Hi Friends!
To me, Vegas is the happiest place on earth – the architecture, the atmosphere, the activities, and the DEALS! In this post, I am sharing all of the tips and tricks that we use before and during our visit to score the best deals! Here are some things to keep in mind when you are planning your trip:
- Sign up for ALL the Rewards Programs
- PRO TIP BEFORE YOU GO: Download the myVegas Slots app!
- With this app you can play “slots” for free, and earn coins towards REAL rewards! Can use at any MGM owned hotel/M Life rewards location (including: MGM Grand, Park MGM, Bellagio, Aria, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor).
- The kinds of rewards we redeem are: monorail tickets, free beverages or appetizers at restaurants, free play in the casino, discounts on hotel stays, buy one get one free buffets, and more!
- To redeem your rewards, you need to select it in the app and then present it to the reward program (“Mlife”) desk in the MGM property that the deal is at.
- Sign up for each property’s rewards program! You get special deals emailed to you, earn points every time you spend money on their properties (from eating to gambling to staying at the hotel!) and also receive birthday & anniversary deals.
- PRO TIP: use your rewards card for everything you do – i.e. if you eat dinner on a property that you are a member of the rewards program for, make sure to give your rewards card (and method of payment) to the waiter.
2. Do not overspend on drinks!
- Drinks at Vegas bars are WAY overpriced, so we sit at slot machines in any casino to get free drinks! We do gamble while we are sitting there (like, push the button 1x every minute) but my logic is: even if you “lose” $10-15, a drink at a bar would be $20+ anyway so you got to have a little fun in the meantime!
- PRO TIP: Give the waitress $1 when she hands you your drink and she is more likely to come back quicker to ask if you want another drink (if you continue to play the slots).
- The best casino drinks are at the Cosmopolitan (the cosmo and lemon drop martinis are AMAZING)
- Photo Op: A must every time I am in Vegas is to get a “free” cosmo at the slot machines at the Cosmopolitan and then take a picture in front of the Chandelier bar! DO NOT spend money at the actual Chandelier bar (unless you want to sit in the bar area).
- Buy alcohol at CVS or pack your own! For my bachelorette party we each packed bottles in our checked bags and it was much cheaper. We also went to CVS to pick mixers up! You can pre-game in your room or bring a water bottle/cup to walk around with (since that is legal in Vegas!).
- Buy a cup from Fat Tuesday and then refills are discounted (~$2 off)! My husband and I have the big cup with a handle to share between the 2 of us.
3. Buy a Monorail Ticket – at a discount
- I had refused to buy a monorail ticket for the longest time just because I love walking the strip, but oh my goodness it literally saved my feet and a ton of time! It is slightly spendy, but definitely worth it if you want to go end-to-end on the strip and don’t want to walk it (quicker than an Uber for sure!)
- If you download the myVegas Slots app, there is a discount for monorail tickets under “rewards”!
4. Where to stay depending on your budget and what you want to do
- If you are looking for a deal AND want to stay in the middle of the strip, you can’t beat Bally’s. It is also where the monorail stops! They have great deals (if you are a student there is an extra deal too! At any Caesar’s/Total Rewards hotel, actually!)
- As I mentioned above, you can get hotel deals through the myVegas Rewards app at all MGM owned hotels! We wanted to use the MGM Grand’s Lazy River, so we stayed at the MGM Grand using a discount through the app!
- You can sign up for hotel rewards programs and get special offers emailed to you directly – which is what we do!
5. There are lots of free things to do in Vegas!
- Rain Storm “show”: in the Miracle Mile connected to the Planet Hollywood – it is small but pretty cool to see it rain inside!
- Fountain Show: out in front of the Bellagio – one of the more popular “shows” in Vegas that is absolutely stunning!
- Fire/Volcano Show: outside of the Mirage – only occurs a couple times per night, the water fountain area outside of the Mirage turns in to a volcano!
- Fall of Atlantis Show: inside the Caesar’s Forum Shops – one of my personal favorites, this show tells the story of the fall of Atlantis!
- Bellagio Conservatory Garden: inside of the Bellagio – this garden changes with each season, so each time you go it will probably look 100% different!
- Flamingo’s Wildlife Habitat: inside of the Flamingo Hotel – even though I am not a fan of birds, this wildlife habitat is pretty cool! Getting to see real flamingos inside of a hotel called the Flamingo is fun!
- Chandelier Bar: inside the Cosmopolitan! It is a beautiful, purple, glowing sight! You can admire it from afar or go sit in the bar and order a beverage!
6. Do not pay to get into clubs! (in non-COVID times)
- Promoters are paid to get people in to the clubs they work for, so are always on the lookout for people to add to their guest lists!
- Pro tip: A day or two before your trip to Vegas, post on social media (my go-to is Instagram) and club promoters will reach out to you asking if you want to get into any clubs!
- You can also wait until you arrive, and look for promoters (usually wearing jackets or T-shirt’s with club names on them) to get onto their guest list. I used to breeze past them on the sidewalks but now I know talking to them can lead to great opportunities! Sometimes (especially for ladies…sorry gentlemen) free drinks are even included!
- In the past, Daniel and I got into Hakkasan to see Lil John and Omnia to see Steve Aoki FOR FREE!!! We previously paid $100+ to get into Omnia to see Calvin Harris but being put on the guest list by a promoter is so easy and free! For my bachelorette party we were offered free drinks at Marquee every night!
- One note on this is that sometimes the guest list line can be absurdly long, so if you can get I line early I recommend that!
Our Favorites
Even though this post is focused on budget friendly Vegas tips, I would be sad to miss the opportunity to share our personal favorites that are on our list each time we visit:
- DRINK:
- “Ghost Donkey” speakeasy at The Cosmopolitan – I will be posting a reel / Tik Tok of where it can be found, but my goodness it is cool. And the Mezcal drinks we got there were delicious!
- Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesar’s Palace – not only is it a gorgeous atmosphere, and and opportunity to fangirl over Lisa Vanderpump’s newest restaurant, they have amazing drinks! I love the “Pillow Talk” martini (an espresso martini) and my husband enjoyed “The Nut Job” (a coconut mojito). Goat cheese balls are also a good idea if you are in need of a nibble!
- Fat Tuesday (locations all over the strip) – they sell a variety of frozen cocktails that keep you cool on hot days! We love the Bellini flavor! Like I mentioned above, buy a reusable cup so that you get a discount with each refill!
- FOOD:
- “Secret Pizza” at The Cosmopolitan – which was SO FUN! Oh and had good pizza. It is located on the third floor in an unmarked hallway to the right of the Blue Ribbon restaurant. There are other pizza places around, for example at the New York New York and MGM that taste just as good, but it is fun to go to the “secret” one!
- Noodle Asia at the Venetian – we love the fried rice and dim sum!
- The District at the Cosmopolitan – great biscuits and you HAVE to try the brown butter glazed donut!! It is a MUST! The coffee is good too!
- The Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan [NOT BUDGET FRIENDLY] – our favorite buffet! Everything is dished up into its own person serving size so it is cute and delicious! There can be SUPER long lines so we suggest going around 4PM (dinner starts at 3PM, but if there aren’t many other people there the food isn’t changed out for fresh as often 🤔 Strategy! hahaha)
- Cafe Gelato at the Bellagio – we love their gelato (plus there is a buy one get one free coupon through the my Vegas Rewards app!)
- Eataly at the Park MGM – booths a wide variety of Italian foods from pastries to pizza, to sandwiches and wine!
- ACTIVITIES
- Top Golf – fun for a date night or a group get together! Any skill level can play – it is like a driving range with added fun of virtual games! You can stay as little or long as you want, which determines the price. The food there is also great! There is a shuttle from the MGM, and I would recommend making a reservation at Top Golf for your desired “tee time”.
- Lazy River at the MGM Grand – we rented a day bed by the lazy river and it was the best decision ever! [Note: you do need to be a guest at the hotel in order to enter the pool complex.] The price was $375 total which included: day bed rental 9am-5pm (which came with a safe to lock up your valuables, an umbrella, and towels), a personal waitress all day, and half the amount (~$187.50) applied toward food and beverage credit! We got breakfast and lunch there, and it was all yummy! There was a wide variety of drinks but we stuck wit the frozen ones and they were good! PRO TIP: we bought our own tubes and brought them in so that we didn’t have to pay to rent them!
- Caesar’s Forum Shops – we just love walking around looking at the shops! Plus it is indoors, so on a hot day it is a major relief!
- Miracle Mile at the Planet Hollywood – more shops!
Cheers, my Friends!
~McKenna
