Vegas for 2 guys on a budget

MarkY91

so 2 of us are going to vegas next june for 1 week. staying at the tropicana. we want to go clubbing and do pool parties...the usual for 23 year olds.

im reading some horrible stuff n regards to night clubs. 1-2 hour Qs, 30 odd dollars a drink etc. is there any "normal" people nightclubs there? i dont mind paying like a tenner for a bottle of bud but 30 odd dollars? im really worried about our trip now as there doesnt seem to be clubs/disco bars with non celebrity prices

how much did you spend on a night out? im so lost here.

Dave1442397

http://www.cheapovegas.com/nightlife-vegas

MarkY91

Dave1442397 wrote: »

http://www.cheapovegas.com/nightlife-vegas

that is a great site. thanks alot.

how did your vegas experience go? or do what happens in vegas actually stay there :L ?

Paul_Hacket

If you are two guys going to the clubs without any girls in your group you're generally going to have to pay full price for entry, which is usually around $30 - $60 depending on the club. You can go to some of the club's sites and pre-book your tickets which might speed up the queuing process but often they make you wait even if you already have tix, especially if you're single guys.

Clubs in Vegas are fun once in a while in my experience but they are designed to remove as much money from your pocket as quickly as possible so you will find them pretty expensive for booze and admissions. The scene in most of them is also kind of lame after a while, a lot of people wandering around trying to figure out where the action is but never really finding it - this partly comes from most of the people there being tourists. If you don't gamble a week will seem like a long time in Vegas and will be expensive (the drinks are free if you're gambling). The pool scene during the daytime in the Tropicana is decent, though you should also check out some of the day parties at the Hard Rock and the new rooftop day club at The Cromwell. If I was you I'd stay a few nights at Planet Hollywood, the Mirage or Flamingo (best pool on the strip in my opinion) to get some variety. MGM has some of the best clubs for eye candy and quality of DJs. My best bit of advice though would be to only stay in Vegas 4 days and then rent a car and drive up to Zion and Bryce canyon as the antidote to all the partying

Dave1442397

MarkY91 wrote: »

that is a great site. thanks alot.

how did your vegas experience go? or do what happens in vegas actually stay there :L ?

I've never been there

I was never into that kind of club scene. I've always gone straight for the end result, such as places like http://www.letrapeze.org/

There were some very interesting clubs in Manhattan back in the early '90s, when I used to spend most Friday/Saturday nights in the city.

MarkY91

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

If you are two guys going to the clubs without any girls in your group you're generally going to have to pay full price for entry, which is usually around $30 - $60 depending on the club. You can go to some of the club's sites and pre-book your tickets which might speed up the queuing process but often they make you wait even if you already have tix, especially if you're single guys.

Clubs in Vegas are fun once in a while in my experience but they are designed to remove as much money from your pocket as quickly as possible so you will find them pretty expensive for booze and admissions. The scene in most of them is also kind of lame after a while, a lot of people wandering around trying to figure out where the action is but never really finding it - this partly comes from most of the people there being tourists. If you don't gamble a week will seem like a long time in Vegas and will be expensive (the drinks are free if you're gambling). The pool scene during the daytime in the Tropicana is decent, though you should also check out some of the day parties at the Hard Rock and the new rooftop day club at The Cromwell. If I was you I'd stay a few nights at Planet Hollywood, the Mirage or Flamingo (best pool on the strip in my opinion) to get some variety. MGM has some of the best clubs for eye candy and quality of DJs. My best bit of advice though would be to only stay in Vegas 4 days and then rent a car and drive up to Zion and Bryce canyon as the antidote to all the partying

since i made this thread, i have learned alot in terms of buying pre-sale tickets to get into the best clubs, ive gotten the names of some cheaper clubs too. we will be gambling and doing the daytime pool parties indeed.

i want to visit the grand canyon but a 6 hour trip up and back is a bit much. 12 hours wasted from the week like. cant wait to go now!

Dave1442397 wrote: »

I've never been there

I was never into that kind of club scene. I've always gone straight for the end result, such as places like http://www.letrapeze.org/

There were some very interesting clubs in Manhattan back in the early '90s, when I used to spend most Friday/Saturday nights in the city.

thats a very interesting type of club you have visited mr.dave

Paul_Hacket

Going to the Grand Canyon, or Zion or Bryce for most people would not be a waste - they're about the most spectacular sights I've ever seen on the planet and I've done my share of travelling. You'd need to do an overnight trip to take in any of them properly though in my opinion.

Bear in mind that these days the clubs are highly oriented towards 'bottle service'. If you don't agree to a $500 minimum on a quiet night and a lot more on a weekend you won't get a seat anywhere near the dancefloor in any of the clubs, and basically nowhere to sit at all in most of em. The way clubs work in the states is very different to Ireland/UK and not necessarily better.

Ponster

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

If I was you I'd stay a few nights at Planet Hollywood, the Mirage or Flamingo (best pool on the strip in my opinion)

Seconded. JUst spend the week in the excellent Flamingo pool. Meet people there and head out with them in the evening. Much easier way to meet people than going to the clubs IMHO.

MarkY91

yeah id love to visit the grand canyon but its just too much travelling and with getting to vegas and home again. yeah the bottle service is so weird and new to me, sadly i am not rich so ill stand with the rest of the 3rd class citizens

MarkY91

im seeing different prices everywhere for the biggest clubs. how much was a beer when you were there in lets say XS or TAO or Hakkassan. they seem to be 3 of the most sought after

Paul_Hacket

I'm going to be honest with you, what you're trying to do "on a budget" just isn't possible in vegas unless your budget means bringing a minimum of $2,000 spending money with you for a week. Like I said above, I don't personally love the clubs in Vegas, for me they are worth checking out once in a blue moon but get boring quickly. Beers at ordinary bars in casinos in Vegas start at $5 for a bottle of domestic beer. In clubs like the ones you mentioned expect to pay $8 upwards for a beer and a lot more for a mixed drink. These are minimum prices for crappy American beer, its a lot more if you want something better, even a Heineken will be $10 in most places. People don't drink pints here in night clubs so you'll be buying bottles. Add to that the $40+ entrance fee for most good nightclubs and $20+ entrance fee for the day pool clubs and it starts to add up.

Really, if you're looking for a place to spend an entire week "clubbing" Vegas just isn't it on any level. But hey, I'm not 23, maybe I'd feel different if I was.

PS - this is probably the best site for getting info on clubs, bars, etc. in Vegas: http://www.jackcolton.com/

The Backwards Man

I go to Vegas every year and have never been in a club, they aren't like the clubs in Ireland, or anywhere in Europe that I can think of, $30-50 entry, $200 to buy a bottle when you are in, they are geared for one thing and one thing only, to fleece you as much as they can.

Plenty of bars up and down the strip where twentysomethings can have an awesome time without going near the clubs imo, but then again, I am old.

Beefy78

I saw your thread on TripAdvisor!

Mate I wouldn't worry too much about this. I'm a few years older than you but I've been to Vegas loads of times, had some EPIC evenings and never stepped foot in a club. There's plenty of good bars & lounges around where you can have a great night without being a millionaire. I'd maybe do the Club thing once while you're there, weigh up bottle service for that night but don't get hung up about going there every night unless you can multiply your budget by three or four times.

You'll have a great time. I'm there again from next Friday for almost a week and cannot wait.

Dublinflyer

Not a club person either but have been to Vegas more times that I can remember. No really, the last time I was there was a blur! If you want to see a few of the clubs a good way to go is to book a party bus. The last one we did took in 4 clubs over the course of the night and stopped at the Las Vegas sign. I think it cost around $100 and that includes admission to the clubs, skipping the queue, all and all the free drink on the bus you can handle. We ended up talking to a group of american girls on a hen, but that's a different story! Like I said I am not a club person but that was great fun.

Dublinflyer

Beefy78 wrote: »

You'll have a great time. I'm there again from next Friday for almost a week and cannot wait.

Not even remotely jealous

Paul_Hacket

Any of you Vegas regs poker players? I'm there next in October, would be fun to meet up with some Boards users on a trips some day.

Dublinflyer

Am a blackjack man myself, you have to remember too much with poker. Adding up is easy ;-)

MarkY91

well when i said im on a "budget" for a week. i meant 2.5k dollars in or around. a budget for me for a week on a european holiday would be ALOT!!! less but ive a fair bit of time to save for vegas. would that be grand for a week of partying? wont be oding bottle service or anything. pre-drinking at the hotel, hit a few bars/lounges then to the club. few daytime paid pool parties, go to some free "lively" pools on other days, gamble and take advantage of the free drinks while im at it



since ive gotten to terms with the lingo, bottle service, pre-sale tickets etc and all the ****e i read and saw on youtube, vegas seems less daunting and i cant wait for it now.


now all i have to do is learn the rules of craps and blackjack and ill be set

The Backwards Man

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

Any of you Vegas regs poker players? I'm there next in October, would be fun to meet up with some Boards users on a trips some day.

Not much of a poker player, bit of bartop VP just to pass myself but that's about it. If I ever see a 25 school when I'm there I'll be in like a shot though.:pac:

Dublinflyer

2.5k should be more than enough for the week unless you go completely mental out there, which is a possibility!! Some of the tours will put a dent in your budget but there is plenty do see for free during the day.