Las Vegas & Grand Canyon questions

1

I think you should allocate a little more than 2-3 days to see both Las Vegas AND the Grand Canyon.

There are a number of outlet malls in Vegas. You can find how to get to them through a tourist information booklet, or just ask at your hotel.

2

Yes ... assuming you drive, I would allocate two days plus one night at the Grand Canyon. We have stayed at both the International Hostel in Flagstaff, and the Maswik Lodge at the South Rim - both were fine. There are other lodges of course, as well. Given your time, I would not contemplate the North Rim too - it is a long drive, and you are not adding hugely to the experience (good as it is). And then stay three nights in Las Vegas to give you two full days in the place - that is enough, I reckon.

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3

2 days for las vegas iotself is OK.

many tatty and OK shops here and there, cheaper souveniours can be found

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4

Check out smartervegas.com for hotel deals, though Vdara isn't really ever going to be super cheap.

Lots of rooms for around $30-$50/night to be found at places like Harrah's, Imperial Palace, Flamingo, etc, but generally not Thursday-Sunday.

Edited by: Keele13

5

2-3 days is for Vegas, not for the whole trip. I'm thinking arriving Wednesday and driving down to GC spend the whole day Thursday and then drive back Friday morning in time to meet with my friends and leave Sunday night. However, I've done a lot of searching and most hotels are costing more money for 2 nights than the flight itself. I don't want to get a place far from my friends, sorta defeats the purpose. Any other suggestions?

As for shopping I'm not looking for souvenirs or tacky stuff - I mean clothes and shoes.

6

Hotels costing more than the flight? You don't mention exact dates. When are you going? New Years? During a big convention or other event when prices are exceptionally high? What hotels have you checked? I've found good deals just by contacting the hotels themselves directly. Sometimes you can also find deals by signing up for their e-mail newsletters. If you are going to the Grand Canyon for just an overnight stay, why rent a car for 3 days? You really don't need one in Vegas itself, just for going to other areas, such as the GC, Valley of Fire, etc. Prices of hotels at the GC, especially those inside the park, are typically much higher than in Vegas, but often you can find lower prices in Tusayan, right outisde the park boundary.

7

$200 for a 3-day car rental? That's a lot. Price it on Hotwire.com, www.united.com/cars. carrentals.com, etc. You can find a much better deal. You also don't need a car rental for 3 days if you're picking up the car on Wed and returning it Friday, that's 48 hours, which is a 2-day rental. You don't need a car in Vegas itself unless you're planning to head far off the strip (which you don't really have time for anyway).

Vegas hotels are several times more expensive on Fri and Sat compared to weekdays. If you want to save money on the hotel, stay in Vegas Sun-Thurs. Travelzoo.com has tons of deals. August and September are low season because it's very hot. Are you going over the Labor Day weekend (Sept 3-6)?

What are your dates? What hotel are your friends staying at? You're not providing enough information.

If you arrive on Wed, you can head to the GC, then spend all day there Thursday and head back at night (avoid traffic too). Heading back Friday is fine too, of course. It depends on what you want to do there. If you're not hiking, you don't need to leave Friday.

There are chain stores/mall at Caesar's Palace. There is also a big outlet mall about 30 mins outside of Vegas. And there are plenty of malls in Vegas as well - though you'd need to drive to them as they're not near the strip (there is one at the end of the strip, but it's small and crap).

8

I forgot to mention that I went on other sites and got a better rate for car rental ($65) for 2 days, I originally I was going to going for 3 days as I thought I could do some more things around GC.

I haven't booked anything yet, but this is the plan:
Sept 1 - flying into Vegas 10am and get car from airport and drive to GC
Sept 2- GC
Sept 3 - drive back to Vegas and drop off car, check-in hotel, meet friends
Sept 4 - Vegas
Sept 5 - check-out, fly out 11:30pm

So I'm looking at hotels/hostels/motels near Vdara for Sept 3 & 4 (these dates cannot be changed). My friends are leaving on the 6th but flight times I'm getting aren't working for me so I'm leaving 14 hours earlier than them....it sucks because I'll miss out on the last night but oh well such is life.

I did call Vdaraa to see if I can get better rates- the lady had a real bad attitude so no luck there. Thanks for the tips and advice btw!

9

Yeah, that problem is that you're going over Labor Day when everyone and their mom is going too! Prices for everything depend on demand. The times don't work on Monday, Sept 6 because that's the most popular day to fly, i.e. last day of the holiday/day off.

It's also hard to book a hotel in Vegas when you want to leave the night before the last day of a popular weekend. Many will have 3-night minimums for holiday weekends.

10

Here is a link to Las Vegas Premium Outlets http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=58 where you can find nice clothes and shoes. Additionally, I've always found good bargains at the Macys in the Fashion Show Mall at the corner of Spring Mtn. Rd. and Las Vegas Blvd.

Try this hotel: http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-las_vegas-nevada-NV050?promo=grinv050. We stayed here for one night in February on our way from Colorado, and got a very nice, large room for $45. It is located near the Riveria Hotel. As mentioned, the rate might be more because of the holiday weekend.

11

What hiking routes and accommodations would you recommend at the park? Anything close by that I could visit (besides Hoover Dam)? Should I make time for the North rim?

You won't have time for the north rim. You also won't have much time other local attractions...anything else worth seeing would take more time away from GC than you should on this short a trip.

For your whole day at the Canyon, I suggest two shorter hikes, one in the AM and one in the PM, rather than a single long all-day hike. That's because it will likely still be ungodly hot down inside the canyon, and shorter hikes wil allow you to stay up higher. Also, then you can sample two unique trails with different views and different hiking experiences. Try Kaibab to Cedar Ridge in the AM, and maybe Grandview to Coconino Saddle in the afternoon. The Hermit Trail to Santa Maria Spring is also nice in the morning because it is relatively shady in the AM, and blasted by sun in the eveneing (western exposure). If you're too tired from the AM hike to trek back into the canyon in the afternoon, try a flat stroll on the Rim Trail at sunset. The Hermit's Rest shuttle will drop you off at one viewpoint, and you can walk the leisurely path to another to be picked up later. There's also now a bike path and bike rentals in that area. If you must take on a more ambitious trek, the only one I can recommend that time of year is Bright Angel to Plateau Point. It's long (12 miles), and HOT at the end, but you get a great view of the Colorado River, the return uphill hike will be shaded in the afternoon, and there's water available along the way.

Please remember that summertime hiking at Grand Canyon can be serious business, and if you venture far below the rim, be aware of and follow all the cautions and warnings you'll recieve at the park.

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12

You guys are amazing!! Thanks for the really helpful information! I found a motel on Tropicana that's walking distance from Vdara and it's only $50 a night! It has pretty decent reviews considering it's a motel but even if it didn't, I don't care...lol.

Any recommendations on budget lodging in GC? Can someone also recommend a good site that impartial information on where to park, how/when/where to catch the shuttle. I find all the info on the web overwhelming and a lot of them are tours.

FlagStuff, I can can extend my trip by a couple of days so please let me know if you recommend that can easily done given the fact I'm travelling solo here and don't want to break the bank.

Thanks again!!

13

You can drive your car through the gates of Grand Canyon National Park. It will cost you $25 per car and the same if you go by shuttle. The pass is good for 3 days. There are several parking lots within walking distance to the lookout points.

14

What is "budget," in numbers?
It's wortwhile to stay in the park if you can, but failing that, Tusayan is right outside and is usually cheaper. The closest hostel is in Flagstaff, and hour's drive away.

NPS.

The car admission is good for 7 days.

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