How to Stay on a Tight Budget for Las Vegas • (Living it Up Even if You’re Not a High Roller)  

Staying on a tight budget for Las Vegas: how to live it up even if you’re not a high roller.

If I had to write a tag line for Las Vegas it would be ‘like Disneyland for gamblers and alcoholics.’ And although I wouldn’t describe myself as either of those it was to my own astonishment that I was in my element when we arrived here by airplane one March morning. Leaving the cool air of San Francisco behind, we flew over mountains and desert, finally coming in to land over the bizarre turrets of our castle-shaped hotel- The Excalibur– and the Luxor’s pyramid and Sphinx. Until we arrived in Vegas, I’d never thought about how ridiculous the idea of all these massive Disneyland-esque buildings in the middle of the desert really is.  One of the most surreal sights I’ve ever seen, actually.  I’m still laughing. Nothing but rock for miles and miles, then suddenly- BAM- here’s a giant castle, the Statue of Liberty, and the Eiffel Tower smack bang in the middle of No-Man’s Land.  

There’s also something about the silliness of it all that just makes you want to throw all your money in the air and have a party in it wearing an outfit made entirely of feathers and diamonds. But, what if you do not have a pile of cold hard cash and a tacky outfit to prance about in!? Fear not, pals. I’m here to help out: here’s how to stick to your budget for Las Vegas.

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Take advantage of Ladies Night

You know…when the feeling’s right?  We got an airport shuttle from the airport to our hotel, and the driver dutifully informed everyone on board which casinos are best for what. Including, which night is Ladies Night, where. That means discounts for ladies, and technically that’s what I am.  So.

Find a list of the best Ladies Nights in Las Vegas, here.

Stay midweek, and book direct with the hotel 

As a couple, it was just as affordable to stay in a hotel than in a hostel, of which there are many to choose from. The big hotels make a whole lot of money out of gamblers, so it’s generally in their interest to keep room rates affordable. That way, people will throw more money onto the tables and into the slots. The cheeky devils.

I signed up to get advance notice of sales and special offers at several hotels on the main Strip, and opting to stay midweek also definitely helped us to stick to our budget for Las Vegas. We got three nights for the price of two by doing just that.

After three weeks in hostels it was a right old treat to have our own bedroom and bathroom for a bit instead of bunks and a shared shower room. It had been awesome meeting so many new people in the five hostels we’d stayed at so far on the trip, but being sociable all the time does take its toll after a while. 

Aside from the comfiness of the bed, the privacy was highly welcomed. We chose The Excalibur because it was still a fairly budget-friendly option out of all the hotels on The Strip, although there are some awesomely-priced places further away in Downtown Vegas. The hotel is ginormous, and I spent the majority of my time there cracking up at all the castle-themed paraphernalia.

If your budget for Las Vegas is XXXS, consider a hostel

We stayed for a few nights in The Excalibur and a few more nights in the HI Tod Hostel, which was once a candy-coloured motel near a drive-in chapel. Nowadays it’s run by a heavily moustached man and his fluffy white cat which was given to him by an exotic dancer many years ago. True story. It was surprisingly quiet during our unexpected stay (we were in the city a few days longer than we’d planned. Not due to gambling on the 1c slots, just because of a broken debit card.) But more on that story and the incredible tales of the Tod another time.

I’m gonna be frank here my friends…most of the hostels in Vegas are known for their party atmosphere and roach-ridden hallways, so beware! Choose wisely, and if you don’t mind an extreme party vibe and all the bugs, you will find hostels galore awaiting your arrival.

Use Hostelworld to book your Las Vegas hostel, and read reviews carefully!

Staying in a hotel means free drinks!

I’m a real fan of free stuff in general, and upon checking in we were handed some drinks vouchers along with our room keys. This is the norm in Vegas, so although it sucks that breakfast won’t be included with the price of your stay, hotels make up for that by plying you with alcohol.

Alcohol, everywhere you turn.

Gamble with care…and get even more free drinks!

Guys. I am not a gambler. It’s just not my style. But if you’re going to go to Vegas, I feel like you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t actually use the casinos for what they’re intended.

Pretty much every casino in the city is a sprawling haze of flashing lights and cigarette smoke, with opportunities to gamble around every single corner; there are even screens built into the bars and tables in the restaurants so you can’t really escape it. So, in  order to live it up like a truly professional high roller, I went on the slot machines. (I told you my budget for Las Vegas was tight, pals.) And I only went and won $12, didn’t I!?  I’m not pro enough to go on the real life games so I’ll just stick to my slots thanks very much, Eastbourne pier style. 

Also, even if you’re just sitting at a 1 cent slot machine you get free cocktails. Essentially the prospect of free drinks drew me in more than the thrill of the gambling, so as long as you tip the roaming waitresses taking your orders (to be kind and also to prevent them spitting in your drinks), all is good in the hood.

Go people-watching on the Strip

The hotels are big enough and entertaining enough to spend days in if you really want to, but it’s definitely worth venturing outside for some real oxygen and a spot of people-watching. There truly are some amazing people-watching opportunities to be found here, for absolutely zero pennies at all.

Like LA and San Francisco, it’s sad to realise the amount of homeless people living in Las Vegas, all with an assortment of accessories- some with cats dressed as Elvis or cardboard signs informing you they gambled all their money away.  We spotted a guy who was possibly asleep outside the Bellagio, wearing a giant, furry, (dirty) Goofy head and clutching a bottle of rum with a hat laid out for money.  It looked like a life-size forgotten toy that had been trampled on and left in a puddle.  He must’ve been sweating to the maximum level as I got sunburnt after about half an hour outdoors. He was on to something though, because people obviously would want their picture taken with a rum-soaked half Goofy/half man hybrid.

Very entrepreneurial guy, that one.

Also roaming the streets of Vegas are a tonne  of people trying to hook you up with hookers, basically.  I like to call them Hooker-Hooker-Uppers.  They’re definitely not pimps because they’re obviously just laying the foundations- this is the pre-pimp stage of hooker hooking-up, I think.  They have cards with pictures of half-naked girls on which they flick with their fingernails to make a sound kind of like a cricket.  It can get kind of annoying after a while; they start flicking cards in your face and before you know it you can’t see the pavement for Stripper Top Trumps cards.

Then there’s obviously the usual touristy types. Big guys in striped polo shirts and baseball caps who are still saturated with alcohol from the night before, looking as if they’re starring in their own version of The Hangover. Also, a surprising amount of family groups. Kids wanting to have their pictures taken with showgirls in fuchsia pink sequinned leotards and feathered headdresses (actually, everyone wanting their picture taken with dancers in sequinned leotards and feather headdresses).  

Probably 50% of people on the street have some form of alcohol or another in their hands, partly because Vegas is one of the few places in America where it’s okay to openly drink alcohol in the street, and in the middle of the day.

The Excalibur is all the way at one end of The Strip, and although we had been warned about the length of The Strip and that there is a bus that runs back and forth along the entirety of it, we still decided to walk it.  In one way that was a brilliant idea because we didn’t miss anything (and our budget for Las Vegas remained intact), but on the other hand it actually is ridiculously long and we kind of forgot about the fact that we’re in the middle of a desert.  So I got sunburned again. Typical.

Marvel at the Bellagio Fountains

What a majestic sight for your eyeballs! I’ve seen it in films and it looked okay; but in real life the Bellagio fountains are actually pretty full on awesome, almost like liquid fireworks.  Who’d have thought a bunch of water fountains could instil such a sense of amazement. The shows are set to music and are completely free of charge.

Monday to Friday the Bellagio Water Show happens every half hour between 3pm and 8pm, and then every fifteen minutes from 8pm to midnight. At weekends and holidays it takes place every half hour from midday until 8pm, and then every fifteen minutes from 8pm to midnight.

Eating in Las Vegas

Las Vegas food is a strange, strange thing. We had an all-you-can-eat, all day buffet, and oh my, I was so stuffed that I felt quite ill by the end of the day. At a Las Vegas buffet you get given a wristband as if you’re at a food-themed theme park, and then you can go in to certain hotels to eat whatever you want at any time of the day.  I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much in my whole life. The amount of wastage and general gluttony in those restaurants is unlike anything I’d ever witnessed before, although for us it was also a welcome break from cooking budget meals every day in our hostel kitchens.

Find a list of the best buffets in Las Vegas here.

My boyfriend had been desperate to go to Hooters since arriving in the US, so one evening we actually went and did it. Everything just seems so very orange in there you know.  And they actually have a salad that involves absolutely zero nutrition at all. It blew my mind!! No vegetables. Just cheese, egg and bacon. They’re not fooling me, I know a salad when I see one, and that was not it. Personally I’d recommend Hooters for the retro weirdness of it and not definitely not the nutritional value of the food.

Alternatively you could check out somewhere like the terrifyingly named ‘Heart Attack Grill,’ where a man actually died after consuming a Triple Bypass Burger. Ick.

The best free thing to do in Las Vegas: explore the hotels

Every one of the casinos on The Strip has some form of gimmicky entertainment, be it circus acts, roller coasters, full on Venetian canals and ceilings that really rain, to gladiators, flamingos and pirate ships. So the best thing of all about sticking to your budget for Las Vegas, is that it’s actually incredibly easy to visit, and spend barely anything at all.

Each hotel is so full on colossal that it’s highly probable that you’ll get lost and potentially never find your way out again, but that does mean hours of entertainment. It’s tacky, and crazy, and a little bit of a sensory overload. But embrace all that, and you’re bound to have a really fun time, whatever your budget.

LOGISTICAL STATISTICALS: 

• Most hotels (and hostels) charge a daily resort fee on top of the actual room rate. Sneaky. It differs from one hotel to the next- double sneaky!
• The Deuce bus runs up and down the length of The Strip 24 hours a day, and is a life saver at those times when you realise the road is actually really really really long and in the middle of the Nevada desert. Duh. One 2 hour ticket costs $6, or an all-day one is $8.
• But…it’s also worth walking in the fresh air for some time. Don’t forget that it’s the desert and therefore you will probably burn (at least if your skin is normally translucent like mine).
• DON’T FORGET TO TIP! Otherwise everyone will hate you.
• This goes for everywhere in America- but taxes are not included in the price shown when you buy something. They can really catch you out that way, you know!?