Las Vegas: How to do it on the cheap

Many people going to Las Vegas know they’re going to spend a fortune. Let’s face it; it’s an easy place to lose money. But as we were on our US road trip and knew that our cash had to last, we wanted to make sure we didn’t get carried away. In fact it ended up being one of the cheapest places of our entire trip! Here’s how we saved the dollars:

Go mid-week

Everyone heads to Las Vegas at the weekend, and consequently prices for hotel rooms shoot up. We therefore decided to visit mid-week and got a real bargain by buying our room online for just £18 ($30) – one of the cheapest nights on our holiday. That price also included $20 of vouchers to spend in the hotel, which we used to pay towards breakfast the next day. Bargain!

Las Vegas

Price includes real live birds!

We stayed at the Pink Flamingo hotel, which is on the strip, and for the price we’d paid for the room we were expecting something pretty small so we were surprised when this is what we got for our money:

Las Vegas

Cheaper than a hostel, but way more fancy…

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…and even a TV in the bathroom!

With a view to match:

Las Vegas

It doesn’t get much better than this

Make the most of the deals

Food and drink are expensive in Las Vegas and people staying for a while tend to bring their own. But if you’re just there for a quick visit, when you arrive you’ll be given a booklet of deal vouchers. It’s worth looking through it, as there are lots of meal offers, as well as discounts for shows etc.

You don’t have to spend money to have a good time

Before going to Las Vegas I wasn’t too worried about stopping there on our US road trip. I felt like I’d seen so many photos of it, and read so much about it, that it would be exactly how I imagined. All I can say now, having visited, is that nothing can prepare you for Vegas. It is one of the craziest places I have ever been.

We spent our whole evening simply walking up and down the strip, ducking in and out of the different themed hotels and casinos. You want to go to France? There’s the Eiffel Tower. You fancy a trip to Italy? Step right this way. The Statue of Liberty? There she is.

When you’re walking down the street, in the desert, surrounded by huge brightly lit buildings calling for your attention, it’s as though reality is suspended for a night.

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The ceiling of the Bellagio

The thing I loved most about Vegas is that it really represents the entire breadth of American society. There were old granny regulars there, still playing the slot machines at 2am. Groups of students, beside themselves with excitement on their first ever visit. Hen parties, rich businessmen, couples, families of four generations. Different individuals from all over the country – and the rest of the world – visit every single day and I found the people watching fascinating.

Don’t get carried away

Not to sound like your mum, but if you are intending to gamble: set yourself a limit and stick to it. You can see how in Vegas it’s easy to get carried away. You’re in your own little bubble, everything is nice and shiny and happy but, unfortunately, the real world lurks just outside. So don’t forget to save your pennies for the next bit of your adventure!

Las Vegas