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.
When the taxi lines are long or especially if you are headed to anywhere south of Sunset Blvd. consider taking the free rental car shuttle to the rental car center. They always have a taxi queue there. Best of all you dont have to pay the McCarren Airport surcharge, so even if you are going to the strip it will cot you about the same.
Good tip! Thanks!
#11 – Las Vegas Buffets – The lines and the food. I am on vacation to enjoy myself not feed from a trough.
I used to have fun going to Vegas, but over the last few years they have tightened the slots to the point that you rarely see anybody getting a hand payout and I see my “stake” gone in a very short time where I used to at least get a few hours of play time out of the same amount. Funny thing is the joints are packed…so the casinos have no incentive to change this. I have found other things to do with my money.
I hate people begging for money.
Johnny. Spot on, I am in Vegas once a year for work and if I were to list a top ten most of your points would be on my list too.
Hmm. Thanks for the blog Johnny. You’re mostly on target but maybe you need an “adjustment.” Every destination requires an adjustment in my level of expectation just like a restaurant or a hotel (when you stay at Motel 6 expect Motel 6, when you stay at Four Seasons expect Four Seasons).
That said, Las Vegas IS an animal of a different color. It’s just a hell hole of over consumption magnified by an infrastructure representing the utmost in poor planning, AND it presents itself as something for everyone. Therein lies the (perception) issues and the various differences of experience.
I visit 2-3 times a year for 3-to-10 nights, but I couldn’t do it unless I completely threw-out my expectations years ago and started over. I now stick to (quality) timeshares, thus eliminating “hates” 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. To be fair on all the transportation-related “hates,” I usually drive from southern California–a frisky 3.25 hour or scenic 4 hour drive through the high desert with virtually no traffic. I also AVOID THE WEEKENDS if possible. If flying, I prefer to use a prepaid shuttle service for transportation.
Might I suggest a visit to the authentic desert, Palm Springs…”America’s Desert Playground.” where the focus is on YOU and not the destination?
FYAmusement: I’ve been visiting “Vegas” for 50 years and I recall standing in a one-level strip-front parking lot at night, fascinated, while I listened to the neon champagne bubbles on the Flamingo tower going on and off as the sign cycled through it’s never-ending show–it was that authentic and peaceful. Then there were they stays at the (original) Landmark, Dunes, Tropicana, Flamingo…other stories. Maybe this is why I still “like” Las Vegas regardless of its’ self-induced flaws.
1. Don’t go in the summer, the end of November/beginning of December or late February/early March is great. No one uses the pools that are open then. We are going Thanksgiving week this year. Cheaper than the week before or after Thanksgiving.
1. Don’t take a taxi, rent a car. All the hotels and casinos have free parking. The shuttle bus to the Rent-a-Car Center can be a pain but the line is a lot shorter than the taxi one.
2. Stay off the strip and stay at an extended stay place: Res Inn, Homewood Suites, etc. Free breakfast, full kitchen, no minibar, no parking garage, no casino. The windows open and the pools are clean. It takes 10-15 minutes at most to get from say Paradise/Flamingo to any hotel/casino on the strip or to McCarran airport. Learn the shortcuts to avoid the traffic at rush hour.
3. The water tastes fine off the strip. Put it in the pitcher in the refrigerator, any taste disappears after it chills down. You want really strange tasting tap water? Try Orlando or the tap water that is stored in the tank on the roof of most Manhattan hotels.
Agree with all of this. However even with the issues mentioned, I believe they are minor and vegas is still worth the visit. I’ve been to several places around the world and vega$ is one of my top 3 favorite places. I am super scared of bed bugs, so I refuse to stay at lower priced places,which sux due to price.
I do love Vegas with all of that being said. They even have a check in early fee for $25.00..really? My tips are if you are booking a show and have a student with you, I found great student rates to even Cirque shows. I do not get the shopping at all. Seems very pricey. I live in FL and we have many outlet stores and all of those pricey items i can buy here or online for tons less.
I actually went in Dec after Xmas and before New Years and got great rates.
Your pet peeves about Vegas are right on. The one that bothers me the most goes along with your “Fresh Air” comment. The smoke in the casinos and public areas is overwhelming. Just a few minutes after arriving I find myself coughing. The casinos who do set aside a small area for non-smoking are always full and open tables are hard to come by. You’d think they would take heed and make the non-smoking sections larger to accommodate the guests who enjoy smoke free air to breathe while they gamble.
It was better when the mob ran the show.
#6 and #10 I also hate and so when we thought we’d go to vegas, instead we choice another location. If people would just start boycotting or calling these places to make reservations and then tell the res. agent, “I’ve changed my mind I don’t do business with hotels that charge resort fees! Maybe then the practice would stop.
Johnny: Like many cities they have their “ins and outs.” Mostly have traveled to Vegas on business for last number of years and very, very, rarely pleasure. Much better choices for pleasure travel IMHO. I always rent a car and skip the lines. Mostly don’t use valets but if I do I find it is worth my tip to have them park me where they have quick access to my vehicle. Always stop at convenience stores on way to hotels to buy water and snacks for room. Often the bar waitresses have bottled water along with alcohol. It’s worth a small tip although not necessary to get a bottled water from them. The one item you surprisingly did not mention is the airport. The security line can be incredibly long and the walk from incoming flight to enormous baggage area is downright silly. I only stay in large strip hotels if I have business in one of them or very near to one of them. Off strip sights and downtown much friendlier. Now then maybe you can comment on another city that has long since outgrown it’s charm and become a filthy, over priced cesspool in many regards: Dare I say San Francisco.