1. Well, I would start off by staying somewhere nice but not so expensive. You can save a bundle on the room at a place like the Luxor. You have to remember that the room will be the most expensive part of the bill (excluding the lady of course, lol). If you want to live it up on the town, remember that you probably will be spending less time in the room, so go for a regular room, not a suite. Use the whole casino as your suite - that's easy to do at a place like the Luxor. Lot's of bars, clubs, restaurants and shopping are right there. Another advantage of a place like the Luxor is the location, right on the strip. Palms may be cool, but it's off out of sight and you will be spending a lot of time in cabs. I guess if the pool is important to you then Hard Rock could be nice. But I don't think you get all that much otherwise in terms of ammenties overall there for your money and again you are off the strip (although not so far).
2. Do all the cheap stuff that is spectacular. Go to the Bellagio, walk around the casino floor showing her off, then go to the patio at the Fontanna Club there for drinks and watch the fountain. Spectacular. Also at the Bellagio is the Bellagio Cafe, fantastic late night meals, kind of like a gourmet Denny's that serves drinks (lol). Seriously, they have appetizers there that are big enough for meals, great drinks, great service and atmosphere, and you can get out of there for less than 20 bucks per person.
3. Do the Comedy Stop one night at the Tropicana. You get to see 3 comics for $17.50, also that price gets you two mixed drinks. Really great entertainment for next to nothing.
4. Go to the dance clubs during the week, they really get too crowded during the weekends IMHO. Also you spend too much time waiting in line. Ra at Luxor or Studio 54 at MGM are best all around for my tastes. Avoid the club Light in the Bellagio, too expensive and not really all that great an interior.
5. Do lunch at Harley Davidson Cafe, that's cool. About the style and quality of food as a typical hard rock Cafe, but you get to watch some real bikes swing around the interior.
6. Go to lots of strip clubs, there is lot's of advice here on that subject.
7. Walk up and down the strip from about Mandalay Bay to Bellagio. That can take an entire morning and afternoon and you could hit the Harley Davidson Cafe at lunch that way. Sidewalk shopping with all the small street vendoes, checking out the various casinos, window shopping in some malls like the one at Bellagio or Alladin can be fun.
8. Lots of other tourist stuff is available off tyhe strip, the desert, etc, do like spinner says and check out all that online.
9. Another thing I like there is the mall downtown, fantastic light show for free. It's a little expensive by cab to get there because it's all the way downtown, but the mall is really cool and a sight to see. Also the street vendors are cool down there. People sketch you while you sit there and one guy even sculps your figurine in clay while you wait.
If you plan it out well, you can do Vegas without being stressed by the cash outflow, but one thing to always remember is that it will cost you probably more than you anticipate. Keep the high dollar items down because the small things like tips, valet, cabs, drinks, etc, will run rampant. Remember that you can spend a fortune on the high dollar things like fancy meals and luxury suites, but if you start to get squeeezed by the small dollar things like tips then you look and feel cheap. Be cheap on the big ticket items and then you can have enough cash to let go freely on the small things - it will make you look and feel like a high roller and you will have a great time while there.
Have fun!!!
