New York & Las Vegas for my 30th birthday next year - help!!
Discussion
I'm taking myself and the OH to the US next year for my 30th birthday.
I've always wanted to go to New York and we'd both really like to see Vegas - especially want to do the helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon.
My birthday is in June and we want to start planning how we're going to do this trip and get advice from people who have been before.
Probably going to do 2/3 days in Vegas and 3/4 days in NYC - just wanted some suggestions of booking agents to use, hotels to stay in, places to go etc and recommendations for getting from one to the other i.e. internal flights. Also where to book the helicopter flight and roughly how much is it?
I'd say that my budget is mid-range so no hugely expensive options.
Any help much appreciated, thanks guys and gals.
I've always wanted to go to New York and we'd both really like to see Vegas - especially want to do the helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon.
My birthday is in June and we want to start planning how we're going to do this trip and get advice from people who have been before.
Probably going to do 2/3 days in Vegas and 3/4 days in NYC - just wanted some suggestions of booking agents to use, hotels to stay in, places to go etc and recommendations for getting from one to the other i.e. internal flights. Also where to book the helicopter flight and roughly how much is it?
I'd say that my budget is mid-range so no hugely expensive options.
Any help much appreciated, thanks guys and gals.
Edited by LadyHayles on Tuesday 14th October 15:27
I did vegas earlier this year.
We took did the helicopter thing with maverick helicopters. Cost us $400 for a 1.5hr flight over the canyon and dam. Only stopped in the middle of nowhere to refuel though. Would definitely reccomend them.
We stayed in a skyloft at the MGM grand. Simpley cant reccomend it highly enough, free airport transfers in a maybach, butler, treated like royalty, enourmous duplex room stuffed full of toys. All for $900 a night, ok that may sound expensive but you'd be looking at paying £3000 a night in london for a similar level of service and room.
We took did the helicopter thing with maverick helicopters. Cost us $400 for a 1.5hr flight over the canyon and dam. Only stopped in the middle of nowhere to refuel though. Would definitely reccomend them.
We stayed in a skyloft at the MGM grand. Simpley cant reccomend it highly enough, free airport transfers in a maybach, butler, treated like royalty, enourmous duplex room stuffed full of toys. All for $900 a night, ok that may sound expensive but you'd be looking at paying £3000 a night in london for a similar level of service and room.
When you're in Vegas I can recommend Maverick http://www.maverickhelicopter.com for a trip into the canyon - they did an early morning flight which was a little cheaper and you land in the canyon and have a champagne breakfast. Really good to deal with.
WE stayed in the gold coast hotel in vegas, cheaper than the strip hotels but only a five minute bus trip away, the hotel runs a free mini bus from there to the orleans and drops off beside ballys every 15 minutes. It's a bit quieter than the big places but quicker to get served free drink or to eat in and had the cheapest off licence in Vegas (should have bought the litre bottles of southern comfort for £7 
). Rooms aren't fancy but you're only sleeping there anyway. Helicopter trip cost us $500 for 2, including collection in a stretch limo from the front doors of the hotel and back again. IIRc we used las vegas helicopters who advertised in the back of the free "what's on" type magazine that was in the room.
). Rooms aren't fancy but you're only sleeping there anyway. Helicopter trip cost us $500 for 2, including collection in a stretch limo from the front doors of the hotel and back again. IIRc we used las vegas helicopters who advertised in the back of the free "what's on" type magazine that was in the room. Plans are in very early stages at the moment and the trip may obviously stretch timewise depending on what we want to fit in while we're there. Am just looking for suggestions at the moment so that I can make a more structured plan.
I know that LV and NYC are a long distance apart but its my birthday and I'll do what I want to! LOL!
I know that LV and NYC are a long distance apart but its my birthday and I'll do what I want to! LOL!
Maverick does seem to be the group to go with for helitours. We went with another company (the name escapes me) but we ended up at a cowboy ranch where we had a cowboy BBQ and I rode on horseback around part of the Arizona desert for the best part of 45 minutes. Good fun though!
We stayed at the MGM signature which we thought was perfect. It's far enough away from the MGM casino itself to be out of all the hustle and bustle but at the same time it's not far away and about a 5 minute walk to get to the casino.
The lounges in the Signature towers themselves are very calm and extremely tranquille and are the ideal locations to just relax without being disturbed.
As for New York, we have stayed in the Hudson Hotel which is a very lively hotel with tiny rooms but if you do what we did and upgrade to the larger rooms it is very comfortable.
If you're into steak restuarants get yourself over to Peter Lugers steak house, it's fantasic. Infact, both my Girlfriend and my Brother think it's so good that I will be driving them from Newark to Brooklyn in May just so as they can have their fix of steak.
We stayed at the MGM signature which we thought was perfect. It's far enough away from the MGM casino itself to be out of all the hustle and bustle but at the same time it's not far away and about a 5 minute walk to get to the casino.
The lounges in the Signature towers themselves are very calm and extremely tranquille and are the ideal locations to just relax without being disturbed.
As for New York, we have stayed in the Hudson Hotel which is a very lively hotel with tiny rooms but if you do what we did and upgrade to the larger rooms it is very comfortable.
If you're into steak restuarants get yourself over to Peter Lugers steak house, it's fantasic. Infact, both my Girlfriend and my Brother think it's so good that I will be driving them from Newark to Brooklyn in May just so as they can have their fix of steak.
I stayed in the Bally hotel earlier this year. Not as expensive as the other hotels on the Strip but it's right in the middle and opposite the Ballagio. It's a nice enough hotel and the rooms were big and had all the facilities you would expect for a LV hotel but not at silly prices!
We stayed in the Luxor which was fine when we went out for a friend's wedding. You can book the GC helicopter through most hotels as well so you don't necessarily need to do it now.
Jut as a suggestion and if you have time, i'd recommend driving up from Vegas through Death Valley and Yosemite and flying back from San Francisco
Jut as a suggestion and if you have time, i'd recommend driving up from Vegas through Death Valley and Yosemite and flying back from San Francisco
There you go. Flintstone said:
The helicopter ride might be fun but frankly Las Vegas is minging with Brits abroad. You might as well save your money and go to Marbella.
Well for my 30th I was desperate to go to NYC because its somewhere I've never managed to go to and have always wanted to go. Me and the OH both wanna see Vegas just for the sheer cheese of it all and more particularly the Grand Canyon so we thought we'd combine it. If there are lots of "Brits" there, so what, I'll probably take little notice because I'll be on holiday and having a good time.Previous post mentioned the flying aspect. He's right. We did Honolulu, Las Vegas, Cancun & New York in 21 days with Virgin earlier this year. I was fed up with airports by the time we got to Vegas!
Only bit of advice, make sure you book the shows, canyon trips etc. before you go. Most are fully booked when you get there, as we found to our cost.
Only bit of advice, make sure you book the shows, canyon trips etc. before you go. Most are fully booked when you get there, as we found to our cost.
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