Las Vegas Vacation Blog Blog

Is it possible that a major motion picture released as recently as 1995 depicting the transformation of a major American city is already woefully outdated? In the closing moments of Martin Scorsese’s Casino, we see the implosion of iconic landmarks of old Las Vegas and the debris swept aside to make way for the mega properties of the future. Goodbye Sands and the Rat Pack, hello Mirage and Siegfried & Roy. Yet by Las Vegas standards, those sparkling hotels of the early 1990s are already beginning to fossilize and feel somewhat passé. They have been eclipsed by a galaxy of chic newer properties such as Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, Palazzo, and the ultramodern Aria and Cosmopolitan. Vegas construction is like Jennifer Love Hewitt’s dating life — a perpetual cycle of buildup, demolition, and more buildup.

I get it — Vegas is not for everyone. But for millions more, Vegas has us under some sort of hypnotic spell. Sure, the local economy has staggered in recent years, with record home foreclosures and unemployment, but Vegas tourism may finally be bouncing back. According to the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the city’s occupancy rate in pre-recession 2007 was 90 percent, with an average hotel room costing $132. In 2010, the occupancy rate was down to 80 percent, and the average room cost plummeted to $95 — a 28 percent decrease. Combined with 16,000 newly constructed hotel rooms since 2007, these lower occupancy rates and lower room costs, and the ensuing discounts and deals, brought more than 37 million visitors to Las Vegas in 2010, a notable increase from the 2009 level.

For those who have never experienced Las Vegas revelry, or haven’t returned in years, any existing preconceptions or prejudices may be amiss as “Sin City” continues to evolve and reinvent itself. Sure, there are constants. Gaming will always be the paramount draw, and the, uh, “personal entertainment industry” continues to thrive in southern Nevada, albeit technically illegal in Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County. For those seeking an affordable feast, there are myriad billboards directing you to the all-you-can-eat buffets and $5.99 prime rib.

But Las Vegas Boulevard, also known as the Strip, is now bracketed by some of the most lavish and fashionable resorts in the country. What a difference 20 years can make. Just across the street from the Mirage — built for a then-gaudy $630 million in 1990 — stands the Venetian, built a decade later for $1.5 billion. And a few doors down stands Vegas’ latest creation, the towering and sleek new Cosmopolitan, with a price tag of nearly $4 billion. Step inside, and you can see just how much Vegas has revolutionized. Celebrity chefs and Michelin stars are ubiquitous throughout these resorts, and most of the be-feathered showgirls have exited stage left, replaced by Cirque du Soleil, Broadway-quality productions of Phantom of the Opera and Lion King, and megastars such as Celine Dion and Garth Brooks.

That doesn’t mean that Vegas is verboten to anyone without an American Express black card. There are endless hotel, restaurant and entertainment options to fit almost all budgets. Vegas hotels are like the Kardashian sisters — they keep popping up, they’re always trying to one-up each other, and no one is quite sure how many of them there are. Just find the resort that is right for you. For anyone looking to maximize their Vegas visit, here are some (hopefully) helpful suggestions.
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If traveling around the strip, walking is a reasonable option as hotel-casinos are found close to each other. In fact in most cases, at least two hotels are connected to each other either by bridge or underground or in the case of Excalibur, Luxor and Malanday Bay, by a complimentary rail shuttle. Be aware that during the summer, the oppressive heat during the daylight hours may make walking a very uncomfortable activity. So if you don’t feel like walking or are staying at a hotel off the strip or better yet renting a home in Las Vegas here are some options:

he Las Vegas Monorail [11], +1 702 699-8200, runs on the east side of the strip with stops behind several of the hotels and at the Las Vegas Convention Center [12]. It costs $5 one-way, $9 return and $15 for a one-day pass. Do the math before boarding, it could be cheaper for a small group to take a taxi. Because the monorail stops at the back entrance of the hotels, it takes a long time to wind through the maze of casinos, often taking 30 minutes to an hour to get from one point to another on the Strip - if you’re in a hurry take a taxi.

Taxi

One of the easiest ways to get around is by taxi. It is relatively cheap to go from hotel to hotel. The cab driver is required to turn on the meter and to take the shortest route to your destination. There is a surcharge for rides originating at the airport, but not for extra passengers. Taxi lines (queues) are typically found at the front of hotels. You would be unwise to attempt to hail one on the street, especially on the Strip as it is illegal for a cab to stop traffic to pick up or drop off a passenger. The best way to hail a cab outside of a cabstand is to use the following method: if you are wanting to go north on the strip, stand on the east side about 20 feet before a turn off. The cab you want to wave over will have the yellow lights off. Standing like this allows the cab to turn off the road and pick you up. It is customary to tip the hotel taxi dispatcher $1 or more; tip the cab driver at least 15% of the meter, and about $1 per piece of luggage.

Renting a Car in Las Vegas

Renting a car at McCarran International Airport is fairly cheap and popular. The opening of the new rental car facility has increased the wait time to get your car. All the rental agencies are now located under a single roof and all use the same shuttle from the airport to the facility. There have been reports of an extra 30 min increase in the time it takes to pick up and/or drop off your vehicle, so please add this to any arrival and departure times so you won’t be late for anything important. Expect to pay about 50% more for your car rental due to recent tax increases.

Absolutely not! There are plenty of sites and attractions in Las Vegas to keep you busy on your vacation. And they don’t cost a dime.
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• Pack light. Experienced travelers always offer this advice, but rookies seldom heed it. Even if you’re staying in the same hotel for three weeks, packing light can prevent headaches. My father-in-law brought six bags for our three weeks of travel. He overpacked. Within days he had to pay to ship things home. Even I took too much: a small suitcase and a knapsack, both of which were crammed with stuff. In the future, I’ll take the knapsack, but when I use it as a carry-on, it’ll only have the essentials: a change of clothes, a book, and my iPod.
• Pack smart. Take items that serve double duty. Don’t carry stuff you can buy at your destination. (You can buy shampoo in London, you know.) Leave room in your bag to bring home things you purchase while on vacation. Don’t neglect your sanity — there are a few items I like to have with me at all times: earplugs, an eyemask, my iPod (with noise-canceling earphones), a book, and comfortable shoes. Armed with these essentials, I can be happy almost anywhere — even when stuck for eight hours in an airport terminal.
• Manage your money. Know which money source is best for each situation. I didn’t understand this, and was dinged with unnecessary fees. For example, you should know that Visa charges a 1% overseas usage fee regardless of whether you’re using debit or credit. Some cards waive this fee. If I had understood my accounts better, I would have used my credit card for most transactions — I would have received the best exchange rate and avoided a common fee. But because my credit card charges 3% to withdraw money from an ATM, I should have used my debit card to obtain cash. Some of this you learn with experience, but it never hurts to review your account policies before making a trip.

Check out this Las Vegas Rental home:

Now you can get a home like this in Las Vegas, in a gated community, for under $1,500 per month. That’s about $50 dollars a day! Of course, if you want some luxuries(e.g. a bowling alley) your going to have to pay a bit more.

My point being, if you are going to Las Vegas for any period of time longer than a week you should definitely consider renting out a home in Las Vegas. It’s private and it won’t do to much harm to your wallet.

Rent this Las Vegas rental home here.

With the economy in distress, there might be no cheaper time to Las Vegas than this winter as a sharp drop in demand forces airlines, hotels and cruise companies to slash fares, cut rates and lower fees.

In what might be a silver lining during a season of economic angst, travelers are finding some of the best deals in recent memory, from half-priced resorts to rock-bottom airfares.

An off-peak, round-trip ticket from O’hair International Airport to Las Vegass was selling for $244 last week, the lowest it had been in recent memory. No one could recall average fares to Hawaii falling below $300.

1.  Visit mid-week. Hotel rooms often cost three to four times as much on the weekends as during the week! Plus, with weekend crowds you’ll wait in line for everything. Mid-week visitors save tons of money and have a much better time.
2. Get a player’s card. Go to the Player’s Club desk at any casino you visit and sign up for a free player’s card, even if you don’t plan to gamble there. Then the casino will mail you offers for discounted or even free rooms on your next visit.
3. Don’t lose your shirt. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose. Set a budget for each playing session and if you lose it, stop playing.
4. Don’t play slot machines. They suck your money away hand over fist. See our crash course on table games to have a much better chance of winning.
5. Tip the dealers $5/hr. and the cocktail waitresses $1 every drink or two.
6. Ask for comps. When you play either slots or table games the casino will reward you with buffets, show tickets, or room discounts. Ask at the player’s club booth (slot players) or at the tables (table players) for how to claim your goodies. (more on comps)
7. Use the buses. The #108 goes from the airport to the Stratosphere and then to downtown, for only $1.25 — or pay $2.50 for a Day Pass and then ride the Deuce for only 50¢. The Deuce runs the whole strip and to & from downtown for only $2.00, or $5.00 for 24-hour all-you-can-ride pass, or only 50¢ if you got a day pass from the #108 bus.
8. Don’t try to get taxis on the strip. Taxis can’t stop directly on the strip; that’s why they’re passing you by. Go to the taxi area of the hotel to get one. Up to 4 people ride for the same price as 1; if there’s just 2 of you, don’t be afraid to yell out, “Anyone want to split a cab to [some casino]?” It doesn’t just save money, it’s eco-friendly.
9. Walk. The whole strip is four miles long and you could walk the whole thing in an hour and a half. When there’s traffic it’s the fastest way to get around.
10. Get Half-Price Show Tickets. You can get half-price tickets for most Vegas shows at one of the three booths on the Strip (just S. of the Riviera, outside the Fashion Show Mall across from the Wynn, and in the Hawaiian Marketplace across from the Monte Carlo), or downtown (outside the Four Queens).
11. Bank your winnings. Set aside half your win when you win big, and never gamble it, so you have a guaranteed win.
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