Las Vegas in March?

[dreamin]

Thinking of a trip to Vegas for Spring Break (March 28 - April 4). Plan to do a lot of day trips as on our last trip to Vegas in Dec/05 we spent all of our time walking the strip. I see that there is a lot to do within a 1-2 hour drive out of Vegas. Can we expect good weather at this time of the year? That is, warm enough to hike or spend a day at the Lake? I also hope to get a timeshare through Extra Vacations or Last Call, as I don't have enough points for this week. Can anyone predict if availability will be good during this week? Or would I be wise to look for a rental now? Any recommendations on your favourite Vegas timeshare? Thanks!

 

[dougp26364]

We're usually in town the second week of March (although we're skipping Vegas this year). The weather is generally pleasant enough. Some years it's good pool weather, most times it's a little chilly. Most of the time it's been somewhat windy.

We really enjoy this time of year as the weather is mild rather than blistering hot. Evening temps may require a lite jacket or long sleeved shirt but day time temps have been plenty warm enough for short and T-shirts.

Be aware that your dates should be getting close to the finals for college basketball. Vegas could be pretty busy about that time of year.

 

[califgal]

We were there last March for spring break which was the last week of March for us. The weather was beautiful, in the 80's.

 

[marsha77]

We were in Vegas the first week of March 2007 and the temp was in the mid 70's, much nicer than Illinois! We took a trip to Laughlin (sp?) & it was in the 80's there. Weather was great for us.

Marsha

 

[dreamin]

Thanks for your positive responses. It looks like weather won't be a problem. We'll still have a foot of snow on the ground here, so anything will be better than that! I don't understand the comment about the basketball season. I checked the schedule and no games are being played in Vegas. Do you mean that the college crowd will go to Vegas to watch the games being televised?? I'm going to go ahead and book my flights using my Airmiles before no seats are available. Then I might wait and watch to see which timeshares come available for that week. It appears that most of the RCI listings are off-strip and some quite a fair distance. I've never done a private rental but this might be the holiday that I explore that option.

 

[JamminJoe]

The NCAA Basketball Tournament is in March (March Madness). I would suggest as a good off-strip resort Grandview at Las Vegas, I am partial as I own there and will be there 3/13-3/20/2009. I enjoy being off-strip especiall during the day to relax but also to plan off-strip excursions. Grandview is on the south end of the strip, close to shopping and highways and an excellent casino right next door with bowling and a movie theater. I used this as a homebase and went to Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and Hoover Dam, all close drives. Have a great time.

 

[John Cummings]

As Joe said, it is College Basketball's March Madness which determines the national champion of College Basketball. This is one of the largest sporting events in the US. Las Vegas attracts a lot of people that will be betting on the games. Nevada is the only state in the US where people can bet on sports.

 

[Karen G]

Any recommendations on your favourite Vegas timeshare? Thanks!

Before we moved here, at one time or another we've stayed in all three HGVC properties, Desert Rose, Cliffs at Peace Canyon, Fairfield Grand Desert (now Wyndham, I think), and Grandview. I liked all of them and would stay at any of them again.

However, I have to agree with JamminJoe about the Grandview. I think the location is great next to the South Point, and freeway access is excellent now that they've opened the Silverado Ranch on/off ramp at the I-15. Since you plan to get a rental car anyway, you can easily get to any resorts on the Strip and they all have free garage parking.

Getting around the Las Vegas area is very easy. Get yourself a good map and you're good to go.

Edit to add: I just checked RCI Extra Vacations and there's a one bedroom at the Grandview for the dates you want.

 

[dreamin]

Going to Vegas in March!

Thanks for all your helpful posts. Today I confirmed the Grandview using RCI's Extra Vacations. The price dropped over $100. Got a one bedroom for $296 plus tax. I knew I couldn't beat that value! As some of you pointed out, the location will be good for day trips. We like the Strip but after 3 or 4 days it can be exhausting. We'll definitely spend most of our evenings there. I also reserved one night at the Kachina in Grand Canyon National Park. There were some very positive posts about selecting this hotel over the others. On the fatwallet.com website I learned about car rental deals offered through Simply Wheelz by Hertz. The service will be starting in the Vegas airport on November 1st. I got a full-size rental for 9 days for $202 (taxes incl.). Another good deal compared to what I've been able to find at the other car rental agencies. Apparently this is Hertz's self-service option using a kiosk in the airport. It's had good reviews in Orlando where the service originated. Airfares have been booked using Air Miles (direct flights from Winnipeg to LAS). I need a Saturday night hotel in Vegas for when we return from the Grand Canyon. Might be hard to find a deal on that one. Other than that, we're all set to go! I just wish I had stocked up on some US currency before our Canadian dollar dropped drastically last week! Thanks for all your helpful suggestions.