Sin City. It can leave you exhausted and broke. But it will also be one hell of a trip. I would NOT recommend staying for more than a long weekend. I went for Final Four weekend, arrived on a Saturday morning and left the following Tuesday, the morning after the NCAA men’s basketball championship game. Three days in Vegas is the perfect amount of time. I flew Spirit Airlines, which was around $200 round trip. I shared a room at the Park MGM (< $200 per night) with two other friends and ate cheap for lunch. In-N-Out and Taco Bell Cantina (Not your normal Taco Bell that you stumble into after a night of drinking – Two stories tall, equipped with a VIP lounge & DJ Booth, and serves the normal menu plus shareable appetizers like Spicy Bacon & Ranch Potatoes, beer, and twisted freezes (spice it up with vodka, rum, or tequila)). We saved the rest of our money for dinner, gambling, and the pool clubs. To do a weekend trip and not break the bank, follow the Las Vegas travel guide I created below.
Where to Stay in Las Vegas:
Stay on the Strip. Park MGM, Excalibur, Flamingo, and The Luxor are typically the cheapest.
Transportation in Las Vegas:
Unfortunately there is no free public transportation from the McCarran International Airport to the Strip. However, the Strip is located only two miles from the airport so it’s a relatively cheap cab ride. As far as the Strip itself, it’s A LOT longer than you think. You can walk it and when you need to give your feet a break, you can use the Las Vegas Monorail (A 3.9-mile elevated monorail along the Strip where trains arrive every four to eight minutes at each of the seven stations, $5 per ride/$13 unlimited 24 hour pass/$29 unlimited 3 day pass) or use Uber/Lyft (Lyft tends to be cheaper than Uber). If you’re in town for a Raiders game, you can make the less than 1 mile walk from the Strip to Allegiant Stadium via the Hacienda Bridge. A rental car isn’t needed unless you’re venturing outside of Vegas to see the Hoover Dam.
What to Do in Las Vegas:
- Walk the Strip and see the Fountains of Bellagio, over 1000 fountains that shoot water 500 feet into the air every 15 minutes at night (every 30 minutes during the day).
- Place sports bets and watch the games at any of the hotel’s sportsbooks (The sportsbook at Caesar’s is my fav).
- Walk along Fremont Street (old Las Vegas / Downtown Vegas), located a few miles north of the current strip. Established in 1905, it is the original gambling district, featuring cheap food, free entertainment, and only blocks away from my favorite casino, El Cortez. (Fun fact, old Sin City was founded by Mormons in 1855).
- Gamble at the shaggy El Cortez Hotel & Casino. Talk about a blast from the past. You feel like you’re in the 70’s, drinking endless Corona’s and gambling on the $5 tables. The tables are so cheap, you’d really have to eff up to walk out broke.
- Take the obligatory selfie at The Chandelier Bar at The Cosmopolitan. Three separate floors, each serves their own distinct cocktails and has different operating hours and dress codes. The bars on level one even has video poker machines with its own drink voucher system. Try the Verbena at Chandelier 1.5 (Between the casino and 2nd floor), the famous flower drink where you’ll be given an edible flower called the Szechuan button after a few sips that creates an intense tingling sensation in your mouth that alters the drink’s taste. If you’re a fan of an Old Fashioned, try the Infinite Playlist which features 12-year rum aged in bourbon barrels. Or try the Libertine, which consists of Maker’s 46 bourbon, lemon juice, orange marmalade, rosemary syrup, and maple syrup foam.
- Join a Pool Crawl for $99, which includes admission to 3 pools (Our were Go Pool Dayclub @ The Flamingo, Drai’s BeachClub @ The Cromwell, and Rehab @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino), party bus transportation to all of the pools including complimentary drinks, and expedited entry.
- Shopping at The Venetian
- Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, floral displays redesigned each season
What to Eat & Drink in Las Vegas:
- La Comida (Fremont) – Guava Margarita, Queso Fundido, Puerco Ahumado (Smoked Pork Shoulder)
- Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s (The Strip) – If there’s one meal you should splurge on ($65 per person for weekend dinner) in Vegas it’s this buffet that has more than 500 dishes! It was voted “Best Buffet” 5 years in a row. Some of the dishes include prime rib, chilled crab legs, Australian lamb, dim sum, and pho. Be prepared to stand in line for an hour though.
- Carson Kitchen (Fremont) – Try the Magarian, Crispy Chicken Skins, Bacon Jam, or Oxtail Risotto
- Nacho Daddy (Fremont) – Kind of like the scene in Skyfall where James Bond takes a shot with a scorpion on his hand instead at Nacho Daddy the scorpion is pickled and in your drink.
- Downtown Cocktail Room (Fremont) – half off of everything happy hour 5-7pm Tuesdays thru Saturdays.
- Firefly (Off the Strip) for tapas and drink
- Lotus of Siam (Off the Strip) for Thai located a little ways off the Strip
Tips for Visiting Las Vegas:
- Check out this site for how to bet on sports.
- Be productive on your incoming flight and sharpen your betting skills by reading a book on one of your favorite casino games.
- Buy alcohol at the store and make your own drinks in your hotel room. Most Vegas casinos allow you to walk around with outside drinks on the casino floor. Also, take advantage of free drinks while you’re gambling. Just make sure you tip the waitress for them to keep coming back.
- Check out the basic blackjack strategy chart on this site. And never buy the insurance! This adds as much as 7% to the house edge.
- Don’t play the slots at the McCarran Airport! I know it’s tempting. First thing I did when I landed was play these slots and I lost. Then I later found out that these slots have the worst payout percentages in town.
Bucket List for Visiting Las Vegas Again:
- High Roller – Think of a Ferris wheel that’s large enough for you to stand and walk around in for 30-40 minutes while you sip on drinks from your private bartender (Extra $$) as you gaze on the Strip and surrounding valley 550 feet up in the air.
- Mob Museum – Features interactive exhibits and artifacts on the history of organized crime
- Eat BBQ at Jessie Rae’s, voted Las Vegas’ best BBQ. Follow them on IG, it’ll make you want to book a flight.
- Ride a zip line over Fremont Street
- Pee my pants on The Stratosphere
