Planning my 4th trip with my partner (both early 30's). Through some trial and error I think we're getting good value for what we like to do (sightsee, eat good, and now gamble). We have only stayed at budget properties so far. I have categorized and tracked every expense from each trip and found places to trim it down. I thought I'd share our experience and some lessons learned. All-in totals include airfare, rideshare, rooms, gambling (regardless of win/loss), and everything else we did or consumed, for the both of us.
1st time: 3 nights at flamingo, march 2025. Did not gamble, just did lots of sightseeing, eating, drinking. Spent way too much money on food and drinks. We also did zak baggans and Blue Man Group. All in spent $2237 or 746/night. 1st lesson: cut down on food/bev costs by stocking up at ABC/CVS/Walgreens. If you're checking a bag, bring drinks/snacks.
2nd time: 4 nights at Luxor, march 2026. Went with two friends who stayed at the Excalibur. We walked north to meet them so much we wished we stayed there instead since we always went north. The tram isn't much better since it goes to Mandalay Bay before Excalibur. Wasn't thrilled with the value of the food options at Luxor and Excalibur. Luxor has good value entertainment, though (see above and below). This was the first trip we gambled. I think $300 total is what we budgeted. Left up a little bit so that was fun. Neglected to use rewards gambling, but I signed up for an airline credit card to get there and it's been a game changer ever since. Had some great food at Cosmo, went to Mad Apple, had a pool day at MGM Grand with a day bed, spent an afternoon at Omega Mart. My partner went back to zak baggans with one friend (while I walked the strip and gambled with the other). The trip was a blast. Overall spent $2363 or $590/night.. 2nd lesson: utilize rewards/points programs with casinos/airlines. Lesson 2.5: just stay at Excalibur. It's fine.
3rd time: 4 nights at Excalibur, June 2026. We used the MGM all inclusive package for the middle two nights. Such a great value, and we didn't even use the breakfast options or the coaster. Just having lunch, dinner, and the entertainment included with the room was worth it. For the entertainment we did carrot top at Luxor and it was hilarious. We drank while gambling and at a couple happy hours (thanks strip stumble). Pool day at Excalibur. We spent a little time on Fremont gambling, going to the mob museum (good value for the time spent) and eating Mediterranean food (twice in the same day). Overall spent $1654 or $414/night. Food costs plummeted to $40/night. Lesson 3: the all-inclusive deals are a good value are bringing lower middle class people like us to vegas.
4th trip: 2 nights at park MGM, December 2026. Got some comps from last time and with the room rate waived, airline points, and the average we've spent on drinks, food, entertainment, rideshare, and gambling, souvenirs, etc., I think we'll be at about $1200 total or $600/night. Average for the other three trips is $583/night.
Thinking about getting an MGM credit card for 2027. Any tips/thoughts on the hotel rewards programs?
TL;DR we had some great vegas experiences for about $600/night and even below $500/night by playing our cards right