Vegas Vacation
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Better referred to by its fully-deserved nickname, Sin City, Las Vegas has made a name for itself as the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” which surprisingly is found in the middle of the southern Nevada desert. Famous for its wildly luxurious and captivating casinos, most of which just so happen to have a hotel, showroom, nightclub, and tattoo parlor in them, a Las Vegas vacation has become a sort of standard for excess. That being said, Las Vegas has also managed to create a tamer alter-ego in recent years, working its way onto many top ten lists of family vacation destinations within the United States.
When planning a Las Vegas vacation, November - February is typically the quietest (comparatively) time to visit, as well as have the best for scoring discount airfare to Las Vegas. The only downside to this time is that it coincides with when many featured attractions and celebrity shows take a seasonal break. It should also be considered that a nonstop stream of business conventions and trade expositions are taking place, and last minute accommodation prices are known for fluctuating drastically. The spring and fall months are generally the peak season for both temperate weather and tourist activity – by no coincidence – while mid-summers have been known to deter some with its roasting temperatures.
An interesting phenomenon of Las Vegas hotels is how an at-face-value cheaper hotel room can in the end become much more expensive that a perceived pricier accommodation. It’s ultimately dependent on what your plans are for Las Vegas, and just how well the hotel caters to them. A vast majority of the seemingly expensive hotel rooms include bonus discount coupons or other premiums that save you a lot of money on meals, entertainment, and even gambling. Something else to take into account is how far out of the way that “cheaper” hotel is. The further it’s located from the attractions you’re keen on visiting means more money spent on gas and parking, equaling out to a savings that in many cases works in favor of the closer, more accommodating hotel. Above all else, it’s worth the experience gained to plan one of the higher-class establishments into your Las Vegas vacation, such as the Bellagio or Luxor. Even if they fall out of your price range, consider scheduling for the middle of the week, when rates drop, attractions aren’t quite so busy, and a wider variety of promotional discounts are offered.
Las Vegas is built on a very old, well-understood business model: make visitors fall so madly in love that they can’t help from coming back for more. Yes, a lot of this is leveraged on the casinos, but as Las Vegas has expanded its entertainment footprint to stomp a hole in the back of it stereotypical image of one-armed bandits and craps tables, an entirely different sector of its tourism industry has been born. Beyond the bells and whistles you’ll find such points of interest as the Smithsonian-affiliated Atomic Testing Museum, as well as the Las Vegas Art Museum. Of course, back on the strip is a massive assortment of spectacular shows, deviant clubs, high-flying thrill rides, and amusement park-style fun galore.
When making your way around Las Vegas, walking is a reasonable option if you’re on the strip, since the hotel-casinos are quite close to each other. In most cases, two or more hotels are connected to each other either by bridge, or in the case of Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur, by a complimentary underground rail shuttle. However, the summer heat can be oppressive during daylight hours, and can make walking outside the last thing you feel like doing. During these times, one of the easiest ways to get around is by (air conditioned) taxi. All things considered, it is relatively cheap way to jump from hotel to hotel, minus the hassle of parking your rental car at various garages along the strip. In the case of venturing into the outlying areas of Las Vegas without the help of a guided tour, you’ll find a rental car and/or intricate knowledge of the Las Vegas public transit system to be a necessity.