Joyful House- Spring Mountain (Chinese)

Lindo Michoacan

http://www.lindomichoacan.com/

Eliseevsky

http://russianrest.russianvegas.com/home.asp

FirstTimer, I too saved VP03%26#39;s list of places to eat.

The Hilton is on the North end of the %26#39;Strip'; (Area). You will have The Strat. with a little hike, Circus Circus, The Sahara is right there, The Riviera, Slots-O-Fun, and a few others nearby.

The Rio is a bit from the ';Strip';, with the Cold Coast closest, and the Palms with in a short hike, but the traffic is hell :( if you walk to the Palms.

Have a great time, and enjoy the view.

PS: if you make it to the lower Strip, a short walk behind Ball%26#39;s is Ellis Island Casino. Stop in for the famous $4.95 steak special. It%26#39;s not on the menu so you have to aske for it, but well worth it:)