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Northwest Airlines Flights from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Las Vegas (LAS)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Northwest Airlines, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Las Vegas (LAS), departing between 3:05pm and 9:20pm, and one additional non-stop flight regularly scheduled to depart at 1:05pm and arrive at 1:26pm, everyday except Saturday and Sunday. The average travel time from Salt Lake City, UT to Las Vegas, NV is 1 hour and 24 minutes.*
* Some flights must connect with additional service on this airline.
During your Las Vegas vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Fremont Hotel & Casino
This 32,000-square-foot casino -- it's much bigger than it initially looks -- offers a relaxed atmosphere. In some ways, it's more comfortable gambling here than on the Strip, possibly in part because the beautiful people don't bother with places like this. Though lots of other people do, and so it can be more crowded than other Downtown casinos, even during the day. Low gambling limits ($2 blackjack, 25¢ roulette, though not as many tables with these as we would like) help. It's also surprisingly open and bright for a Downtown casino. Just 50¢ could win you a Cadillac or Ford Mustang here, plus a progressive cash jackpot. Casino guests can accumulate bonus points redeemable for cash by joining the players club, and take part in frequent slot and keno tournaments. No giant slot machine, though.
Graceland Wedding Chapel
Housed in a landmark building that's one of the oldest wedding chapels in Vegas, the Graceland bills itself as "the proverbial mom and pop outfit. We offer friendly, courteous service, and are willing to go that extra step." No, Elvis never slept here (one of the owners was friends with Elvis and asked his permission to use the name). This is a tiny New England church building with a small bridge and white picket fence out front. Inside is a 33-seat chapel; the walls are burgundy and white, with a large, modern stained-glass window of doves and roses behind the pulpit. The pews are dark blond wood. It's not the nicest of the chapels, but Catherine Oxenberg and Caspar Van Diem got married here. Jon Bon Jovi and Lorenzo Lamas did also, though not to each other.
Caesars Palace
Caesars' casino is simultaneously the ultimate in gambling luxury and the ultimate in Vegas kitsch. Cocktail waitresses in togas parade about, as you gamble under the watchful gaze of faux-marble Roman statues. The very high ceiling in certain areas of the casino makes for a very low claustrophobia level, especially thanks to the recent face-lift, which has lightened up the paint and made the area much brighter. Unfortunately, some spots in the casino are dark and entirely too claustrophobic. Although we love it, the casino has become somewhat confusing and unmanageable because of its size and meandering layout, like Caesars itself.A notable facility is the state-of-the-art Race and Sports Book, with huge electronic display boards and giant video screens. (Caesars pioneered computer-generated wagering data that can be communicated in less than half a second, and has sophisticated satellite equipment that can pick up the broadcast of virtually any sporting event in the world.) The domed VIP slot arena of the Forum Casino (minimum bet is $5, but you can wager up to $1,500 on a single pull!) is a plush, crystal-chandeliered precinct with seating in roomy, adjustable chairs. Gamblers can accumulate bonus points toward cash back, gifts, gratis show tickets, meals, and rooms by joining the players club, also valid at sister properties like Bally's and Paris. Club membership also lets you in on grand-prize drawings, tournaments, and parties.The most upscale of the Caesars gaming rooms is the intimate, European-style casino adjoining the Palace Court restaurant. It's a gorgeous and elegant place to gamble, but we've never won there, so we hate it.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Las Vegas area, including:
The Flamingo Las Vegas
The Flamingo is the Strip's senior citizen, boasting a colorful history. It's changed a great deal since Bugsy Siegel opened his 105-room oasis "in the middle of nowhere" in 1946. It was so luxurious for its time that even the janitors wore tuxedos. (Hey, new Vegas? That's class.) Jimmy Durante was the opening headliner, and the wealthy and famous flocked to the tropical paradise of swaying palms, lagoons, and waterfalls. A relatively recent renovation and expansion isn't going to make Siegel's "real class joint" cause you to forget about, say, the rooms at the new Venetian tower, but it did freshen the joint up -- including making it somewhat easier to reach the outside world, which in the past was often difficult. As we write this, several of the restaurants in the front of the building are being taken out and replaced by singer Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville nightclub, with a Baywatch-themed nightclub going in by the pool. So let's see how these additions continue to keep the old girl going.Rooms occupy six towers and are variously decorated. Some are done up in soft blues and peach, and enhanced by pretty fabrics, light painted-wood furnishings, and watercolors of tropical scenes, lending a resort look. Others use soft earth tones, forest green, or coral. The Flamingo's Paradise Garden Buffet is a decent choice. There are also several bars, plus a huge casino and the Second City Improv production show.For those planning some leisure time outside the casino, The Flamingo's exceptional pool area, spa, and tennis courts are a big draw. Five gorgeous swimming pools, two whirlpools, water slides, and a kiddie pool are located in a 15-acre Caribbean landscape amid lagoons, meandering streams, fountains, waterfalls, a rose garden, and islands of live flamingos and African penguins. Ponds have ducks, swans, and koi, and a grove of 2,000 palms graces an expanse of lawn. Although the water can be a little chilly, kids should be able to spend hours in the pool area.A health club ($20 fee per day) offers a variety of Universal weight machines, treadmills, stair machines, free weights, sauna, steam, a TV lounge, and hot and cold whirlpools. Exercise tapes are available, and spa services include massage, soap rub, salt glow, tanning beds, and oxygen pep-up. And the new monorail has a stop out back.Facilities: Casino; showrooms; 11 restaurants; 5 outdoor pools; 4 night-lit tennis courts; health club and spa; small video arcade; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; shopping arcade; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; executive-level rooms.
Main Street Station
Though not actually on Fremont Street, the Main Street Station is just 2 short blocks away, barely a 3-minute walk. Considering how terrific it is, this is hardly an inconvenience. Having taken over an abandoned hotel space, the Main Street Station reopened in November 1996 to become, in our opinion, one of the nicest hotels in Downtown and one of the best bargains in the city.The overall look here, typical of Downtown, is early-20th-century San Francisco. However, unlike everywhere else, the details here are outstanding, resulting in a beautiful hotel by any measure. Outside, gas lamps flicker on wrought-iron railings and stained-glass windows. Inside, you'll find hammered-tin ceilings, ornate antique-style chandeliers, and lazy ceiling fans. The small lobby is filled with wood panels, long wooden benches, and a front desk straight out of the Old West, with an old-time key cabinet with beveled-glass windows. (Check out the painting of a Victorian gambling scene to the left of the front desk.) Even the cashier cages look like antique brass bank tellers' cages. It's all very appealing and just plain pretty. An enclosed bridge connects the hotel with the California across the street, where you will find shopping and a kids' arcade.The long and narrow rooms are possibly the largest in Downtown, though the ornate decorating downstairs does not extend up here. White-painted, wood plantation shutters replace the usual curtains; each room has a very large gilt-framed mirror; and the simple but not unattractive furniture is vaguely French Provincial. It's all clean and in good taste. The bathrooms are small but well appointed. Rooms on the north side overlook the freeway, and the railroad track is nearby. The soundproofing seems quite strong -- we couldn't hear anything when inside, but then again, we're from L.A. A few guests have complained about noise in these rooms, but the majority haven't had any problems. If you're concerned, request a room on the south side.The Pullman Grille is the steak-and-seafood place, and is much more reasonably priced than similar (and considerably less pretty) places in town. The stylish Triple 7 Brew Pub is described in detail in chapter 10. The excellent buffet is described in chapter 6. And the casino, thanks to some high ceilings, is one of the most smoke-free around.
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.
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