Las Vegas Trip - Milpitas,CA

FLY!! I just looked on Southwest's website and you can get a $79 one way from SFO to LAS...and be there in an hour!! In Las Vegas I always use a cab and avoid parking fees. Southwest also does not have baggage fees like most of the other airlines.

I would fly to Las Vegas. You don't need a car there and it would actually be more of a pain. They have the monorail which goes all the way down the strip; I think it's about $6 a day. Also, at the airport there are cabs lined up waiting to take you to your hotel. You can pretty much stay in any hotel on the main strip but I wouldn't go as far as the Stratosphere (sp?). Once you go that far it gets a bit "ghetto" Have fun!!

We went in May (and got married :) ), and for $660 plus tax, we flew non-stop round trip from Detroit to Las Vegas, stayed 3 nights at The Luxor (not a choice I would make again, now that I've been there and know what all of my options are), rented a mid-sized sedan, saw a Cirque du Soleil show, as well as Criss Angel, visited Madame Tussauds (however its spelled) wax museum. I booked through bookit.com. I looked and looked and changed schedules and itineraries quite a few times in order to find the best deal possible. To drive or fly really depends on how much time you have. If you have the extra day and a half to spend driving (round trip), and the gas is cheaper than flight tickets, then go for it. We opted for a red-eye flight home which was cheaper, and it allowed us to get the most out of our last day there, since our stay was so short. We want to go back again, and are saving money so we can :)

I go to vegas often. If you're just going for a couple of days, I would fly. drving will take up too much time. I strongly recommend the shows! The O show by cirque du soleil was amazing!!! pricey but worth it. They also have this place called tickets 4 tonight by the M&M store where u can buy discount tickets to a lot of shows, just get there early. They have the price is right show too where u can win. Treasure island & bellagio have really good buffets. Harrahs was ok for rooms, I think it was riviera we stayed once & it was bad. check out travelzoo.com for entertainment. sign up for total rewards.com now & u may get room discounts. good luck! I hope u guys hit it big

I would definitely fly. Go to a travel company's website (like Funjet). It will give you all the ratings for the hotels. Then, book through the actual hotel's website. We've saved a ton of money that way. Most of the hotels on the strip are great! You just need to decide how far north or south on the strip you'd like to stay.

If you want to do any "excursions", go visit the Hoover Dam. I know, it sounds lame. My husband really wanted to go, and I REALLY didn't, but I went anyway for him. It was such a neat trip! I don't think it cost us too much, either, but that was six years ago.

Are you taking your kids, or will it be just the 2 of you? We don't drink or gamble, so my Vegas list klooks different from most other people's lists. ;P

Check hotels.com for rooms.

If you want to be on the Strip, the Stratosphere is less expensive than most Strip hotels, and it's got the rides on top, the observation deck, the shopping center and the pool. We always do the aquarium, Shark Reef, at Mandalay Bay, the recreated King Tut's Tomb at the Luxor, the white tiger habitat (free) and the dolphin habitat (paid) at the Mirage, and watch the fountains at the Bellagio. Red Rock Canyon, about 15 minutes from the Strip (just go down Charleston Blvd.) is great for getting out of the city crush. At the south end of Las Vegas Blvd., there's a Disney Outlet store that we love. :) Especially if you've never seen it in person, go to Hoover Dam (about 20 minutes outside of the city), take the tour, and check out the new bridge over the canyon. If you're lucky, you'll see animals like bighorn sheep on the way out and back.

Pick up one of those "visitor" magazines; it'll have coupons and lists of whatever you're looking for - shows, museums (there's some great ones, including the Lost City that spent decades underwater at Lake Mead, plus the Atomic Testing museum), nature centers or anything else.

FLY!!!!

When I lived in CA 3 hours from Vegas, it was a 3-4x/year getaway!
Tons of fun.
Do not recommend staying at Luxor, stratosphere or circus circus. All on the strip but rooms as cheap and run down as can be. You can get much nicer rooms pretty much anywhere else!
You are going at the perfect time of the year. It is the off season so you should have no problem getting a good deal on a good room!
Lots of great places to eat. If you want an amazing buffet that does not taste like buffet food you have to go to the dinner buffet at the rio.
Any of the cirque de soliel shows are awesome! You can walk around taking in free sights and window shopping all day long, and never leave the strip! All of the hotels/casinos want your business so badly they go out of their way to lure you in with great food, great shows, and great deals! Take advantage and have a great time!
Also, stay on the strip!! Ya there are good deals off the strip but we always had the most fun staying on the strip. You can walk or take one of the trams everywhere!

we always stay at Sams Town, which is off the strip, but they have shuttles going to the strip all day, even though we usually rent a car. When we stayed, it was super cheap because they had some construction going on, but only during the day when we were never in our room, so the noise didnt bother us.

Southwest airlines is usually the cheapest. Last time we went, we also did not have to pay for luggage. Monte Carlo is the most affordable hotel on the strip and the location is great. Get on their email list and they will send you major deals. I've seen prices as low as
$40ish a night. However, I get emails for suites at the Venetian for $99.00 - $129.00 a night. If you book for one price and it goes down before your trip, they will usually honor the cheaper room rate, but you have to call and ask. You also have to check their website everyday until your trip to see if the room rate drops. Also, the same hotel may have more than one set of room rates. Check all the different links into their rate calendars to find the cheapest. That's usually for any hotel. We walk everywhere and only take a cab to the airport for the trip home. If you like the Beatles, see LOVE. If you get on the Mirage email list, you can sometimes get tixs for 25% off. Yea, I know it's a pain to get all those emails, but it's the way to get a luxury trip for a lot less money. I also know how to go to Disneyland on a budget too! Going on budget vacations in style is sort of a hobby of mine. If you are Bay Area, there is a big discrepency in long term parking at San Jose. So, really be careful who you pick or better yet, see if you can get a ride to the airport.