Las Vegas Was Fun. I Just Wouldn’t Stay at the Strat Again.

Las Vegas is one of those places I think everybody should probably experience at least once. It's loud, ridiculously bright, pretty outside, expensive, weird, and there is a slot machine approximately six feet from everything. I’m pretty sure if Vegas could figure out how to put one inside the bathroom stall, somebody would.

I had a good time, but I also learned a few things I would absolutely do differently next time. The biggest one is pretty easy: I wouldn’t stay at the Strat again.

Our $1,000 Surprise Upgrade

We stayed at the Stratosphere, and on paper it seemed like a pretty good choice. You're staying underneath one of the most recognizable structures in Vegas, there are rides and attractions at the top of the tower, and you're still technically on Las Vegas Boulevard. It sounded like a cool place to stay and, in theory, would give us something to do without even leaving the hotel.

Then we got there and were told they “didn’t have the room we reserved.” That's always a fun sentence to hear when you've already traveled across the country and are standing there with your bags. They did have another room available, though. We just had to “upgrade.”

That upgrade cost us about another $1,000.

Maybe I have a different definition of an upgrade, but if I reserve a room and the hotel doesn't have it when I arrive, I generally don't expect the solution to be me giving them another thousand dollars. We paid it because we were already there and needed somewhere to stay, but it definitely put a bad taste in my mouth right out of the gate.

To make things a little more annoying, one of the reasons we were excited about staying there was everything at the top of the tower. We wanted to get up there and check out some of the attractions, but it was too windy. Obviously, I can't blame the Strat for the weather. That's just bad luck. Later we tried the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas and got basically the same answer: too windy.

Apparently, Vegas was perfectly happy to let us look at tall shit. We just weren't allowed to go up any of it.

The Strat Is Just Too Far Away

The extra $1,000 annoyed me, but the location is probably the bigger reason I wouldn't stay there again. The Strat is just too damn far from most of the action.

That's something I didn't really appreciate until we were actually there. You look at a map, see that it's on Las Vegas Boulevard, and think you're staying on the Strip. Technically, sure. In practice, most of the places we actually wanted to spend time around were considerably farther south.

Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Paris, the Venetian and a lot of the stuff you picture when you think of walking around Las Vegas are clustered farther down the Strip. Staying at the Strat meant we were starting every outing away from most of that. Next time I'd spend a little more on location if I had to and stay somewhere closer to the middle of everything. Being able to walk outside and already be in the action is worth something in Vegas.

Especially because Vegas is hot as hell.

That probably shouldn't surprise anyone considering it's sitting in the middle of a desert, but walking the Strip can be brutal. Vegas distances are also deceptive. You'll look down the street and think something isn't very far away, then somehow, you've been walking for twenty minutes, and the damn building doesn't appear to have gotten any closer.

Luckily, a surprising amount of walking around the Strip can be done indoors. You duck into a casino, wander through an air-conditioned resort or shopping area, come out somewhere else, walk outside for a bit, and disappear into the next giant building. It makes the heat considerably more manageable and honestly becomes part of the experience. Just wear comfortable shoes. You're going to walk more than you think.

Vegas Isn't Quite the Commercials

Something else that stood out to me was the number of homeless people we saw around Las Vegas. They were basically everywhere and that's not really something the glossy pictures of the Strip prepare you for. Every corner had a homeless person sleeping behind it. 

That said, nobody bothered us. I don't want to make it sound like we were walking around scared or constantly being approached, because that wasn't our experience at all. In fact, we were battered more by people trying to sell us vacation packages more than anything else. As far as homeless people though, we didn't have any problems. It was simply very noticeable.

It's also a strange contrast. You're surrounded by these absolutely massive casinos, luxury hotels, expensive restaurants, designer stores and people dropping ridiculous amounts of money gambling, while very visible poverty exists right outside. That's not necessarily unique to Las Vegas, but Vegas has a way of putting the two right next to each other where it's difficult not to notice.

Even the Airport Is Vegas

One of the things I actually thought was really cool was the airport. You get off the plane and there are slot machines sitting there waiting for you.

Of course there are.

You haven't even collected your luggage yet and Las Vegas is already giving you an opportunity to lose money. There's something hilarious about that, but I also kind of loved it. Most airports slowly introduce you to wherever you've landed. Vegas wastes absolutely no time.

Welcome to Las Vegas. There's baggage claim. There's a slot machine. Figure it out.

Would I Go Back?

Absolutely. For all the complaining I just did, I actually really enjoyed Vegas. The place is ridiculous in a way that's hard to appreciate until you're standing in the middle of it. The casinos are enormous, the hotels themselves are attractions, there's food everywhere, and you can spend hours just wandering around without really having a plan.

I'd just do things differently next time. I'd stay much closer to the center of the Strip, leave a little flexibility around anything weather dependent, and I'd definitely ask a few more questions before handing over another thousand dollars for an “upgrade” because the hotel didn't have the room I already reserved. After having done more research, the next trip I would stay at Caeser's Palace.

The Strat can sit that trip out.