So that means you should immediately cancel your next trip to Vegas, right? Wrong! Despite the fact that it has never been more expensive to visit Vegas, it still remains one of the most economical major vacation destinations in the United States. Rooms are pricey but equivalent rooms in other hot spots can cost two or even three times as much and bargains abound if you know how to find them.

Yes, there are still ways to do Vegas without spending an SUV-load of cash. Below you’ll find ten suggestions that should help you maximize your trip while minimizing your budget.

1. Be Flexible
I know not everyone has the luxury of being able to pick and choose when to have their vacation but if you can come up with even three or four different options, it can go a long ways toward saving you money. Room prices in Vegas vary dramatically from week to week and having a few different periods when you could take your trip could mean you could save yourself hundreds of dollars on your accommodations.

2. Know What’s Important
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that cost is one of your primary considerations when considering a vacation, but you’d be amazed how many people still think they can get 5-Diamond luxury for Motel 6 prices. Saving money means you will probably forgo some of the niceties like bazillion thread count sheets and bathrooms big enough to park a ship in, but were those things really important to you anyway?

3. Do Your Homework
Usually in my life I go with the theory “the dumber you are, the happier you are” but when it comes to Las Vegas vacation planning I stick with the “knowledge equals power” motto. Read Vegas books (preferably mine), visit Vegas websites (preferably mine), and talk to friends, co-workers, or people you pass on the street who have visited the city and can share insights. This is important when looking at budget alternatives for hotels, restaurants, and shows so that you can find not only inexpensive options, but good inexpensive options.

4. Pack Smart
One of the ways they “get you” in Las Vegas is overcharging for everything for a bottle of shampoo to a bottle of water. Make sure you pack all of your necessities so you don’t have to go out and buy things when you get to town.

5. Rent a Car
People keep not believing me when I tell them that the best way to save money is to spend more money on a rental car, but I’ll make it simple with an example. You could take a cab from the airport to your hotel on The Strip and back again, then use cabs, buses, the monorail, and your feet to get you around to the places you want to see. You’ll probably pay $200 a night easily for that room and another $100 on transportation. If you’re staying for five nights that’s $1100 before you factor in the higher prices you’ll pay on everything from food to water in the gift shop. Or… you can stay off The Strip, pay $100 a night for a perfectly find hotel room and spend another $150 for a mid-size car rental to get you to all the places you want to go. That’s a $350 savings right there, plus you’ll be able to save money on other items that are cheaper off The Strip AND see things you normally wouldn’t get to see by staying on Las Vegas Boulevard.

6. Stay Off the Strip
As mentioned above, if you rent a car you can stay off The Strip and save yourself a ton of money. They may not be as luxurious as some of the grand palaces on The Strip, but there are many hotels in Downtown Las Vegas and in other parts of the city that offer very good rooms for a fraction of the cost of what you’ll pay in the heart of the action.

7. Don’t Be a Snob
That sounds a bit harsh, but this is an extension of tip #2 above for when you actually get to town. You don’t have to pay $100 a head for a great meal; you don’t have to pay $150 per ticket to see a great show; and you don’t have to pay a $30 cover charge to get into a fun club. People equate price with quality and it doesn’t always work out that way.

8. Look for the Deals
I get e-mails all the time about coupons and 2 for 1 deals and the like. They aren’t as common as they used to be but you can still find them, primarily in the in-room magazines that you’ll find once you check in and in the local newspapers. There are a few places that sell coupon books and those multi-attraction passes that you can pay for, but – and this is strictly my opinion – for the most part they aren’t worth the money. Most people don’t use enough of the coupons or the attraction passes to make up for the cost of buying them in the first place.

9. Join the Club
If you’re planning on spending any time gambling, be sure to join the players’ club at every single casino you visit. Every dollar you spend will earn you points that can get you discounts on meals, future lodging, shows, and more or even get you cash. Plus, depending on your level of play, you may get mailings with free room offers and more that can save you money for future trips. Having said that, if you really want to save money…

10. Don’t Gamble
I know, it’s Las Vegas and that’s sort of like saying “Let’s go to Orlando but NOT go to Disney World.” But seriously, if you gamble you most likely will lose. That’s a harsh reality but it’s true: most people lose. They didn’t build these multi-billion hotels and casinos because most people win. You can have a great time in Vegas without gambling, but if you do feel the urge to splurge on a slot machine, be sure to set a budget before you go and stick with it! Once that money is gone, do not make another trip to the ATM machine in the hopes that your luck will change – it probably won’t.

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First, I have experienced what I consider to be the best steakhouse in Las Vegas bar none in the form of Austins at Texas Station. After you've found the best it seems almost silly to keep trying new ones that usually pale in comparison.

Second, most steakhouses on The Strip are often overpriced for what they offer. If you're going to pay that much for a meal you should be getting something more special than a steak.

So when I walked toward Strip House, the new steakhouse at Planet Hollywood, I was already writing the shrugging review in my head.

But as soon as I stepped in the door, the shrugs went away and I started running through my mental thesaurus to come up with words that meant fantastic, unique, interesting, and worthwhile. (I've chosen superb, nonpareil, captivating, and propitious)

The first you notice is the decor. The "Strip" in Strip House does not refer to a type of steak or the road on which the restaurant is located but rather the act of shedding one's clothes. The entire place is done up with a bordello theme - red walls, padded booths, ornate chandeliers - and features hundreds of photos, mostly of women from the forties and fifties, in various stages of undress. It's all done in an eye-popping yet tasteful way and is an immediate harbinger that things are not done the same way here that they are done in every other steakhouse in town.

A quick side note to parents: some of the photos do involve peekaboo nudity so you may want to consider taking the wee ones elsewhere if you don't feel like having that particular conversation over appetizers.

The menu is limited - only two pages with about dozen options on each from the appetizer and entree categories. And at first glance it may not seem all that interesting with things like jumbo shrimp cocktail, clams casino, and a few salads in the starters area and some seafood and steaks in the main courses section.

But what they lack in originality they more than make up for in taste, texture, and presentation.

We started with one of the two table-share appetizers, billed as warm garlic bread with gorgonzola fondue. What we got was six big, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside chunks of explosively garlic bread sitting in a bed of creamy cheese. It was eyes-rolling-into-the-back-of-your-head delicious and we briefly considered ordering another plate of the stuff so we didn't have to share. We were actually disappointed when it was all gone and would've licked the plate clean if we weren't concerned about decorum.

My dining companion flirted with the idea of the Maine lobster linguine done in a lemon cream bordelaise and I considered the Colorado rack of lamb with Dijon bread crumb crusting but we ultimately decided that when in a steakhouse one should eat steak.

The bone-in rib eye that I ordered was enormous and, unlike many rib eyes that I have had in this town, almost devoid of fat. Cooked to perfection, it was spiced with a black pepper rub that may be overwhelming to some but was heaven to me and I don't even like black pepper all that much. Have water standing by is all I can say.

The filet was similarly spiced but much more subtly and the flavor of the meat was a smoky, rough-hewn delight. Filets, while dependable, can sometimes be boring but this one was a pleasant surprise with every bite.

Sides run the gamut from potatoes of all variety and several other vegetable options. We went for the fried onions, a baked potato, and an off-menu asparagus special. The latter were terrific but the fried onions were also heavily salted and once you added up the garlic bread we had horked down and the peppery steaks, it was just a bit too much.

The prices were typically expensive for this type of restaurant in this neighborhood but less than other high-end steakhouses and totally worth it. My dining companion and I did cocktails, an appetizer and salad, entrees, and three sides for $180 including tax but pre-tip. If you aren't throwing back the pricey Manhattans and glasses of wine like we were, you could probably expect an average of about $60-80 per person when all is said and done.

The service once we were seated was fantastic, but there were some unnecessary delays in actually getting us to the table. It felt like a ruse to get us to sit in the bar and order a drink beforehand but they had just opened and perhaps they hadn't quite gotten their act together when we showed up.

Strip House is fantastic on almost every level and while it still may not be my favorite steakhouse in all of Las Vegas it is absolutely the best steakhouse on The Strip.

Strip House
Planet Hollywood
3667 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-737-5200
website
Hours: