Couple Spent $4,000 on Las Vegas Trip: What They Would Do Differently

There’s no denying that what used to be a cheap trip is now much more expensive, but it’s easy to splurge when you’re partying. Luckily, we used points for our flights so we saved there.

Here’s a rundown of some of our expenses, including what was and wasn’t worth the money.

We stayed off the Strip to save money but upgraded our room

I like to save money by staying off the Strip and I love the Virgin Hotel.

There are large rooms – sorry, “rooms” – and a fairly quiet casino that makes the hotel seem relaxing after a busy day.

On this trip, we stayed in the Ruby Tower’s corner suite. We loved the split-use room design, the large bathroom, the views of the bar and sphere, and the cacti throughout the hotel.

The bed was also so good that after one night’s sleep I was googling to see if I could buy one to bring home.

We paid just under $1,500 for our stay, including the $45/day resort fee (which most Vegas hotels charge). I thought this was an excellent value compared to many other suites at hotels on the Strip, which started at $600 a night.

Although we weren’t on the Strip, which would have been convenient, our Uber costs still weren’t high enough to make this any less of a bargain.

We spent a lot of money on food and drink — and LPM was our favorite

LPM at The Cosmopolitan is less than a year old, but it’s currently the best-kept dining secret in Vegas.

Everything about our dinner was exceptional, from the top-notch service to the delicious Mediterranean-inspired food to the buzzing and beautiful atmosphere in the dining room.

I still dream of escargot and sea bass with lemon and chilli. Oh, and the burrata, the cocktail list, the baguettes…pretty much everything on the menu.

We paid $346 for three courses and a cocktail each. We ate a lot of good food on our trip, but LPM was the best of the best.

We also got drinks at the Pinky Ring cocktail lounge

We also stopped by Bruno Mars’ Pinky Ring at the Bellagio, a signature cocktail lounge that recently opened in the middle of the casino floor.

We passed by the singer’s Grammys on the way to this little belly-like space. It had a great vintage atmosphere and a great cocktail menu, too.

We saw his longtime band, The Hooligans, perform, which made us feel like this was the most exclusive place to be that night.

We paid $56 for two cocktails, plus tax and tip.

The Bazaar meat was our most expensive meal, but it let us down

We heard good things about José Andrés Meat Market in the Sahara from Vegas locals.

So when we visited, we opted for the more expensive tasting menu.

We were served caviar, cotton candy, liquid sphere olives, three different types of tartar, Washugyu ribs and other dishes. We had the A5 Japanese wagyu, which was cooked tableside and came with its own certificate.

We paid $760 for the two of us and the restaurant gave us a bottle of champagne while we celebrated.

Although the food was fantastic, I felt it was overpriced and the room too large to experience a menu of this quality. It lacked the personal touches you would normally get for spending so much money on a tasting menu at what would traditionally be a smaller restaurant.

Finally, we had some great meals at Cosmo

Not a day went by that we didn’t eat something at the Cosmopolitan. She nailed her food offerings.

We paid $36 at Egg Slut for two breakfast sandwiches, $109 at Momofuku for lunch, and $181 at China Poblano for dinner.

In terms of activities, we did a vow renewal and spent time in a spa

Of course, the reason for our trip: Renewing our vows at the Little White Wedding Chapel.

The cap is a true Vegas landmark that is enjoyed by some celebrities as well. It was a little weird, but maybe that’s our fault for choosing a package with a pink Cadillac. We spent about $250 total on our package.

We also both went to the Awana Spa at Resorts World, one of the few spas on the Strip with shared spaces.

We paid $280 for two, and the Fountain of Youth pass gave us three hours of access to the spa’s facilities, such as rain walks, saunas and experience rooms.

I got us tickets to my favorite magic show on the Strip and a burlesque comedy show

We saw Piff the Magic Dragon at The Flamingo, my favorite magic show on the Strip.

It’s funny, with amazing magic, a grumpy dude and a chihuahua in a dragon suit in a classic Vegas show.

Tickets started at $52, but we paid $80 to be closer to the front. Piff even held a free meet and greet after the show.

We also caught Absinthe at Caesars Palace, which is a combined circus, burlesque and comedy show.

Performers perform wild circus stunts dangerously close to you. It’s dirty, sexy and full of energy. We have seen many such shows but this is truly one of the best.

We booked a few days in advance and paid $151 per ticket for standard view seats.

We made sure to pre-book seats for Postcard from Earth at The Sphere

Watching Postcard from Earth on The Sphere – the world’s largest screen – was a blast to experience Imax out of the water.

We got to spend an hour exploring the technology and talking to the robots in The Sphere before watching Darren Aronofsky’s film on the world’s biggest screen.

We paid $94 for each ticket and had to book several weeks to get the best of the cheapest seats (try to go as central and as high up as possible).

It’s expensive, but worth it for the novelty. However, I wouldn’t recommend spending more than the base price.

The Neon Museum was one of our cheaper activities

We went to the Neon Museum before sunset and took a 45-minute guided tour. It was great to see the history of Vegas lit up before our eyes and we took the best photos of our trip here.

We paid $33 each for museum access and the guided tour.

The Omega Mart and Liftoff in Area 15 were also one of a kind

Omega Mart is a wild exhibition of quirky supermarket art that felt all the more boring because we experienced it while it lived. It was unlike anything we had seen before.

Outside, we rode the Liftoff ride so we could go about 100 feet in the air and have a drink in the sky.

We paid $49 each for Omega Mart and $15 for Liftoff.

Overall, we had a great trip

We returned home after five days, full and exhausted. We had fun, reconnected and made memories that will stay with us.

Five days always feels like enough time for us to do what we really want without completely pushing our credit limit.

There really is no place like Las Vegas.