First, let me tell you that if you’re currently planning a trip to Las Vegas, I’m extremely jealous. It means you’ll be traveling to a city I love to explore and experience. It also means that you’re headed out on vacation, which is great in and of itself. My hope is that I can provide you with some tips to help with the planning process so that it’s not only a stress free affair, but will save you some money and be kind of fun as well. Let’s get started!
Choosing a Date
You’ll hear this advice on most travel sites, but being flexible is key if you’re looking to save on hotel and flight options. Typically speaking, July and December are the cheapest times to visit Las Vegas when it comes to room rates. July can be incredibly hot and the city usually sees quite a dip in conference attendees, while December is a notoriously slow tourist month because of the holiday season.
It’s no surprise that flights and hotel rooms are typically less expense during midweek dates. The cheapest room rates are had from Monday through Thursday. Airfare is a little different, as the least expensive flights are usually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Reason being, these days see a low volume of business travelers.
It’s difficult to find the perfect time to travel to any city. A Tuesday through Saturday trip to Vegas may be ideal for some. You’d find cheap room rates most days, but still get the excitement of a Friday night in Sin City. But a five day, four night trip may be too much for you. The typical stay for a Las Vegas tourist is four days and three nights, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visistor’s Authority. It’s all going to be based on your particular schedule and preferences. Good deals can still be had for the weekend warriors. It just means you may have to adjust other aspects of your trip, like…
Hotels
…choosing a hotel. Don’t rush this process and make your decision solely on rates and reviews. First, determine the purpose of your trip. Are you looking to spend a lot of time gambling? Are you a fan of the pool scene and want to spend most of your time there? Do you like taking in shows and other attractions, but like quiet nights? Figure out how you are likely to spend a majority of your time and go from there. If you pick a hotel based on price alone, you may be racking up a ton of extra costs simply getting around the city or gaining admission to other venues. For example, access to a pool at a different property can cost upwards of $20 per person, not to mention the cab ride there. Doing that daily can more than offset price differences on a cheap rate you found at a lower tier property.
Use travel search sites to help with price searches for multiple hotels. They make it easy to compare and do some price shopping. However, you may not want to use them to make the actual purchase. Many hotel pages will offer a lowest rate guarantee. In addition, you will earn tier credits with the particular property’s rewards program if you book directly on their site, which may not be the case with the generic travel sites. Some sites, like Vegas.com (off which I am affiliate for), offer a best rate guarantee, but don’t have the ability to reward you with property tier credits. If that’s not important to you, go ahead and book with one of those sites, but some like to maximize their points, so it’s not an option they take advantage of.
If it’s your first time to Vegas or you are thinking of checking out a new hotel, read some reviews to get a feel of the atmosphere, but take them with a big, heaping pile of salt. They can be a great way to hear from actual consumers and become aware of any potential, recurring customer service issues. However, some people are downright weird, as you can see in my “Ridiculous Reviews” post. One star reviews can wreak havoc on a property’s ratings, so be sure to read them and see if they are perpetual problems, or are the result of freak accidents and overbearing guests.
As you’ve probably heard, location and perspective can be deceiving in Vegas. Hotels seem like they may be close, but can actually require quite a jog to get to. Choose your hotel location with care. I’ve seen too many undeserved negative reviews of south Strip hotels because travelers didn’t realize how far away it actually is from center Strip. If you like their amenities and really want to stay at a south Strip property, go for it. There certainly are great choices. Mandalay Bay and Tropicana are two personal favorites. But if you’re looking to spend your time center Strip or even downtown, don’t bother trying to stay anywhere else. Here are some personal favorites based on location:
South Strip:
Mandalay Bay – Just a nice looking property with a great gaming floor.
Tropicana – Renovated and bright, which is different for Vegas.
Center Strip:
Flamingo – Lower room rates and decent pool scene.
Bellagio – Classic “new Vegas” and great gambling
North Strip:
The newly renovated and reopened Sahara, now SLS, will probably be your best bet in an area with limited options. The Riviera has planned renovations, but it may not be worth staying there until those are complete.
Downtown:
Downtown Grand – A nice looking new property with one of the better pools downtown, which isn’t saying much.
The D – A great gaming atmosphere and nicely renovated rooms.
Business Travel:
Westin Las Vegas – On Flamingo just off of the center Strip with smoke free rooms and a tiny casino.
These are just some suggestions based on my experiences, which may or may not be typical. I encourage you to explore other options to make the best decision possible.
Do flight and accommodation packages offer the best deals?
You may not like my answer, but it’s a “maybe”. Some claim that booking airfare and hotel reservations together give you the most bang for your buck, others say to refrain from doing this. Truthfully, like most things, it’s a mixed bag. There are certainly times in which you can save a decent amount of coin by bundling, but it may not always be the case. Simply put, you’re just going to have to do your due diligence on this one and compare prices accordingly. Travel sites are in abundance now, making this a relatively easy process. Just make sure you’re able to get all applicable quotes you need. A few select hotels and airlines don’t list their prices on travel search sites. For example, Southwest Airlines, a popular carrier in and out of McCarran International Airport, only allows you to book reservations on their own page.
Places to Eat
The idea of offering a suggestion or two is fairly daunting. There are an incredible number of top notch restaurants. You can walk into most resorts on the Strip and find an eatery established by a world class chef. My palate is certainly different than yours and yours different from those in the rest of your group. Most hotels offer dining options in every tier, from cafeteria food to fine dining. You’re in Vegas, so I say take a stroll and take a gamble. Honestly, people will give you their favorites, but us Vegas fanatics are a fickle bunch; our favorites change constantly. If you really need some feedback, you can head to vegas.eater.com for reviews or neonvacation.com to see a list of every restaurant in all the major resorts. Trust me though, randomly picking a decent restaurant in Vegas is a bet that seldom loses.
If you’d like to see the different offerings at each major resort, the NeonVacation.com restaurants page provides a collection of links for each property. It’s an easy way to do some quick research before your trip.
Gambling
If you’re looking for cheap gambling, the farther you get from the Strip, the lower the minimums will be. It’s not shocking. Think of when tourists step off a cruise ship at an international port. Prices are inflated dramatically for goods or services that can be had for much cheaper a few miles inland. Vegas, above all else, is a tourist destination with tourist prices. That’s not to say you can’t find $5 minimums on table games on the Strip, but to do so, you’ll have to gamble at non-peak times. It’s easiest to find these lower minimums in the morning and early afternoon and at certain properties.
It’s in the Downtown area where you’ll find the consistently low limits, some even into the evening hours. I’ve seen, at a few casinos, $5 blackjack and craps offerings at the 10 o’clock hour, which is prime time for weekend gambling. You may want to do some browsing to see if any casinos are offering “happy hour” gambling. These promotions will come and go. The Westin’s “Max” Casino has consistently offered happy hour gambling each day, including early bird $3 blackjack. These options can be great for new gamblers trying to learn the games as cheaply as possible.
If you are looking to try a new game on your next trip and want some details about general game play and basic strategy, I’d like to point you in the direction of the You Can Bet on That Podcast. Every two weeks the hosts discuss casino table games and tips along with some fun stories mixed in. You can find them on iTunes or via their personal app. It’s a great listen for the time leading up to your trip.
Shows
It’s no doubt that Cirque Du Soleil is an established mainstay in Las Vegas. They have shows at most MGM properties. The only non MGM property to house a Cirque show in Vegas is Treasure Island, where you can find the cryptic show Mystere performed nightly. But if Cirque isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of other entertainment options for you. Vegas is a revolving door of top level performers. There’s no point to listing who’s there now, as it changes weekly, but it’s not hard to find a theater or stage hosting a current pop star or classic rocker. This past weekend, Britney Spears was singing (?) and dancing on the strip, while Sammy Hagar was rocking out downtown. There’s virtually no end to the entertainment in Sin City. There’s a plethora of comedy clubs like the Improv at Harrah’s, magic acts like Penn & Teller at the Rio, or bizarre, yet highly rated shows like Absinthe at Caesars Palace. For discounted show tickets or just a list of current options, you can check out Vegas.com’s discounted show page.
Attractions
Despite what you may think, there’s much more to do in Vegas besides the usual eating, drinking, and gambling. You can take Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon tours, zip line down Fremont St., or check out any number of rotating exhibitions at the resorts. For a great rundown of all the different opportunities, you can check out the attractions page of Vegas.com.
Final Notes
This is by no means an exhaustive guide, but some friendly tips and hints. You’ll never get to everything you want to do in one trip, which is probably why so many of us return multiple times per year. While it’s good to have a tentative plan, don’t overbook yourself with an intense itinerary. Leave a decent amount of flex time; you’ll never know when something catches your eye or a fun opportunity presents itself, which happens quite often in Vegas. But most importantly, do what you want to do- make the trip your own. Just because a blogger or Vegas expert says they don’t enjoy something or wouldn’t partake in a particular activity, doesn’t mean you should necessarily stay away. Don’t be afraid to get goofy, like the time my buddies and I dressed as Elvis and rode mopeds up and down the strip. Trepidation should be left at the airport. My rules for Vegas are simply to tip well and drink and gamble responsibly. You do those things, you’re bound to have a good time.
Know yourself, know your budget, avoid the bunker!
photo credit: Tony Kent
