So you've arrived in Vegas and you hate it? Don't worry, you aren't the first and you won't be the last. Vegas can be described in one sentence:
THE GATEWAY TO HELL
All the ugliness of humanity and more can be found in Vegas: gambling, alcoholism, hard-drugs, strippers, inequality, animal abuse... Plus of course it's super expensive and just one massive advert for consumerism.
But if you do end up in Vegas (and seriously, as much as I hated it I think it's still important you go there and see for yourself), I want you to have a good time. So grit your teeth, read this post and be prepared to find the good in the city of sins.
Downtown Vegas is actually also old Vegas - where Vegas was born. Most of it is still like Vegas (casinos etc), and that in itself is worth a look.
But the main reason we liked Downtown Vegas is because of the cool and crazy outside art scene. Just a stone's throw away from the casinos and it does look like a desert - a desert filled with wacky art pieces that wouldn't be out of place in a Mad Max movie.
The meerkats were our favourite because if you squint your eyes slightly they look like weasels.
There's also a small section of boutique shops, vegan cafes and quirky stores.
You can't miss it - there's a massive praying mantis hanging around outside, shooting fire from its antennae in time to Queen.
For some reason I thought the alcohol was cheap if not free in Vegas. I was wrong. But you can still try out some whisky for free at the Venetian between 6pm and 7pm.
The casino and hotel Binion's (in Downtown) is not great: it's old fashioned and the air is horrible. But we went in for two reasons: to try out the free slot machine (meh) and to see one million dollars up close. Worth a look, because it's free to.
Last, but not least, we recommend taking a ride in a limo - despite this being super 'Vegas-y' this was one of our favourite things that we did.
It was so luxurious, people waved to us and we felt like rockstars. Vegas may be about being flashy and being a consumer, but there are some fun parts of this - namely, riding in a limo.
We took a limo ride with Presidential Limo Las Vegas and completely loved it!
And if you're looking for a smart ride in Vegas that isn't in a limo try Blacklane - they do professional rides all across the world.
The best place to eat in Vegas? Vegenation for sure. They are an oasis in a sea of crazy. The staff were so lovely and polite there and the food is beyond delicious.
We had the vegan sushi and a burger.
The burger wasn't bad - not the best I've ever had because it was kind of dry, but by no means the worst.
The sushi on the other hand was the best sushi I've ever had (which includes 'real' sushi with fish). As much as I dislike Vegas, I would gladly go back just to have some more of that sushi. Damn!
We actually liked it so much at Vegenation that we went back the next day for breakfast, which was also delicious - and there was so much they let us take it away and have it for lunch.
There's a massive TV at the end of the bed, the selection of channels is slightly limited (you have to pay for movies) but there was still a couple of channels I could have sat and watched all day.
The bathroom had nice toiletries but needs a bit of a modernisation.
The hotel itself is also massive with everything you could need under one roof: cafes, restaurants, bars etc.
For example, the cheapest flight from New York to Vegas might be a lot of hassle - it might stop in three different places and take 24 hours. Kiwi will also find you a flight that stops just once, or maybe even a direct flight, that's not that much difference in price and is a lot less hassle.
We hope this has been helpful for your Vegas trip!
But if you do end up in Vegas (and seriously, as much as I hated it I think it's still important you go there and see for yourself), I want you to have a good time. So grit your teeth, read this post and be prepared to find the good in the city of sins.
What to do in Vegas for people who don't gamble
Despite first appearances, there is more to Vegas than gambling, hardcore drinking and going to a strip bar. Here are some of our favourites:Explore the cool art scene in Downtown Vegas
Downtown Vegas is actually also old Vegas - where Vegas was born. Most of it is still like Vegas (casinos etc), and that in itself is worth a look.
But the main reason we liked Downtown Vegas is because of the cool and crazy outside art scene. Just a stone's throw away from the casinos and it does look like a desert - a desert filled with wacky art pieces that wouldn't be out of place in a Mad Max movie.
The meerkats were our favourite because if you squint your eyes slightly they look like weasels.
There's also a small section of boutique shops, vegan cafes and quirky stores.
You can't miss it - there's a massive praying mantis hanging around outside, shooting fire from its antennae in time to Queen.
Have some free whisky
For some reason I thought the alcohol was cheap if not free in Vegas. I was wrong. But you can still try out some whisky for free at the Venetian between 6pm and 7pm.
Take a look at a million dollars
The casino and hotel Binion's (in Downtown) is not great: it's old fashioned and the air is horrible. But we went in for two reasons: to try out the free slot machine (meh) and to see one million dollars up close. Worth a look, because it's free to.
Ride around in a limo
Last, but not least, we recommend taking a ride in a limo - despite this being super 'Vegas-y' this was one of our favourite things that we did.
It was so luxurious, people waved to us and we felt like rockstars. Vegas may be about being flashy and being a consumer, but there are some fun parts of this - namely, riding in a limo.
We took a limo ride with Presidential Limo Las Vegas and completely loved it!
And if you're looking for a smart ride in Vegas that isn't in a limo try Blacklane - they do professional rides all across the world.
Where to eat in Vegas
The best place to eat in Vegas? Vegenation for sure. They are an oasis in a sea of crazy. The staff were so lovely and polite there and the food is beyond delicious.
We had the vegan sushi and a burger.
The burger wasn't bad - not the best I've ever had because it was kind of dry, but by no means the worst.
The sushi on the other hand was the best sushi I've ever had (which includes 'real' sushi with fish). As much as I dislike Vegas, I would gladly go back just to have some more of that sushi. Damn!
We actually liked it so much at Vegenation that we went back the next day for breakfast, which was also delicious - and there was so much they let us take it away and have it for lunch.
Where to stay in Vegas
We stayed for three nights at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas and this is what we thought:
Our room was absolutely massive and had a big, comfy bed, we slept really well there.
The bathroom had nice toiletries but needs a bit of a modernisation.
The hotel itself is also massive with everything you could need under one roof: cafes, restaurants, bars etc.
The staff were mostly lovely - when we checked in there was some confusion about how long we were staying, but it was sorted in the end.
But when we needed a copy of our passports, the staff went above and beyond: not only did they get the copy for us, they also brought us water and chocolate - and did it all with a smile on their faces!
As the Golden Nugget is such a big hotel, it would be easy to loose that staff/guest connection, but they didn't.
There is a pool at the Golden Nugget with a tank with massive fish and sharks. There's even a slide through the tank.
We don't really agree with this though because we don't agree with aquariums. However, it was featured in the TV show CSI which is cool.
The location of the Golden Nugget is good, everyone knows where it is as it's super famous. It is in Downtown which we actually preferred to the Strip. But access to the Strip itself from the Golden Nugget is very easy by taking a limo or an uber. There is also a bus too - a 24 hour pass costs $8.
How to get to Vegas
To find not just the cheapest flights but also the best flights into Vegas or the USA, we recommend Kiwi - Kiwi will find the cheapest flights for you, it will find the flights with the least hassle and it will find the perfect combination of the two.
For example, the cheapest flight from New York to Vegas might be a lot of hassle - it might stop in three different places and take 24 hours. Kiwi will also find you a flight that stops just once, or maybe even a direct flight, that's not that much difference in price and is a lot less hassle.
We used Kiwi to find the best flights out of the US. But to get to Vegas we took the bus: the megabus took us from Los Angeles to Vegas for a sweet $5 each. Sure it wasn't the nicest bus we've ever been on, but for $5 we can't complain.
We've taken lots of Megabuses in Europe and always found them to be clean, practically empty and the passengers it did have were young travelling people like ourselves.
Megabus in America is a different kettle of fish though. We took three (San Francisco - LA, LA - Vegas and Vegas - LA). All three were PACKED and some of the people were crazy!! Like cats on a bus crazy. Just so you know.
Take a TEP with you
A real saving grace to our Vegas trip was having a TEP wireless - this meant we had internet on the go where ever we were. We highly recommend you get these for any trip you go on.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a city we didn't love, but still found some cool bits in including where to eat and stay and what to do.
We hope this has been helpful for your Vegas trip!
If you've been to Vegas, let us know in the comments below what you thought!
Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of the Golden Nugget, but as always all opinions are our own. We'd never recommend anything we haven't personally tried and enjoyed.
ABOUTME
We overland. We eat plants and fungi. We live outside as much as possible. We are all connected. A female travel blogger overlanding and writing about ecotourism, ethical and sustainable travel, socially conscious travel and housesitting. An online travel magazine since 2015.
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