Enjoying Vegas on a Budget – Part 5: Entertainment

I recently returned from a weekend-long vacation in Las Vegas. Over the past few days I’ve been discussing inexpensive ways to enjoy Vegas from the airfare, car rental, lodging and food and today talking about entertainment.  There is never a shortage of entertainment in Las Vegas. Whether its people watching on the strip or on Fremont Street, taking in a show, watching a bride and groom and their wedding party celebrate the joyous occasion. Entertainment

I was never one for shows in Las Vegas. When I first turned 21 all I wanted to do was gamble. As I got older my interest turned from gambling to the shows. Shows can be very expensive if purchased directly from the box office. A website that I stumbled upon several years ago has saved me money and allowed me to see shows that 1) I never knew they existed or 2) shows that I normally wouldn’t watch.  This website www.vegas4locals.com offers coupons for shows, dining and nightlife, tours, attractions, hotel, health and wellness, shopping, wedding and event and services and products.

Some examples of the savings from this website include free ticket to a show with a two drink minimum or 2-for-1 admission. If it’s a 2-for-1 admission my fiancée and I will split the cost of the one ticket, let’s say $50, whereas we both only pay $25. We’ve seen everything from magic shows, impersonator shows, game shows, and so on…shows we normally would not see.  Another great website is www.cheapovegas.com/promo-shows. This website offers percentages off shows such as Jabbawockeez, Cris Angel, Rock of Ages, O, and Love.

Additionally, upon check in at your hotel ask the clerk at the front desk for coupons or show specials. Many hotels also offer 2-for-1 show deals or dramatically reduced show rates.

Here are some other free entertainment options in Las Vegas:

• The Aquarium at the Silverton
• Bellagio Conservatory
• CBS Television City Research Center at MGM Grand
• Circus Acts at Circus Circus
• Ethel M Chocolate Factory
• Hershey World at New York New York
• Fall of Atlantis at Caesars
• Fountains of Bellagio
• Freemont Street Experience
• Liberace and the Art of Costume at The Cosmopolitan
• M&M’s world
• P3 Studio at the Cosmopolitan
• Grand Canal Shoppes
• Sunset Stampede at Sam’s Town
• Volcano at The Mirage
• Welcome to Las Vegas sign – I recommend going at 4:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. We went and not a soul was out there.
• Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo
• Shops at the Stratosphere

Whatever you may choose to do in Vegas I know you will have a memorable time and save money for your next trip!

Enjoying Vegas on a Budget – Part 4: Food

I recently returned from a weekend-long vacation in Las Vegas. Yesterday I discussed the lodging options of my trip with much needed advice on watching out for bed bugs at these hotels…gross!  Today I am discussing food options. Food

When I first started going to Las Vegas I was about fourteen years old…a long, long, long time ago! I remember seeing advertisements on the strip for $2.99 steak and eggs. Those days on the strip are long gone. Most modern hotels now have expensive eateries with weird food or expensive buffet options. Most buffet prices range from $16 for lunch to $35 for dinner (A listing of buffet and prices can be found at http://govegas.about.com/od/dining/a/lvbuffet.htm). I cannot justify spending that much money on lunch for one person. Food can be found inexpensive in the city but you must search for it.

Palace Station (2411 W. Sahara Ave, 702-367-2411) offers a yummy buffet at the low cost of $5.99 for breakfast, $6.99 for lunch, $7.99 for dinner and a Sunday champagne brunch for $8.99. This affordable buffet is all possible with a “boarding pass” players card. Sign-up is easy and takes no time at all. With many different food options everyone in your party is satisfied.

If you have the ability to leave the strip and head to North Las Vegas many casinos, known as “the locals casino” still offer steak and eggs for $3.99, prime rib for $5.99. Two restaurants in particular Cadillac Jacks located in the Opera House Casino (2542 N. Las Vegas Blvd, 702-649-8801) and Maddy’s Paddy Cafe in the Poker Palace (2757 N. Las Vegas Blvd, 702-649-3799) offer great menu selections from breakfast, sandwiches, large size entrees not exceeding $7.99. These dishes are delicious and fun.

If you cannot leave the strip the website www.restaurant.com is perfect for buying gift certificates to restaurants located inside the hotels. For a $25 gift certificate you only pay $10.00 and can get up to $25.00 worth of food. After the first time purchasing from this website they send promotional codes for even greater discounts.

Food is in abundance in Vegas…just watch out for the excellent discounts!  Check back tomorrow as I discuss great places to find discounts on entertainment in Sin City.

Photo credit: www.tripadvisor.com

Enjoying Vegas on a Budget – Part 3: Lodging

I recently returned from a weekend-long vacation in Las Vegas. On Friday, I discussed the transportation portion of my trip and gave rental car options and bus options.  Today I am discussing lodging options. Lodging

There is an abundant amount of lodging options in the city of Las Vegas. I love to stay at hotels. I love it so much that my fiancé and I used to do “stay-cations” at home in Denver that was until recently when a work colleague gave me a website-The Bedbug Registry, www.bedbugregistry.com. This website is now a basis for where I will stay at any hotel. Not only do I look at the Bedbug Registry but I also rely heavily on the reviews from www.tripadvisor.com.

I usually use www.hotels.com for booking my hotel rooms. On this trip, however, this website was outrageously priced for the hotel I wanted to stay in – The Stratosphere. I love the Stratosphere. It is far enough away from the strip that it’s not so busy, yet it’s clean and convenient to access by car.

I suggest signing up for hotel promotions through their websites to once again learn of secret or upcoming sales. I received an email from the Stratosphere offering better rates than hotels.com. I usually use hotels.com or any other third party sites to obtain points towards free stays.  In my experience hotels.com offers the best rewards program that is easily redeemable and in a quick turnaround time. On this trip I had booked my room at the Stratosphere using the company’s website and promotion directly.

That was until I saw a commercial from www.trivago.com. I decided to do a search to see if I was getting the best rate. To my surprise, the Trivago website offered the same exact room at $170 less than the best rate I could find. Hotels typically rise in price from Tuesday through Thursday. On Friday they tend to drop in price especially if you are looking to stay at the hotel over the weekend. Hotels would rather sell a room at a lower cost than receive $0 and the room remains empty. Last-minute deals can work in your favor only if there is not a convention or sell-out of the hotel. I would not recommend waiting until the last minute to book a hotel unless it’s a quick staycation.

Once again it all depends on the days of the week and time of the year you are traveling to Vegas. Summertime rates soar while it is less in the Fall and Wintertime. Also be on the lookout for major conventions taking place in the city as that will increase the price of hotels based on the demand. Because I was arriving on a Wednesday and staying through Monday I was able to get the hotel for $27/night as opposed to arriving Thursday which would have made the rate $178/night.

Enjoying Vegas on a Budget – Part 2: Transportation

I recently returned from a weekend-long vacation in Las Vegas. Yesterday I discussed the airfare portion of my trip and gave tips to obtain inexpensive airfare and unannounced fees. Transportation

Maneuvering around Vegas can become very expensive using a taxi service. During my trip I had to get from the Bellagio to Planet Hollywood (which is directly across the street). A $9.00 taxi ride later I was at my destination.

If you are not afraid to drive in Vegas I strongly recommend renting a car. The two best websites to find cheap cars are www.kayak.com and www.carrentals.com. On both sites you enter in your travel dates and times and they go out and search the internet for the best rates. Yesterday I mentioned that third party sites tact on an extra amount to cover their fee.  For car rentals I have found that the price shown on the third party website is less expensive than going directly to the car rental website.

After the car is booked and confirmed I scour the internet for car rental coupons. Most car rental companies offer coupons for free upgrades. The website www.retailmenot.com is excellent for coupon codes and links to these types of coupons. I can’t guarantee this next tip but it has happened a handful of times…depending on how late you arrive in the city the rental company is out of certain car types due to the demand, especially for compact to standard sized cars. When this occurs the company has always given us a larger sized car. That is why we prefer to fly in later in the evening but still pay the rate for a smaller car.

If you prefer to travel around Vegas on foot I recommend buying a $7.00 bus pass. This pass allows a 24-hour access on the strip route. You can enter and exit at free will. This option is great for sight-seeing and takes away the stress of driving. We all know how crazy people can drive on the strip. If you get on the bus at the beginning or ending of the line (Tahiti Village or Stratosphere) you have an excellent chance of riding on the top deck to really get in some great sites and pictures!

Come back on Monday as I discuss lodging options in Vegas and how I scored a great deal at a great hotel.

Enjoying Vegas on a Budget – Part 1: Airfare

I recently returned from a weekend-long vacation in fabulous Las Vegas. Vegas is reasonably inexpensive if you know how to maneuver about the city and enjoy all the economical excitement the city has to offer. Over the next few days I’ll be sharing some of my many ways I enjoyed Vegas on a budget. Airfare

As soon as you have the dates available for your trip start shopping the internet. I suggest at this very moment to sign up your email through the airlines website even if at this time you have no plans to travel. This simple step gives you access to upcoming announcements on private and public sales and furthermore creates a profile to gain points from trips.

Additionally, look at your trip and decide if you can go into the city a day earlier. By flying in on a Wednesday as opposed to a Thursday or Friday I was able to get an awesome sale rate of $69. Before purchasing, I always do at least two more searches – www.expedia.com and www.kayak.com.  If for some reason one of those searches comes back at a better rate I go directly to the airlines website and purchase directly from the website. Third party websites tack on a $20-30 increase in price to cover their fees.

And finally, search your trip as a roundtrip and then as one-way fares. Sometimes it is less expensive to do one-way flights into and out of the city as opposed to a roundtrip. If you are up for it, one-ways on different airlines can save you extra money for gambling! Most importantly, read the fine print for the airlines on their baggage policy. Some airlines allow two free bags (Thank you Southwest!), while most other airlines charge a fee for checked bags and sometimes carry-on bags. Also, some discount airlines charge an extra fee on bags over 40-50 pounds with an outrageous fee at the counter as opposed to paying the fee while checking in online. You can save at minimum $10 paying for the bag online during check-in than at the counter.

The time of year and timing of the flight (very early, very late vs. mid-day), and any connecting flights will also play a role in the cost of the flight. Check back tomorrow as I discuss low-priced transportation options.