Can the Crumps do Las Vegas on a budget?

We have visited Las Vegas many times over the years but never on a budget, we have enjoyed the expensive restaurants, the $20 cocktails in one of the many exotic lounges in Wynn and Bellagio. Could we go to Vegas and not blow the family nest egg?

This was the challenge for us, we would always book a nice hotel and of course the room had to have a strip view, this is Vegas after all. The first challenge is to find a hotel that isn’t charging you the resort fee, which is the biggest con in the history of Vegas! When the mob ran Vegas they didn’t charge a resort fee (Resort fee is a charge for wi-fi, gym, local calls) Translation ripping off the customer.

A hidden gem is the Royal Resort hotel, the hotel is just off strip, has a great restaurant, no resort fee and it doesn’t have a casino, which also helps if you are on a budget.

Now food and drink can be expensive in Vegas, we had a cool box so we were able to buy some food from Walgreens and stock up. Now me being me I just happened to have a blender with us to make Suzy’s special cocktails, he he. Instead of buying a Fat Tuesday slushy, make your own in the hotel room and wander around the strip with your frozen concoction in your red solo cup!! Also if you have a vehicle you can drive off the strip to a cheaper restaurant, places to try are Ellis Island Brewery and Lotus of Siam. If you fancy trying one of the buffets, I would head to the buffet 30 minutes before they stop serving Breakfast, pay for breakfast and wait for them to put the lunch out, or have breakfast and lunch. I would also recommend Earl of Sandwich in Planet Hollywood and Stripburger at Fashion Show mall.

If you like to gamble make sure you sign up to the players club in whichever resort you like to gamble in, it’s free to sign up and you will earn points on slots, table games, retail and food purchases. Your points can go towards free night’s accommodation or a free meal. You will also then receive email offers with discounted rates for future stays.

Now we always spend at least one night downtown, everything is cheaper down there from the drinks to the gambling. The Fremont Street Experience is a free light show and there is normally a good band playing. We used Uber to get around instead of paying for taxis, Uber was cheaper and each hotel has a designated pick up/drop off point for Uber so it’s hassle free.

Here’s a list of some websites I would use for discounts on meals, trips etc.

Restaurant.com
Groupon.com
Travelzoo.com

Jackcolton.com will tell you everything you need to know if you want to go clubbing, pool parties etc while you are in Vegas.
If you are a little crazy like us you may want to watch a Vegas movie before you head out to throw the dice, here’s a few of our favourites.

Vegas Vacation
Hangover
Oceans 11
Honeymoon in Vegas

Remember the house always has the edge, only gamble what you can afford to lose and don’t get blinded by the glitter and the almighty dollar.

If you have any questions on Las Vegas, please contact us.