September 15, 2004 -- Even if you're not itching to tie the knot a la Britney Spears or Nicky Hilton, Las Vegas is one of those places that almost everyone checks out at one time or another. Staying there a few days last month, I encountered an amazing cross section of people, representing all ages and ethnicities, not to mention costumes that ranged from sedate to unbelievable. Here are some of the bargains that brought everyone to Sin City.
Package Deals
Southwest Vacations (www.swavacations.com), affiliated with Southwest Airlines, has great package promotions to Las Vegas, changing at least weekly. At time of writing, for instance, they were offering airfare and two nights at Westward Ho out of Kansas City from $239 per person; ditto departing San Diego from $99. The hotels claim the available rooms are "run of the house", meaning the best rooms available.
One of several sites advertising good hotel rooms and other inexpensive amenities is www.vegas.com. Again, their offers change constantly, but at time of writing there were some good ones like these: Two nights, with air, per person out of Los Angeles costs from $119.95. The same deal departing Dallas would be $179.95, out of New York $239.95. Among other promotions were $109.95 per night at the Mirage Hotel, $85.95 at the Aladdin, $79.95 at the Luxor, $49.95 at the Tropicana and $39.95 at the San Remo. Check the site for rates from other cities.
Lodging Only
The president of E Leisure Link (888/801-8808; www.eleisurelink.com), Larry Fishkin, says his company's rates for luxury strip hotels run from $49 per night, and "are considerably lower than Hotels.com, Travelocity or Expedia." At time of writing, that price was for the Excalibur for various dates (not all nights available) from November 28 through December 23, 2004. At the Tropicana, rates from September 19 through the 23rd, 2004 start at $66 per night, and are $67 on select dates in December 2004.E Leisure Link also lists Treasure Island from $95 per night in December 2004, and Mandalay Bay from $169 for various nights in November and December 2004. All the hotels mentioned are rated as four-star by the Las Vegas tourist authorities.
Note that in none of the air-inclusive packages above are airport taxes and security fees included.