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Spirit Airlines Flights from Detroit (DTW) to Las Vegas (LAS)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Spirit Airlines, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Detroit (DTW) to Las Vegas (LAS), departing between 9:15am and 8:15pm. Usually an Airbus A319 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Detroit, MI to Las Vegas, NV is 4 hours and 30 minutes.
During your Las Vegas vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Little White Chapel
This is arguably the most famous of the chapels on the Strip, maybe because they have the big sign saying Michael Jordan and Joan Collins were married here (again, not to each other), maybe because they were the first to do the drive-up window. Or maybe because this is where Britney and that guy who isn't the guy from Seinfeld began their 51 hours of wedded bliss. (No, we will never, ever get tired of mocking that bit of bad decision-making.) It is indeed little and white. However, it has a factory-line atmosphere, processing wedding after wedding after wedding, 24 hours a day. Move 'em in, and move 'em out. (No wonder they put in that drive-up window!) The staff, dressed in hot-pink smocks, is brusque, hasty, and has a bit of an attitude (though we know one couple who got married here and had no complaints). They do offer full wedding ceremonies, complete with candlelight service and traditional music. There are two chapels, the smaller of which has a large photo of a forest stream. They also have a gazebo for outdoor services, but since it's right on the Strip, it's not as nice as it sounds. If you want something special, there are probably better choices, but for a true Vegas wedding experience, this is Kitsch Wedding Central.
Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix
Finally, after all our yammering about how Vegas isn't for families and how most of the remaining options are really overpriced tourist traps, we can wholeheartedly recommend an actual family-appropriate entertainment option. Part arcade, part go-kart racetrack, this is exactly what you want to help your kids (and maybe yourselves) work their ya-ya's out. The arcade is well stocked, with a better quality of prizes than one often finds, but we suggest not spending too much time in there, and instead hustling outside to the slide, the little roller coaster, and best of all, the four go-kart tracks. Each offers a different thrill, from the longest road track in Vegas, full of twists and turns as you try to outrace other drivers (be a sport, let the little kids win occasionally), to a high-banked oval built just so you can try to make other drivers take spills onto the grass, to, best of all, a timed course. The latter requires a driver's license, so it's for you rather than your kids (but the wee ones will find the fourth course is just for them), and here you can live out your Le Mans or Police Chase fantasies, as you blast through twisting runs, one kart at a time, trying to beat your personal best. A good kind of adrenaline rush, believe us. The staff is utterly friendly, and the pizzas at the food court are triple the size and half the price of those found in your hotel. The one drawback: It's far away from main Strip action -- here's where you'll need that rental car, for sure. Note: Kids have to be at least 36 inches tall to ride any of the attractions.
Aladdin
No telling what will happen to all the actual Moroccan tile (and other Arabian Nights touches) that makes us like this casino so much, when new owners, Planet Hollywood, finally get their mitts on it. But right now, it's just good and tacky. It's big, with high ceilings that help the claustrophobia index, but it's also confusingly laid out, though a recent revamping of the floor has helped alleviate the problem some. Still, we won with the giant slot machine, and one of our moms won there, so, hey, no complaints. Also, the big problem, from the hotel's standpoint, though not really from ours, is that it was planned so that one was not required to walk through it to get to other Aladdin goodies, but what that does mean is that, in some ways, it's kind of hard to find -- which is not good for business. That may change, maybe even by the time you read this, as there are plans in the works to restructure the outside to make casino passage virtually mandatory. A bigger potential change to keep in mind is that plan Planet Hollywood has to remake the casino in its own image (what that means is hard to say, but we can all probably look to the Hard Rock for ideas). Do notice the European-style gaming salon that is operated by famed London Clubs International. It has its own private entrance and elevator, a gourmet restaurant, and 24-hour butler service in addition to the high-stakes tables and slots. Too rich for our blood, but perhaps not for yours.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Las Vegas area, including:
Caesars Palace
Since 1966, Caesars has stood simultaneously as the ultimate in Vegas luxury and the nadir (or pinnacle, depending on your values) of Las Vegas cheese. It's the most Vegas-style hotel you'll find, covering all the bases from the tacky fabulous cheese of the recent past to the current trend in high-end luxury. And it's moving ever on, with the most over-the-top showroom in town, specially built for Miss Thang herself, Céline Dion, and yet another expansion to the Forum Shops, the first themed shopping experience on the Strip.When Caesars was originally built to reflect Roman decadence, its designers probably had no idea how guffaw-inducing this would be some years later. It's the level of kitsch all should aspire to: Roman colonnades, Roman pillars, gigantic faux-marble Roman statues, staff attired in gladiator outfits -- it's splendidly ridiculous. It's what Vegas ought to be.But all things change, and Caesars was outshined over the years by more modern glamour. And frankly, that facade was looking dated 2 decades ago. Never one to rest on any kind of laurels, Roman or otherwise, Caesars gave itself a massive face-lift, and keeps on building and expanding. Never fear, the Roman statues still remain, as do the toga-clad cocktail waitresses, and so does Caesars' giggle factor (it's still pretty campy). Past or future, Caesars remains spectacular. From the Roman temples, heroic arches, golden charioteers, and 50-foot Italian cypresses at its entrance, to the impressive interiors, it's the spectacle a good Vegas hotel should be.But the hotel is also getting a bit too big for its own britches. The haphazard layout has become ever more confusing and hard to negotiate, and it takes forever to get anywhere -- especially out to the Strip. Sometimes you feel like just surrendering and staying in, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Caesars is also known for its luxurious rooms and service. (Long lines at the reservations desk are sometimes relieved by gratis champagne.)Accommodations occupy four towers, and there are too many decorating schemes to describe here. Art in the rooms keeps to the Greco-Roman theme (some have classical sculptures in niches); furnishings tend to neoclassic styles; Roman columns, pilasters, and pediments are common. Many rooms have four-poster beds with mirrored ceilings. The newest rooms are handsome, if not as giggle-inducingly overwhelming as the classic ones, and have floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a hypnotizing panoramic view. You'll likely enjoy a lavish bathroom with marble floor, European fixtures, and oversize marble tubs (about half are whirlpools). Some of the rooms have lavish tubs in the middle of the room, which can be uncomfortable if you wish to shower and don't want your shower to turn into a spectator sport.Caesars has a well-deserved reputation for superior in-house restaurants. There are nine in the hotel, plus dining facilities in the Forum shopping area. All are highly recommended. The hotel's sushi restaurant, Hyakumi, is described in chapter 6, as are the hotel's food court and buffets. Restaurants in the Forum Shops arcade include Spago, The Palm, and the Stage Deli. In the newer Atlantis section is a Cheesecake Factory.Yet another thing to take advantage of is the Race for Atlantis IMAX 3-D Ride.Having spent over $100 million renovating its Garden of the Gods, Caesars has created a tasteful, undeniably "Caesaresque" masterpiece. With three pools measuring a total of 22,000 square feet, there is plenty of space for frolicking in the hot sun. Inspired by the healing Baths of Caracalla in Rome, each of the pools is adorned with griffins or sea horses and inlaid with classic granite-and-marble mosaics. To feel even more regal, snatch one of the 16 shaded cabanas that offer phones, TV, and air-conditioning for $130 to $265 a day (reserve them early). Several amenities are also available by the pool area, including massage, two whirlpools, the Neptune Bar, and of course, a Snackus Maximus.The Caesars Spa is another gorgeous facility, offering full salon services (a large range of facials, massages, wraps, and other beauty treatments). While we can't say we've tried every masseuse or facialist in town, we have tried a lot, and what we got at Caesars was the best so far. The spa also offers saunas, steam rooms, and whirlpool tubs, plus an incredibly well-supplied health club with state-of-the-art machinery, a rock-climbing wall, personal trainers, and more (it's a whopping $24 per day just to work out, though). Go work off some of that Caesars indulgence and then get a little pampered.The Forum Shops are in the grandest mall you can imagine (think of the La Dolce Vita walk on the Via Veneto), and are about to get grander. A massive addition should roughly double the size of the existing shopping areas, and is due to open by the time you read this. Not content to stop paying contractors, Caesars also added the 4,000-seat Colosseum, a replica of the original building in Rome. This was built for one purpose only -- to give diva Céline Dion a place to play. No kidding. She's supposed to appear 200 nights a year, in a ridiculously expensive production created just to showcase her vocal talents, and featuring Cirque du Soleil-type visuals. Also underway is yet another room expansion, a tower that will hold 900 new rooms, plus restaurants, meeting space, and who knows what all.Facilities: Casino; wedding chapel; 23 restaurants; 3 outdoor pools; health club and spa; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; shopping arcade; 24-hr. room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; executive-level rooms.
Golden Nugget
The Golden Nugget opened in 1946 as the first building in Las Vegas constructed specifically for casino gambling. Steve Wynn, who is basically responsible for the "new" Vegas hotel look, took the Golden Nugget over as his first major project in Vegas in 1973. He gradually transformed the Old West/Victorian interiors (typical for Downtown) into something more high rent; marble and brass gleam, and the whole package seems considerably more resortlike and genuinely luxurious, especially for downtown Vegas. The sunny interior spaces are a welcome change from the Las Vegas tradition of dim artificial lighting. Don't forget their mascot (well, it ought to be): the world's largest gold nugget. The Hand of Faith nugget weighs in at 61 pounds, 11 ounces, and is on display for all to see.If the decor of The Mirage sounds appealing to you and you want to stay Downtown, come here, because until recently the same people owned them and the rooms look almost identical -- in fact, when The Mirage redid its rooms from a beige palette to a more vividly hued one, the Golden Nugget had the exact same remodel. In the North Tower, the rooms are slightly larger than in the South (and also slightly larger than at The Mirage). You don't have to walk through the casino to get to your room, but you do have to walk a distance to get to the pool. During the winter, they put up a pavilion over part of the pool-deck space to allow for more interior space. The presence of the pool, and general overall quality, makes this the best hotel Downtown for families; the other Downtowners seem geared toward the much older set and/or the single-minded gambler set.The Nugget's superb buffets and Sunday brunch are described in chapter 6. Oh, and yes, there is a casino (don't think they'd forget that!).The Nugget's top-rated health club ($15-per-day fee to use the facilities) offers a full line of Universal equipment, Lifecycles, stair machines, treadmills, rowing machines, free weights, steam sauna, tanning beds, and massage. Salon treatments include everything from leg waxing to seaweed-mask facials. Free Sebastian products are available for sprucing up afterward. The spa's opulent Palladian-mirrored foyer is modeled after a room in New York's Frick Museum.Note: As this guide went to press, MGM MIRAGE sold the Golden Nugget and there were no indications for the new owners' specific plans for the property.
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.
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