Las Vegas: Maximum fun on minimum budget!
based on 16 votes
Like most young travellers we went on vacation with a fairly tight budget. With a little planning we managed not to overspend and had a great time!
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Explore locations featured in this Traveler List:
Las Vegas
- Category: Recent trip
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Traveler type: Sightseeing, Never been before, Repeat visitors
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Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Singles, Families with small children, Families with teenagers, Students, Budget travelers, Active/adventure, Tourists
- Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Tags: Circus Circus, Las Vegas, Budget, children, transportation, casino, shows, buffet
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1. Circus Circus Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
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Ave price:
$62
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We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights, in the Manor Lodge, building A. Since we were travelling in the week (Tues-Fri) rooms were a steal, at $39.95/night. Although we didn't take children with us, they can stay in the room for free.
The Mannor lodges are at the back of the property, about 2 minutes walk from reception. Although these are the oldest and the cheapest part of the property they are satisfactory for the price.
Our room included one king sized bed, 2 bedside tables, a few lamps, a safe, a tv with limited channels, a dresser, a mirror, a fridge, a table and chairs and a bathroom. The room is basic, but a safe and comfortable place to get some sleep.
The pool is situated just outside the mannor buildings, and actually consists of two linked pools with ample loungers around the pools. They, too, are fairly basic, but nice for a few hours of sunbathing. There is a snackbar in the middle of the space and an enclosed bar for the adults.
Overall a great find for budget travellers who want to stay where the action is. |
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2. Casino at the Riviera Hotel
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We spent the majority of our gambling time in this casino, particuarly in 'Penny Town'. The slots are loose and the people friendly. Because of the compact nature of the casino drinks are frequent and the servers soon get to know you. For a free drink every day don't forget to go to the promotions desk and get a wooden token, which will entitle you to a free frozen magarita/pepsi/beer. At the same time the lady behind the desk will give you a free draw ticket-hold onto it and wait around for the draws, which take place freqently. You win either a pair of tickets to Splash or a spin of the wheel they have located next to the desk, where you will win Riviera goodies. On our second day we won tickets to the variety show, Splash, valued at $61 each.
If all the gambling gets too much and you're feeling hungry I'd strongly recomment the 99c menu featured in the cafe at the back of the casino, selling many items, such as giant brownies, cookies, foot long hotdogs, fries, shrimp cocktails, subs and much more. Don't be put off by the cheap price-we found the food to be great for a quick snack.
I would say this is a great casino for budget travellers because of the low limit slots, the generous players club, which offers free slot play, the frequent drinks and the free draw. Stick around in the day and you'll also hear Elvis sing! |
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This casino is located right next door to Circus Circus and offers free spins on a machine located near the entrace. Although I never saw anyone win, it was fun trying! There are many cheap slots here, in the 5c-25c range. The advantage of this casino is that it's part of a players club network, which includes Circus Circus, Excalibur and many more, allowing you to stack up points quickly for free stuff!
For a cheap snack check out the 99c foot long hotdogs and 99c shrimp cocktails. |
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4. Casino at New Frontier
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| Just a short walk away from Circus Circus this casino frequently hands out vouchers outside for a free beer. Go inside to claim your drink and a book full of vouchers to use in and around their casino. |
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5. On and off strip bus service
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| This was the best way to get around the strip. For just $5 you can get a 24hour pass to ride any of the deuce busses, which typically stop every 6-10mins 24hours a day at each stop on the strip. There is a stop right outside Circus Circus, which is very convinient in the heat. The only caution I would give the budget traveller is to allow plenty of time if using this mode of transport-strip traffic is slow and stops are so frequent that it really slows the journey down! |
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6. Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
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Mandalay Bay is located at the opposite end of the strip to Circus Circus and is next to the Luxor. The hotel itself is very well designed, a theme which runs through to Shark Reef: one of the only preditor based aquariums in the US. Although the aquarium is disappointingly small, all of the tanks are of very high quality and decorated according to an Asian theme. The first thing the tourist sees are golden crocodiles-the only place to see these animals outside of Asia. Upon entry to the aquarium each guest is given a devise which gives a description of each animal in the tanks once a certain button is pressed.
After being invited to touch rays and sharks in the touch tank you will walk through to view a massive shark tank, designed to look like a sunken ship. For me this was the high point of the visit and made the $15.95 entrance fee worth it. |
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| One thing every traveller should do when they're in Vegas is visit a buffet! From expirience I would recommend the buffet at the Excalibur because it offers a wide variety of good quality food at a reasonable price. |
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8. Midway Carnival at Circus Circus
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| Midway is located above the main casino in Circus Circus and is great fun for kids of all ages! It includes many carnival games which cost around $1-$2 each. It is easy to win many toys from these games, making it great for children who have had enough of walking around the strip. If you win on a game more than once make sure you ask to trade in your toys for a bigger & better prize! |
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We won tickets to this show by entering the daily draw in Penny Land at the Riviera Casino. This was an easy draw to win, since it takes place many times a day, meaning that at certain times of the day there are few other tickets in the draw. If you're not lucky enough to win, tickets cost $61 each.
The show is an underated Vegas experience in my opinion. Guests are treated to US champion ice skaters, extreme motorbike action, glamorous showgirls, urban music and dance...and of course Elvis! |
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Compliment gemmacarolyn
gemmacarolyn
Our recent getaway to Las Vegas
