Best Sources of Information on Las Vegas

If you're planning a trip to Las Vegas one of the best things you can do is spend a bit of time researching your options. For a recent trip to Vegas, I spent a couple of months pouring over websites looking for the best deals on hotels, car rentals, show tickets, etc. I'm going to save you a bit of time by sharing my experience.

The first thing you need to understand is prices change constantly and great deals can be found if you're diligent in your search. Coupons, discount codes, and web-only offers are a just a few of the ways you can save money.

I found some websites to be more helpful than others. Many of them have the same information, but some are more user-friendly than others.

Take advantage of these links. Click around on every tab they have. There is so much information you can learn here that will make your trip much more enjoyable.

• Vegas.com-This website is probably the most comprehensive on information to make your trip to Las Vegas the best it can be. They have a 5 page list of very inexpensive places to eat that you'll want to print out and take with you. They also have a great monorail map.
• CheapoVegas.com-if you're on a tight budget, this is a great site for saving you money. They have tons of links, tips and coupon information.
• VisitLasVegas.com-this site has great printable maps
• LasVegas-How-To.com-this site has great maps and invaluable information about getting around Vegas. They have information about rental cars, public transportation, shuttles, trolleys, and trams.
• LasVegasDirect.com-click on the "Guides" button and you have tons of great information.
• LasVegasTourism.com-they have a great printable map on their site. Be sure to click around on the other tabs for great information about local attractions.
• Hotwire-I found a great car rental rate in Vegas on Hotwire. I paid just over $10 a day for a Toyota Camry!
• American Casino Guide-this is a fantastic resource that includes value coupons that more than pay for the book.
• Other Hubbers-I read every hub I could find about Las Vegas. I found some great stuff by Mike Lickteig, Travelerhubs, MikeNV and PeggyW. Since coming back, I've written several other hubs myself. Be sure to check below for links to my other Las Vegas hubs.

• TheFashionShow.com/directory-printable map and directory with phone numbers for all the shops and restaurants located in this mall. We loved the set-up of the food court in this mall. The choices are presented in an arch so that you can stand and look left to right and decide what you want to eat.
• MiracleMileShopsLV.com-printable map and directory. This is a great mall with lots of places to sit down and rest.
• The Attic-the largest vintage clothing boutique in the world! For photos of my recent visit, click here.
• Madame Tussauds-an interactive wax museum located at the Venetian Hotel on The Strip. All of the wax museums I've ever been to have had the figures roped off so that you could not get near them. This museum actually provides props for you to put on to get next to the figures and take photos. A friend of mine visited the museum and remarked about how lifelike the figures are. She said each one is precise down to the freckles. Some of the characters she mentioned being included here are George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Hugh Hefner, and John Wayne.

When choosing a hotel in Las Vegas there are several things to consider.

• First, how much do you have to spend? There are accommodations for all price levels. Consider how much money you intend to spend on the trip overall. You don't want to overspend on accommodations so that you're left with no money to go out.
• Are your dates flexible? One day can make a huge difference in price. Be sure to check dates around the time you want to go. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays have much cheaper rates than the rest of the week.
• Conventions can cause room rates to go up. Make sure there isn't a big event going on during your stay.
• How much time will you actually be spending in the room? Do you really need a 40 inch TV if you're never in the room to watch it? Look for amenities you will actually use.
• If you plan to spend the bulk of your trip on The Strip, then it makes sense to get a hotel that is on the strip. If you want a more relaxed visit, The Strip is probably not your best choice. Sam's Town on the Boulder Highway has free shuttles to downtown and to the Strip. The only thing you have to watch for is their schedule. You don't want to miss the last shuttle back to your hotel at night.
• If it's your first time to Vegas, is a room with a view of the Strip important to you? This could also be important to you if you're a photographer or people-watcher. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want.
• Look for deals. Some hotels throw in coupons, free slot play, free buffets, discounted shows, etc. just for staying with them during certain periods. The extras could easily make one hotel more attractive than another similarly priced.

I've gathered the links to all the top hotelsin the Las Vegas area. Click around on a few and see what they have to offer. Check on the prices and availability for when you'd like to go.

• Gold Coast
• The Palms
• The Orleans
• Palace Station
• Emerald Suites-Cameron

• Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower
• Sahara Las Vegas
• Riviera Hotel Casino
• Las Vegas Hilton
• Circus Circus

• Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
• Luxor Hotel and Casino
• Tropicana Resort and Casino
• Excalibur Hotel and Casino
• Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas
• MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
• New York-New York Hotel & Casino
• Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
• Paris Las Vegas
• Bally's Las Vegas
• Bellagio
• Monte Carlo Resort & Casino
• The Jockey Club
• Aria Resort & Casino
• Madarin Oriental

• Sunset Station
• Green Valley Ranch, Resort, Spa & Casino
• Fiesta Henderson
• Silverton Casino Lodge
• Suncoast Hotel & Casino
• Bonnie Springs Ranch Motel Resort
• Aquarius Casino Resort
• Colorado Belle Hotel and Casino
• River Palms Resort Casino
• Hoover Dam Inn
• Terrible's Primm Valley Resort Casino (includes Primm Valley, Whiskey Pete's and Buffalo Bill's)

Some things I learned from my recent visit to Las Vegas that you might find helpful:

• It's hot and it's dry. I'm from Texas so I understand hot, but we have a bit more humidity here. My daughter and I both found our lips chapped pretty quickly. Be sure to bring something for chapped lips like Burt's Bees lip balm.
• Drink plenty of water. Sodas and cocktails do not count. There are vendors everywhere along the strip selling water for 50 cents up to $3. When you're thirsty you'll pay it. However, you can avoid this expense if you stock up from a local grocer or Wal-mart like many were doing.
• Don't feel obligated to buy souvenirs from the first place you visit. There will be souvenirs everywhere you go.
• Be prepared to ride on more escalators than you ever have before. I told my daughter that I believe I rode more escalators in two days than I had cumulatively over the last 45 years. You're greatly for them and you become an expert at getting on and off of them. Same goes for the people movers or moving sidewalks. Take advantage of them anytime you can.
• Wear comfortable shoes. When many people think of comfortable shoes, they think of sandals or flip-flops. Sandals and flip-flops are only comfortable if they support your feet. Most of them do not. Your feet will hate you after a trip to Vegas. You will walk more than you can imagine. Our hotel room door was at least a quarter mile of walking from the entrance of the hotel.
• Make sure you have room in your luggage to bring back everything you buy on your trip. You can have your purchases shipped home from most stores. With airline luggage fees and baggage size limitations you don't want a bargain to suddenly turn into a nightmare.
• Be prepared to meet people from all over the world. You'll recognize accents and foreign languages from all over the world everywhere you go in Vegas. With that in mind, you'll find people not observing the same left/right rules when walking on sidewalks and walkways. This is probably the most tourist-y place I've been.