I’m a travel lover, not hater and I love Sin City. But at the same time there are 10 things I hate about Las Vegas and here they are, in no particular order. You’ll have to let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments.
1. Bumpy flights
When the temperature rises in the summer, especially around 100F (38C), descending into Las Vegas is no fun. My advice is not to eat anything that’s likely to upset your stomach. And look out the window at the horizon for the last 12 minutes or so, so you don’t feel nauseous.
2. Long taxi lines
The moment you land in Vegas you will surely be greeted by a long taxi line to leave the airport. Get used to it because pretty much every hotel taxi line will be the same. Leave plenty of time to get to your destination.
3. Traffic/Taxi Drivers
Vegas has terrible traffic and most of the taxi drivers I’ve had try and take me the long way from the airport to the hotel. If you want to save money, tell them that you want to take the surface streets, not the freeway. But if you are pressed for time and don’t care that your ride may cost $6+ or more, then tell them whatever is quicker.
4. Taxis charge $3 for paying by credit card
I’m so sick of falling for travel scams and I learned about this one the hard way. If you pay for your taxi ride by credit card, you’re charged a $3 fee and the drivers don’t disclose this in advance. The city of Las Vegas should make the company that owns the machine (VeriFone), change the wording from ‘voucher’ to ‘fee’ (see photo above).
Travel tip: No matter where you are in the world, be sure to ask if there’s an extra charge for using your credit card because I know they do this in England, too.
5. Long check-in lines
Every time I stay at one of Vegas’ large hotels, there’s a long line that snakes around the corner. I usually end up waiting at least 30 minutes but it feels a lot longer since I’m usually in a hurry to meet friends, work or go to the loo. I do know that these hotels have a ridiculously high number of rooms but that’s all the more reason for them to ensure more employees are staffing the check-in desks or offer keyless check-in.
6. Resort fees
Every traveler I know despises resort fees – myself included. I think it’s a travesty that hotels can get away with charging a mandatory nightly surcharge to cover the cost of certain amenities, regardless whether you use them or not. The worst part is that most of these fees are unadvertised and travelers don’t find out until they check in.
When it comes to Vegas, there’s not much you can do about this except try to book hotels that don’t have resort fees or choose another destination since only a handful of Vegas hotels don’t have a resort fee.
Basically, you should just be prepared to shell out an extra $5-$25 a night. Here’s Vegas Chatter’s comprehensive guide to all of the resort fees in Las Vegas and what they’ll get you in return. Use this information before booking your trip.
7. The water tastes like rotten goat cheese
OMG – Las Vegas is so dry and I’m always parched. The one free bottle of water that some hotels leave in the room lasts me five minutes and drinking the tap water tastes disgusting – like rotten goat cheese. I don’t know how it’s even safe to drink in the first place. Instead of shelling out $5+ for a bottle of water from your minibar or buying one for almost the same price in the hotel’s gift shop, walk to one of the chain pharmacies on the strip. I was staying at the Aria and there was a CVS and a Walgreens just a couple (long) blocks away. At Walgreens, a gallon of water costs just $1.99.
8. Minibars have sensors
Most Vegas hotels have those evil mini bars where, even if you just pick something up to read the ingredients, you are automatically charged .. and the prices are not cheap. Advice: When you check out, go over your bill carefully and if you’ve been wrongly charged, dispute it before leaving the hotel.
9. There’s no fresh air
I love many Las Vegas hotel rooms but I don’t like the fact that you can’t open the windows – not even a crack to get some fresh air. When I was walking out to get some water, the person walking next to me exclaimed, “FRESH AIR!!” after she walked through the doors for the first time in who knows how long.
10. The pools are disgusting
When it’s 100+ degrees out I’m betting one of the first things you imagine yourself doing, after checking into your room, is donning your bathing suit and going for a quick dip, right? Wrong! Unless you’re staying at one of the quiet exclusive hotels, chances are your hotel pool is going to be filled with rowdy drunk dudes who are all competing for the one pretty girl who isn’t hired to be there. The worst part is that these guys don’t want to miss their chance of scoring so I suspect they aren’t bothering to get out of the pool to relieve themselves properly. Eww!
Don’t get me wrong, I love Vegas for a couple of nights but there are some things I just despise about the place. Do you think I’m overreacting or do you agree? Would you add anything else to this list? Let me know in the comments section below.
Wow – You read my mind! I hate that crap as well. (I do love the blackjack tables though – aint gonna lie.)
Is it strange that I agree with most of your points and yet… I STILL LOVE IT!! Don’t blame me, I have the Vegas sickness.
F*~K Vegas. Armpit, sh*thole,smoking capital of the world, dumpster for people of the world that are on the run and you did not even touch on the crime rate!!!!!!
I agree with Geri J – I don’t live in LV but we have a factory there and I go for the day quite often. I’m not a Strip person at all, so Johnny’s comments definitely resound with me too. Two things I have found out in the last couple weeks:
1. Super Shuttle will start going to private (i.e. office and home) addresses in the next month, because I have fallen prey to the evil taxi conspiracy and I hate it too. Super Shuttle ladies at McCarron told me 10 days ago that it should be possible very soon. I book via Southwest and earn points, I love the blue vans.
2. Container Park downtown is very very cool and the locals there are super nice and friendly. The Zappos guy is renovating that area and if you go at night the giant mantis looks stunning.
Johnny, interesting points but how about doing the 10 things you LOVE about Vegas? Remember how much fun you had at the craps table a # of years ago? My # 1 fav experience is to rent a car in Vegas because valet is FREE. You can’t get that in NYC.
Good idea! Will work on it
Everyone travels with a different set of priorities. You raise some legitimate points, but you missed the mark on offering a variety of valid solutions. Hate the bumpy landing? Go in the winter. Rates are lower and the pools are closed (which takes care of item 10 also). Hate the taxi lines and taxi drivers? If speed and service are of value to you, allocate a little of your gambling/dining/show budget towards a private car service, priority check-in option or perhaps an upgraded room that includes some VIP services. Again, depending on each traveler’s priorities, the budget can be re-directed to the details that make your travel experience what you want it to be. Expensive water and resort fees don’t just happen in Las Vegas. Resort fees are a fact of travel life and they don’t sway my decision to stay in a particular city or hotel, mainly because other factors matter to me more than how the hotel ultimately structures its room rate. The restaurants typically serve better filtered water, not the same as tap water in the rooms. Drink a glass at the beginning and end of each meal and you’ll be getting a good portion of what you need every day without paying extra. Mini-bar? Really? What traveler reading this column doesn’t already know this? And again, this is not just in Las Vegas. If you aren’t planning to eat or drink it, why pick it up in the first place? There’s a menu on the table. And speaking of food, you missed one challenging topic: The vast selection of dining options is both a good and a bad thing. If you don’t do a little research in advance to narrow down your favorite dinner options, you’ll either wait for hours, only get a last-minute reservation at 5 p.m. or 10 p.m., or not get in at all. Plan ahead, reserve ahead so you can be sure you don’t miss that one special dinner at your favorite super-star chef’s flagship restaurant or trendy new hot spot.
Someone’s in a bad mood! I really enjoyed the article, and I was really happy to get all of the tips. I’ve never been to Vegas, and I haven’t done a lot of traveling. I may have picked something up in the mini-bar just to look at the label! Relax. And, is it true the pools are closed right now?
You nailed it perfectly.
you nailed me perfectly
Would LOVE if more places had balconies. That is what I love about the Cosmopolitan. I also stayed at the Aria this month and little peeps of light came in through the curtains above (in a mountain view corner suite). Sleep is VITAL – if there is a smidge of sunlight, then give us eye masks. This is a huge pet peeve of mine in Vegas. We also go to Walgreens and here is a brilliant idea.. We buy a $20 coffee maker and bring coffee and filters from home and we have coffee in our room first thing in the morning (with water from Walgreens). We just leave the coffee maker there – it’s only $20! Same as a pot of coffee from room service cost for one morning. Great story Johnny – totally agree with all of these. I have a love/hate relationship with this place. Might be more on the love side if I could get better sleep.
Great column Johnny! I used to travel to Las Vegas 10+times a year on business and learned to get around a lot of what you mention here. We went back last year and stayed at the Mandalay Bay property and got nailed by almost everything you hate about Vegas!
I did enjoy the resort but the cost for 2 1/2 days cost me as much as a 5 day vacation almost anywhere else. I guess I’m getting old!
Thanks!
Bob
In Orlando, the first thing I do is find a Walgreens or CVS and call for water. They deliver it to your room by the case with no delivery charge. I also order snacks and soda for the room and anything else. It ‘s possible the same thing applies to Vegas, though I’ve never checked it out there. I love Las Vegas and think every adult needs to see it at least one time before they die. The downtown area is more for gambling, better returns. The Strip has great entertainment, shopping, and in general themed casinos which need to be seen to be believed.
I ditto the comments of Geri J, but would like to add some suggestions. I lived in Vegas 5 years, in the southern part of the valley, not far from the South Point. I lived there while they were building the new addition. I return annually and always rent a car and stay at the South Point. I have been back home in Nebraska for 5 years and in my returns, have never stood in the registration line at the South Point more than 10 minutes. The staff in the entire hotel is fantastic. This is truly a family-friend hotel. The pool is spacious, guests have always been respectful when I have been there – not the loud drunken Johnny referenced – but rather families playing with their children. They have a wonderful theatre and bowling alley. And, as evening approaches, they have security strategically placed to check your room key before letting you past to get to the elevators.
I always rent a car, it is a short distance from baggage claim to catch the bus to go to the new (in the past several years) centralized rental center. (I always use Enterprise and have never had a problem if I arrive early, and it seems like I always get the type of car I request.)
South Point has shuttle service to the strip and several other locations.
In the heat of the summer, there is nothing anyone can do about the turbulence in either arrival or departure.
For your own health, always – always, carry a bottle of water and keep drinking. Dehydration sneaks up on you quicker than you realize.
RE: water, I started carrying a Camelbak groove with a Brita-like filter built in after it was recommended by a flight attendant. Such a game changer – I stopped having to haul myself to Walgreens/CVS and fill up using tapwater since the filter takes care of the awful taste. It’s also great in airports like SFO where there are water bottle fill stations; Take it empty through TSA and then fill up before I board.
The Platinum Hotel off the strip (only about a 5 minute walk to the strip) is wonderful. It’s a no gambling and no-smoking hotel. There’s a quiet rooftop pool. They have beautiful kitchenette, 2-room suites. It is perfect for business! It’s away from all the craziness and noise.