 |
Continental Airlines Flights from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Las Vegas (LAS)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Continental Airlines, which operates a non-stop flight everyday except Saturday and Sunday from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Las Vegas (LAS), regularly scheduled to depart at 1:05pm and arrive at 1:26pm. Usually a Canadair Regional Jet is flown for this route. The average travel time from Salt Lake City, UT to Las Vegas, NV is 1 hour and 21 minutes.*
* Some flights must connect with additional service on this airline.
During your Las Vegas vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
King Tut's Tomb & Museum
This full-scale reproduction of King Tutankhamen's tomb includes the antechamber, annex, burial chamber, and treasury housing replicas of the glittering inventory discovered by archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in the Valley of Kings at Luxor in 1922. It was all handcrafted in Egypt by artisans using historically correct gold leaf and linens, pigments, tools, and ancient methods, and all items have been meticulously positioned according to Carter's records. It's hardly like seeing the real thing, but if you aren't going to Egypt anytime soon, perhaps checking out reproductions isn't a bad idea -- and for a Vegas fake, it's surprisingly enjoyable. A 4-minute introductory film precedes a 15-minute audio tour (available in English, French, Spanish, and Japanese).
Fitzgeralds
This casino is done up in greens and golds, and the overall effect is not quite as tacky as you might expect, though the now near-total absence of any overt Irish theme means it's rather forgettable. In fact, it's rather friendly and with a medium to low claustrophobia level, thanks in part to some windows to the outside Fremont Street. The casino actually has two levels: From the upstairs part, you can access a balcony from which you get an up-close view of the Fremont Street Experience.Blackjack, craps, and keno tournaments are frequent events here. Slot machines that paid out over 100% the previous week are marked with a MR. LUCKY sign. The Fitzgerald Card offers slot players gifts, meals, and other perks for accumulated points. Several slot machines have cars as prizes, fun books provide two-for-one gaming coupons, and there are $1-minimum blackjack tables.
Black Mountain Golf & Country Club
Two new greens have recently been added to this 27-hole, par-72 semiprivate course, which requires reservations 4 days in advance. It's considered a great old course, with lots of wildlife, including roadrunners. However, unpredictable winds may affect your game.Yardage: 6,550 championship, 6,223 regular, and 5,518 ladies.Facilities: Pro shop, putting green, driving range, restaurant, snack bar, and cocktail lounge.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Las Vegas area, including:
El Cortez Hotel & Casino
This small hotel is popular with locals for its casual, oh, and let's just admit it, dated Downtown atmosphere. Rooms offer nothing except a place to rest your head and not get lice. And there is no room to swing a cat, dead or otherwise, in the bathrooms. But on the other hand, said rooms supposedly do not cost more than $40 a night, so really, whaddaya want for next to nothing (by Vegas prices)? The nicest accommodations are the enormous minisuites in the 14-story tower. Some are exceptionally large king-bedded rooms with sofas; others have separate sitting areas with sofas, armchairs, and tables. Local calls are just 25¢. Note that although this place is but 2 blocks from Fremont Street, these are probably not 2 blocks you want to walk at night. Rumor has it that the company that bought the other hotels from the family who still owns the El Cortez has an option on it as well, and that all of them are destined for the wrecking ball.Under the same ownership is Ogden House, just across the street, with rooms that go for just $18 a night. And that's everything you need to know right there.
Aladdin Resort & Casino
Note: As we were going to press, the beleaguered and bankrupt Aladdin had been bought by Planet Hollywood, which, as of now, intends to rename, remodel, and restyle the property. This process should be complete by the time you read this so don't be confused if there is a big blue globe out front, a new name, and lots of cast-off clothes and props from various Hollywood movies enshrined inside.It's a bit of a pity, because the new Aladdin, rising on the ashes of the old Vegas stalwart, which was desperately out of date, is a handsome building both inside and out. The theme is a generic Middle East theme -- you know, the sort that pretends there is no significant difference between Egypt, Morocco, and Turkey, which may be news to Egyptians, Moroccans, and Turks -- best characterized by one observer as "the Sahara with a billion dollars thrown at it." Details that indicate considerable thought went into the design are everywhere -- what other casino has actual tile work (clearly Moroccan in origin) throughout? But all that work came at a price, hence a $700 million bankruptcy -- the largest in Nevada history.That petty detail aside, this is already what a sexy, but distinctly Vegas, hotel ought to be: a little bit of kitsch, a little bit of class, and all of it playful. And we hope that the new owners will concentrate on maintaining and building on these aspects. The rooms are not distinctive, but they are pleasing (except for the beds -- the money must have run out before buying the mattresses, which are some of the most uncomfortable we've slept on), and the bathrooms can be quite large, with a deep tub and separate glass shower, plus little Aladdin-lamp-shaped faucets and exotic spice-scented amenities. Another plus is that the hotel is constructed so that guests need to see little of the casino (a plus for you, a drag for needed gambling revenue, and likely one of the first things the new owners will change), while the pool area is decent but nothing spectacular.And then there is the Desert Passage shopping area, another one to rival the capitalist ventures over at Caesars and The Venetian. This has also been sold to a new owner (separate from Planet Hollywood) so the Arabian Nights theme, all Casbah this and Sultan that, may not stay but the plan for now is to keep this theme. As is, it's impressive, to be sure, and better still for the live-action touches such as jugglers, acrobats, and belly dancers who pop up regularly to entertain shoppers and add that hectic souk feel to the experience. Inside the Desert Passage are a number of terrific restaurants, including a branch of New Orleans's venerated Commander's Palace. The hotel also has its own arena, the Center for the Performing Arts, which is attracting big names back to Vegas. Finally, there is the Elemis spa, maybe aesthetically our hands-down local favorite. The owners (who also run Elemis in London) sent their designers to Morocco for ideas, and it shows in this Medina-flavored facility; just looking at it is pampering, and that's before one of their attentive staff puts you in a wrap and "dry float" (a womblike water bed-style cradle). No word whether the new owners will revamp this facility like the rest of the property.All in all, the place teeters on the brink of a higher rating, and all we can hope is that the new owners help push it over the hump, rather than in the other direction. The place deserves it.Facilities: Casino; performing-arts center; showroom; 19 restaurants; 7 bars/lounges; 2 outdoor pools; health club and spa; Jacuzzi; sauna; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; shopping arcade; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry/dry-cleaning service; nonsmoking rooms; executive-level rooms.
Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas
Vegas prides itself, these days, on offering all sorts of "luxury resorts." Vegas exaggerates -- in some cases, by a lot. Truth be told, this is the only luxury resort (Four Seasons Las Vegas is a luxury hotel more than anything else, because of its setup), and it's not even in Las Vegas. It's on the outskirts of next-door suburb Henderson, on the shores of Lake Las Vegas, meaning a 30-minute or so drive from the Strip.Why on earth are we recommending it? Because to come here is to come to a gobsmackingly beautiful resort -- between the sparkling water and the crisp mountains, all the better in the early evening with a warm breeze blowing, this is the serene oasis everyone dreams of when they come to the desert. Plus, it has all the pampering bells and whistles you could want. Here's the thing you have to remember: Those Strip "resorts" aren't in the hotel business, they are in the casino business. The hotel is just a sideline. Ritz-Carlton is a proper hotelier and you are the beneficiary. Certainly, the price is not cheap (though watch the website for some great deals), but once you realize what's included -- all manner of treats that Strip "resorts" will charge you for as extras, plus impeccable service and a setting that's a dream -- it's not a bad deal. Come here for a true getaway, and treat Vegas as a nearby attraction, an additional perk for your vacation.Set right on the shores of the man-made (but so's Lake Mead and we've gotten over it) Lake Las Vegas, and styled like an Italian lakeside resort, this property couldn't be more handsome, from the lobby to the cool-palette rooms, with plump beds, comforters and Frette linens. All bathrooms are large and fully marbled (not tile, but real marble), with deep, long soaking tubs and amenities for miles. Most rooms have water views (make sure you get one of those) either of the serpentine lake (our favorite) or of the little bay that abuts the property. Some have balconies, and all have windows that open (keep an eye on the lake for sightings of the big fish that occasionally cruise just below the surface).The health club is the sort where all machines have flatscreen TVs, and the spa offers hot and cold plunge pools, plus a 360-degree Vichy shower. There is one basic pool and one "sandy beach" little dipping area. And the overall service? We felt like if we sneezed, three people would have rushed at us with tissues, and four would have called doctors, just to make sure we were okay. It's also quiet, a great change from the hurly-burly found at most Strip hotels. And yet, it's not at all stuffy; no one minds if you run around in a bathing suit and bare feet.The activities are the best around, from a large array of desert and mountain hikes, both on your own and guided (including a restful evening one that includes a round of tai chi), to stargazing (you are far enough from city lights so the looking is good), to boating on the lake, to honest-to-gosh fly-fishing. Daily yoga sessions and other physical fitness classes are also offered. And the hotel has access to three high-level golf courses.Parents in particular should note that the club-level rooms offer, for an extra $100 a night, access to a lounge (complete with its own concierge and even more fabulous service), with nearly round-the-clock free "snacks," generous (and most of the time, rather fancy) enough to cover all your meal needs -- that, plus free drinks, alcoholic and otherwise, makes this option a bargain. (Think how much you spend on meals and drinks, and tell us that it doesn't routinely go over an extra $100 a day.) Right next door is a charming faux Italian village with nearly 40 shops and restaurants (so you need not rely on the hotel's restaurant, though it is excellent), plus a large, if borderline dull, casino, if you want that kind of action but don't want to drive to the Strip. There are regular shuttles to the Strip until 2am, never fear, though why anyone would leave here is beyond us.Facilities: Restaurant; bar; concierge; 2 pools; health club and spa; business center; shuttle to Strip; water taxis to nearby attractions; some free exercise classes; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; club-level rooms.
|
|
|
