Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Enjoy the amenities of Las Vegas without spending a fortune
Anthony Curtis, editor of the Las Vegas Advisor travel newsletter (www.LasVegasAdvisor.com) and longtime authority on bargains in Las Vegas, shares his secrets with USA TODAY on how to get more out of Vegas than Vegas gets out of you.
Spend less, win more: Vegas offers one of the most economical vacations available.
This year, Las Vegas is on pace to host more than 38 million visitors — more than any other destination in the world.
That this city is still to gamblers what the Super Bowl is to football fans has a lot to do with that, but today, its allure goes much further. Super shopping, dazzling shows, five-star restaurants and trendy nightlife all help attract the crowds.
As Vegas' revenue stream diversified in the past decade, prices have been rising, especially in the last few years. But with nearly 90 casinos and more than 135,000 rooms competing for visitors, Las Vegas continues to offer one of the most economical vacations available — if you know how to play it. Following is a look at some of the best deals in Bargain City.
Basic lodging strategy
For the best rates on a room, you have to move away from the Strip.
Look for deals at one of the resorts located just off the Strip. Rates fluctuate by season and day of the week, but finding rooms in the $50 range Sunday through Thursday is often possible.
Strong prospects (in order of size) include: the Las Vegas Hilton, Orleans, Palace Station, Gold Coast and Terrible's. Two great sleepers in this class are the all-suite Tuscany and the Stratosphere. Sam's Town, Boulder Station and Sunset Station are a few miles farther away, but all are excellent resorts with low-priced rooms.
Don't forget downtown, where rates at casinos such as the Las Vegas Club, Four Queens and the Plaza can dip below $40 per night midweek. The downtown casinos are older, but they're full-service resorts, and many have recently upgraded rooms. The classiest accommodation downtown is at the Golden Nugget. It costs a little more, but it's worth it.
Landing the best room deal depends on your diligence. These days, consolidators and discounters are all over the Internet, and shopping them can lead to some fantastic bargains.
After conducting comparisons at LasVegasAdvisor.com, we've found a couple that yield consistently good results.
If you prefer full service, Las Vegas-based TripReservations.com has both a strong inventory of discounted rooms (Palace Station was $24 per night recently) and reliable customer service. (One great benefit of discounters is overstock specials. Last November, for example, an overstock at TripReservations prompted a room rate at the Orleans of $9 per night.)
For do-it-yourselfers, search engine Travelaxe monitors rates offered by nearly two dozen major online travel companies. Once you find a deal there, you can book it immediately at no additional charge. Be aware, however, what you gain in price, you give up in flexibility. Changing reservations made through second-party discounters often comes with a penalty, and the situation can be compounded by the third-party aspect of Travelaxe. For price and flexibility, grab a list of toll-free Las Vegas hotel numbers and start dialing.
Bargain bites
Eating good food cheap is a rite of passage for every visitor to Las Vegas, which is home to hundreds of dining deals.
The best meal deal in town is the little Ellis Island Casino. This place isn't featured in the travel guides, but it serves a filet-cut sirloin with salad, potato, vegetable and rolls 24 hours a day for $4.95. Dine during off hours to beat the lines.
This special is just one of three good off-the-menu deals in the area. Terrible's offers a half-chicken dinner that'll easily feed two for $4.95 and a complete T-bone steak dinner and a beer for $7.95 (join the casino slot club and get $3 off), while the nearby Hard Rock Casino has a $7.77 steak-and-shrimp special. Both are available in the coffee shops 24 hours a day, but you have to ask for them.
Across the street, Key Largo serves the best burger deal in town — a half-pounder with the works and a plate full of fries for $1.99.
Las Vegas' famous buffets remain a good value, and $10 smorgasbords dot the landscape, but some pricier deals might attract your interest. About $25 can buy you an unlimited quantity of shellfish, sushi and prime rib. The top gourmet buffets are at the Bellagio, Paris, Aladdin and Mirage.
Each is spectacular, so rely on price to decide. The Mirage and Aladdin are currently priced $5 to $15 below the others, with dinner at $22.50 and $23.99, respectively. Check out the dim sum station, available during all meals (even breakfast) at the Mirage and the Aladdin's Middle Eastern station.
For an end-of-vacation splurge, try the Sunday champagne brunch in the Broiler at Boulder Station, with its seafood, salad, omelet and one-of-a-kind potato-pancake bar for $19.99.
For a big night out, head to one of Las Vegas' great bargain gourmet rooms. These venerable restaurants are known for their sunken booths, old-time maitre d's and super deals on steaks, prime rib and crab legs. Check out the Plaza's Center Stage (with its view of Fremont Street), Gold Coast's Cortez Room, Roberta's at El Cortez and the Yukon Grilles at Arizona Charlie's Decatur or Boulder. Order appetizers and drinks and still get out for less than $50 per couple.
For snacks, try Golden Gate's famous 99¢ shrimp cocktail, Gold Coast's 75¢ hot dogs that come with onions and sauerkraut, and just about anything from Wild Wild West's little-known coffee shop just off the Strip.
Showtime
Shows featuring Celine Dion, Danny Gans and Cirque du Soleil are stunning spectacles, but they'll also stun wallets to the tune of about $100 a ticket.
A more frugal move is to take advantage of Las Vegas' terrific afternoon minirevues, which can feature big talent in big rooms at small prices — usually less than $20. They include the Mac King show at Harrah's, The Magic of Rick Thomas at the Tropicana and the Ronn Lucas show at the Rio. Rack rates for these shows are $19, $23 and $28, respectively, but discounts are available everywhere.
Both King and Lucas can be seen for $6.95 by securing the proper coupons. Get Mac King coupons, for example, by signing up for Harrah's slot club or look for Harrah's casino employees handing them out. With coupons, a couple can see all three shows — a different one each day — for less than $60.
Several shows now play for free, usually for a one-drink minimum. One of the best is the Thom Kaz hypnotist show, which splits time during the week between Palace Station and Sunset Station. The Sahara's Divas of Comedy and the noon Dueling Pianos, playing daily at the Riviera, are both free.
A trio of shows play at downtown's Fitzgeralds for the price of a $5 drink. You can also see the famous free spectacles around town such as the Mirage volcano, Bellagio fountains, Rio Parade in the Sky and, best of all, the Fremont Street Experience's retooled light show, featuring a cast of 12.5 million light-emitting diodes.
Commemorate your trip with a souvenir photograph from the Imperial Palace. Show up in front of the casino between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., have your picture snapped in an antique car, and pick up the photo immediately at the slot club booth inside — it's free.
Monorail
Las Vegas' latest big thing was the unveiling of the Strip monorail in July, though it's had more than its share of problems since opening; it's closed pending major repairs, but it figures to eventually be a big part of the city's transit system.
Tickets cost $3 one way. Since a two-ride ticket is $5.50, you can save 50 cents by buying a round trip, the most economical way to go to one station, then return. For more rides, consider the $10 all-day pass.
For multiple-day use, 10 rides cost $20 and a three-day pass is $25. Children 5 and under are admitted free; carry them through the turnstile on your ticket.
Anthony Curtis, editor of the Las Vegas Advisor travel newsletter (www.LasVegasAdvisor.com) and longtime authority on bargains in Las Vegas, shares his secrets with USA TODAY on how to get more out of Vegas than Vegas gets out of you.
Spend less, win more: Vegas offers one of the most economical vacations available.
This year, Las Vegas is on pace to host more than 38 million visitors — more than any other destination in the world.
That this city is still to gamblers what the Super Bowl is to football fans has a lot to do with that, but today, its allure goes much further. Super shopping, dazzling shows, five-star restaurants and trendy nightlife all help attract the crowds.
As Vegas' revenue stream diversified in the past decade, prices have been rising, especially in the last few years. But with nearly 90 casinos and more than 135,000 rooms competing for visitors, Las Vegas continues to offer one of the most economical vacations available — if you know how to play it. Following is a look at some of the best deals in Bargain City.
Basic lodging strategy
For the best rates on a room, you have to move away from the Strip.
Look for deals at one of the resorts located just off the Strip. Rates fluctuate by season and day of the week, but finding rooms in the $50 range Sunday through Thursday is often possible.
Strong prospects (in order of size) include: the Las Vegas Hilton, Orleans, Palace Station, Gold Coast and Terrible's. Two great sleepers in this class are the all-suite Tuscany and the Stratosphere. Sam's Town, Boulder Station and Sunset Station are a few miles farther away, but all are excellent resorts with low-priced rooms.
Don't forget downtown, where rates at casinos such as the Las Vegas Club, Four Queens and the Plaza can dip below $40 per night midweek. The downtown casinos are older, but they're full-service resorts, and many have recently upgraded rooms. The classiest accommodation downtown is at the Golden Nugget. It costs a little more, but it's worth it.
Landing the best room deal depends on your diligence. These days, consolidators and discounters are all over the Internet, and shopping them can lead to some fantastic bargains.
After conducting comparisons at LasVegasAdvisor.com, we've found a couple that yield consistently good results.
If you prefer full service, Las Vegas-based TripReservations.com has both a strong inventory of discounted rooms (Palace Station was $24 per night recently) and reliable customer service. (One great benefit of discounters is overstock specials. Last November, for example, an overstock at TripReservations prompted a room rate at the Orleans of $9 per night.)
For do-it-yourselfers, search engine Travelaxe monitors rates offered by nearly two dozen major online travel companies. Once you find a deal there, you can book it immediately at no additional charge. Be aware, however, what you gain in price, you give up in flexibility. Changing reservations made through second-party discounters often comes with a penalty, and the situation can be compounded by the third-party aspect of Travelaxe. For price and flexibility, grab a list of toll-free Las Vegas hotel numbers and start dialing.
Bargain bites
Eating good food cheap is a rite of passage for every visitor to Las Vegas, which is home to hundreds of dining deals.
The best meal deal in town is the little Ellis Island Casino. This place isn't featured in the travel guides, but it serves a filet-cut sirloin with salad, potato, vegetable and rolls 24 hours a day for $4.95. Dine during off hours to beat the lines.
This special is just one of three good off-the-menu deals in the area. Terrible's offers a half-chicken dinner that'll easily feed two for $4.95 and a complete T-bone steak dinner and a beer for $7.95 (join the casino slot club and get $3 off), while the nearby Hard Rock Casino has a $7.77 steak-and-shrimp special. Both are available in the coffee shops 24 hours a day, but you have to ask for them.
Across the street, Key Largo serves the best burger deal in town — a half-pounder with the works and a plate full of fries for $1.99.
Las Vegas' famous buffets remain a good value, and $10 smorgasbords dot the landscape, but some pricier deals might attract your interest. About $25 can buy you an unlimited quantity of shellfish, sushi and prime rib. The top gourmet buffets are at the Bellagio, Paris, Aladdin and Mirage.
Each is spectacular, so rely on price to decide. The Mirage and Aladdin are currently priced $5 to $15 below the others, with dinner at $22.50 and $23.99, respectively. Check out the dim sum station, available during all meals (even breakfast) at the Mirage and the Aladdin's Middle Eastern station.
For an end-of-vacation splurge, try the Sunday champagne brunch in the Broiler at Boulder Station, with its seafood, salad, omelet and one-of-a-kind potato-pancake bar for $19.99.
For a big night out, head to one of Las Vegas' great bargain gourmet rooms. These venerable restaurants are known for their sunken booths, old-time maitre d's and super deals on steaks, prime rib and crab legs. Check out the Plaza's Center Stage (with its view of Fremont Street), Gold Coast's Cortez Room, Roberta's at El Cortez and the Yukon Grilles at Arizona Charlie's Decatur or Boulder. Order appetizers and drinks and still get out for less than $50 per couple.
For snacks, try Golden Gate's famous 99¢ shrimp cocktail, Gold Coast's 75¢ hot dogs that come with onions and sauerkraut, and just about anything from Wild Wild West's little-known coffee shop just off the Strip.
Showtime
Shows featuring Celine Dion, Danny Gans and Cirque du Soleil are stunning spectacles, but they'll also stun wallets to the tune of about $100 a ticket.
A more frugal move is to take advantage of Las Vegas' terrific afternoon minirevues, which can feature big talent in big rooms at small prices — usually less than $20. They include the Mac King show at Harrah's, The Magic of Rick Thomas at the Tropicana and the Ronn Lucas show at the Rio. Rack rates for these shows are $19, $23 and $28, respectively, but discounts are available everywhere.
Both King and Lucas can be seen for $6.95 by securing the proper coupons. Get Mac King coupons, for example, by signing up for Harrah's slot club or look for Harrah's casino employees handing them out. With coupons, a couple can see all three shows — a different one each day — for less than $60.
Several shows now play for free, usually for a one-drink minimum. One of the best is the Thom Kaz hypnotist show, which splits time during the week between Palace Station and Sunset Station. The Sahara's Divas of Comedy and the noon Dueling Pianos, playing daily at the Riviera, are both free.
A trio of shows play at downtown's Fitzgeralds for the price of a $5 drink. You can also see the famous free spectacles around town such as the Mirage volcano, Bellagio fountains, Rio Parade in the Sky and, best of all, the Fremont Street Experience's retooled light show, featuring a cast of 12.5 million light-emitting diodes.
Commemorate your trip with a souvenir photograph from the Imperial Palace. Show up in front of the casino between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., have your picture snapped in an antique car, and pick up the photo immediately at the slot club booth inside — it's free.
Monorail
Las Vegas' latest big thing was the unveiling of the Strip monorail in July, though it's had more than its share of problems since opening; it's closed pending major repairs, but it figures to eventually be a big part of the city's transit system.
Tickets cost $3 one way. Since a two-ride ticket is $5.50, you can save 50 cents by buying a round trip, the most economical way to go to one station, then return. For more rides, consider the $10 all-day pass.
For multiple-day use, 10 rides cost $20 and a three-day pass is $25. Children 5 and under are admitted free; carry them through the turnstile on your ticket.
