I've stayed at Wynn, MGM, Strat, and Planet Hollywood.....where were you staying that you paid for parking? Mind you I also parked at Bellagio, Caesars, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay and didn't pay a dime.
no im not being sarcastic..3k is a lot of dough in 5 days. i could easily spend half of that and still have a blast in vegas. just saying..
oh haha, I wasn't sure if you were the rich snobby type, my apologies. It's the one thing I do a year for myself, so I'll take a good 8 months of saving to make sure it's all taken care of.
Cab fare from the airport to Bellagio (for example) will run you at least $20 each way, so renting a car for one day already pays for itself. I have never paid to park at any one of numerous hotels unless I choose valet. Cab fare from the Bellagio to Fremont Street will also cost about $20 each way. Not sure how I save time by using a cab. I have to wait for a cab and I am in traffic for the same amount of time. Granted, I could do a lot of walking or riding the tram or taking a bus, but for being able to go where I want, when I want without having to wait in a line, a rental car is more economical than a cab in my experience.
I always rent a car when I go to Vegas, and I don't ever recall paying to park anywhere. I usually go for a week at a time, so I like to travel away from the strip and see the surrounding area. I've been out to Mt. Charleston, Hoover Dam, Valley of fire, Red Rock Canyon, and many of the excellent resorts scattered around the valley. I usually spend half my trip staying on Fremont Street, and the other half staying on the strip or at one of the resorts in the suburbs. I've been able to rent a car for as little as a 95 bucks for the entire week in the past, but the rates do seem higher at the moment. The rates do fluctuate a great deal, so it's important to check the rates on a daily basis. I've had good luck in the past with Alamo, using discount codes I found on the internet, or on their website.
Just about every hotel in Vegas has free parking, and most, if not all have free valet (with a tip). Renting a car in Vegas isn't that bad, and we usually can find a deal for something like $15 a day.
http://www.foxrentacar.com This should be the cheapest. Fox is not located at the large airport car rental facility. You take the free shuttle to the airport car rental facility and then get on the smaller fox shuttle bus to their own facility which is about one mile away.
Vegas cabs are notorious for taking the "scenic" route. I remember one time my buddy handed the cabbie a bill expecting change back and the cabbie wanted to keep all of it for tip.
Vegas cabbies will try to take the freeway to the strip from the airport. This adds something like $3-$5, tell them not to take the freeway. Vegas cabbies are also notorious for trying to take advantage of people that don't normally ride in cabs, like asking for bigger tips and trying to make you feel guilty, trying to ride away without making change, etc.
