Hi everyone! Just came back from Las Vegas this week and it was pretty amazing! It’s really something to see. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your trip to Vegas. My husband and I were there for 4 full days but 2 of which were spent at a Music festival so we did not have enough time to explore all we wanted to. We tried to do as much as we could but would have needed at least 3 full days of touring.

First impressions

The first thing you see after you get off a plane is slot machines. Vegas is all about getting the money from your pockets in theirs! There are a bunch of things to do but they can be pricey so you have to do your research and see what is worth spending on. It can get very expensive. We also noticed that Vegas is pretty clean and safe. We felt safe the entire time while there. Lots of security and police patrolling. However there are a lot of hustlers trying to sell you something. Mostly tickets to shows, clubs and attractions. We just said no thanks and walked away from all of them. We didn’t want to be swindled. All in all people were very nice and courteous and we had a fantastic time.

Here is a STEP BY STEP GUIDE that I followed when organizing this trip.

Step 1: Book flight and hotel

Package deals for your flight and hotel are the best way to go in my experience. Booking the 2 separate will cost a few hundred dollars more. Not even sure it’s worth it to use your points on the flight since the combo deals are so good. We found deals from about $500.00 CAD each for hotel and airfare from Montreal. There are numerous site out there you can check but I’ve had decent experiences with Expedia.ca (CAD$) and Priceline.com (USD$).

Step 2: Book insurance

There are a bunch of really cheap insurance companies if you check online. Sometime you can book through your site like Expedia or Priceline but you can get cheaper if you book through an outside company. On this site you can compare a few insurance companies in 1 shot from as low as 15$.

https://www.insurancehotline.com/travel-insurance-quotes/

Step 3: Book and transport to and from airport to hotel

Booking a shuttle is great because it is a set price and you know that price will not go up based on traffic or taking alternate routes. We booked with Bell Trans through Expedia and we were satisfied.

Step 4: Check for freebies, coupons and deals before hand

• Sign up for a Players card/ M life card and you can save at the participating 13 Vegas hotels. Check out the card here. https://www.mlife.com/en.html
• My Vegas game: I used some coupon sites as well as played the My Vegas game every day to get real rewards. You can use 3 vouchers maximum for each trip to Vegas. You can redeem the points for freebies like 2 for 1 buffet vouchers, tickets to shows and activities, 2 for1 drinks and the list goes on… Play the My Vegas app everyday on your cell (there are 4) and on facebook too. Find out more here: http://playstudios.com/
  

  
• Get Coupons for Vegas at the following sites:
• http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/las-vegas-coupons.htm
• http://www.destinationcoupons.com/nevada/las_vegas/las-vegas-restaurants.asp
• www.groupon.com
• https://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Las-Vegas/deals/?tz_cs=HPV1 (we used this)
• http://www.tix4tonight.com/
• http://www.destinationcoupons.com/nevada/las_vegas/las-vegas-hotel-promo-codes.asp

Step 5: Plan your trip around the FREE STUFF

Top Free things in Vegas (for locations, check out the map below)

1. Taking a picture with the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.
2. Walking though the Casinos and each hotel is free. But playing at the casinos will cost you.
3. Cosmopolitan hotel – Just walk around the main areas, lobby bar and casino. There are chandeliers and modern light fixtures everywhere. I would rate this one of the surprisingly prettiest hotels on the strip.
4. Bellagio hotel – fountains outside both in the day and at night
5. Bellagio – Chocolate waterfall
6. Bellagio – Glass ceiling in lobby
7. Bellagio – Conservatory. Animatronics, real and fake plants, flowers and trees inside.
8. Caesars’ Palace: Check out the architecture around pool area
9. Wynn – Smaller Outdoor fountain show also both in day and at night
10. Flamingo – Flamingos and birds along with plants and water elements (manmade water fall)
11. Mirage: Volcano eruption show outside at night as of 5pm, every half hour.
12. Treasure Island: look at the 2 boats out in front
13. Venetian: Watching the street performers/ live statues and admiring the art/ decor
14. Circus Circus: Free show every half hour about for 10 mins long. We saw 1 show. Pretty good.
15. Circus Circus: Entrance to the arcade is free. Really cool to walk around and see those old carnival games of your childhood. It was so fun! With a few bucks you could play a ton of games to win tickets and then redeem those tickets for prizes so you go home with something.
16. Freemont Street Experience: Free live music, street performers, crazy sights and old neon signs lit up.
17. Drink Free! Not really… The best way to drink for (nearly) free is to play the slots at older downtown casinos on Freemont where the play amounts are lower.
18. Free tram between the Mirage and Treasure Island.
19. Another Free tram between: Monte Carlo, Aria and Bellagio
20. A third free tram between Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur.

Links for more free things:

• http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/free-things-las-vegas
• https://www.vegas.com/attractions/free-attractions-las-vegas/

10 Tips to save $$$$ (I have lots of these)

1. Plan your trip during the week if you can as the prices increase for activities and buffets on weekends.
2. If you are 2 people, considering sharing a checked bag so you don’t have to pay the $25 bag fee 4 times. You will save 50$ or rely on carryon luggage only and save the fee altogether.
3. Transport: Book a shuttle form the airport to hotel. This way you don’t risk a taxi driver ripping you off or the price going up because of traffic.
4. Bus! Take the bus everywhere! Don’t kill yourself by walking from hotel to hotel because you will be doing a lot of walking on the inside. There are 2 buses that go up and down the strip and take you to old Vegas (Freemont) 8$ for a 24 hour pass.
5. Also take advantage of the free trams between certain hotels. Info here: http://www.lasvegas-how-to.com/free-tram.php
6. Get a coupon book at your hotel when you check in
7. Water: When you get to Vegas, stop the local CVS or Walgreen (pharmacies) and pick up a case of water bottles. We saved a bunch on water this way.
8. Beer/ Drinks! There is no open container law in Vegas so you can walk around with a drink pretty much anywhere! We picked up a case of beers and were able to fit some in our mini fridge (4 at a time) and take those on our walk down the strip.
9. Snacks: We brought some snacks from home. I recommend you eat a big breakfast, snack during the day and eat a dinner. This way you are only paying for 2 meals a day instead of 3.
10. Buy drinks during happy-hour and save $$$.

Top 10 highlights

1. People watching and talking to strangers. There are so many people from everywhere so it is interesting to watch them and strike up a conversation.
2. The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign
3. Sprinkles cupcake vending machine $4.50 a cupcake but worth every penny!
4. Freemont at night! Seeing all the Neon signs lit up was very memorable.
5. Watching from the outside as people got spanked on the ass with a paddle at the Heart Attack Grill for not finishing their food. It was hilarious. You could hear the spank from outside.
6. Playing at the arcade at Circus Circus
7. The buffet at the Bellagio. The food was the best!
8. Gordon Ramsey’s Burgr restaurant served us some of the best burgers we’ve ever tasted! Everything is made in house including the sauces and buns.
9. Had some BIG Beers at Tom’s Urban in the NYC hotel. 40 oz glass mugs. We got to sit and watch people whole getting a little tipsy.
10. Whiskey tasting at Vom Fass in the Venetian.

Burgr

Beer

Welcome sign

Whiskey

Buffet

Sprinkles

Freemont Experience

Freemont

Top 10 let downs

1. Everything costs you! They can bring you a fridge in any hotel but will cost you a daily charge of 25$ a day or more.
2. There is no in room coffee maker at the hotels. 😦 I called a few places and didn’t have any luck. They want you to buy coffee by the cup. We paid 4$ US a cup.
3. While smoking is not permitted in public spaces, they are allowed in Casinos. The Casinos smell pretty funky. The combination of smoke and sprays they use to cover it up can sting your eyes and make you sneeze.
4. Casino: penny slots. You are not really spending a penny because there was always a minimum of 15 cents or more to play. And to enter into the jackpot you need to be at least $1.35.
5. MGM has not had the lion habitat for the past 5 years. That was closed
6. There is no more sirens boat show at Treasure Island. That had been closed for 2 years.
7. The Mermaid bar was closed on the Tuesday night. Not sure why.
8. Minus 5 degree ice bar was not worth it for us. Being from Canada we are accustomed to the cold so this was not even cold. Not to mention we were the only people in the bar that cost 20$ a person to get. On top of everything drinks are extra.
9. Cannot really bargain. The people are very firm on price and do not really give you a deal. They know people are willing to pay full price.
10. Finally no windows in casinos, bars and most restaurants. We ate at 1 place that had a terrace so we got to people watch then and see the outside. In general we ate at restaurants inside Casinos so there were no windows. I like natural light so this was a downer.

Things we wanted to do (but didn’t have time left to do them)

1. Visit the Stratosphere (tallest hotels in Vegas with a kick ass view)
2. Eat sticky taffy at Serendipity
3. The pinball museum
4. Shopping! We did the basic souvenir shopping but didn’t really have time go into stores, browse and try on clothes. Wanted to visit Macys, Marshals Ross dress for less and the north and south outlets. Maybe next time.
5. The Ferris wheel (high roller) for the view
6. A pool party. They are supposed to be amazing. Be careful because some are open all year while some are not.
7. A night club. We were so tired by the end of the days that we had no energy to hit up a club. If we stayed 1 or 2 more days would have done this.

Noteworthy/ General Tips

• Ask your friends and family for recommendations on places to visit and restaurants to try.
• Be mindful of the RESORT FEE on top of your regular hotel price. You will be asked to pay this at the counter at check in. Fees range from $10.00 a night to $32.00. See full list here: http://www.lasvegasjaunt.com/las-vegas-resort-fees-2016-guide/
• Things are father than they appear. Because the hotels are so big, it takes a long time to get to each other.
• Stay hydrated
• There aren’t many healthy food options. You really have to look for something if you want to eat healthy. While all the food tastes great, most of it is prepackaged, deep fired, full of salt, sugar and fat. But who goes to Vegas to eat healthy anyways? lol
• Certain Hotels are connected so you can walk in air-conditioned comfort from: Bally’s to Paris, Bellagio to Vdara and Excalibur to Luxor to Mandalabay.

Things to bring!

• Comfortable shoes!!!! I brought heals and did not wear them once. We walked so much! It is a concrete city and hard on your feet.
• Sunscreen cause the sun is strong
• Sunglasses
• A watch cause there are no clocks to tell you what item it is! I forgot mine and regretted that.
• Portable chargers. You’ll be taking so many photos and videos with your phone or camera so bring backup chargers on the go.
• Tylenol for your hangover headache. Imodium or Pepto-Bismol to help with all the greasy food.

Conclusion

Las Vegas is really something! You have to see it at least once in your life. You can get pretty much whatever you want 24/7 a day. Food, drinks, entertainment… It truly is Disneyland for adults. My recommendations are to plan ahead, be safe and have fun! I will be sure to report back if I remember any other noteworthy tips.

XOXO

Amanda

Map

Other sites to check out for tips:

• http://urbantastebud.com/las-vegas-on-a-budget/

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