Heading to Vegas in January - anything we NEED to know?

[luvdisney999]

We are heading to Vegas in January - anything we NEED to know?

What is the weather like? Someone said that it rains A LOT, but I didn't think it rained that much in LV.

Also, any idea if hotel rates are lower than? We were thinking of something on the Strip for under $100 a night?

Any advice would be great!

 

[hydster]

The weather in Vegas in January is generally mid 50's during the day and the high 30's at night. February generally is the rainiest month in Vegas and December is generally the coolest.

I know Monte Carlo has some good deals in January for less than $100 a night right now BUT it's for Sun - Wed only. When you get closer to the weekends the prices JUMP! I'd suggest you go to websites of the hotel/casinos and sign up to get email updates. You may luck out and get a good deal that way. I know for all the times we go a year we just plan on paying $100+ per night.

As for stuff to know

Bring good sturdy walking shoes and be prepared to WALK A LOT!
Don't accept the porn slapper cards from them on the street
Driving up and down Las Vegas Blvd. is a nightmare. Avoid it at all costs!
Everything looks a LOT closer than it really is!

 

[luvdisney999]

Is it really going to be 50 degrees most days?

We were hoping to wear shorts in the day and be able to sit outside by the pool (I don't really expect to swim).

We weren't really planning on renting a car. We were thinking we could walk / use the monorail or a tram for most transportation things. Do you think that is a mistake?

 

[hydster]

We've been several times in Jan/Feb and yes it rarely gets higher than mid 50's that time of year. For sitting around the pool in shorts etc you'd be better off going in March/April when the average temps are closer to 70.

You do not need a car and it's better if you don't plan on driving. There are taxis and busses and the monorail you can use easier.

 

[antmaril]

I'm pretty sure the pools in Vegas are closed in January.

 

[hydster]

I'm pretty sure the pools in Vegas are closed in January.

Nope they aren't. Hotels leave them open year round and almost all of them are open 9-5 in the winter

 

[Walbern]

When we were there last January I never had the top up on the convertible except in the evenings. Although it isn't hot a light jacket is usually all that's needed. If you are from a cold climate anything without snow feels great in January!!

 

[tracys2cents]

Stay away from Fri & Sat nights and you can get rates under $100. Early January just after New Years is lowest, and stay away from a heavy "convention week". In other words, rates vary greatly depending on when you go!

 

[luvdisney999]

We're traveling Friday 11th until the following Friday. It's my Dad's 50th B-day, so this trip is all about that and we had to arrange around his B-day.

I booked us at Circus Circus for the weekend (lowest rate on Friday & Saturday) and then we transfer to Tropicana for later in the week. We'll have a rental car for a few days. I signed up for some promotions at some of the other hotels (ie Luxor, Monte Carlo would be 2 top picks). We don't need excellence, just a clean bed and a nice room. We like comfort inns and value resorts at Disney. Anyone have any experience with these - will these hotels be OK?

We are coming from cold weather, so as long as it is around 60 degrees in the daytime, that should be fine. And as long as it doesn't rain a lot - this is the desert, I thought it didn't rain a lot there! Glad the pools will be open - we don't plan on swimming (although Tropicana does have an indoor pool), but sitting by them and relaxing is really nice!

Any other advice? Thanks for the comments so far!

 

[hydster]

We're traveling Friday 11th until the following Friday. It's my Dad's 50th B-day, so this trip is all about that and we had to arrange around his B-day.

I booked us at Circus Circus for the weekend (lowest rate on Friday & Saturday) and then we transfer to Tropicana for later in the week. We'll have a rental car for a few days. I signed up for some promotions at some of the other hotels (ie Luxor, Monte Carlo would be 2 top picks). We don't need excellence, just a clean bed and a nice room. We like comfort inns and value resorts at Disney. Anyone have any experience with these - will these hotels be OK?

We are coming from cold weather, so as long as it is around 60 degrees in the daytime, that should be fine. And as long as it doesn't rain a lot - this is the desert, I thought it didn't rain a lot there! Glad the pools will be open - we don't plan on swimming (although Tropicana does have an indoor pool), but sitting by them and relaxing is really nice!

Any other advice? Thanks for the comments so far!

I personally wouldn't ever stay at Circus Circus even if it was free. We had some friends stay there and we stopped by to pick them up. Their room was run down and smelled horribly *like really really old nasty vomit* and it looked as though the carpets hadn't been cleaned since they put it down. It's usually always packed with families with small children and our friends we went to visit said it took them a good 45 min to almost an hour to check in.

We finally talked them into checking out and rooming with us that night until we could find them a much better room.

Occasionally I get room promos from various hotels. If I get one for your time I will post the code for you to check out. Honestly I would hate to recommend Circus Circus to anyone.

Tropicana is ok. I'd say it's definitely above Circus Circus and usually isn't filled with families and crying children.

We are going at the end of October and we are staying at Hooters which is next door to the Tropicana. It's not the lap of luxury by any means but we've stayed there a couple of times now and it's been fine. It's where all us crazy parrotheads are staying for the Jimmy Buffett concert so we bunked with everyone else.

You should be fine to sit by the pool in the day and using the hot tub would be nice for your aching feet . It doesn't rain a whole lot in Vegas but it can be windy.

 

[fairycat]

For nice low price hotels on the strip I really liked Sahara and Harrahs. We got very low prices there and though older they are nicely kept up. And the Sahara is one of the monorail stops.

 

[springandmac]

I would avoid Circus Circus also, unless your going to eat at The Steakhouse.

Try fatwallet.com, MGM has good promotional rates for players club players. But they book the rates to anyone and then you can just pick up your card before you check-in.

But seriously, if you want to have a nice vacation stay somewhere else. We just came back from Vegas a few weeks ago, we stayed at The Signature at MGM Grand for $817 (included tax, 2 water bottles per day & internet access) for 7 nights. We rented the suite from an owner (PM me if you want more info on that) so we got a really good deal and we decided that from now on we'll be staying at The Signature.

 

[birkner]

We are heading to Vegas in January - anything we NEED to know?

What is the weather like? Someone said that it rains A LOT, but I didn't think it rained that much in LV.

Also, any idea if hotel rates are lower than? We were thinking of something on the Strip for under $100 a night?

Any advice would be great!

If you can possibly avoid it, don't go from January 6-9 as that is when CES is in town and it is a zoo!! Rooms are expensive, transportation and the airport are a nightmare.

 

[tracys2cents]

Circus & Tropicana are the next two hotels scheduled for demolition, hence they are not renovating the rooms and service is l o u s y. I would definitely cancel Circus and think twice about Trop.

If you want classic Vegas, The Imperial Palace and the Riviera would be a bit better than your two choices. Our favorite "budget" place is the Gold Coast. It's not on the strip, but it's not far. In fact it's closer to center strip and a much easier drive to center strip than many of the north or south strip hotels. It's next door to the Rio and the Palms and all 3 hotels have free shuttle bus if you don't feel like using your car to get to the strip. OrleansCasino is a bit further out, but a great choice too.
www.goldcoastcasino.com

Car rentals are usually the same price for 4 days as for 7 days, or not much difference, so I would keep the rental the entire time if I were you. Parking is free in Vegas. And you'll want to take a drive out around Lake Mead and Valley of fire, over to the Hoover Dam, and over to Red Rock Canyon.

 

[jlima]

Is it really going to be 50 degrees most days?

We were hoping to wear shorts in the day and be able to sit outside by the pool (I don't really expect to swim).

We weren't really planning on renting a car. We were thinking we could walk / use the monorail or a tram for most transportation things. Do you think that is a mistake?

Plan on the weather being cold. Maybe bring one pair of shorts, but pack long sleeves and a jacket for at night.

Call your hotel and ask if they will have a pool open. Many properties do maintenance on their pools during the winter. I know at Mandalay Bay they close their wave pool in late October - early November; drain it, then do repairs and maintenance before it reopens in March, but they leave one of the smaller pools open.

If your plans only include The Strip you probably won't need a rental car. And if you do find you need one, most hotels have on-site car rentals.

January is a huge convention month in Las Vegas. Convention like CES encourage other conventions like the Adult Entertainment Expo to book around their dates because many of the attendees are the same. Other convention like World of Concrete and the Surfaces show keep hotels rooms filled. Normally Sun - Thurs rates are cheaper, but over busy convention dates, hotel rates can be just as high or higher than weekend rates. Good luck!

 

[missstcroix]

We traveled to Vegas last spring break from NJ with my 2 boys 10 and 12.We stayed at the Luxor and I got an AWESOME deal...$69 a nite with 2 for one breakfast and IMAX movie. It was a beautiful hotel and my kids loved the hotel and pool. I was so excited for them to see Circus Circus, since my memory from when I was a kid 30 years ago was SUPER FUN! We really had to work hard to fit it in since we were doing so much in so little time. WHAT A WASTE. WELL, I agree with the poster who said I wouldn't stay there for FREE. HORRIBLEY run down, filled with people, it was DISGUSTING.

 

[everylastbreath]

If you can possibly avoid it, don't go from January 6-9 as that is when CES is in town and it is a zoo!! Rooms are expensive, transportation and the airport are a nightmare.

What is the CES?

 

[hydster]

What is the CES?

CES= Consumer Electronic Show

It's one of the largest attended shows in Vegas! It's neat but it can be really crowded that time of year! They plan on at least 150,000 people on attending in 2008.

 

[Tinkerbell_Girl]

How is Vegas in late February? Do they run room specials during this time?

 

[jlima]

How is Vegas in late February? Do they run room specials during this time?

February is a big convention month. I would look at property websites; if you get a good deal it would be during a time period that a property didn't have a convention or a block of rooms for a citywide convention.