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Flights to Las Vegas (LAS) from Los Angeles (LAX) on Varig
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Varig, which operates a daily non-stop flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS) regularly scheduled to depart at 10:15am and arrive at 11:23am. Usually an Airbus A318/319/320/321 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Los Angeles, CA to Las Vegas, NV is 1 hour and 8 minutes.*
* Some flights must connect with international service on this airline.
During your Las Vegas vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
The Wynn Collection of Fine Art
So MGM took over Steve Wynn's resort empire, and along with it, much of the art he (trailblazingly) showcased at Bellagio. Wynn then turned around, bought the Desert Inn, blew it up, and is building a new extraordinary resort on the property. But meanwhile, he's put his art on exhibit again. Only a double handful of paintings is currently on exhibit, but that number could go up and down (Wynn is a ferocious collector with a keen appreciation, who just set some art-purchasing records while acquiring a couple of costly masterpieces). At this writing, among the pieces exhibited are Picasso's Le Reve and Matisse's The Persian Robe. Perhaps not enough to go out of your way for, but then again, what an alternative to slots...
Stardust
This once-popular casino features 90,000 square feet of lively gaming action, including a 250-seat race and sports book with a sophisticated satellite system and more than 50 TV monitors airing sporting events and horse-racing results around the clock. Adjacent to it is a sports handicapper's library offering comprehensive statistical information on current sporting events. Stardust Slot Club members win cash rebates, with credit piling up even on nickel machines; free rooms, shows, meals, and invitations to special events are also possible bonuses. We usually do well here, so even though it's a little loud, we like it. Check out those $1 slots just inside the front door -- they've been very good to us.
The Flamingo Las Vegas
If you've seen the movie Bugsy, you won't recognize this as Mr. Siegel's baby. We can't say for sure what their seemingly years-long casino renovation actually did. It all looks pretty much the same, but it might be marginally less confusing and tortuous a layout (trust us, anything is an improvement) with better, and most welcome, access to the street (before, you needed a trail of bread crumbs and a lot of stamina to find your way out). Still, the claustrophobia factor is moderately high. We have to say that of all the casinos that qualify as older, this is the most pleasant one in which to play. Unfortunately, the gambler seems to be paying for it; no more daytime $3 blackjack. One of our favorite slot machines is here, but we won't tell you which one, to save it for ourselves. Sorry. The Flamingo takes part in Caesars Entertainment players-reward club, also valid at sister properties such as Caesars and Paris.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Las Vegas area, including:
Green Valley Ranch Resort
Now, for all our heartfelt rhapsodizing above about the Ritz, do not think that we love Green Valley any less. It's not fair to this flat-out fabulous resort to compare the two -- they can't quite compete on the same playing field, because it doesn't have the same level of pedigree as the Ritz, nor does it have the knockout physical positioning on the lake. But it makes up for that with earnest efforts and lower prices (plus it's about half the distance back to the Strip, which is visible from the pool area), and if you can't stay at the one, you won't be unhappy staying at the other. Two different experiences, but each will make you feel like a resort should. Anyway, it seems that Green Valley's designers took careful notes on places like the Ritz-Carlton when coming up with their design -- the interiors, rooms and public spaces both, feel completely influenced by same, while the exterior pool area borrowed much from hip hotel concepts such as the Standard and the W. This sounds like a potentially risky combination, but it works smashingly. You can stay here with your parents or your kids and every age group should be happy.Inside all is posh and stately, a dignified classy lobby, large rooms with the most comfortable beds in town (high-thread-count linens, feather beds, plump down comforters) and luxe marble bathrooms. Outside is the hippest pool area this side of the aforementioned Hard Rock: part lagoon, part geometric, with shallow places for reading and canoodling, and your choice of poolside lounging equipment, ranging from teak lounge chairs to thick mattresses strewn with pillows, plus drinks served from the trendy Whiskey Beach. The tiny health club is free, and the spa is also modern and hip. At night, you can hang out at the ultra-trendy Whiskey Sky as more mattresses and pillows get strewn about, all the better to attract the most beautiful bodies in town (desperate souls try to get past the velvet rope -- you can pass with ease because you are staying here), or you can head over to the entirely separate (as in, an adjoining building) casino area, which offers a disappointingly old school-looking gambling area, plus a variety of restaurants, from a Pancake House to a small Stage Deli to fine steaks and fried goodies at kicky BullShrimp. There is also a multiscreen movie theater.
Sahara Hotel & Casino
One of the few venerable old casino hotels still standing in Vegas (it's come a long way since it opened in 1952 on the site of the old Club Bingo), how you now view the Sahara may simply depend on which direction the sun is shining. It's been a few years since a spiffy renovation really pulled in some solid Moroccan details (an arched neon dome with Moroccan detailing, plenty of marble and chandeliers, plus small tiles and other Arabian Nights decorations) and caused the loss of the landmark sign, once the tallest in Vegas. (Frankly, the new one, featuring a camel, is going to look just as dated even more quickly.) The point was not only to keep up with the Joneses (as the newer, glitzy hotels make the old ones seem not just quaint but shabby), but also to attempt to unify the theme of the hotel. Then they added a roller coaster around the outside (quite a good ride, enthusiasts assure us), you know, just because.Unfortunately, none of this really adds up to an especially nice hotel experience. Recent guests had found the rooms, renovations notwithstanding, just a bit dreary and maybe even shabby. Again, this may simply be in comparison to the gleaming new kids in town, a comparison suffered by most of the older hotels. If you are looking for four walls and a mattress, this isn't a bad choice at all. It should be noted that the Sahara feels they are not as well equipped as other hotels for children and discourages you from bringing yours -- and yet, they added a roller coaster. Go figure.The room decor suffers from overkill, with stars and stripes assaulting the eyes and not looking terribly Moroccan. The boldly striped bedspreads on the otherwise comfortable beds are a particular mistake. The windows open, which is unusual for Vegas.The hotel has just remodeled their Sahara Buffet. The casino is there, of course, and there's a headliner showroom as well.Facilities: Casino; showrooms; 6 restaurants; 2 outdoor pools (including 1 Olympic-size monster unfortunately located at the foot of a parking garage); Jacuzzi; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; shopping arcade; limited room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; executive-level rooms.
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino
When it was built, the massive Monte Carlo was the world's seventh-largest hotel. It's now considerably overshadowed by its high-profile, more theme-intensive brethren. Entering it is still nice, as it comes off more as a European casino hotel alternative (before Bellagio usurped that position), replete with Corinthian colonnades, triumphal arches, and big and busy statuary, with an entranceway opening onto a bustling casino. A separate entrance in the rear of the hotel leads to a splendid marble-floored, crystal-chandeliered lobby evocative of a European grand hotel. We love that the guest rooms are accessible without going through the casino, but we hate that said rooms are somewhat dingy and badly in need of a makeover, with dinky bathrooms. The pool area, once the very last word in local pool fun, is now put to shame by better versions (including superior lazy rivers) over at Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand. It does have a number of child/family/budget-friendly restaurants. All in all, just about last on our list of second-choice hotels, but a serious room redo, plus some work on the pool area, could move it up fast.The Monte Carlo's Pub & Brewery and Dragon Noodle Co. are described in chapter 6. In addition, there is a highly recommended branch of the classic Downtown French restaurant Andre's. There's also a large and overly ornate casino, plus a lavish showroom that currently hosts the recommended show by magician Lance Burton.Monte Carlo's health club and spa are nothing special, but then again, it's $17 for 1 day's access, which is cheaper than the fee at most other hotels.Facilities: Casino; showroom; wedding chapel; 7 restaurants; large wave pool with lazy-river ride and separate kiddie pool; 3 night-lit tennis courts with full services and equipment rental; health club and spa; Jacuzzi; sauna; watersports equipment/rental; video arcade; concierge; tour desk; business center; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; executive-level rooms.
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