I'm a fan of Las Vegas. In my experience there are many ways you can improve your visit with some key pointers. I thought I'd start a Branch conversation with a few of my Vegas-going friends and see what we've learned.

I'll start: skip the cab line and take a black car from the airport. Don't make a reservation before hand; just go to the limo exit at LAS. This will cost you like 2x a cab but it's money well spent on a relatively inexpensive luxury (by Strip standards.)

I'm also a big fan of Las Vegas.

My fav spas in Vegas are the ones at the Encore and at Mandalay Bay. They are great spots to spend several hours after a hard night of partying. Take advantage of their facilities (steam room, jacuzzi, sauna, etc) if you book a treatment.

PROTIP: if you don't feel like booking an expensive treatment, you can get access to the spa facilities by paying a daily rate (usually less than $40) - totally worth it!!!

Yes! The Spa lifestyle is key. People often ask what to do during the day and I love the Saturday afternoon spa. In particular, I recommend the Encore spa as it has the best steam I've ever experienced. I've often left the spa feeling that if I could only do that every day I would be able to live forever.

A clutch spa routine on the "cheap" is to just cycle steam room to cold plunge to hot tub and repeat until infinity. Also check out the heated stone chairs in the Encore spa which are amazing. All of that can be done with the 30$ "day spa" pass.

Speaking of Saturday recovery, let's talk about Friday night. Biggest advice: don't go too big on Friday. I often see people who stay out until 7a on Friday and completely lose the next day.

What works for y'all on how to think about Friday v. Saturday?

Nah I have never really had a problem with recovery. If you get some spa loving on saturday and you can handle it then going all out on Friday is okay. I think you have to pay attention to going to sleep before sunrise and not spending all of your money on friday though so your schedule isn't totally messed up.

On the topic of money the best way to do money management in a way that doesn't make you hate yourself I have found is to essentially make a budget. Set a limit of how much you will gamble in a day and assume you will leave Vegas with all of that money gone. This makes taking losses easier and also helps the potential to chase a win.

I think the following is a decent breakdown of what price games you should play depending on your daily budget. This should allow you to play as many hours of games that you want, rather then losing your entire budget in an hour:
<300$ - Stick to <5$ games. Dollar craps etc.
300-600$ - 5$ to 10$ games is pretty solid, depending how lucky you are and how many breaks you take
600-1,000$ - 10$ to 15$ games
1k+ - sky is the limit, but 15-20$ games will stop you from hating yourself

All of this advice is only applicable if you like gambling, especially at table games, and plan on spending a sizeable chunk of your time at a table. Otherwise setting some sort of limit and and gambling until it goes away at whatever game looks fun seems to work for people.

What do you guys think are the best shows in Vegas? You have way more experience with that stuff. (Goldman don't you claim to have seen every show Vegas has to offer?)

I saw Le Reve over the weekend and thought it was way better than O. Cirque shows are executed perfectly, but I find they lack heart. Le Reve was stunning, beautiful, and the music was great.

I think KA is the best show in Vegas because the stage is so remarkable. It's an engineering feat! I would definitely go see it again and have already seen it a couple times.

I agree with Ian's gambling advice. One good tip I give wary gamblers is to try Pai Gow Poker. As our friend Shecky likes to say, it's the golf of gambling. Because you push 50% of the time you lose your money very slowly. People are intimidated but it's a really simple game.

Lately I've been playing Ultimate Texas Hold 'em and Let it Ride. Both are a lot of fun - but like with Pai Gow, you can lose your money pretty slowly on Let it Ride, since you can take 66% of your bet back every time.

Ulimtate is definitely my favorite table game right now but like Craps (my favorite game overall) you can lose a lot of money very quickly. Neither are good games for the risk averse.

Let's talk food: My current go to is Blue Ribbon Sushi in Cosmo. I would eat there every time.

The best meal I've ever had was the the private dinner at E by Jose Andres in the Cosmopolitan. You need to book about a month ahead. If you've ever been to the Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Vegas, it's the same chef. Crazy molecular gastronomy stuff.

Jason if you like Blue Ribbon, I've heard great things about Raku. It's also japanese. It's off the strip but apparently industry people in the know go there. We should check it out the next time we're there at the same time!

What about food on a budget?

The Peppermill: yelp.com

It's unbelievably cheap and has ridiculously oversized portions. I think the omelet has 12 eggs and is $9. Right near the Wynn actually.

How 'bout Nightclubs: Sara, what's your jam?

The top nightclubs in Vegas are Marquee, XS, and Tao (and in that order for 2011). They are all awesome.

There are 4 main things to judge a club on. Visibility (lower visible distance the better), ventilation (nobody likes sweaty people), music, and clientele. Music and clientele is highly dependent on who is DJing. [cont...]

Marquee has many rooms with different music and it's easy to get "lost in the moment" there, as visibility is low. You'll get sweaty at Marquee because the ventilation isn't fantastic. Of course there's an outside area to get some air. Because if the many rooms, you are guaranteed to find music you love.

[cont...]

XS has one main area, and it's vaulted and layered so everyone can see everything. Because the whole area leads to the outside, ventilation is fantastic and you can dance without stopping. There is only one track playing though, so if you don't like the music, you're stuck.

[cont...]

Tao is my personal fav. It has one main inside area and one main outside area. The inside area has low visibility, and they often spray foam and liquid smoke and stuff. However, the ventilation is amazing, and you can dance forever. The vibe of the main area is magic. There is something about it that no other club has.

[cont...]

At these top 3 clubs, if you are a girl, expect to spend nothing. If you are a girl and you're paying for anything (except for maybe 1 or 2 shots to get the party started), you're doing it wrong. Don't pay for cover, and get guys at tables to pour you drinks or buy you drinks. If you're a guy or you are with even a single guy, expect to spend 1.5k+ on a table.

[cont...]

For those on a budget - pay the cover and wait in line. Not having a table is not the end of the world. My fav nights in Vegas have actually been sans table.

Here's my final piece of advice: if you've never been to one of the top 3, do go. It's an experience. These are likely the best nightclubs in the whole world. However, if you club a lot and you've been to all of these, try some of the smaller ones. You'll get more personalized and friendly service if you throw down a similar amount of cash at a smaller club, like LAX. Even if you get a table at Marquee/Tao/XS, you're likely to be treated poorly.

Sara is a club professional.

Seriously, that's the definitive advice to how to do clubs in Vegas. I have nothing to add except that as a dude, a lot of problems with lines are solved in Vegas by finding a guy in dark suit and giving him $100.

With that, let's finish up with a short lightning round of any last minute tips that didn't make it in yet.

Tip: Ask for a humidifier when you check in. It's a desert and the casino AC will dry you out. You'll sleep way better with a humidifier.

Tip (for the ladies): minimize what you carry and your life will be happier. fold together your credit card, bank card, id, cash, and stuff it in your boots or bra. hands free fun!

Tip: ask for an upgrade when you check in. Sometimes they have last-minute good deals for a low price. Last weekend, for example, I was upgraded to the penthouse floor at the Wynn Tower Suites for $225/night total. Serious!

SO I have read this in a magazine but have yet to try it. Apparently at the Wynn if you ask for a room that ends in 06 it is always a suite and they will give you a free upgrade?

Also know your ATM limits before you gamble. Pay attention to the time: the limits reset at midnight so blowing through it from midnight to 3am will screw up your entire next day.

Especially true for SF-based visitors: plan your trip so that you leave late on a Sunday. You can book a day rate on your room by calling the front desk on Sunday morning. This lets you stay in the room until 6p for half the price of the normal room rate. This extra time gets you:

1) the ability to wake up late on Sunday and order room service at like noon.

2) go to the spa to try to recharge from your Saturday night adventures

3) leave Vegas feeling refreshed instead of stressed.

@baconmafia points out that the pool scene is a great afternoon option:
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If going to a dayclub like Encore Beach Club (highly recommended) Sara's advice about nightclubs is a good guide. If you're going to the regular pool, try to get there early to get a spot or consider splurging on a cabana (~$300-$500.)

Jason's advice on the late sunday is totally key. On a similar note, here's how to do the fabled 24h in Vegas, with no hotel:

1) Arrive Saturday morning, as early as you can.
2) Spend the day at the pool, gambling, etc. Have a light lunch. Easy on the alcohol.
3) In the late afternoon, go to the spa, make sure you get facilities access.
4) Get ready for the evening at the spa, they have everything from deodorant to flat irons.
5) Have a solid, fancy dinner (end at like 10pm).

[cont...]

6) Hit the club till you can't dance anymore (now like 3am)
7) Sit at a gambling table, and drink only water while you do.
8) At 5:30, go to the airport for your 7 a.m. flight back to SF.

Pick a hotel to call "home base", and use the spa at that hotel. Check your bag in (free) with the valet when you go to dinner and pick it up before you go to the airport.

Now you have all Sunday at home to recover and you'll get to work on Monday totally refreshed :)

If you plan on going somewhat regularly +1 a year. Get a casino host and develop a relationship with them. A casino host can help you with reservations at whatever casino you are staying at, they can get you reservations at restaurants and access to clubs.

Getting a host is really simple. You can call before your trip and ask for VIP services and ask to be assigned a host or just walk into VIP when you check in and say you need a host. They will assign you one.

Ok my friends, I am prepared to offer the truth about Vegas. I started as a tourist in the mid '90s but now over a decade deep as a Vegas local resident. Some of my hard-earned wisdom has already been distilled here via by brother-from-another Jason G.

Tip dealers very well by gambling for them and get to know the pit boss or in the case of craps the box man. They control your card which says how much you are gambling. They will write you up nicely. I will make $25 bets in craps for dealers about every 30 minutes of play.

Best restaurant: To paraphrase a fish lover named KRS-One, Blue Ribbon is "still #1" in my book. But Sara is correct, Raku on Spring Mtn off the Strip is INCRED.

For those on the East Coast. Take the 8 pm flight on Thursday and go to bed by 1 am LV time. This get's you clocked to Vegas time. Don't take the red eye back. It's never worth it.

Matter of fact, have any of you ever been to Vegas' "Chinatown?" It's only about 6 mins drive from Wynn, pretty sizable (about a mile deep) and there you will find dozens of secret and delicious delights.

Had no idea there was a Chinatown! What other off-strip entertainment should folks consider?

Whoa! Jason I must show you this time around! Another off-Strip gem is Town Square, a high-end outdoor mall a few miles South. Really good food/bars mainly populated by locals. Some great retail including Apple, Puma.

Off-strip -- If you like baseball go check out a Las Vegas 51s game. Really fun AAA baseball and they are the farm team for the Toronto Blue Jays.

What is the best place for retail therapy in vegas?

For basketball fans NBA summer league at UNLV is awesome. $20 for the day.

Ian -- Fashion Show or if you want to roll thick, the shopping at Crystals City Center

Best shopping in Vegas (possibly the best in America) is still Caesars Forum Shops, 2nd best is Fashion Show Mall right across from Wynn. The worst is the mall at Planet Hollywood. Acres of stores without a single desirable thing.

Crystals has all the top brands but I don't like the mall. It's basically got Prada in a JC Penney's setting. I've had great luck at the Barney's at the Palazzo shops. If I had to pick just one store I would go there.

There is some good shopping at The Cosmo, only a handful of stores but worth it if you are close. I bought a suit at Stitched there about a year ago.

While I'm on some worsts: worst/least navigable hotel: MGM. Only reason to go there is for concerts in MGM Grand Garden Arena. They usually get the huge rock acts. The arena, interestingly, is an close-to-exact replica of The Garden in NYC. Hence the name.

Agree - Forum, Fashion Show, and Crystals are great. But to be really honest, they are all kind of the same to me :)

But when it comes down to it, what we really have to offer in Vegas is: quality food, quality music, quality gaming (in my case all poker-related) and the quality pursuit of the opposite sex. All of which can be accompanied by green tea.

...in a pyramid shape.

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Best high end meal in Vegas? For me, Picasso, Mixx and Bouchon

L'atelier de Joel Robuchon is also decent. And as I mentioned before, E by Jose Andres was mindblowing.

Have you guys been to Il Mulino inside Caesars Forum Shops 2? A stupendous Italian meal, huge and delicious. Interestingly, Caesars also has Raos, another NYC original with a giant rep. But Il Mulino is off the charts incredible.

Jon, I've never eaten at Mixx, how is it?

Awesome room, super sexy. The menu is a greatest hits of Alain Ducasse's restaurants from around the world.