Las Vegas Travel Advice
 

My husband and I plan to visit Las Vegas in early October. We're on a limited budget and will have our own car while in town. We'd like to stay in a nice not-overly priced hotel that's not necessarily on the strip. We've read good things about the Orleans on other websites, but wanted to know if anyone else can offer any advice about this hotel or any others off the main strip.

It would be nice to find a "hotel map" of the Las Vegas area, so that we could do a more thorough search for hotels. So far, the only really good pricing info we've been able to find is for hotels on the strip. We really like hearing reading recent reviews from other travellers. Any tips would be most appreciated. Thanks.

I have stayed at the Orleans 4 or 5 times. It is nothing really fancy but is a very nice place to stay. The hotel is about 3/4 of a mile off the strip on Tropicana Ave. I prefer not to stay on the strip anymore because of the traffic and all the hassle involved with so many people. I would certainly recommend this hotel as I have never had any sort of problems here. The rooms are the biggest I have stayed at in Las Vegas, that includes probably 10 different establishments.

Try cheapovegas.com and tripadvisor.com. Great summary and reviews of Vegas hotels.

Try Tuscany.

For your hotel "map" use google maps. Find the address of a hotel on the strip you are interested in for positioning, map it on google and then choose the find businesses nearby and enter hotels.

The map is great, there are reviews attached to the hotels that come up and if you choose the satellite or hybrid option you will actually SEE the hotel.

Nifty.

Here's a great map of the off-Strip hotels:

http://cheapovegas.com/vegas_map.php?map=offstrip

There are similar maps for the Strip and Downtown hotels on the same website too if you want to check those out.

Oct. is a very expensive month in Vegas due to alot of conventions .. I actually have to be in Vegas twice in early Oct. so I know what I'm saying here.

The Orleans is about the best of the off-strip hotels and it gets good reviews on www.tripadvisor.com. I have not stayed there however, but have attended some functions there and it seemed quite nice.

If you don't mind being farther off strip check Green Valley Ranch or the brand-new (and beautiful) Red Rock Hotel. RR is really nice, we stopped in there the last trip up to take a look around.

While I know nothing about it Sam's Town Hotel on Boulder Highway (at Tropicana) draws alot of budget travelers. I think there is a Boulder Station hotel near there as well. As a matter of fact, check out the Station Hotel group, they are off-strip properties.

go to the Excalibur website. They've been advertising some very good "Fall" specials

I've stayed at the Orleans, and am planning a family renuion there next June. It's a very good off strip option, and well rated on tripadvisor.com as well as cheapovegas.com. And with a car it's an easy drive to the south strip (took us 3 minutes to get to NYNY parking garage). We chose it for our reunion because it would have things for children and non-gamblers (movie theatres, bowling & nice pool). Lots of decent dining options also.
Also check their sister property Gold Coast.

Gold Coast rooms have recently been renovated and it is closer to the strip, with quicker shuttle and usually less-expensive room rates. However, early October can have conventions and you may have to play with your dates if you want budget rates.
www.goldcoastcasino.com

Palace Station isn't as close to the strip, but has a lower-priced motel section attached to the main hotel. They have a reputation for keeping these motel rooms in good shape if you're looking for a bargain.

Both of these hotels have very reasonably priced buffets and coffee shops which helps when you're on a limited budget.

Palace Station's "courtyard" rooms are yuck! I had to stay there for a convention, and they were honestly comparable to a Motel 6. No tub, just a shower, and hard, uncomfortable beds. Plus, the PS itself was very smoky. :-P

Check prices at Monte Carlo and Harrah's before going off mid-Strip.

Also, use valet service at hotels. It saves a lot of walking and is free except for a $1-$2 tip.

Oh, by early October if you mean on a weekend, even off strip is pricey. All the off strip ones mentioned are over $100.- a night. Sta night the 7th, is over $300.- (pre tax) at Harrahs and Monte Carlo. That's probably the priciest time to be in Vegas all year, along with late March.

I meant Saturday night 10/7.

Hi yaasmeen -

You might want to take a look at the new South Coast Hotel, which is off strip and has gotten very good reviews on Trip Advisor. We haven't been there yet, but have booked rooms for September ($86).

http://www.southcoastcasino.com/

If you are still looking to lock in a reservation you could look at the Vegas fairfield deal on http://www.trip-information.com . You get a really discounted rate for a **** hotel (Westin Casuarina) and the only drawback is that you sit through one of those timeshare pitches. The deal also comes with some other giveaway like a free dinner. It might be worth it if you want a better location.

South Coast is on the Strip, but 7 miles south of the next closest casino/hotel. It is very nice with 42" plasma TV's in each room.

I would, however, recommend the Orleans which is currently owned by the same company. It is more conveniently located, offers a better selection of reasonably priced restaurants and more entertainment options including 2 lounges, bowling alley and movie theatres.

I would recommend you purchase an American Casino Guide (ACG) @ your local book store. Cost is under $20 and you will save more than that using just 2 coupons. The ACG includes 2/1 buffet coupons for the Orleans, Gold Coast (free shuttle) and several Station (Palace Station being the closest) casinos. There are also drink, including the Orleans and Gold Coast, show and gambling coupons. Another Orleans coupon is 2/1 fajitas in their Mexican restaurant. Eliis Island, one block behind Ballys, offers a 2/1 entree and 4 free drinks coupons that are hard to beat though the casino itself is a big run down. I would recommend using the coupon in the BBQ restaurant where for the princely sum of $6.95 both you and your spouse can dine on a 1/2 rack of baby back ribs, 1/2 chicken and all the fixins.

At the Orleans check-in you will also receive 2 free coupon books. These include several free drinks, 2/1 showroom ickets and free access to the spa. The bartenders at the Orleans accept the free drink coupons labeled Gold Coast, Suncoast and Barbary Coast. You should also take advantage of the free (2) lounge acts that appear nightly. My favorites in Brendan's Pub are the Irish sing-a-long with John Windsor on Sundays, Rock N'Roll Fantasy on Mondays, and Rock This Town on Tuesdays. The Smith Brothers, playing in the other lounge 10/17-22, are one of my favorite Las Vegas based bands.

In the showroom in October is Neil Sedaka (10/4-8), Dionne Warwick (10/12-15), Jose Feliciano (10/20-22) and the Smothers Brothers (10/26-29).

Another money saving option is purchasing restaurant.com gift certificates. These $25 certificates regularly retail for $10, but you can purchase them for $4 through 8/31 by using 78022 at checkout. Some examples of reasonably priced restaurants offering these certificates include include Giorgio Cafe @ Mandalay Place (skywalk between Mandalay Bay and Luxor), Border Grille @ Mandalay Bay, Casa di Amore on Tropicana, Carlucci's Tivoli Gardens (formerly owned by Liberace) on Tropicana, and Costa del Sol in Sunset Station Casino. McMullin's pub also offers a certificate and it is located across the street from the Orleans, but I have never eaten there.