Visit Las Vegas: A Beginners Guide
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Visit Las Vegas: A Beginners Guide
Updated: May 2024
Las Vegas!...a city thatβs lived by the phrase βwhat happens in vegas, stays in vegasβ for decades has finally shifted. After frequenting this city at least 6 times a year for the past 5 years we can easily tell you that this statement no longer holds true. Itβs transformed leaps and bounds over the past 10 years to be one of the most entertaining, luxurious, photogenic and in all honesty one of the best places to eat in the world. So why would we keep that a secret?! Weβre here to let you know just how much of a good time can be had, where you can stay, what to eat, and how to do it properly.
Airport Transportation
Getting to and from the airport to the new strip can be done with ease and totally affordable. From McCarran International airport youβll be able to take a 10 minute ride with uber/lyft for $10. If you choose to take a regular taxi thatβs fine as well, just know theyβll typically charge a little more or they might try to pull a quick one on you. Also have the option to hop on the bus for $2 each direction, but honestly unless youβve lost all your money gambling and you need the cheapest route back to the casino weβd suggest uber.
Getting Around The Strip
If itβs your first time to Vegas you should consider walking the whole time. If itβs the summer youβll be going inside from casino to casino and feeling the state of the art air conditioning systems in place as well as the breathtaking views and variety of each and every casino. If youβve been before and know specifically where you want to go then take a lyft/uber as itβs cheap.
First time to Vegas you should just expect to be overwhelmed with everything as itβs so much to take in! At times youβre gonna wonder how this city is even real...youβll have no concept of time while walking through casinos unless youβre staring at the time. With artificial lighting to make it feel like the middle of the day and oxygen being pumped through it youβll be left feeling wide awake even in the middle of the night.
If you have a good amount of time to spend, check out this Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Sedona itinerary, which will give you some tips on venturing outside of the city.
Where to Stay in Las Vegas
When you find a place for the first time in this city you should pick a place that is situated in your price range. This can easily be found on lasvegas.com, mgmresorts.com, or loads of other sites youβll come across! Just remember in this city itβs best to deal directly with the casinos as they value loyalty and will give you perks based off of how much you transact on the tables, slots, or spend inside the shops/restaurants. So like we said before, find a place that fits your price range and if youβd like to stay at a nicer and more expensive hotel next time then make sure thatβs casino you do all your gambling in this time around that way theyβll send you free stays in the mail later in the year.
Why we keep our loyalty with MGM resorts? Simply because they cross a wide spectrum of properties throughout Vegas and USA! So we can get free stays at all of them at some point throughout the year.
Luxury Hotel - Aria Casino and Resort -
This casino/hotel offers a world class service that we truly havenβt found at any other casino over the years! Itβs the perfect balance of chic, modern, classy, fun, and boasts a very upbeat energy that soars through the entire casino. As a frequent player to this casino you can be offered anything from free sky suites, airport limo pickup and drop off, $150-$350 a day for food, and a 1 on 1 relationship with a casino host to make sure everything is arranged for you and to your liking. Average night/ $375
Mid-Range Hotel - Bellagio Hotel and Casino -
If youβve ever watched Oceans 8 youβll be very familiar with this resort! Offering up some of the best experiences in Las Vegas for an affordable price with itβs incredible and classy architecture and large array of table games, dining, and shopping you canβt simply go wrong! An added bonus as you can see in the picture to the side is the free fountain show that is offered daily. Average night/ $175
Pro Tip: One of the secrets of Las Vegas have been revealedβ¦if youβre one of the super rich you have the ability to control the fountain for the ungodly amount of $250,000 which means you select the music and get to enjoy your 15 liter Ace of Spades bottle with your friends!
Budget Hotel - Excalibur
Itβs always a fun time to walk up and down the strip to get a feel for all the different casinos and resorts...but nothing quite stands out like the affordable and fun Excalibur Casino and Resort! What looks like something straight out of a fairy tale is transformed onto the strip and brought to life before your eyes...and better yet itβs family friendly. Average night/ $25 during weekdays
What to do in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas Strip is home to the worldβs richest casinos β Las Vegas Sands, and many many others. While most people only imagine landing in Las Vegas and heading to the casino and gambling, many people whoβve frequented this wonderful city can tell you for certain that the entertainment industry is booming! With everything from comedy shows, cirque du soleil, concerts, sporting events, strip clubs, atv tours, exotic car rentals, skydiving, and just about anything you can think of off the top of your head!
Cirque du Soleil KA
I first saw this show 10 years back when I was living in Las Vegas and was immediately in awe after watching the trailer on youtube for the show...I knew right then and there that I absolutely had to see this masterpiece! From the moment you take your seat in the audience up until the end of the show youβll find your eyes glued to complexity and insanity it took to put this one of a kind show together! With the complexity of inverted war scenes, wire acts, gravity defying aerial stunts, and one of the best shadow puppets show youβll ever see itβs no wonder itβs been showing for 15 years now.
Skydive Las Vegas
This was one to check off the good ole bucket list a few years back for sure! For only $199 you can get picked up by a shuttle at your hotel and driven 30 minutes outside of the strip to the base. From there youβll go through a short instructional training with a professional team getting you prepped for your jump with your licensed tandem skydive instructor. With the views from the plane this really is a very unique place to jump from and would highly recommend to anyone even remotely considering skydiving.
Rent a car
Easily one of the more affordable things you can do in sin city without breaking the bank, especially if youβre traveling with the family. With some of the best day trips available to you in the country itβs almost a must do! Only a 15 minute drive outside of the strip you can take a trip to Red Rock Canyon where you can do a 13 mile one way scenic drive or hike one of the 26 hiking trails they offer you for only $15 a car. One of the perks of being in Las Vegas is the fact that if you so choose you can indulge in anything from a regular car rental all the way up to Supercar rentals! Luckily in Las Vegas youβre offered an option at Enterprise Car Rental the βexotic car collectionβ. Which for a bit more money youβre left with a gorgeous upgrade of a vehicle making for the perfect Las Vegas moment when pulling up to your hotel!
Walk the strip in its entirety
If youβre honestly looking to take it all in and looking for something affordable to do then this is definitely the thing to do. Iβve done this easily 100 times and it never really gets old to me as every time I discover something new and unique! This is by far the easiest way as well to find the places that fit the price range and comfort of what youβre looking to get out of this Las Vegas experience!
Dining in Vegas
ο»ΏWhile this list is gonna be very bias and partial to Aria Iβve honestly got to let you know that itβs one of the best feelings in the world when you donβt have to leave your casino and resort to go looking for some of the best food! This is why Iβve curated my list the way that I have and would be happy to do a full article in the near future displaying some of the best food in all of the city.
Herringbone
Has been my favorite and go to spot as soon as I land and head to the strip. Whether youβre looking to find an upscale and romantic dinner indoors or youβre trying to sit on the patio for some of the best brunch on the weekends, youβll find a time of day thatβll cater to your needs. They serve up some of the freshest and tastiest seafood towers you can find, which is surprising as youβre in the middle of the desert! Nothing quite like enjoying a bloody mary and seafood tower while sitting poolside and soaking up the Vegas sun!
Julian Serrano Tapas
This place is hard to miss as itβs located directly in front of the check-in and check-out counters in the lobby of the Aria! I choose to sit at the bar for the full experience and always let the bartender give me his/her favorite Spanish tapas recommendations. I can tell you in all honesty they never let me down when it comes to the food and drinks and expertise in choosing something suitable for me. They offer a wide range of different styles of tapas here and YES theyβre even vegan friendly!
Mastroβs Ocean Club
Just recently discovered this masterpiece of a restaurant this past month while taking a trip out here! Everything about this place is incredible minus the baked potato, Iβd highly recommend subbing that out for something else as it wasnβt even edible! But if youβre looking for one of the best shrimp cocktail on the strip this is your place as theyβre beautiful jumbo shrimp served in a martini glass afloat a bed of dry ice giving it that elegant and mysterious look!
Nightlife in Sin City
Whether youβre a high roller or not this amazing city has something for EVERYONE! You can find places of all shapes and sizes, prices, and with just about as small a crowd youβre looking for or literally a mega club with thousands of people. However if youβre looking to get into some of the crazy nightclubs always remember to be dressed appropriately and guys be willing to spend around $100 just to get in and if youβre looking to do bottle service be ready to drop a minimum of $1k on a table plus gratuity.
Club XS - Located inside the Wynn casino, this 40,000 sq ft mega club hosts between 2,000-3,000 people on any given Friday and Saturday! With some of the best selling DJβs from around the world youβll be dancing the night away until the Vegas sun comes up!
Lavo - The beauty of Lavo is the factor of being able to enjoy a wonderful dinner upstairs inside the italian restaurant located inside the Palazzo casino and resort and then immediately being able to head down to the club after digesting a little bit. The club itself is 20,000 sq ft and holds up to 1500 people so itβs no wonder this place gets some of the top talent from around the world!
Hakkasan - One of the newer clubs on the Vegas strip this monstrous mega club is 80,000 sq ft and holds a whopping 4,000 club goers on the busiest of nights! Be sure to be dressed appropriately as most places in Vegas tend to have a specific dress code for clubs especially in regards to what men can wear.
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