Las Vegas Deals

Las Vegas has something for everyone: gambling, sunshine, great restaurants, and shopping, but how to find those Las Vegas deals to make your vacation affordable? Actually, it's not as difficult as you may think. If you're a little flexible with your hotel choices and travel dates, there are ample Las Vegas travel deals most of the year.

Where to Look for Las Vegas Deals?

Finding a good price on your Las Vegas vacation isn't that difficult if you know where to look. To save money on your next Vegas trip, consider the following:

• The Junkets - Junkets are hotel and casino-sponsored trips to get gamblers to the casinos. Usually these are offered for residents of cities within driving distance of Las Vegas and include bus fare, accommodations, and usually a coupon book of discounts or other similar extras.

• Charter Packages - Charter operators, such as Apple Vacations and Funjet, combine a chartered flight with negotiated hotel rates for a package price that is generally much lower than what you'd pay for a flight and hotel separately. Most charter flights are non-stop, a bonus for those in cities without regularly-scheduled non-stop flights to Vegas. One downside is that most charters do not operate daily.

• Off-Season Pricing - Travel in January and August for the best Las Vegas pricing. January is cool, but not cold, and August is steamy, but both months offer excellent Las Vegas deals. Consider, also, traveling during the middle of the week, instead of the weekend, when hotels can be up to 60 percent less.

• Off of the Strip - Hotels and resorts, located one or two blocks from the Las Vegas Strip, can be up to half of the price of major Strip hotels. Many of these resorts, such as the Rio Resort, offer all of the amenities of the Strip hotels and provide transportation to and from the Strip.

• Downtown Deals - Downtown Las Vegas is experiencing a renaissance. The advent of the Fremont Street Experience, the enclosed pedestrian street with a canopy featuring an hourly sound and light show, has brought thousands of tourists back to the area that was the first resort area in Vegas. Hotels there, such as the Golden Nugget and the Union Plaza, offer an excellent value when compared to Strip hotels.

• Don't Forget those Comps - Frequent blackjack players and slot machine aficionados are smart to concentrate their play at one casino and to join that casino's player club. These "frequent players" clubs offer perks based on how much you spend at the casino. Rewards range from souvenirs, such as coffee mugs and tee-shirts, to complementary meals and even free nights at the hotel.

Saving Money While in Las Vegas

Once in Las Vegas, extend your savings by taking advantage of the wealth of available discounts in the city.

• Coupons - Most of the major resorts and casinos offer coupon books to guests and players. Many are available only if you request them. Make sure that you ask. Coupons include such things as free drinks, match play at the casino, and two-for-one meals.

• On Dining - Las Vegas offers some of the best dining deals of any resort area. The fabled buffets are still plentiful and available in a variety of themes and price levels - from seafood buffets to international-themed buffets to Bally's elegant "Sterling Brunch" buffet, complete with Champagne and caviar. These unique eateries offer a wide selection and, generally, are less expensive than traditional sit-down restaurants.