Cheap Meals + Deals = Vegas Wins

Treasure Island on the Vegas Strip

We generally avoid Las Vegas on weekends or holidays because of the high room rates.

But with tourism still taking a hit there, we got a room at the recently-renovated  Treasure Island  (TI) for under $100 a night. (Wynn Resort, across the street was more than $300 a night).

Money-saving Deals:
We used 2-for-1 brewskie/drink coupons at their tropically-themed Kahunaville Bar and Restaurant., The parade of fellow guests to the bar provided the free entertainment.

Opting out of TI's resort fee ($20 a day for Internet access and gym admittance) and passing on in-room Internet at $14.99 for 24-hours ($7.99 for two continuous hours); we walked across the pedestrian bridge to Starbucks for coffee and  free Internet. 

(Note: the Starbucks in the TI doesn't accept coffee cards and doesn't have Internet access.  Coffee Presse, just inside the Palazzo shops, also offers free wi-fi.)

While surfing the Net at Starbucks, (using our own Netbook) we found Monday and Tuesday night rates had dropped to 'reasonable' at The Palazzo (across the street) so we booked ourselves there for $139 a night using Expedia. Upon check in we received a sheet of discount coupons that included 2-for-1 drinks, discounts at several restaurants and  $25 in free slot machine play at their casino for each of us. Using the coupons: we sipped Prosecco at the Double Helix bar, dined at Dos Caminos and played the penny slot machines - all of which, we may not have done without the coupons. Another win for them and for us.

The Palazzo

We got the best airfare on Alaska Air by flying Friday and Wed. Check the airline's rate calendar and if you can, adjust your travel to the best fare travel days.

Ah, the bottled water as mentioned before: street vendors, sell  for a buck a bottle - same size inside can cost from $2.49 - $3.19.

Free Shows:
While entertainers headline and productions dazzle on many of the casino/hotel stages, we have discovered a number of free shows are incredibly entertaining as well.

Treasure Island has a great free pirate show on the street side of the resort several times each evening. Check the posted show times and then come early to get a good spot for sidewalk viewing. (We used another 2-for-1 coupon and sipped a glass of wine, watching the show from the TI's balcony bar).

We watched the Piazza mime finish his show and then were serenaded by costumed strolling minstrels who entertained with Italian tunes while we made the most of Happy Hour drinks and dining at the bar in Canaletto Restorante Veneto along the Grand Canal in the Venetian (connecting the Venetian to the Palazzo).

Their Happy Hour offers a good selection of cheap eats and drinks for $7 each before 6 p.m. We sipped our wine, ate thin crust pizza and a plate of calamari and enjoyed the free entertainment on our last night in town.

Pirate ship 'burns' during TI free show