It seems like deciding what to wear in Vegas is a big issue for many travelers. First off, just know, that you cannot go wrong. Honestly, every type of outfit you can imagine can be seen there. But also, if you are the type of person who is a closet exhibitionist, you have found your paradise. Legs, cleavage, and midriffs are very normal in Las Vegas. I mean, if I saw some of the outfits in my town, I would do a double take. In any regular setting, many of these getups would be way too flashy, sleazy, or inappropriate. However, Vegas is not just anywhere. It is extremely unique in that it is almost like living in an adult circus. All those glittery, bosom-enhancing outfits that you see on TV really do walk around the strip. Now, of course, you do not have to dress that way. I actually choose not to. I’m just saying that if you have wished for a place to show off your inner showgirl, you can do it here.

The style that I actually recommend for Vegas is a classy, sexy spin. Nice fitting jeans or stylish shorts with cool heels. Or summery sequined tops that flatter your curves are great looks. Trendy, branded items, like your coveted Prada purse, or Manolo shoes are great to show off here. That is not to say that your stuff has to be expensive or a label; just know that you will see a lot of that. In fact, depending on the hotels you plan on hanging out at, you will find different looks. For example, at the Venetian, Bellagio, Wynn, Caesars, or Mandalay Bay, you will see more sexy chic and money prancing around. Yes, I mean labels on purses, shoes, and sunglasses. At Flamingo, Bally’s, Stratosphere, Excalibur, and Luxor, you will see more casual sneakers, fanny packs, and people trying too hard to be sexy. These hotels, while all nice enough, seem to attract the budget conscious who still want to stay on the strip. The remaining TI, Mirage, Paris, MGM, and NYNY you will see a mixture of both since those are middle priced strip hotels that attract everyone.

Just remember, no matter what you wear, you need to be comfortable in it; both in how you feel about yourself and how you plan to move around the town. If you will be cabbing it everywhere, go for the stilettos. If you plan on walking a lot, go for the pumps or sandals. But if there ever was a place to dress however you like, Vegas is it.

In response to a question about nightclubs, here is some, hopefully, helpful information.
Bottle service is when a patron buys an entire bottle of liquor rather than paying for a drink at a time. You may still be charged for the mixers, but if you know that you or your party will be drinking a lot of one type of liquor, this might be a good choice. The bottles are substantially more expensive than what you could buy at a liquor store, but then again, individual drinks are also easily $8 - $15 each. Many times you also get a host to take care of making your drinks for you. Purchasing bottle service usually waives your cover charge as well. You may want to ask about that.

As for what nightclubs are best suited for different age groups, you can look at http://www.vegas.com/nightclubs/ to see details for of each nightclub. It also details what sort of music is played etc. I don’t actually do a lot of clubbing, but I will try to visit a few on my next trip.

Another tip is that many VIP / front of line passes are available on eBay for very cheap, like $1. I know that also if a club is trying to get patrons, they may hand out the passes occasionally for free. Once, as a friend and I were walking through Treasure Island, we were offered VIP passes to Tangerine. They also give out passes to Coyote Ugly on the Mezzanine at New York, New York frequently. Also ask the concierge at your hotel.

I always preach that you should try to eat, drink, and see shows at your own hotels and then charge them to your room. This helps you earn more comps because the casino can see how much you send at their facility. I just wanted to link to this site that I find useful. It has a map of every property of note in Las Vegas. It’s handy to see what is at each casino as well as to see exactly how big they are. http://www.lvcasinoinfo.com/propmap1.html

New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas is second only to Times Square as far as places in the US to spend that most important evening. This year, I plan to do just that. Normally when you look for hotels in Las Vegas for New Year’s you are either going to pay through the nose for a room on the strip or you are going to be staying at Whiskey Pete’s way off the strip. But wait. Here is a way to stay on the strip for a reasonable price. Comps.

I have mentioned before that you can use your Players Card to secure your room through Casino Marketing. Well, I did just that for New Year’s Eve this year. I called, just for giggles, to see if there were any rooms or special rates available for New Year’s. I totally expected them to laugh and say, “no way. That’s New Year’s Eve”. But they didn’t. My husband and are reserved at the New York New York for $199 on Dec 31. The next night, Jan 1, is I believe, $89. They gave me this rate even though the travel websites show that the hotel is sold out, because I have shown that I spend money at their casino when I stay. This is because of what I have said before; when I stay at a property, I try to spend at that property. I eat as many meals, see as many shows, and gamble exclusively at that property, and I charge it to my room whenever possible. That way, when I call for reservations such as New Year’s Eve, they see me as a valued guest, and I get one of the rooms that are set-aside for people like me. Don’t mistake me, you do not have to be a huge spender, you just have to do your spending at their hotel.

Another thing that I have mentioned before about Las Vegas is that travel out of their airport is often cheaper. That is actually why we will be in Vegas for New Year’s Eve. We are flying out of McCarran to go to Green Bay for the last NFL home game of the season at Lambeau Field for my birthday, and then returning to Vegas on New Year’s Eve. We saved about $300 by doing this, and turned around and spent it again on a hotel in Vegas. But the really neat thing, is that we are essentially getting 2 vacations for the price of one, since flying out of Salt Lake City is so expensive, which is my local airport.

This reinforces two things that I have said before. Always try to get cheaper rates through casino marketing. It can’t hurt to ask. Also traveling to and from Vegas is often a great way to save money while getting extra vacation experiences.

Vegas attire is some of the most diverse I have ever seen. Flashy, tacky, sparkly, barely-there, frumpy, you name it, you’ll see it. This is one of the few places where anything goes. I mean anything.
I personally like to have fun with my wardrobe when I go to Vegas. I actually have a section of my closet for my “Vegas clothes”. This section includes spike-heeled boots, sequined shirts, sassy high heels, and even small fashionable purses that can be carried easily but still accent a chic wardrobe. I still wear regular casual clothes occasionally, but this is definitely the place to come if you want to get a little more flirtatious or fun with your clothing. One of the things that gets me is when I see women in spike heels that look like they have been walking all day. Remember that the Las Vegas strip is long, and casinos are large. If you are planning to stay in your shoes all day, make sure they are relatively comfortable. If you are just going out clubbing or to dinner for a couple hours, by all means wear those heels.

Many women choose to dress like J-Lo at the Oscars with their low cut or bust enhancing get-ups, especially in the summer. Other women wear tennis shoes and fanny packs. I, personally, don’t advise the fanny pack look, but it is fairly common. Not as common as cleavage by any means, but still normal. If you don’t have any hip clothes and you want to dress up sassy, there are plenty of boutiques that sell them in Vegas.

Men vary as much as women in the fashion department. Some men look like minivan driving, soccer dads from the Midwest, while others look straight out of a fashion magazine. Anything goes.

So check the weather in advance of your trip and pack what feels comfortable to you. Believe me, you will blend in no matter what you choose.
Remember that if you plan to go to a nice dinner, restaurants may have dress codes, such as no tennis shoes, no jeans, or dresses / dress pants required for ladies. Be sure to check or just bring a semi-formal outfit just in case.

Las Vegas has become quite a shopper’s paradise. There is actually something for almost everyone. Many of the Casinos have large shopping malls right on the property. The Venetian has the Canal Shoppes, Caesar’s has the overwhelming and upscale Forum Shops, the Planet Hollywood has the Desert Passage shops, now called the Miracle Mile. There is an entire shopping Mall called Fashion Show right across from the Venetian, and that is just a start. There is a decent outlet mall a couple miles south on the strip. There is even an M&M factory, just in case you could find any chocolate anywhere else! Honestly, I have started looking forward to visiting Las Vegas because I want a new pair of shoes, or some new perfume or makeup at one of the Sephoras right on the strip. Don’t even get me started on Sephora!

In my opinion, the best shopping, in walking distance from major sights, is located at the north end of the strip from about Caesar’s to the Fashion Show Mall. I like to window shop in the Forum shops. The Forum Shops also feature a highly unusual spiral escalator. As I stroll, I often think to myself, who can afford most of this crap? It is very pricey. A few big names are Juicy Couture, Coach, Judith Leiber, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Bvlgari, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana…. you get the point. I love this little chocolate shop called Vosges Haut Chocolat. I know, great name. It’s pricey chocolate, but haven’t you always wanted to know what taleggio cheese, fennel, olive oil, and kalamata olives could do to your chocolate? No, I’m not joking. And it’s actually pretty tasty. Caesar’s Forum shops is really a stunning mall architecturally as well. One thing that annoys me, however, if the stairway and the path. They force you to walk in a huge circle, even though you could cut through if it were not for a strategically placed gate. It’s obvious they want you to walk past as many stores as possible. You’ll see what I mean if you go.

After I torture myself at Caesar’s, I like to get back to reality at the Fashion Show Mall. It is honestly a regular mall, except that it is located on about $1 billion worth of land right on the strip across from the Venetian ( I made that up, but it has to be uber-valuable land). This mall has Macy’s, Nordstrom, Neimann Marcus, Dillards and Saks. It also has regular stores like Foot Locker, Apple, Brookstone, Gap, and other mall staples, like a little food court.

If I’m up to it, I might also walk through the Venetian’s Canal Shoppes. These are in a similar price category as Caesar’s, but not so huge and overwhelming. The atmosphere is also great. I love the little gondolas that float by, with the little gondoliers belting out a song… and there’s always the gelato stand. I can’t remember what the gelato stand is called, but it’s in a big open area. Try the zabaglione flavor.

If budget is your thing, visit the outlets. They have a lot of shops, including a Nike store, which I love. Just like any outlet mall, this is a great place to go for just about anything, as long as it’s women’s clothes. And you’ll want to take a cab, since, it’s about a mile past any casinos.

The Luxor is famous for it’s ultra bright spotlight and sleek black pyramid. What you may not realize, is that they actually house some really cool authentic Egyptian artifacts. There is a King Tut Museum that you walk through to see what a sarcophagus would have looked like in a real tomb. -Luxor King Tut Museum

The museum was actually pretty cool. The rooms are sized to scale form the notes of the guy who found Tut’s tomb in 1922. It is primarily reproductions, but accurately displayed. There are hieroglyphics on the walls, and shabtis (pronounced shwob tee) placed around the tomb. Those little statues were supposed to represent the slaves that would help the deceased in the after life. You’ll learn all sorts of nifty facts like that in some of the shops and exhibits. I know, you don’t generally go to Vegas to learn anything, but trust me, sometimes, learning can be fun. Ugh, I sound like a teacher.

You will probably spend about 15 – 20 minutes walking through the exhibit and another 5 or 10 in the gift shop at the end. You might even find yourself buying a book about ancient Egyptian legends. In the Gaza Galleria there is a store that sells Authentic Egyptian artifacts. In here you could drop well over $1,000 for an authentic shabti or artifact turned jewelry piece. Myself, I bought the replicas. I have to save my money for the one armed bandits.

If you’ve ever dreamed of earning a free room, or being treated like royalty while in Vegas, you may want to learn about comps. These are not just for the uber rich. You can be a small time gambler and still benefit. The trick is to understand the system. On the strip there are 2 major players club systems that you can participate in. At any casino, find the desk to sign up for a card, similar to what you get at most grocery store chains. They will ask for your ID and a phone number, usually. (At the Wynn, if you give your email address, they’ll throw $10 worth of money on it to gamble with.) You will walk away with a free card to use any time you gamble in a participating casino. The big 2, in my opinion are: The MGM Mirage Player club card, and the Ballys Total Rewards, but I also like the Wynn card.

The MGM card works at the Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Treasure Island, Monte Carlo, New York New York, Luxor, and the Excalibur. They just purchased the Mandalay group, so now they own half of the strip. See MGM Player’s Club for more information. The nifty thing about this system is that the amount of money you spend gambling is kept as points on your account. Then you either spend the points, which work out to about 1 cent of value per point, or way better, you can talk to a players card representative and they will give you things based on your play. For example, if you bet enough to earn, say, 3000 points in 24 hours, they may give you a free room. I earned 1009 in one day and I got $45 worth of food and beverage credit, since I was staying at Treasure Island, one of their properties. I had probably bet around $800 on the slots to get that many points. Remember, what matters is how much you gamble. If you start out with $20 but you go up and down on the slots and it takes 30 minutes and 60 $2 pulls to lose it all, you may have accrued a couple hundred bucks in bets and not even realized that. I certainly didn’t start out with $800, I had maybe $200 in cash to start, but after I was done, I had actually bet about $800.

With the Total Rewards card (Bally’s Caesar’s, Paris, Flamingo, Rio) you start out with 500 points that have to be counted down to earn one point. Honestly, it seemed kind of weird. You then get bonus points from machines, but the representative at the desk said these are almost random, and awarded by the machine you are playing at. Then you can use the bonus points and regular earned points toward items such as, yes it’s cheesy, a toaster, or a drill. Once again, the real value is in the comps that the hotels will give you based on your betting patterns. If they see that you have spent a lot of money at their facility, they may give you room upgrades, food credit, or other incentives to patronize their casino. You just have to ask.

For the Wynn, the card only works at their casino, BUT, for 100 points, you get 2 free meals at the buffet. I was happy about this, since my husband and I love the buffet anyhow, especially at breakfast. It is usually about $20 per person, and it is fantastic. I think it is the highest quality buffet in Vegas. At the Wynn, you have to spend $3 to get a point at the slot machines. With my original $200 today, I ended up gambling about $600 worth, and earned 4 meals at the buffet. Pretty cool. At the tables, you have to spend a bit more, but I don’t remember how much.

With all of the cards, you may want to mention that you have a card before you book your return trip to the hotel. You may get a reduced room rate. We actually booked our Treasure Island room through Vegas.com and then got our players card when we arrived. We earned points during the day and then asked about possible comps. We were told that Treasure Island could not comp our room, since we had already prepaid online at vegas.com. If we had booked directly through them, even via TI’s website, then they may have been able to comp it, since you settle your bill at the end of your stay. Also, be polite. The host wants to please you, and they may have some flexibility in what they choose to offer you. Like mom says “You’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar….”

Remember, in Vegas, the casinos all want your business. (aka, your money) If you ask, you will often receive. And even if you don’t, you are no worse off.