Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 2 . PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO LAS VEGAS
Frommers.com: The Complete Travel Resource
For an excellent travel-planning resource, we highly recommend Frommers.com
(www.frommers.com). We’re a little biased, of course, but
we guarantee that you’ll find the travel tips, reviews, monthly vacation
giveaways, and online-booking capabilities thoroughly indispensable.
Among the special features are our popular Message Boards, where
Frommer’s readers post queries and share advice (sometimes even our
authors show up to answer questions); Frommers.com Newsletter, for
the latest travel bargains and insider travel secrets; and Frommer’s
Destinations Section, where you’ll get expert travel tips, hotel and dining
recommendations, and advice on the sights to see for more than
3,000 destinations around the globe. When your research is done, the
Online Reservations System (www.frommers.com/book_a_trip) takes
you to Frommer’s preferred online partners for booking your vacation
at affordable prices.
Priceline usually has better deals than
Hotwire, but you have to play their
“name our price” game. If you’re new at
this, the helpful folks at BiddingFor-
Travel (www.biddingfortravel.com) do
a good job of demystifying Priceline’s
prices. Priceline and Hotwire are great
for flights within North America and
between the U.S. and Europe. But for
flights to other parts of the world, consolidators
will almost always beat their
fares.
For much more about airfares and
savvy air-travel tips and advice, pick
up a copy of Frommer’s Fly Safe, Fly
Smart (Wiley Publishing, Inc.).
SURFING FOR HOTELS
Shopping online for hotels is much easier
in the U.S., Canada, and certain
parts of Europe than it is in the rest of
the world. If you try to book a Chinese
hotel online, for instance, you’ll probably
overpay. Also, many smaller hotels
and B&Bs—especially outside the
U.S.—don’t show up on websites at all.
Of the “big three” sites, Expedia may
be the best choice, thanks to its long list
of special deals. Travelocity runs a
close second. Hotel specialist sites
hotels.com and hoteldiscounts.com
are also reliable.
Priceline and Hotwire are even better
for hotels than for airfares; with
both, you’re allowed to pick the neighborhood
and quality level of your
hotel before offering up your money.
Priceline’s hotel product covers several
of the major casino hotels, including
the Venetian, the Mirage, and MGM
Grand. Be sure to do your research
before putting in a bid, however,
because their prices aren’t always the
best available in Vegas. Note: Hotwire
overrates its hotels by one star—what
Hotwire calls a four-star is a three-star
anywhere else. Some of Priceline’s designations
are similarly inflated.
Bidding for Travel (www.bidding
fortravel.com) has an excellent Las
Vegas board in its hotel section. If you
plan on bidding on Priceline, it’s a
must-stop. It also frequently posts
hotel discount codes and available
packages.
SURFING FOR RENTAL CARS
For booking rental cars online, the
best deals are usually found at rentalcar
company websites, although all the
major online travel agencies also offer
rental-car reservations services. Priceline
and Hotwire work well for rental