6/6 Vegas Tip: Where to Stay

Mini Tip: I’ve said before picking your hotel for Vegas is an important part of trip planning. If are staying on teh strip, and plan on doing lots of walking, your best bet is to pick a hotel in the middle of the strip. The Flamingo may get dissed becuase it is “older,” but it is still a great place to stay. Pricewise it is very reasonable. Even the budget traveler can score a deal if he/she books in advance. It is pretty much in the middle of the strip, and it has a fabulous pool. NO matter where you book your trip,  always check with the hotel to see their rates before you go to an online search.

Here is a review of a stay at the Flamingo:

Need an affordable, but still fabulous, place for your stay in Las Vegas? The Flamingo may be the answer. The Flamingo is a Hilton property located in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip. While some may say this older property is outdated and not as fancy as the other casino resorts on the strip, it is still a great place to stay.

It is in the middle of the strip, and many attractions are a short walk away. The Flamingo’s location really cannot be beat. It is in the middle of the strip, and many attractions are a short walk away. The resort itself has many restaurants and bars, but it is also right next door to two additional casinos (both are also owned by the Flamingo) with additional dining options. Bill’s Gambling Hall has 24-hour restaurant and 99 cent margaritas. O’Shea’s has a food court with a Subway, a pizza place, pasta place, and a Burger King.

The grounds of the resort are beautiful. There is a wildlife preserve filled with many interesting and unique animals, including flamingos, of course. The pool is a wonderful place to hang out during the day. It does get crowded, so if you want chairs, you better get their early. If the crowds and kids are not your thing, you can always opt for the “European Style pool.” You need to be 21 or older to get in and there is a $10 charge for men. Women get in free. Drinks are cheaper at this pool, so the $10 fee (for guys) can usually be made up in drink savings.

The rooms are excellent. We had a standard room for our stay, but some of our friends had the deluxe rooms and they had no complaints about those either. Some of my roommates thought the water in the shower wasn’t warm enough, but I didn’t have a problem. The room was plenty big (although cramped quarters for four girls who didn’t exactly pack light). We had a great view of the strip (Paris and the Bellagio) from our room. My only complaint was the housekeeping staff. On our second day we left the room early to sightsee. We put the “please make up our room early” sign out. When we returned to the room to get ready to go to the pool, the room was still not clean. However, we saw the housekeeping carts in the hall and figured we were next. An hour or so later I discovered the room was still a mess and the housekeeping carts were gone. I called housekeeping, and the woman told me that they had until 5:30 to clean all the rooms. I explained to her that the carts had been on our floor, but were now gone. Plus, we had the “please clean us early” sign in plain sight. I left again to do more sight seeing, and when I returned an hour and a half later, the room was finally done. We did not have an issue with it for the rest of our stay, but it was a concern.

Price-wise, The Flamingo was perfect. My advice is to book directly through the hotel and book as far in advance as you can. Prices jumped dramatically shortly after I booked our room, so you need to plan ahead! You can try to find better deals on the online travel sites. You may have some success, but the hotel does have some pretty decent specials. Plus, reservations made through the hotel are refundable.

 

  

Viva Las Vegas…Without Breaking the Bank

A trip to Las Vegas is something most everyone should do at least once. Before you go, there are some things you can do to make your trip fun and not put you in too much debt. It can be as easy as picking the right hotel to planning to do some research before you go.

For Vegas first timers, there is so much for you to see and do. A full three days should be sufficient to see it all. You can spend more days if you think you will need more time. However, you could save your hotel, steep food, and beverage costs; and, save it for another trip or take a trip to Hoover Dam instead. Three full days is probably the magic number for days in Vegas. Anything more than that can be a little over-kill. Be ready to do some walking, though. The strip does not seem that long, until you have walked about half of it on a nice 109 degree day. Things that look really close, in reality, may be quite a distance away.

Before you even book your hotel, you need to assess what things you would prefer. Each hotel has different amenities, perks, and bonuses. Maybe you would like something in the middle of the strip for its accessibility. Maybe you want a hotel that has a 24 hour restaurant. If you plan on spending your days by the pool, you need to find a hotel with a decent pool area. Do you want something on the strip, off strip, or on the old strip? The old strip is fun and the hotels tend to be cheaper. However, unless you plan on spending the bulk of your time there, it will not be cost effective. A cab ride, one-way, from downtown to the strip is about $20.00. Do that round trip more than once or twice, and you have made up the difference in what you saved. Some off strip hotels have free shuttles to the strip, but not all of them do. Make sure you know this before you book. Other people like to be in the middle of the action on the strip. Do your homework. When you are looking for the best deal, check the usual online vendors first, but also check with the hotel directly. They may have similar or better deals, and these reservations (unlike some other online sites like Priceline or Hotwire) are refundable.

What do you want to do once you get there? If you go to the Las Vegas Official Website, there are lists of must do’s and sees. They also have suggestions for any kind of traveler you can imagine, including the budget traveler. Find out what attractions there are and how much each of them costs. Many of the attractions are free, but it is good to know which ones are before you plot out your day. If you want to see shows while you are in Vegas, check out the site for possible discounts and specials. If you want to go to the clubs, the site offers a link to a legit site that offers VIP passes. Some clubs have special nights where they offer their passes for free, or you can buy packages that will save you money on cover charges. The earlier you check into these discounts, the better your chances are of finding a great deal.

If you gamble, plan ahead. Set aside a certain amount of money that is designated for gambling. If it is built into your budget, you do not have to worry about over spending and not being able to afford the taxi back to the airport…or food for that matter.

Speaking of food, meals do not have to kill your budget. If you look in the right places, you can find reasonable (well for Vegas) prices. My usual plan of attack is to get something cheaper for lunch, so if I choose to go to a buffet or a nicer place for dinner, I’m not spending $40+ a day on food. There is a Chipolte, Panda Express, McDonalds, and a Denny’s on the strip. There are also hidden gems, like the food court in O’Shea’s Casino (located right next to the Flamingo). Yes, the prices may be steeper than you are used to back home, but you can still get a slice of pizza and a drink for $3.50.

Now, here is a bit on alcohol. If you go to the clubs, plan on it being at least $10 for a drink. Drink prices are more than most of us are used to. You can still find deals here and there. If you are hard pressed for cash, Sanctuary, a club held at the Krave lounge on Friday nights (next to Planet Hollywood), has $2 drink specials on well drinks before midnight and $5 specials after that. Also, there are some liquor stores in the area. You can always mix up your own drinks!

Las Vegas is a great place to vacation, even if you do not have a huge budget! It just takes some planning and preparation.

Las Vegas Mini Tip

When you are planning your first big trip to Las Vegas, it may should like you need to spend five days to a week three to see it all.  Really, you should be able to do it all in three days.  Five days is just overkill, and you will be out of things to do before the trip is over.  Stick to three…at most four days, and you have a much more pleasant trip.