Visit Las Vegas: A Beginners Guide
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Visit Las Vegas: A Beginners Guide
Updated: May 2024
Las Vegas!...a city that’s lived by the phrase “what happens in vegas, stays in vegas” for decades has finally shifted. After frequenting this city at least 6 times a year for the past 5 years we can easily tell you that this statement no longer holds true. It’s transformed leaps and bounds over the past 10 years to be one of the most entertaining, luxurious, photogenic and in all honesty one of the best places to eat in the world. So why would we keep that a secret?! We’re here to let you know just how much of a good time can be had, where you can stay, what to eat, and how to do it properly.
Airport Transportation
Getting to and from the airport to the new strip can be done with ease and totally affordable. From McCarran International airport you’ll be able to take a 10 minute ride with uber/lyft for $10. If you choose to take a regular taxi that’s fine as well, just know they’ll typically charge a little more or they might try to pull a quick one on you. Also have the option to hop on the bus for $2 each direction, but honestly unless you’ve lost all your money gambling and you need the cheapest route back to the casino we’d suggest uber.
Getting Around The Strip
If it’s your first time to Vegas you should consider walking the whole time. If it’s the summer you’ll be going inside from casino to casino and feeling the state of the art air conditioning systems in place as well as the breathtaking views and variety of each and every casino. If you’ve been before and know specifically where you want to go then take a lyft/uber as it’s cheap.
First time to Vegas you should just expect to be overwhelmed with everything as it’s so much to take in! At times you’re gonna wonder how this city is even real...you’ll have no concept of time while walking through casinos unless you’re staring at the time. With artificial lighting to make it feel like the middle of the day and oxygen being pumped through it you’ll be left feeling wide awake even in the middle of the night.
If you have a good amount of time to spend, check out this Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Sedona itinerary, which will give you some tips on venturing outside of the city.
Where to Stay in Las Vegas
When you find a place for the first time in this city you should pick a place that is situated in your price range. This can easily be found on lasvegas.com, mgmresorts.com, or loads of other sites you’ll come across! Just remember in this city it’s best to deal directly with the casinos as they value loyalty and will give you perks based off of how much you transact on the tables, slots, or spend inside the shops/restaurants. So like we said before, find a place that fits your price range and if you’d like to stay at a nicer and more expensive hotel next time then make sure that’s casino you do all your gambling in this time around that way they’ll send you free stays in the mail later in the year.
Why we keep our loyalty with MGM resorts? Simply because they cross a wide spectrum of properties throughout Vegas and USA! So we can get free stays at all of them at some point throughout the year.
Luxury Hotel - Aria Casino and Resort -
This casino/hotel offers a world class service that we truly haven’t found at any other casino over the years! It’s the perfect balance of chic, modern, classy, fun, and boasts a very upbeat energy that soars through the entire casino. As a frequent player to this casino you can be offered anything from free sky suites, airport limo pickup and drop off, $150-$350 a day for food, and a 1 on 1 relationship with a casino host to make sure everything is arranged for you and to your liking. Average night/ $375
Mid-Range Hotel - Bellagio Hotel and Casino -
If you’ve ever watched Oceans 8 you’ll be very familiar with this resort! Offering up some of the best experiences in Las Vegas for an affordable price with it’s incredible and classy architecture and large array of table games, dining, and shopping you can’t simply go wrong! An added bonus as you can see in the picture to the side is the free fountain show that is offered daily. Average night/ $175
Pro Tip: One of the secrets of Las Vegas have been revealed…if you’re one of the super rich you have the ability to control the fountain for the ungodly amount of $250,000 which means you select the music and get to enjoy your 15 liter Ace of Spades bottle with your friends!
Budget Hotel - Excalibur
It’s always a fun time to walk up and down the strip to get a feel for all the different casinos and resorts...but nothing quite stands out like the affordable and fun Excalibur Casino and Resort! What looks like something straight out of a fairy tale is transformed onto the strip and brought to life before your eyes...and better yet it’s family friendly. Average night/ $25 during weekdays
What to do in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas Strip is home to the world’s richest casinos – Las Vegas Sands, and many many others. While most people only imagine landing in Las Vegas and heading to the casino and gambling, many people who’ve frequented this wonderful city can tell you for certain that the entertainment industry is booming! With everything from comedy shows, cirque du soleil, concerts, sporting events, strip clubs, atv tours, exotic car rentals, skydiving, and just about anything you can think of off the top of your head!
Cirque du Soleil KA
I first saw this show 10 years back when I was living in Las Vegas and was immediately in awe after watching the trailer on youtube for the show...I knew right then and there that I absolutely had to see this masterpiece! From the moment you take your seat in the audience up until the end of the show you’ll find your eyes glued to complexity and insanity it took to put this one of a kind show together! With the complexity of inverted war scenes, wire acts, gravity defying aerial stunts, and one of the best shadow puppets show you’ll ever see it’s no wonder it’s been showing for 15 years now.
Skydive Las Vegas
This was one to check off the good ole bucket list a few years back for sure! For only $199 you can get picked up by a shuttle at your hotel and driven 30 minutes outside of the strip to the base. From there you’ll go through a short instructional training with a professional team getting you prepped for your jump with your licensed tandem skydive instructor. With the views from the plane this really is a very unique place to jump from and would highly recommend to anyone even remotely considering skydiving.
Rent a car
Easily one of the more affordable things you can do in sin city without breaking the bank, especially if you’re traveling with the family. With some of the best day trips available to you in the country it’s almost a must do! Only a 15 minute drive outside of the strip you can take a trip to Red Rock Canyon where you can do a 13 mile one way scenic drive or hike one of the 26 hiking trails they offer you for only $15 a car. One of the perks of being in Las Vegas is the fact that if you so choose you can indulge in anything from a regular car rental all the way up to Supercar rentals! Luckily in Las Vegas you’re offered an option at Enterprise Car Rental the “exotic car collection”. Which for a bit more money you’re left with a gorgeous upgrade of a vehicle making for the perfect Las Vegas moment when pulling up to your hotel!
Walk the strip in its entirety
If you’re honestly looking to take it all in and looking for something affordable to do then this is definitely the thing to do. I’ve done this easily 100 times and it never really gets old to me as every time I discover something new and unique! This is by far the easiest way as well to find the places that fit the price range and comfort of what you’re looking to get out of this Las Vegas experience!
Dining in Vegas
While this list is gonna be very bias and partial to Aria I’ve honestly got to let you know that it’s one of the best feelings in the world when you don’t have to leave your casino and resort to go looking for some of the best food! This is why I’ve curated my list the way that I have and would be happy to do a full article in the near future displaying some of the best food in all of the city.
Herringbone
Has been my favorite and go to spot as soon as I land and head to the strip. Whether you’re looking to find an upscale and romantic dinner indoors or you’re trying to sit on the patio for some of the best brunch on the weekends, you’ll find a time of day that’ll cater to your needs. They serve up some of the freshest and tastiest seafood towers you can find, which is surprising as you’re in the middle of the desert! Nothing quite like enjoying a bloody mary and seafood tower while sitting poolside and soaking up the Vegas sun!
Julian Serrano Tapas
This place is hard to miss as it’s located directly in front of the check-in and check-out counters in the lobby of the Aria! I choose to sit at the bar for the full experience and always let the bartender give me his/her favorite Spanish tapas recommendations. I can tell you in all honesty they never let me down when it comes to the food and drinks and expertise in choosing something suitable for me. They offer a wide range of different styles of tapas here and YES they’re even vegan friendly!
Mastro’s Ocean Club
Just recently discovered this masterpiece of a restaurant this past month while taking a trip out here! Everything about this place is incredible minus the baked potato, I’d highly recommend subbing that out for something else as it wasn’t even edible! But if you’re looking for one of the best shrimp cocktail on the strip this is your place as they’re beautiful jumbo shrimp served in a martini glass afloat a bed of dry ice giving it that elegant and mysterious look!
Nightlife in Sin City
Whether you’re a high roller or not this amazing city has something for EVERYONE! You can find places of all shapes and sizes, prices, and with just about as small a crowd you’re looking for or literally a mega club with thousands of people. However if you’re looking to get into some of the crazy nightclubs always remember to be dressed appropriately and guys be willing to spend around $100 just to get in and if you’re looking to do bottle service be ready to drop a minimum of $1k on a table plus gratuity.
Club XS - Located inside the Wynn casino, this 40,000 sq ft mega club hosts between 2,000-3,000 people on any given Friday and Saturday! With some of the best selling DJ’s from around the world you’ll be dancing the night away until the Vegas sun comes up!
Lavo - The beauty of Lavo is the factor of being able to enjoy a wonderful dinner upstairs inside the italian restaurant located inside the Palazzo casino and resort and then immediately being able to head down to the club after digesting a little bit. The club itself is 20,000 sq ft and holds up to 1500 people so it’s no wonder this place gets some of the top talent from around the world!
Hakkasan - One of the newer clubs on the Vegas strip this monstrous mega club is 80,000 sq ft and holds a whopping 4,000 club goers on the busiest of nights! Be sure to be dressed appropriately as most places in Vegas tend to have a specific dress code for clubs especially in regards to what men can wear.
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