My husband and I both cruise for deals on Groupon, Travelzoo and LivingSocial on a daily basis. The other day he snagged a great deal for Las Vegas on Travelzoo through Bookit.com. Travelzoo was actually promoting the Tropicana for $37, which is not bad because it’s located on the strip but it also has an additional resort fee of $14.99. He called Bookit directly when we saw an even better deal of $27 per night just a few blocks off the strip at the LVH(The Las Vegas Hotel, formerly the Hilton.). In two seconds we were booked for Vegas!!
It Pays to Do a Little Research
Yes, it’s low season and really hot in Las Vegas but $27 is a good deal no matter what! Interestingly, the LVH had a deal at the same time on Groupon for a 2-night stay for $85. It pays to do a quick little bit of research before booking.
The LVH
We didn’t know anything about the hotel before we booked it except the fact that it used to be a Hilton. We weren’t expecting much so maybe that’s why we were pleasantly surprised.
The staff was extraordinarily nice, from the personnel at the front desk to the pool boys handing out towels. We’ve stayed at the Bellagio and the Venetian, and neither of those hotels had staff nearly as warm and friendly.
The casino is nice looking but not very large. We’re not gamblers so I can’t speak much about the casino. One thing I really liked about the LVH is that you don’t have to walk a mile to get from one end of the casino to the elevator bank to go up to your room.
The pool is what I would call moderate-size. It was plenty big for the crowd we experienced but it’s not a multi-pool extravagazna like many of the hotels have. The crowd was pretty mild mannered even with a DJ playing–a few people danced, some chatted in the pool and many just lounged while reading. In comparison, my experience at the Bellagio was stuffy with hardly anyone in the pool and at the other end of the spectrum, the Excalibur was totally packed with what seemed like hundreds of kids. The LVH pool had some great happy hour drink deals of 2 fancy drinks for $8.95, 2 beers for $5.95, and there’s a cafe near the pool with nachos, salads, sandwiches etc. for under $10.
On the Strip Vs. Off the Strip
Normally, we like staying on the Strip just for the convenience of walking to other casinos, restaurants and shows. But it’s so hot now that we really didn’t mind driving to the Paris Hotel to go to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Mon Ami Gabi. Then we walked over to the Bellagio for dessert at one of our favorite gelaterias for coconut gelato, but that was enough walking for us in 100 degree temps. There is a monorail that runs to the Strip but at $5 per person per trip, which is really no bargain. A cab to the Strip costs $3.30 plus .20 cents per 13th mile.
For the money–$27 per night–the LVH was a great deal.