Impromptu marriages for all! Annulments for some!

September 16, 2007 12:37 AM

A large group (6-10) high school friends want to meet in Vegas for 4 days over new years. O' Hive mind, where can we get the best deal on airfare and a hotel on the strip? Please help as most of us are now exceedingly poor graduate students.

Also, what else should we not miss in vegas. Two friends want to get married by Elvis, I want to shoot guns in the desert at dawn with a hangover, and one of us is going to get a tattoo (whether they want to or not). What is worth seeing, which bars are worth going to, cheap food, etc. Also, what is a good idea to bring with us? We are all under 25, so a rental car is probably not gonna happen.

posted by Large Marge to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

Keep in mind that New Year's Eve is one of the most crazy times of the year in Vegas. You're unlikely to gain admittance to any of the best 'clubs' without paying big bucks or knowing someone who can get you in. That said, there are plenty of other ways to 'have some fun' in Lost Wages.

As for lodging, I suggest two routes. Find someone in your group who has parents or grandparents with a timeshare membership. Rent those points from them and book a timeshare with a kitchen in Las Vegas. This will allow you to sleep six or possibly all 8 people in one room to save on money.

Route 2: Motel 6. There is a Motel 6 right across the road from MGM Casino. It's walking distance from the monorail station and the strip. Sure there is no room service, etc. But the price is right, you're probably only going to be sleeping in the room anyway.

Save as much money on lodging as possible because you're going to spending it on booze and gambling.
posted by IndigoSkye at 7:12 AM on September 16, 2007

Yes, as IndigoSkye says, that is the wrong time of year to come to town if you're trying to save money (not that Vegas ever tries to help you save money). But if it's cheap food and lodging you're looking for, you could try slumming it and stay Downtown on Fremont Street, and taxi it to the Strip when you want to spend a night out there. Wedding chapels also fill up around holidays, so you may want to book that ASAP.
posted by falconred at 9:19 AM on September 16, 2007

Response by poster: being thrifty is not a huge issue, but we'd like to get a good deal on airfare and lodging
posted by Large Marge at 9:55 AM on September 16, 2007

When MeFier jonmc got married in Vegas last year (with Elvis as MC) a bunch of us stayed at the Barbary Coast, which has now been renamed Bill's Gamblin' Hall (ugh!).

It's slap bang in the middle of the Strip, so convenient for everything, and is reasonably priced, compared with other Strip hotels. It's small too, so you won't get lost on your way from the Casino to the elevators.

And it has, without doubt, the best free entertainment anywhere in Vegas.
posted by essexjan at 11:58 AM on September 16, 2007

Motel 6 or Best Value Inn across the street from the MGM - if you spend more than 6 hours in your motel room, you are not having a good time. There's a shooting range just down from the motel on Tropicana too.
posted by A189Nut at 5:02 PM on September 16, 2007

unfortunately, New Years + Vegas != cheap. In fact it is not really the place to be on New Years unless you have cash to burn.

I can suggest one thing, however, that is rent a room with two beds for two people and cram as many people in as you are willing to risk. I have done this with 5 people and we had no issues and it saved us a tone of cash. Plus it was a lot of fun to have everyone in one room.

Air fair will also not be cheap. Best to drive there if you can. Rent a van and make a road trip out of it.

Like IndigoSkye mentioned, it is hard to get in anywhere. Make sure you bring nice clothing and guys bring dressy shoes. Runners of any kind will get you denied. Girls will pretty much always get in...for obvious reasons.

Finally, if you do still decide to go, go to Fremont street. It is hands down the best place for cheap gambling and most of the people there are young in comparison to the strip. Plus if you sit at any slot machine (from penny slots to dollar slots) you will get free drinks. In my opinion if you are paying for drinks in Vegas you are wasting your money. It is cheaper to play a few rounds of gambling and get free drinks then to buy a $10 something.
posted by birdlips at 3:14 AM on September 17, 2007

Rent a house! A bunch of my friends (we're talking 15-20) rented a house in a residential Vegas neighborhood and had a fantastic time. Beautiful surroundings, ample space for hijinks, much better bedlinens than you'd find in a hotel, and still very close to all of the action. Ours had a swimming pool and some fancy-schmancy kitchen stuff.
posted by Madamina at 7:21 AM on September 17, 2007

I can recommend a dive just a block and a half off the strip called the Somerset House Motel. I stayed there last year and had a fair sized room with a double bed and a pull out couch, as well as a HUGE closet and a small but full kitchen, and the bathroom was cleaner than mine at home. I don't recall exactly what my nightly rate was, but it was CHEAP, like in the 50$ a night neighborhood, and I would totally stay there again. They have a pool and give a AAA discount. Oh, and I really I loved the old-school Las Vegas "broads" working the front desk.
posted by goml at 10:46 AM on September 17, 2007