Lodging

Monte Carlo in Las Vegas cliff1066

There’s good and bad with everything. Now that the economy is in the dumps (bad!) there are some incredible travel deals (good!).

I just found a great deal in Las Vegas.

The Monte Carlo Resort and Casino is offering a special price. The AAA-Four Diamond resort is offering rates from $42-$51 per night over several Sundays through Thursdays from May through August. That’s a real deal!

The fun thing about Las Vegas is there’s so much to do. It’s not all about gambling. I love to go to Las Vegas for the hiking! Red Rock Canyon, about a half-hour drive out of Las Vegas, is full of hiking trails. One morning we started early and had Bighorn Sheep following us along our hike. Sometimes you’ll see wild burros.

Sunrise at Red Rock Canyon

Hiking with Bighorn Sheep

Steel ladder to Arizona Hot Springs

And then there’s Lake Mead National Recreation Area with Hoover Dam. And not far from the dam, Arizona Hot Springs is a 5.6 mile hike via White Rock Canyon, a spectacular slot canyon with tale-tell signs of multiple flash floods hurling car-sized boulders into the canyon. The hike goes by Lake Mohave, an emerald green pool of water that’s part of the Colorado River below Hoover Dam. And the hot springs are awesome! A 20-foot vertical steel ladder climbs up to a series of hot springs–bathing suits are optional.

And when the sun goes down you’ve got the strip, and all of those glorious lights. The selection of restaurants all within walking distance is beyond compare. That’s enough entertainment for me.

I think I’ll take advantage of Monte Carlo’s offer this summer. It will be too hot to do much hiking, but I’ll bring a good book and hang out by the pool.

Photos by Betsy Husband

Monte Carlo Resort and Casino
3770 Las Vegas Blvd.
888-529-4828

Pool at Las Vegas Oasis RV Resort

The next time you take your RV out for a ride head to Las Vegas. You can have all the fun of the strip without having to drive through the traffic.

Just minutes away by free shuttle the strip is easily accessible. Yet your RV site is clean, quiet, and easy to get to. A warm pool and barbecue area is yours to enjoy.

Relax in the jacuzzi, ride bike, play golf, or just relax with family and friends. My family met there for Thanksgiving. We put Grandma and Grandpa up at the casino across the highway and the rest of us enjoyed our trailers and the park. What fun to have such a beautiful resort and such easy access to the strip.

We even spent an afternoon hiking among colorful rock formations in Red Rock Canyon. A nice outing for the dog as well. We met rock climbers from as far as Canada who claimed that this is one of the great rock climbing meccas.

Red Rock Canyon

Another fun day trip is over to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. A tour of the dam is interesting and educational. We went to Chinatown in Las Vegas for a fabulous meal, and as always did a little retail therapy as the shopping in Las Vegas is unbeatable.

The Oasis RV Resort in Las Vegas is the perfect solution for road warriors who want some city life.

Photo of Red Rock courtesy of tiggernbennie@flickr