How to Get a Cheap Room in Las Vegas

Cheap rooms are available at casino-hotels throughout Las Vegas, provided you know where to look. Room rates will vary from one hotel to another, and will change depending on the season, month, week and day. To get the best rates, start searching at least a couple of months ahead of time, more if you will be traveling to Las Vegas while a major event is in town.

Tips For You

1. Be flexible in your travel dates so that when you begin searching for room rates, you have the option to choose a time frame when lodging costs are at their cheapest. For example, depending on room availability and a number of other factors, you might find that one night is significantly cheaper than another, or one time frame cheaper than another.
2. Look for rooms at casino-hotels that are off the Strip, Las Vegas Boulevard. Room rates at the Strip hotels tend to be more expensive than those just a block or two away.
3. Avoid Las Vegas during holidays, particularly New Year's Eve, when rooms are booked far in advance and are typically more expensive.
4. Travel to Las Vegas during the middle of the week, if possible, when you're likely to find the cheapest nightly rates. Weekend room rates, especially for Fridays and Saturdays, are generally the most expensive.
5. Steer clear of Las Vegas when a big event is in town, such as the National Finals Rodeo, which draws thousands of fans each December to the University of Nevada Las Vegas Thomas & Mack Center, which can hold about 17,000 fans. The large contingent of fans for such an event can mean rooms are difficult to come by, and those that are available are generally expensive.
6. Compare online travel discount sites for the lowest available nightly rates for your stay. Pay attention to total rates after taxes and fees, as some sites won't disclose the total amount until you've clicked through to the registration page.
7. Search individual hotel websites for any available discounts that might not be offered through online travel brokers. You might find inexpensive room rates and packages that include food, free gaming chips and free drinks.

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How to Book a Cheap Suite in Las Vegas, Nevada

Travelers come from all over the world to visit the gambling and entertainment mecca of Las Vegas. The recent opening of several family friendly attractions has meant an influx of families, too. Because the Nevada city is such a tourist hub, a hotel suite could easily cost $600 a night. Fortunately, if you know where to look, you should be able to find one for much less.

Tips For You

1. Try staying on the edge of the Las Vegas Strip. The big luxury hotels in downtown Las Vegas are usually the most expensive. Most hotels will run shuttles downtown, so you don't need to worry about missing out on any of the fun. The Las Vegas Leisure Guide has an extensive listing of hotels all over Las Vegas, along with room prices.
2. Book your vacation as a package. Booking a flight and room separately is often more expensive than booking them together. Package deals to Las Vegas usually include a flight, a room and some meals.
3. Book a regular room and then upgrade to a suite later. This option is a bit of a gamble, but if a hotel has extra rooms available, you may end up getting a good deal if you upgrade after your arrival.
4. Visit Las Vegas during the off-season. Vegas is always popular, but in the weeks after major holidays, prices tend to be down. Generally the hottest period is July and August, and the colder winter months of January and February are slightly less popular. Avoid major holidays if you want to get a good price on a suite.
5. Call the hotel directly. Travel websites don't always have the best deals. Ask the hotel clerk when cheap suites might be available. You just might be able to get a deal that's not even listed on the hotel website.
6. Check often. Websites change regularly, and room prices can vary wildly. Room sales often mean heavy discounts, and, because hotels don't want customers to hold out, good rates can spring up without warning.

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Cheap Cute Date Ideas for Las Vegas

As a top tourist destination for both American and international travelers, Las Vegas offers a number of attractions, activities, dining and entertainment options to suit anyone's budget. Whether traveling in luxury or on a tight budget, couples can choose from a variety of cute and romantic dating ideas, many of which are easily accessible from the Las Vegas Strip and other areas surrounding the city center.

Ride an Authentic Gondola

• Starting at $16 (as of 2011), the Italian gondola ride at the Venetian Las Vegas (m.venetian.com) allows couples to indulge in romance as they float down the canals along the hotel's Italian streetscape. During this half-mile ride, couples enjoy an unique view of the Venetian's shops, surrounded by a ceiling emulating a blue sky. During the tour, a singing gondolier sweeps around the Grand Canal and European architecture inspired by many Venice landmarks. The gondola ride travels beneath bridges, beside cafes, under balconies and even outside to the Venetian-inspired exterior of the hotel.

Watch the Las Vegas Sunset

• Many good locations are available for couples who want to watch the sunset on the Las Vegas Strip. At a cheap price, couples can see the sunset over the Strip from the Stratosphere Observation Deck (stratospherehotel.com) or the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower (parislasvegas.com). Another idea is to go to nearby McCarran International Airport (mccarran.com) and watch airplanes land. An observation area is situated along Sunset Road, where visitors can hear pilots talking to the tower via FM radio. Couples can also travel a few minutes away from the Strip to check out Seven Hills along Eastern Avenue in Henderson and dine at the Black Mountain Grill (blackmountaingrill.com). Being in an elevated area, some great vantage points of both the sunrise and sunset are available.

Enjoy the Pinball Hall of Fame

• The Pinball Hall of Fame (pinballmuseum.org) houses the world's largest pinball collection by Tim Arnold, a renowned arcade chain owner and pinball collector. This 4,500-square foot storefront is open to the public and also serves as a non-profit museum featuring pinball machines dating from the 1940s to the 1980s. Here, couples can view more than 200 vintage pinball machines or play pinball at a cheap price, ranging from 25 to 50 cents per game, as of 2011.

Watch the Dueling Pianos

• The Las Vegas Dueling Pianos (duelingpianoslv.com) show plays in various locations including Harrah's, the Palazzo and New York-New York. In most locations, these duels are free of charge. Each highly interactive show varies every night and features two pianists who engage the audience to sing to the tunes being played, while they showcase their piano skills. As all-around performers, the players are not just gifted pianists, but also musical comedy artists or dancers. Couples can make requests for song's they want to hear. By the end of the show, the audience chooses the night's winner by applause.

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Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

On Las Vegas Boulevard, the towering, cream-colored Monte Carlo cuts a stark contrast to the bright blue, cloudless Nevada sky. The interior of the grand hotel commands as much awe as the exterior. This luxury lodging hosts a casino, theater, spa and multiple pools, ensuring that you may not even need to leave the hotel to enjoy the complete Las Vegas experience.

Get a Room

• Rooms at the Monte Carlo range from deluxe to opulent. Even at the low end of the price scale, rooms have Italian marble in the entries and bathrooms, 250-thread count sheets and large flat-screen televisions. At the higher end, Diamond Suites span more than 800 square feet with separate living areas, extended wet bars, 1 1/2 baths and two-person in-suite whirlpool spas. Yet another hotel lies at the very top of Monte Carlo. Hotel 32, a boutique hotel, offers penthouse and loft suites with ultra-modern decor and luxurious amenities, including hydrotherapy soaking tubs and large entertainment rooms.

Hit It Big

• With its bright lights, excitement and potential for easy riches, the casino remains the Monte Carlo's main attraction. Slot machines vary in price, from pennies to $100, and theme, from celebrating famous pop stars to blockbuster movies. Table games include blackjack, baccarat and craps, among others. Novices to craps appreciate the daily morning lessons. While the atmosphere around the slot machines and tables is lively and celebratory, the casino's poker room is decidedly more subdued. Try your luck at one of the daily Texas Hold 'em and Omaha tournaments.

Catch a Show

• Experience a one-of-a-kind Las Vegas show at the Monte Carlo. Shows vary; two examples that have graced the stage of the hotel's theater are Blue Man Group, an interactive, musical and technological performance that begins with a parade through the casino floor, and Zumanity, part cabaret, part burlesque. In some instances, booking your tickets from one to several months in advance means discounted ticket prices. It's also wise to arrive at the show at least 20 minutes before starting time, when the doors open.

Kick Back and Relax

• Breathe in scents of jasmine while soaking in a whirlpool in the second-floor spa at the Monte Carlo. In addition to whirlpools, the spa also features a steam room, sauna and treatments such as facials and massage. Outside, the hotel has four swimming options available from March through October, including a wave pool and 400-foot-long "lazy river." Enjoy a poolside burger and mojito, on the special menu available only in the pool area.

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Places to Go Hiking near Las Vegas

Las Vegas is often referred to as an adult playground, and while the desert city certainly has its fair share of casinos, spas and decadent restaurants, the arid landscape is also home to more than a few prime hiking spots. When you tire of rolling dice in the air-conditioned indoors, head to the great outdoors for a refreshing hike. You won’t have to travel too far from Las Vegas to find hikes that range from easy to challenging.

Red Rock Canyon

• Only about a 15-minute drive from the strip, Red Rock Canyon has several hikes available in varying degrees of difficulty. Stop by the visitor's center and pick up an area map to learn more about the best trials. One of the most popular trails is the easy three-mile Pine Creek Canyon trail that takes hikers by the ruins of an old homestead and along the banks of Pine Creek. The slightly shorter Ice Box Canyon trail is ideal for summer months since most of the trail remains in shade for most of the day, while novice hikers and children can get introduced to the sport on the easy .75-mile Lost Creek trail. The self-guided trail includes a hidden waterfall, petroglyphs and spectacular views of the surrounding Mojave Desert.

Lake Mead

• Created by the construction of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead is a popular recreation area less than an hour from Las Vegas. Because it gets very hot at Lake Mead during the summer, hiking is best reserved for the winter and early spring months. Ranger-led hikes can be arranged through the Alan Bible Visitor Center, where you can also pick up trail maps. Take the longest six-mile trail or one of the other shorter trails that begin at the visitor center. Other trails through the vast expanse will take you up rock formations and into parts of the Mojave Desert inaccessible by car.

Mount Charleston

• Known to locals as Mount Charleston, the Spring Mountains are part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and just a short 30-minute drive from downtown Las Vegas. With trails winding throughout the 316,000 acres of mountains and landscape, there is a hike trail for every fitness level. Easy hikes include Little Falls Trail, a 1.5-mile round trip hike to a hidden waterfall, and Bristlecone Trail, a five-mile round-trip hike with plenty of autumn foliage. Two trails up to Charleston Peak, Mount Charleston’s highest point, are challenging enough for advanced hikers at about 16 miles each round trip. Take either the North or South Loop Trail to the top, although the South Loop is closed until 2014.

Valley of Fire

• The large multihued monoliths of sandstone give Nevada’s oldest state park its name. Located just under an hour from Las Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park has several day hikes through the park that will take you past Native American petroglyphs and natural beauty such as petrified wood and sand that has slowly been molded over thousands of years into odd shapes such as elephants and human faces. The visitor center has information about the hiking trails, including their length and terrain.

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Are There Any Beaches in Las Vegas?

Las Vegas wasn't built in a day and neither were the beaches. The area surrounding Las Vegas consists of desert and more desert. When John C. Fremont happened upon Las Vegas in 1844, he found two springs. Go forward 20 years later and Las Vegas officially is admitted to the union. With water being scarce, residents decided to build Hoover Dam in 1931. Still, with no beaches to speak of, the ingenuity of Las Vegas citizens kicked in, and now you can take a trip out to Lake Mead and see the next best thing -- a man-made beach.

Boulder Beach

• Boulder Beach has all you could want in a beach: sand, waves and plenty of room for picnics and sunbathing. The water at the beach comes in from Lake Mead. Boating and other water activities abound and residents often visit the beach when needing a break from the city. You won't see many tourists at Boulder Beach, since most non-residents don't know about its location, and its at least a 30-minute drive from Las Vegas. Access the beach by going to the west side of Boulder Basin. The beach only stays open during the day, so arrive early to enjoy the sunlight.

VooDoo Beach

• VooDoo Beach at the Rio Las Vegas has some of the amenities you might expect at a beach, including palm trees and plenty of sunshine -- but with a Vegas-style twist. The beach consists of a pool, three waterfalls, magnificent foliage, and cabanas lining the area. The beach stays open daily with no charge to enter the beach. The Voo, an attached pool, offers an adult experience for those over the age of 21. The restricted pool provides music and dancers to entertain guests.

Mandalay Bay Beach

• Mandalay Bay beach has a more traditional beach setting, using technology to create a coastal effect with waves rushing in at your feet. Set upon an 11-acre expanse of land directly on the casino property, you can relax by a pool or visit one of the glass-paneled, climate-controlled gaming areas. The beach has a wave pool, lazy river, cabanas and several options for tropical drinks and dining. You can rent cabanas to stay on beachfront property instead of the casino through the cabana rental office located near the entrance.

Tao Beach

• Tao Beach at the Venetian Hotel and Casino sees few tides atop the Asian Bistro and Nightclub. What this beach lacks in sand, it makes up for with celebrity appearances, drinks, plenty of sunshine and at night, it turns into an extension of the Tao Nightclub. The beach sits atop an 18,000-square-foot expanse and has plenty of activities and amenities to keep you occupied. Complete with a bar, 12 air-conditioned cabanas and lush tropical landscapes adorn this Vegas-style beach experience.

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