• LV's McCarran International (LAS) is the 8th busiest Airport in the U.S. and number 23 in the world, with 41.7 million passengers
• 79 percent of McCarran's departures and 82 percent of arrivals are on time, the average departure delay is 52 minutes and arrival delay is 50 minutes, and cancellations are at 0.6 percent
• McCarran Airport is only two to four miles southwest of most Las Vegas Strip hotels
• Metered taxi fares to major hotels on the Strip cost approximately $15–$25. A consolidated car-rental center is three miles from the terminal and is accessed by shuttle bus. ScottyVegas always rents a car.
While perusing the web I happened to stumble upon this site which I thought you might find interesting. So here’s the deal, Vegas Deals by Text allows you to sign up to receive various offers, that you select, to your cell phone through text messaging or by email. From the looks of things it appears, my impression anyways, that this site is fairly new. Regardless, offers are available in the following categories:
Casino offers – rooms, drinks, dinning!
Discounted show tickets!
Special night club events and discounts!
Golf offers and more!
Sign up procedures for offers vary. Some you do directly on Vegas Deals by Text, others you need to text a message from your phone, while others direct you to another site which is usually the resort or show offering location itself.
Here are some examples of offers you can expect:
“2 for 1 drinks @ Harrahs Flamingo IP or Osheas Bars. Redeem txt @ TR or Players Club.”
“2 for 1 tickets to George Wallace or Vinnie Favorito. Redeem @ TR or Players Club Booth.”
“Rooms from $59 w/ Free 24 hr WiFi, 2 inner tube rentals, & $35 activity credit! Use code INB284 to book now 800-639-9398 or http://m.mgmgrand.com“
“OVERSEED IS COMPLETE! Book tee times online starting at $30 for play on or before Oct. 1st.”
“Show this text at Hooters Casino to receive free ticket to Todd Paul with purchase of drink. Must be at least 21.”
So if you are planning a Vegas trip, why not sign up and save some money? I did, and will post in comments any offers I receive or take advantage of.
Air Carrier: Spirit Air, $38.50 per person (taxes and fees included), round trip, non-stop through the Spirit Air’s $9 club.
Tip: If you are a Spirit Air MasterCard holder you can board the plane with first class regardless of zone. This is handy as overhead storage fills up quickly and by boarding early it almost guarantees you storage over your seat.
Rent a Car: Dollar Rent a Car, $10/day, $46.95 Total for trip (taxes and fees included).
Tip: Dollar Express member (Free membership) allows you to avoid the long lines at the counter. Basically get in the car and drive.
Hotels:
The Wynn Hotel, Thursday, January 22, 2009, $119 (with taxes and fees) received $150 in free play. Direct email promotion from Wynn.
New York New York, Friday and Saturday, $69/night or $150 total with taxes, received $25 in free play, 20% off select restaurants. Direct email promotion from New York New York.
Thursday
This time around, my wife and I had a night flight. We departed Detroit Metro at 8:10pm and arrived in Vegas at 9:50pm (Vegas time) in the rain, yes rain. After we picked up our car (Dodge Caliber) we drove directly to the Wynn Hotel to check in. Thursday night we basically hung out at the Wynn and went over to the Encore (opened 12/2008) to check it out. Both properties are fantastic! It’s amazing how everything is so well thought out. Self parking is right off of Las Vegas Blvd, Registration was a breeze and very fast. The elevators to our room were right off the casino floor, always a huge plus in my book. Drinks at the Wynn are great some of the best in Vegas.
Check out our $109 room, YouTube.com Video:
Friday
Don’t ask me why, but for us, Vegas isn’t about sleeping in and chilling out. It’s all go time, we were up and out by 7:00am, even though we just went to bed at 3:00am. First thing we did was pick up a couple of overpriced coffees at a shop in Encore. We played at Encore and Wynn for awhile then headed for the Strip. We went directly to the Palazzo (next door to the Wynn). No sooner did the last drop of coffee go down did a Corona appear in front of me, magic? No, Vegas baby!!Next was The Venetian. I must say these four properties are my favorite on the strip. They are all in a row, have great drinks, good music, and beautiful surroundings!
We checked out of the Wynn at approx 11:00am and headed to New York, New York where we spent the next two nights. Once again check in was very quick and easy, no line what so ever, staff was not as friendly as the Wynn’s. The elevator was conveniently located between the parking garage and the casino floor making it very easy to get to the car or the casino floor. The room was disappointing, apparently not a newly refurbished one. In hinds sight I should have asked for another room but we were eager to get out and get going. Time is precious in Vegas when you only have three days. The remainder of the day was a blur. We literally covered the entire strip walking every step of the way. Let me tell you it all became a little ridiculous after a while. We returned to the hotel around 9:00pm to get ready for the night.
Tip: After a long day coving the strip don’t lay down before getting ready to head out for the evening. Odds aren’t in your favor for making it out again.
Tip: Remember, Vegas is a marathon, not a sprint. If you start early pace yourself or you will miss the night. Lessons learned!
Saturday
Got up early and headed out to visit some off strip properties. The following list is the order we went in.
Red Rock Casino – Wow!!! I was very impressed by Red Rock Casino as I was the whole area. Red Rock is about 15 miles East of the Strip. The Casino is laid out nicely with plenty of clubs and restaurants. As usual with Station Casinos there is a mini food court, full movie theater, arcade, and bowling alley on the premises. The pool looks great as we went out and looked around. Drink service was good, waitresses were friendly, and drinks were tasty. This place just has a good vibe about it. Oh, did I mention I came out with more money than I went in with? I will definitely go back..
AlianteCasino – Aliante Hotel Casino opened in November of 2008 and is also a Station Casino. It’s located about 10 or so miles north of the Strip. The review for Red Rock Casino can apply to Aliante as they are very similar in style and amenities. Station casinos were good to me as I also left with more money than I came in with thanks to a deuces wild multi-hand video poker machine and four deuces.
Observation: Locals Casinos offer amenities that cater to the surrounding communities with theaters, bowling alleys and arcades. It’s weird to being playing a game, drinking an adult beverage and smell popcorn. When you look up you see a line with families going to the show. Or in sports books you see friends and neighbors gathering to watch a game like they would at a local bar.
Downtown – Now I hate to diss anything Vegas and I am sure many people love it here, but I have determined that the Fremont Experience is NOT for me. The casinos are old, cramped, in need of repair, and are very smokey. The description given to the casinos can also describe many of the patrons, it’s basically your flea market crowd, not that there’s anything wrong with that. With that said, you can get some good value there. Table game minimums are low and food deals are plenty, however, I didn’t stick around long enough to sample neither.
Tip: The Golden Nugget offers one very cool feature, a salt water aquarium in the middle of the pool with large sharks swimming in it. It even has a transparent water slide that runs through the middle of it.
After Downtown we headed back to the strip where we made rounds to Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Monte Carlo, Paris, and Planet Hollywood. The Miss America pageant was going on at Planet Hollywood that night. After the event the girls were walking around with their sashes. It was interesting to see but wow what a bunch of prima donna’s. Finally we headed back to New York New York where we promptly passed out.
Sunday
And then there was Sunday. Oh how time flies while in Vegas. Well at least we have the whole day because of the red eye home. We stayed mostly on the strip visiting our favorite casinos. Planet Hollywood is a fun place, the music is good, service is spotty but drinks are decent. The whole feel of the casino is like a club. Towards the end of the day my wife sat at a machine that was paying off, I came over and we had fun playing for awhile. It’s always good to hit when you are about to leave.
Departing Vegas at night kind of puts a damper on the whole day as you know you will soon be returning back to reality in a matter of hours. The flight was smooth and fast but I was not able to sleep much. We went straight home and passed out, again!
Trip Summary
Once again we went during the Chinese New Year. There was a noticeable difference compared to last year. Casinos were busy for the weekend but I didn’t notice as many Chinese people as we did in 2007 and Vegas wasn’t as decorated for the New Year either. Let it be known that January is an unpredictable month to visit. We experienced many different types of weather on this trip. Raining when we arrived even poured for awhile but temps were mild. Friday it was much cooler with off and on showers and overcast skies, but it cleared in the evening. Saturday was the best weather day. The sky was mostly sunny and temps reached 70 degrees, this was our best day. Sunday, the clouds returned and it was very windy, temps were cool and the wind made it feel even cooler, very uncomfortable. Once again we both contributed to the Las Vegas economy, but loses were kept to a minimum. Overall it was a good time and I eagerly await my next trip to Las Vegas!
It’s easy (and rightly so) to get caught up in all the hoopla Vegas has going, but have you ever been walking down the strip then realize mountains were all around you? Living in the Detroit area where the only “mountain” is made out of trash covered by dirt, I find the mountains intriguing. So for our 1/22-1/25 trip I planned to head to Red Rock Canyon and check it out, I’m glad we did.
Tip: As a bonus, The Red Rock Hotel and Casino is on W. CharlestonStreet which is also the road that leads to the scenic Red Rock Canyon loop. Red Rock Hotel Casino (Station property) is worth the trip! (See 1/22-1/25 Trip Report).
Tip: If you own a GPS and plan on renting a car bring it along. If you don’t own one but plan on visiting off strip casino’s or other area attractions think about renting one from the car rental company. A GPS can make your side trips more fun by getting you there quicker and a whole lot less frustrating.
The Red Rock Canyon is a 13-mile scenic drive. The cost is $5 per car and has many parking areas so you can pull over and take pictures. The recreation area has many hiking trails with multiple degrees of difficulty. We saw plenty of hikers and people climbing the rocks. I was surprised to see many runners and cyclists along the drive. Interestingly enough this attraction receives over a million visitors a year. Supposedly wild burros and long horn sheep run wild, though we didn’t see any. There are also many springs within hiking distance, we didn’t visit them either. If we ever decide to stay longer than a few days I would love to come back and explore the area more keenly. If I ever decide to take up residence in Las Vegas this is an area I would be interested in.
The 411
Cost is $5.00 per vehicle
The Visitor Center is open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
13-Mile Scenic Drive, Red Rock Overlook on State Route 159 and Red Spring
Do you find yourself drinking the same old boring drink(s) time after time? Well the next time you’re in Vegas have a little fun and try something new.
Go to http://www.webtender.com/ and look for some great drinks to try. You can search by drink name, ingredient, or booze. Start a list and when you find one you want to try, put it on it. Keep doing this until you get a good variety. Finally, the next time head out to your favorite Vegas casino, bring the list along and order up something new. Let the fun begin!
Share your favorite drinks by posting in the comments sections below.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is giving away 500 tickets per show to all concerts in 2009. Looks like a wide variety of entertainers will be performing throughout the year. If you’re planning a trip, check out the calendar and see if anyone is performing while you’ll be in town. Heck, free is good and you just might enjoy getting off the strip for awhile.
Now I’ve never been to Primm Valley but I hear they offer some great room rates and dinner specials. Primm Valley is about 30-40 minutes south of the Las Vegas strip. The next time I visit Vegas I will be sure to put Primm Valley on my list to check out.
Make sure to review the disclaimer at the bottom of the page. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts about Primm Valley Casino Resorts in the comments section below.
For some reason I am always surprised when people ask me if drinks are free in Vegas. My answer to this is yes, kind of. I guess it all depends in how you define free. Here is the lowdown, drinks are “free” as long as you are gambling. Then of course there’s the tipping. I usually tip $1.00 per drink.
Waitress service and drink quality varies from casino to casino. General rule of thumb the nicer the casino is, the better the drinks are. As far as service goes it depends:
Table games – Usually table games have the best waitress service. Waitresses are usually very quick here. Note, you can tip with a chip if you prefer or are out of smaller bills, don’t forget your dealer.
Sports book – Also a good place for waitress service. Interesting, I have sat in a casino’s sports book watching games and drinking there drinks even though I’ve placed bets at other sport books. Waitresses here don’t seem to care. See a pile of horse race tickets? Pick them up and put them in front of you. Bingo… she will never question you.
Note: Some sport books are tightening up their rules on comped drinks, check before you order..
Slot Machines – Waitress service is always spotty while playing slots. If you are not seeing a waitress, ask, still no waitress? move, can’t find one in the joint? Leave.
Casino Bar – Possibly the best spot to get a drink but note, you MUST be gambling to get a free drink. Sit down, put a couple of bucks in the game and play slowly.
Note: Drinks at a casino bars can be very expensive, especially at the high end places.
Tip: Waitresses take and distribute drinks at a time. In other words, if you see a waitress and her tray has drinks on it she will not take your order because she is distributing her last order. When empty, she will begin taking orders by walking her area asking “drinks? Cocktails?”.
Tip: If I am walking around a casino and want a drink, I will look for a waitress asking people for drinks I will approach and order telling her I will be playing in this area.
Tip: Always watch out for your waitress. They get confused.
Tip: In a hurry for a drink but don’t want to pay the high bar rate? Many casinos, low to middle of the road, have convenience stores that have beer and liquor for sale. Also along the strip you will find many places to purchase booze at a fair price.
Let the fun begin! Searching for hotels can be frustrating to say the least. Do a Google search for “best rate Las Vegas hotels” and you will get over a million hits. In this post I will illustrate how I go about looking for the lowest hotel rates in Las Vegas.
Before you begin, you will need to decide if you want to stay on or off the strip. If it is your first visit to Las Vegas staying on the strip is a must. Part of the allure of Vegas is the strip itself and staying anywhere other than on the strip your first time would be cheating yourself, well at least I think so. It is a great feeling walking out of your hotel and being right on Las Vegas Boulevard where all the action is.
Off strip casino hotels usually offer lower room rates, cheaper food prices, and lower table minimums. Some even offer shuttle buses to the strip. My advice remains, if it’s your first trip to Vegas, stay on the strip, even if you have to pay more.
Fatwallet is an online community where members share deals on almost anything. But if you look under Forums then Travel Deals and finally “Las Vegas Promos….” You’ll find current offered promotions from various Las Vegas hotels. I’ve stayed at Planet Hollywood for $79 per night using a promo code from this forum. When planning a trip to Vegas I always, always check out this Las Vegas Promo site.
Tip: Visit strip hotels websites and register your email address. They will send you hotel offers (promo’s).
Tip: When you visit Vegas sign up for each Casino’s players card.
What is a promo code? Casino hotels often send out postal mail and/or email to registered player card members announcing promotions (promo) to entice you to stay at their property. The promos usually involve a combination of: discounted hotel rates, free play (“free” money to gamble with), show discounts, and/or food discounts. A promo code will be printed on the promotional advertisement. When you call or reserve on the internet you will need this promo code.
TripRes.com is a Hotel broker site where the company buys blocks of hotel rooms and resells them at a discount. I have found some great deals at TripRes. The reservation process is very easy and I found the customer service reps knowledgeable about the company’s policies. As a bonus the reps I’ve talked to even spoke perfect English! I found the whole reservation process very easy and comforting.
This is another broker site. I always check this site when searching room rates. Like TripRes this site allows you to get a good idea on what the room prices will be during your stay. I like the sorting capabilities High to Low, Low to High, On strip, Off Strip, etc.. I have found some good deals through these broker sites. I have called hotels directly asking for the deals found on these sites and have been told they could not match them.
Warning: Before you book a room through a broker PLEASE read and familiarize yourself with the brokers cancelation policy.Broker cancelation policies are stricter than when you book directly through the hotel itself and have penalties associated with cancelling reservations.
Regardless where you reserve your room do your homework first and don’t reserve the first “deal” you find.
Going Direct
Remember, if you find a good rate going direct, book it (as long as you can cancel) then search for better deals. You can always book the better deal and cancel the previous.
Tip:Before you pick your trip dates you might want to check and make sure no large conventions are going on. Large conventions will impact hotel rates and possibly your overall experience in LV.
Here are a couple of sites that list convention dates and number of attendees
I recommend you familiarize yourself with the airlines that fly out of your local airport. Visit the air carrier websites and see if they offer promotions. Many Airlines allow you to sign up for promotion alerts via email. Often all you have to do is submit your email address then they will email you when promotions are released. Others may have standing days and times when promotions are released.
Spirit Airlines offers the $9 club where for $39 per year you get $9.00 off each way and gain access to super low fare club rates, often as low as $.01 each way! Or another option is to get the Spirit Air credit card and when you make at least one purchase per month you are automatically reenrolled in the club every month.
If Spirit Air fly’s out of your airport I would recommend you look into this program. I have been extremely successful in getting many round trip, non-stop flights with taxes and fees included for under $50 each. Please note that these sales often have fixed dates for departure and return flights. If you are flexible, this program could save you a lot of money.
Airfare comparison sites do exactly what it says, they compare your flight preference across multiple carriers, saving you time. All you need to do is enter your departure and destination cities along with dates. Then look for the lowest fare. Many allow you to adjust the dates or make suggestions for you that would give you the lowest fare. I would recommend that you check with the carrier first before purchasing any flights through third party brokers. I always prefer to go direct if possible.
Departed Detroit Metro airport at 6:05am Friday morning (Flew SpiritAir $44/person roundtrip taxes/fees included), we arrived in Las Vegas at 7:15am (Vegas time). On this trip I went with a couple of buddies and stayed at the Riviera. We stayed at the Riviera because we got a great deal though TripRes.com with an average rate of $38 per night (Thur, Fri, Sat). The Riv casino is a shithole but the room was newly remodeled with a flat panel TV and an awesome bed, pillow, and blanket. Seriously one of the best beds I’ve ever slept in, what a total surprise!
Tip: Currently the Riviera is offering a free Breakfast or Lunch buffet when you sign up for their players card and if you show them proof that you flew there. They also give free play of $1 – $500, I got $2.
Warning: The Riviera buffet is barely worth being free. Do NOT pay for this buffet!
Warning: During time of this trip the Riviera was surrounded by construction making it very difficult to walk to any other casino other than Circus Circus (Dump).We had a car which made it easy to travel (Dollar Rent a Car $10/day).
We visited a lot of off strip casinos this trip. Here is a run down:
South Point: This casino is about 5 miles south of the strip right on Las Vegas Blvd. The Casino/Hotel is large and offers many perks. I would definitely think about staying here. Great Sports book, $5 minimum on table games, a large variety of new slot machines, and a very good and very reasonably priced buffet. Breakfast is $6.99, Lunch $9.99, Dinner about $14.99 check the website for details, prices slightly higher on the weekend.Breakfast was GREAT! I highly recommend this casino.
Terribles: Just off the strip, cheap tables, very smokey, and horrible waitress service. My friends did not like Terribles one bit they thought it was a real dump and I have to agree.
Silverton Hotel and Casino: Wow!The Silverton is just west of Las Vegas Blvd, south of the strip. We saw it on the way to South Point and thought we would check it out and I am glad we did. The casino offers $5 table games, good variety of slot machines, but it does not have a good sports book. This casino is a “locals” casino. When you walk in you are greeted with a very large saltwater aquarium with sharks, stingrays, and schools of fish. There is also a Bass Pro Superstore attached to the casino.
Green Valley Ranch: Interesting casino about 10 or so miles from the strip in I think Henderson, Nevada. The Casino looks good, has average waitress service, decent selection of slot machines but something is just not right with this casino but I can’t put my finger on it. This casino has a food court right on the casino floor with a good variety of items to choose from. New club members get $5.00 in free play when they sign up. I probably wouldn’t go back here as it doesn’t offer anything unique.
Tuscany: About two blocks east of Bally’s on Flamingo. Small casino that is only five years old but looks like it’s twenty. It kind of reminds me of someone’s basement with slot machines and table games in it. However, this little casino offers some unique perks like very good waitress service. New club members get between $5 and $500 in free play when you sign up for their players club. And now for the best part, $3 minimum blackjack tables with an option to surrender half of your bet on the first 2 cards. To surrender you actually have to draw a line on the table (sand) for the cameras. No thrills casino but good blackjack odds just off the strip.
Scam Alert: Beware of con men approaching offering free tickets to events because they have to get out of town and don’t want to waste tickets. They will have you call the Bellagio concierge office and reserve them in you name. This is all very convincing, don’t get taken, just say no thank you!
In my opinion the best drinks in Vegas is hands down The Wynn Hotel and Casino, followed by Palazzo and The Venetian. The Bellagio has the best Strawberry daiquiris, try one, you won’t be disappointed I promise.
November is a great time to visit, tempatures were in the mid seventies during the day and high fifties during the night.
We sadly departed Vegas at 8:20am Monday morning and arrived in cold rainy Detroit at around 3:15pm. I am eagerly awaiting my next Vegas trip.
ScottyVegas! 