Buddy and I had the best trip to Las Vegas this month we ever had. Yes, it’s more expensive, and sometimes outrageous, but we got around that and had a great time!
We minimized our costs by intentionally visiting mid-week. A perk of being retired – the freedom to decide when I want to travel. The total cost of our trip, minus air fare, was under $1,000. For 4 nights in Vegas, that was a great deal!
We posted a detailed summary of our trip in our Destinations section. Please check it out. I also recommend watching our video summary of our trip on our YouTube channel here: BuddysTravelsTV.
I want to again emphasize a key fact about hotels in Las Vegas – they all charge a mandatory resort fee of $50 to $60 per night, plus tax. This is often hidden in online hotel advertisements until you read the fine print.
- Our base hotel bill for 4 nights with tax was $150 ($149.47), or $37.50 per night. A great rate.
- The resort fee for 4 nights, with tax, was $226.52, or $56.63 per night. That was 150% of our regular room rate.
- This is where Vegas really screws over tourists.
- We read the fine print during our online searches and thus figured that into our calculations to get the best rate & location deal.
- By doing so, our total hotel bill came to $375.99, or $94 per night. Anytime we can book a hotel stay under $100/night, it’s a great deal for us.
Check Out
We arrived Tuesday night at midnight. Our departure flight was Friday night/Saturday morning at 12:30am. We deliberately chose to checkout Saturday morning so we could enjoy all of our last day in Vegas and take our time that Friday evening packing and checking out. If staying that extra night reduces the stress of our final day, we will do that every time. Life gives you enough stress. Why add more?
The front desk was quite busy when we arrived at 9:30pm. Rather than wait in line, we dropped our room keys in the express check-out box and waited for our Uber. Simple. Efficient. We received our final bill via email in two days.
We took an Uber from the hotel to the airport. The fare was $20 and took 12 minutes. Very reasonable and quick. We chose to take an Uber every time we needed transportation off the strip because it’s a benefit of our American Express Platinum card. AMEX gives us a monthly Uber credit, which makes our travel a bit less expensive. We believe in maximizing every benefit we have.
Flight to Minneapolis.
We were pleasantly surprise when we arrived at LAS Terminal 1 at 10pm. No crowds and a very quick check-in. After check-in, we were through security in under 10 minutes. Though the CLEAR line was closed, TSA Pre-Check was open and was a breeze. I budgeted an hour for check-in and security, and we were through in 20 minutes. As we say – we’d rather be early and waiting at the gate rather than arriving late and missing our flight.
From Terminal 1 security we took the Tram to Concourse D since our flight departed Gate D42. While LAS does not have a Delta lounge, they do have an American Express Centurion Lounge opposite gate D1. Unfortunately it closes at 11:00pm, but we at least had a quick bite to eat and relax a bit before it closed. We love the Centurion Lounges and with an AMEX Platinum card, lounge access was a breeze.
Leaving the lounge at 11pm, we took our time walking to D42. Boarding started at 11:55pm and with a less than full flight, we actually pushed back a little early.
It was a B-757. As usual, the Delta flight crew were great and enjoyed seeing Buddy. 
Our redeye flight was only 3 hours, which wasn’t enough time to sleep, so I watched a movie. Not surprisingly, we arrived mid Concourse G and our connecting flight was all the way across in Concourse C. However, with a 3-hour layover, it was not a problem. Although Delta has 3 lounges in MSP (near Gates G17&18, F Concourse entrance, and next to Gate C12), we chose our favorite at the entrance to F Concourse.
Flight to Louisville
At 6:00am, the lounge was not busy. Settling into a desk on the lower level, we had a nice breakfast and were able to get caught up on emails. Besides the food, which is normally good, we appreciate the quieter and less-stressed environment of the lounge. Again, with a Delta Sky Miles Reserve Card, we use that benefit at every opportunity. When we left the lounge at 8:00am, it was starting to fill up. Airport travel is all about timing and knowing peak days and hours.
This time we were smart about the journey from F Concourse to the end of C Concourse. We took the tram. 
Another less-than-full cabin for our CRJ-900 and two hours later we landed back home in Louisville.
A very enjoyable mini-vacation in Las Vegas and a relaxing journey home. That’s what getting away is all about – taking a break to enjoy the sights, sounds, atmosphere, food and energy of a destination, with lasting memories. This recharge was desperately needed and I returned much more at peace with myself.
Isn’t that what travel should be?
Buddy and Jordan
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