The guy's guide to Las Vegas bachelor parties

BY MARK LA MONICA | mark.lamonica@newsday.com

March 2, 2008

The wave pool at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. (AP Photo)

Fifty years ago, with equal parts charisma and martinis, Frank Sinatra made Las Vegas. In 1996, Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau introduced that Vegas cool to a new generation with their movie "Swingers."

Now, it's a losing bet to see a group of friends living it up in Vegas and not saying "Vegas, baby, Vegas!" at least three times an hour.

And remember, what happens in Vegas ... gets written about here in the guys' guide to a Las Vegas bachelor party.

Some basic principles apply. Operate as if anything you want to do is one hand of cards away from happening, because it is. Want to order two bottles of Grey Goose at the club? Then bluff some tourist off his kings with your busted straight. Prefer to step up to a custom car rental instead of that überchick magnet Chevy Lumina? Then man up, split your 7s and doubledown on your 10 against the blackjack dealer's queen.

Gutsy moves, no doubt, but this is Las Vegas, and if you don't have a good story to regret when you finally (hopefully?) make it back to the office on Monday, then you did it all wrong.

But well before you embrace the lack of open container laws, you're going to need to know where to stay, where to party, where to eat and what fun stuff to do. Here goes:

HOTELS

So much goes into the proper selection of a hotel for a successful bachelor party: the pool, the scene, the rooms, the restaurants, the clubs. Weigh the pros and cons of each place before giving out the credit-card number. Your buddy made the biggest decision of his life to precipitate this bachelor party, so return the favor with smart hotel planning.

Rent suites instead of rooms. You get more space to sprawl out and the mini living room adds an unquantifiable dimension for the groom who wants to cherish hanging with his boys for "the last time." And when you all sit around to enjoy a predinner drink (Lee's Discount Liquors will deliver right to your hotel; (702-451- 0100), you'll appreciate the setup. Plus, it's more comfortable for three or four people to sleep in one suite than in one room.

Focus on the pool. A bad pool makes for a bad pool experience which makes for a bad bachelor party. You may not know it now, but once you crawl out of bed or off the floor in the morning, you're going to want action at the pool. You will all want a lounge chair, multiple bars, multiple poolside venues and optimal eye candy. Access to the water is secondary during a bachelor party. Swim-up blackjack, well, life occasionally deals us all a little perk. Be a man and splurge for the cabana. When you watch dozens of dudes do laps around the pool looking for an open lounge chair, you can laugh, drink and wave the checkered flag.

You need a good club in the hotel, as well. Not necessarily so you can go to it, but rather so when the night gets late, there's a nice spillover effect into the casino. You'd be surprised how fast a slow night can get at the hotel bar in the wee hours.

This decision should have nothing to do with price. All the hotels worth staying at charge relatively similar rates, so small differences get even smaller when split among a bunch of guys. Remember, that can be made up with one horn bet at the craps table.

The picks

Mandalay Bay (877-632-7800,mandalaybay.com)
Palms (866-942-7777, palms.com)
Wynn Las Vegas (877-321- 9966, wynnlasvegas.com)
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (800-473-7625, hardrockhotel.com)
MGM Grand (877-880- 0880, mgmgrand.com)
Caesar's Palace (866-227-5938, harrahs.com).

Guy's guide tip