Travel Fanboy

Favorites

Here are some of my budget friendly favorites in Las Vegas:

Hotels:

South:

Luxor – If you’re staying at the south end of the Strip, the tower rooms are a pretty good value. It’s a quick walk to Mandalay Bay, one of my favorite properties. There are numerous dining choices in the adjoining shops as well. Plus, you may be able to score a comped room via myVegas like I did.

Center:

Flamingo – Great location with consistently low room rates make this a great spot to lay your head. Limited food options are offset by the property’s proximity to other great options. Hotel has a nice pool and the casino offers low table minimums. I loved my stay in the spring of 2013.

Center-northish:

Mirage – This Wynn developed property is an excellent value as a mid-tier property. The rooms get consistently good reviews and it’s in a great location. It’s another hotel with room comp potential via myVegas. Be sure to check out Heritage for one of the best steaks in the city.

Restaurants:

Battista’s Hole in the Wall: Old world Italian at center strip, just behind the Flamingo. Entree prices may seem a little inflated, but each meal comes with bread, soup, post meal cappuccino, and unlimited house wine. Hard to beat for about $30 a person. I’m not saying the food is the best or the wine is the finest in the city, but you’ll be satisfyingly stuffed and buzzed before hitting the town.

BurGR: This Gordon Ramsay joint inside Planet Hollywood features one of the best burgers I’ve eaten- the Farm Burger. It’s high end grill fare, but the prices are fairly reasonable. The sweet potato fries are must.

Cocktail Bar:

Bound: Located in the Cromwell, this upscale mini-lounge serves up some tasty cocktails via their experienced mixologists. You’ll pay a pretty penny, but it’s worth every bit.

Craps:

Golden Gate: Low minimums, friendly dealers, and 10x odds. There’s always an upbeat crowd and a $5 table to be had, even on busy weekend nights.

Blackjack:

Bellagio: I don’t play BJ often, but on occasion you can find a $5 or $10 table at Bellagio. This property is classic new Vegas and my all time favorite. The atmosphere alone makes it worth it. On more of a budget? Golden Gate, again, is a great place to go.

2 comments

  • Hi VegasFanBoy! I hate to disagree with you because I love your blog and podcast, but for restaurants, Battista’s was probably the worst Italian food I’ve ever had. I would recommend Maggiano’s Little Italy at the Fashion Show Mall across from the Wynn. And the burger I had at Burgr was tasteless and nothing to write home about (though the fries were really good). Pinks Hot Dogs is just steps away and in my opinion way better value and food.

    • Disagreeing with me is simply forbidden! I actually may agree with you about Battista’s food. I think I’ve had Chef Boyardee that was better. It simply became a tradition for my group to go. The ambiance is what does it for us. I like Maggiano’s as well, though I’ve yet to have it in Vegas. We have quite a few out here in the midwest. That’s a bummer about BurGR. Everyone in my party on my last trip simply loved it. Maybe we got lucky or you unlucky. I do like Pinks though too!

      Despite our palate differences, I appreciate you taking the time to listen and read my work. Hopefully I run into you at Pinks sometime!