LAS VEGAS TOP TEN VALUES

January 2009

From Anthony Curtis’ excellent Las Vegas Advisor Newsletter at

http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com.

1. Room Rates - - - $6 and up

Room rates remain so low all over town that we’re keeping them at #1 this month (they were actually #2 in December, but only because of the opening of Aliante Station). We’re seeing discounts on top of discounts, along with add-on sweeteners, as the casinos battle to bring customers in. This continues to be a great time to come to Las Vegas.

2. Steak Dinner - Ellis Island - 24 hours - $6.95

The complete steak dinner at Ellis Island is the best-value meal deal in a city full of good-value meal deals. It’s a 10-ounce filet-cut sirloin, which comes with salad, garlic green beans, choice of potato, and fresh microbrewed beer, all for $6.95. A note on logistics: Every other Monday, the Ellis Island coffee shop shuts almost all the way down for a thorough cleaning (from 11 pm to 5 am and the steak shuts down with it. If you’re planning on going to EI for a late-night steak on a Monday, be sure you've got the right week to do so.

3. Shrimp Cocktail - Golden Gate - 11 am-2 am - 99¢

The Golden Gate shrimp cocktail? The one that went up a buck last April after more than 15 years at 99¢? The one that shocked the bargain-city faithful to their collective core? The one whose 100% increase should’ve been enough to drop it entirely from consideration? That shrimp cocktail? Well, there’s more to this than meets the eye. First, all you have to do is show a players club card to get the shrimp at the old price. Sure, the extra step (if you’re not already a member) might’ve docked the deal a few spots, but a coupla sign-up bennies mitigate the five-minute inconvenience. More important, the shrimp are bigger and better.

4. Breakfast Special - Wild Wild West - 24 Hours - $1.49

The $1.49 breakfast special at Wild Wild West is the same one we’ve been touting for the past several months that’s also served at Wildfire, Gold Rush, and Magic Star. However, now it’s available 24 hours at WWW, as opposed to just midnight to 11 am at the others.

5. Sign-Up Promotion - Hooters - Daily - Free

The power of the Hooters players club sign-up is in the free tickets for the Bobby Slayton show, although some other goodies come with the deal, such as the new coupon for $10 in cashback after earning 10 points on the card.

6. Prime Rib - South Point - 24 hours - $12.95

The Top Ten has gone without a prime rib special for a few months now, but a new PR deal at South Point remedies that. It’s advertised as 10 ounces, but that’s underestimating it by about half. Plus, it’s served 24 hours a day (in the coffee shop), with your choice of soup or salad, potato, and rolls if you ask. If you have a hankerin' for a prime rib special, it's worth the trip down to South Point.

7. Fontana Bar - Bellagio - Daily - $6

The $6 charge at the Fontana Lounge is the cost of a beer to satisfy the one-drink minimum and see the show in Las Vegas’ classiest lounge.

8. Funbook - Stratosphere - Daily - Free

The Stratosphere funbook is a great one. The monetary is $14.70 (and $19.70 if you take advantage of the $5 poker bonus). There are also more goodies in the Strat book than the gambling coupons, including a few decent drink and restaurant discounts, a pass to Polly Esther’s nightclub, a heap of deals in the stores that you may or may not use, and even a little-known discount you can apply to room bookings. Best of all, you can get one once every week.

9. Beer - Casino Royale - Daily - $1

The $1 beer special at Casino Royale is back. You can find a lot of dollar beer deals around town, but Casino Royale serves bottled Michelob around the clock right in the heart of center Strip. Or you can opt for $1 margaritas (traditional or strawberry served in 12-ounce plastic glasses). Finally, you can combine this deal with #10 for a neat parlay play.

10. Volcano - Mirage - Nightly - Free

Our #10 pick this month is the Mirage volcano, which began re-erupting last month after a spectacular $25 million upgrade. We’d assumed this would be a ceremonial nod, but don’t be surprised if it’s still listed in ensuing months—it’s that good. Read all about it in Entertainment. The new and improved volcano is the final touch of the Mirage’s three-year $110 million expansion, which included remodeling all the hotel rooms.