Las Vegas was the trip I didn’t even know I needed. Here is a guide for your solo travel to Las Vegas. It includes an itinerary, cost budgeting, and also travel tips to save you money!
Wait, where have you been, Crystal?
Some of you may have noticed this blog needs a bit of TLC. The last 18 months included plenty of solo travel: South Carolina, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico. Those blog entries will come next.
I’ve been so focused on writing my upcoming memoir, More To Tell, that there hasn’t been very much free time to write more Adventures With Crystal. And in the last month, I also decided to take a break from news reporting; I started my own strategic communications, marketing, and media coaching company: Spotlight Communications Group.
Those have all been adventures in their own ways, and I’ll get to share them soon! With all of this work, my recent 4 days and 3 nights in Las Vegas gave me the self-care, relaxation, and fun I needed.
The logistics:
Traveling off-season to Las Vegas was perfect because the prices were so much cheaper, especially when you avoid the Friday-Sunday upcharge. The restaurants, shows, and spas in Las Vegas also give you a discount if you go Monday-Thursday. It’s more bang for your buck. AND Las Vegas is less crowded, so you won’t have very long waits at restaurants, etc.
It felt much safer traveling solo during the week because while there were plenty of people walking around, it wasn’t as much of a party and club scene.
The money breakdown:
- Southwest Airlines from ATL to LAS: $380.24 base fare for roundtrip; $437.96 total with all of the bells and whistles, taxes, and fees.
- Aria Hotel: The first 5-star hotel I’ve been privileged to stay at, made possible by their weekday and off-season rates. Average: $119 a night, plus $49 in resort fees daily; for all the additional taxes and fees, $472.79, which is about $157/night (taxes and fees included). Aria ended up waiving my $153.06 resort fee… more on that later.
- Rideshare fees: Las Vegas doesn’t really have public transportation that’s efficient and accessible as a straight route through the Strip. A Lyft driver told me there were plans in the works, but with protests from cab and rideshare drivers, it’s been stalled.
If you plan on walking, it’s doable. Bring good shoes. From the middle of the strip to one of the further ends, it was about 5 miles for me to walk. I didn’t have the right shoes. It was a bad idea for me.
I spent the rest of the trip catching an Uber or Lyft to give my feet a break. For budgeting, plan on about $10 to go from hotel to hotel via rideshare, regardless of where on the Strip you are.
Using Lyft has its perks! For a 5% discount and more cash back, use your Chase credit card with Lyft. You’ll also get Delta Airline points and also Starbucks points when you use Lyft, as long as you link those accounts.
It was about $30 for me to get to the ATL airport from my home and about $10-$15 to get from the Las Vegas hotel back to the Las Vegas airport. It makes more sense to use rideshare instead of renting a car unless you’re wanting to travel far because most of the hotels have parking fees, and that adds up.
Tips for Solo travel in Las Vegas:
- Right now, if you download Rakuten, you’ll get a $30 cashback coupon (it used to be called Ebates). Using Rakuten when booking with an MGM hotel, you get 5% cashback. It works for any of the MGM sister properties in Las Vegas as well: Aria; Bellagio; Vdara; MGM Grand; Mandalay Bay; Delano Las Vegas; The Mirage; Park MGM; New York-New York; Luxor; Excalibur.
Since signing up, I have received $607 in cashback (a check is mailed to my address every quarter)! The website is safe, and most of my friends use it now! Info on Rakuten and a coupon from Adventures With Crystal, here. - Sign up for all casino membership rewards. It’s a little tedious, although MGM did it quickly over the phone for me. When you use your rewards membership # (there isn’t a fee to get an account), MGM guarantees the lowest rates possible for anything you book. They also give you a discount and add points to your account, which can turn into restaurant discounts and even free rooms for future travels.
DO NOT use any other sites like Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, etc., to book. It’ll just end up costing you more. Go directly to the hotel website or call the reservation desk and book over the phone.
- For more – make sure to use your Chase credit card for all of your travel and meals. If you use that link, you’ll get a $100 statement credit for signing up. And for travel, it’s 5% cash back if you book through chase; 3% cash back if you dine at restaurants or use a food delivery service!
It’s basically free money back to get you a great discount on booking travel and eating out.
The Las Vegas itinerary
Day 1 – Tuesday
- Leave Atlanta at 6 a.m. EST; arrive at LAS at 9 a.m. PST. Head to Aria hotel. Aria allowed me to check in early, at about 10:30 a.m., because it was slow on the Tuesday arrival.
- Explore Aria hotel. Walk around to get the lay of the land.
- Get breakfast at Aria hotel’s “Salt + Ivy” for brunch. Sit at the bar.
- Go back to the suite, take a relaxing bath inside their beautiful bathroom, followed by a nap to help with being severely jetlagged and confused.
- After waking up, explore the Cosmopolitan hotel, which is about a 10-minute walk, and the nearest hotel next door.
- Walk the strip, which turned into a 5-mile walk.
- Eat at “Border Cafe” at Mandalay Bay, which was recommended by a few female solo travelers on various Facebook groups.
- Hang out at Aria and head to bed relatively early.
Day 2 – Wednesday
- Early start — head to Wicked Spoon buffet next door at Cosmopolitan hotel. It’s $38 for all-you-can-eat: coffee and juices included. A great deal since a normal breakfast would probably come out to be at least $25 at any of the nearby hotel restaurants. So you’re not spending much more to be able to fill up for a long day and also enjoy world-class dining.
- Spa day Canyon Ranch spa and fitness inside the Venetian Hotel. At 134,000 square feet, it’s one of the largest day spas in North America. The fee was $125/for non-hotel guests Monday – Thursday; $75 for Venetian hotel guests Monday – Thursday. Or, it’s a free day pass if you book a service. I ended up booking a massage, which wasn’t that much more expensive than a day pass.
- Aria dinner at the famous “Din Tai Fun” restaurant. The family-owned business, now with multiple locations around the world, has won many awards — including the coveted Michelin star at its Hong Kong branch.
- Explore Bellagio hotel — check out the Craps players.
- Watch Cirque Du Soleil “O” inside the Bellagio hotel. $168 total with taxes and fees, I opted for seats closer to the front. You can get seats for $75, and since some of the stunts are acrobatic, it’ll still be a good view from the back.
- Relax inside the Aria hotel, and enjoy the massive shower and bathtub King suite combo.
Day 3 – Thursday
- Catch up on emails and do a bit of work early in the morning… I know, I know. But there was stuff to do that couldn’t wait.
- Brunch, back at Salt and Ivy.
- Check out the MGM Grand casino.
- Book the Minus 5 Ice Bar for drinks and a photo shoot. Entry fees begin at $24, depending on what package you buy.
- Eat at Javier’s restaurant back in Aria.
- Head to MGM Grand to watch the Jabberwocez show.
- Head to Aria, and play Craps.
Day 4 – Friday
- 11 a.m. checkout from Aria
- The Wicked Spoon buffet for another round, read off my Kindle, edited some photos from the trip, and texted friends to catch up. Walk another loop inside the Cosmopolitan.
- Check out the fancy shops at Crystals.
- Head to the airport at 2:45 p.m.
