Las Vegas Summary

Trip Start Oct 08, 2008
1
6
Trip End Oct 12, 2008


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Flag of United States  , Ohio,
Saturday, October 25, 2008

I'll put it simply, 3 days in Vegas was enough to see everything briefly, but was just a taste. I wouldn't necessarily want to stay in the city for more than 5 days at a time, but I would want to stay in the city frequently. Between the strip, Bellagio fountains, and half dozen Cirque shows (plus Blue Man Group and Penn and Teller) I could easily be kept busy for two weeks. Most of the hotels and attractions are mind numbingly expensive, however there are a few located in the center of the strip that are affordable and good enough considering you're only there for 5 or 6 hours. The Imperial Palace cost about $80 a night mid-week and $140 for a Friday, with $160 for Saturday prices which I luckily avoided (when you have more than 2 people in the room. 2 people is about $30 cheaper a night). Most of the other hotels have mid-week prices equivalent to the Imperial's Saturday night price, so you can only imagine what the weekend rates are.

When it came to money, my budget was stuck to pretty easily considering it was only 3 days. I went slightly over as I did not anticipate a hoodie from LOVE being $78. Oh well. Including my discounted airfare ($160) I spent roughly $1100 for 3 days / 3 nights in Vegas. The following is a general outline of the expenses:

Airfare: $160
Hotel (3 nights): $350
Cirque Tickets: $280
Gambling (plus tips for drinks): down $15
Food (plus paid drinks): $150
Souvenirs: $100
Attractions: $50

Since there are things in Vegas that are not as good as the others, I would like to suggest which casinos/hotels to visit and which to avoid if on a time crunch.

Must Do:

Bellagio
Bellagio Fountains (every 30 minutes til 8, then every 15 minutes til 12)
Caesars Forum Shops
Venetian
Fremont Street Experience via the Deuce (taxis are too expensive)
MGM Grand (lion habitat - free)
Luxor (mostly because I am going to Egypt next year)
Planet Hollywood Spice Market Buffet
Expensive drink
Expensive dinner
At least 1 Cirque du Soleil show
Walk around inside most casinos near the ones listed

Maybe Do:
Sigfried and Roy's Secret Garden
Rio World Buffet and Rio (shuttles from all Harrah's properties are free, every 30 min)
Staying at a more renowned hotel

Not Necessary:
Excalibur
New York New York (with exception to the great drink deals at Coyote Ugly)
Stratosphere (unless going for the rides)
Wynn's
Treasure Island
Mirage

Avoid:
Circus Circus
Rio Show in the Sky
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