Honeymoon in Las Vegas NV

I just got married and was on a really tight budget for the honeymoon. We originally planned a honeymoon in California on the ocean coast but due to some last minute surgeries and other unexpected expenses we had to cancel that idea and start looking for something affordable.

We had a few things in mind we wanted. Water, sun, entertainment, good food and most of all affordability. After some research we decided on Las Vegas. I did some heavy internet research and found a room at the Paris. The room was normally $190.00 a night, with the special I found it was $60.00 a night and the fourth night was free. Total hotel stay $272.00 including tax.

A lot of research went into flights versus driving. After searching and searching I found round trip flights with Frontier Airlines for $150.00 per person. When determining what was cheaper, the cost of gas went up and it was a 12 hour drive. It basically broke even. So we decided to fly and spare our time.

Vegas is known for culinary food choices, You have to be careful. I learned the hard way. When you stay at an expensive hotel everything there is expensive. A hamburger meal for 2 cost us $45.00 not including tip. So we started eating only a couple of times a day. The food itself was good and very creative. What we found cut our expense was only eating part of the meal and then taking the rest to the room. In the Paris, you had to pay for the side dishes seperately, the drinks seperately and of course the meal itself. There are many restaraunts there and we went through all of them looking for the best price options. Unfortunately, it wasn't there at the hotel.

The good news is, you can stay at the hotel you want for a good deal but choose to eat some where else. If you are willing to walk a few blocks, you can find your normal fast food options as well as sandwhich shops, deli's, mexican food bars, chinese buffets that are about 50% cheaper than the hotel you are staying at. Save your money for your one special meal of the day. If you want the nice dinner, eat cheaper for lunch and breakfeast.

Breakfeast in bed can cost a fortune and usually you can not eat all that food. A trick to help you out, they charge per meal, drinks are seperate, there is convenience fees, special gratuity added plus they expect a tip at the door. The unexpected charge is the fee per place setting on top of all this. We found a good way to go is to go to your favorite sandwhich shop, get the extra paper places, forks, knives, spoons and condiments you want and take them back with you. Store them in the room for use anytime you need them. The room service menu has a huge selection and the meals are not small. We ordered one meal with a side or two extra (including a basket of muffins and a basket of danish) this was then delivered and we ate the hot meal first, had no second plate charge and the muffins and danish were able to be chilled and kept boxed and we ate them for the rest of the trip. Ask for the extras that you want with the meal order (such as extra butter & jams) they are free and you can use for the next couple or mornings. Savings? The baskets were included in the meal price at $29.99 that includes all the fees. To get breakfeast out every morning each is a minimum of $6.00 per person. we had a four day trip. $19.00 saved. Your coffee is free in your room, just leave a note for the maid to leave extras and you can have as much coffee as you want without extra fees.

Monorail it versus taxi. The monorail has deals from per trip use, per day use and per trip use. The more time you buy the less you pay. Minimum cab ride is $10.00 each way. The day passes at the monorail is $23.00 unlimited day use. Which means you can tour the strip and choose your meals and travel without having to pay a taxi for each place you go. Also, you can get coupons online before leaving, research all your dining options and shows and then travel through the monorail. Much cheaper and the trains run every 6 minutes. Not a long wait and run to 1-2 am depending on the day.

Entertainment is your most expensive part of your trip. Shows can run anywhere from $35.00 a ticket to $500.00 a ticket. A way to beat this? At every hotel you visit sign up for their club card. Its free and you get a lot of discounts including free drinks, money off meals, money off shows (including buy one ticket get one tickets free) and of course free show coupons. The best deal is the dinner and show tickets. This is usually about 2 hours worth of entertainment, a full dinner with your beverage is included, you get discount off collectible glasses and there is no tip required as its included in your ticket price. This is about $60.00 per person and the food is good.

Each hotel has shows and events for free. The lion exhibit at the MGM is free, the flamingo exhibit at the Flamingo is free, the Billagio has a few free shows and tourism ideas that you can visit. There is also minimal expense shows running all over the place such as the "Collectible Car Show at the Imperial Palace" which is , $8.95 per person (unless you have that club card and then its free for two people) You can get a detailed catalog
and list of ideas from again, the monorail. The monorail has a catalog that includes the maps of all the hotels, stops and a list of things to do at the hotels and the costs. They also list the phone numbers of the facilities so you can call, make reservations and get up to date information on the shows. The catalog also includes coupons! It is actually one of the most detailed one you can find. The hotel books only include their owned hotels and the connecting hotels so the information is limited. Just visit the monorail stop at any of the locations that it visits and grab that book the first day you arrive, it has the best ideas and prices you can get.

You can also visit LVmonorail.com ahead of your trip, get the stop locations and hotels that it goes to. This will allow you to check into hotel prices based on monorail locations. One of the main stops is the Sahara hotel which has an interesting history, just recently remodelled and has the monorail entrance in its hotel. Guess what? This hotel runs about $25-$125.00 per night based on the room type and the time that you go. Their food is more reasonable in price and you can access the strip through the monorail. It has the same games in the casinos that the larger hotels have and the service is just as good. You can stay in the room that the Beattles stayed in, but your going to pay more.

Remember the pools are free in your hotel, they provide the towels, misters for cooling off and you can always go to the local Walgreens buy an ice chest (disposable one) and the ice is free at the hotels, Many hotels have arcades and access to licensed daycare providers that they can give to you. The Excalibur was one of the best hotels along with Circus Circus for children.

A quick tip. Get your disposable ice chest, get your soda's, water bottles, munchies and breakfeast at the local grocery store or Walgreens as this will save you hundreds per the trip. In the hotels the soda is a minimm of $2.50 to a whopping $5.00 a piece, the box of crackers is $6.00 and the bag of chips is $5.00 (for the small one)
getting your munchy food, muffins, breads and sandwhich items at the grocery store will save you $10.00 per meal per person per day. Worth the walk to the store on the strip and cab ride back with the goods to save all that money which you can use to spoil yourself more!