Yes, as you read in my previous post when I attempted but failed to get to Las Vegas in 2010. This time I was successful, but not without some major challenges.

Click here to read the WHOLE UNTOLD STORY

Click here to read the WHOLE UNTOLD STORY

It always seems to come down to the airfare doesn’t it.  For me when I step away for a system that is tech driven for a couple years. It feels like I am behind 10 years.

So once again, I have my hotel room ok, but can’t bring myself to pay $700-800 for a RT ticket to Las Vegas. And there are always new rules that occur with the AirLines. Do I wait till Tuesday @ 3 pm to get the better rates. granted the way my schedule is.

Wow, does this bring back

wonderful memories. Great

interview!

October 2010 Marks my One Year Anniversary to Celebrate when I traveled last year to Spain and Amsterdam by myself. Even though I have not had an opportunity to go abroad again. I plan to go back and visit Amsterdam and stay at the same Hostel I visited last year. That is if they will let me stay! The Video below reflects my inner Diva  going abroad:  DeeNice, The Hostel Virgin Traveler.

It has been sometime (since the 1990′s) that I have actually been to Virginia Beach, VA.  I had a meeting with a SEO Guru and couldn’t decided whether to leave at 4am drive down the day of, and drive right back. OR…. Leave a day early, stay overnight at a hotel and then come back. The key issue was my budget. I have been on a Financial Fast at my Church, using Michelle Singletary’s Book 21 Days Financial Fast. And I am suppose to be frugal and penny-wise.

Anyways, I really want to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for my one day Boot Camp and decided to check and see what it would cost to stay one night.

I went on-line and somehow got an affiliate group that works with Hotels.com. The lady was so nice on the phone. But, I explained that I was on a tight budget but needed to be near – and I gave her the zipcode a certain location.

She then asked the key question, “How much are you willing to pay”?  I cleared my throat and said, “Well, um about 45 bucks.” Waiting to haer her laugh out loud, she instead said “let me see what i can come up with”.

She found this budget Ramada hotel – right across from the water for $36.  I said, “Your kidding, right”. My suspicious nature got the best of me and I calmly asked, “Are you sure I won’t get down there and then find out it $90 or somthing like that?”   She reassured me, took my credit card and gave me a confirmation email and number. The customer service person also told me I would have a refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker too. Oh and also breakfast!

Wow, I hit the mother-load today.  Cool beans, yea I said it “cool beans”. So I hopped in my 2001 Pontiac Aztec, drove about the anti-nuclear demonstrations in DC that day, and went to Virginia Beach.

I have always enjoyed traveling via car. As a outside sales representative, worked and traveled via my car for many years. I love it. Using my GPS on my HTC2 touch phone (my 4th phone, another story, another time) got down to the water, found the hotel and met “Dre” at the front desk around 6pm. I liked Dre, young man, very pleasant and accommodating.  Everything was as I had been told. There was a minor hitch with my credit card. It seems that the Hotel.com IT server does not transmitt to the Ramada accuratetly. So what they did is just re-do the reservation. No problems, everything went smoothly. Then after going to my room, I mentioned to Dre that I hoped to take a few pictures while down here. Then he said – if you can get up around 6:20am – and go out on the balcony – they sunrise is gorgeous. And so I got a wakeup call for 6:15am – and here are my shots from my room’s balcony:

Ok – so I am going to check the Stratosphere Hotel first, they always seem to have good prices, the only problem is that they are so far down the strip. But they are walking distance to the convention center. The only inexpensive Hotel is the Imperial – it is centrally location and the “noisiest & loudest” hotel environment. Just make sure our room is not on the same floor as the Marque. But I am going off topic.

First I went to “Google” and did a search for

Stratosphere promotional discount codes 2010

This is the screenshot of what came up:

Here are the room rates, it starts off real good with a 30% discount :

$69.99 (30%off)=$48.29 (wed),  $164.99 (30% off) $113.84 (thursday)

$294.99 (30%off) =$203.54 (OUCH!),  $119.99 (30% off)  $82.79. Total with the 30% discount is $448.46 for 5days 4 Nights. Which is actually not bad at all. But I have a budget and most keep lookin.

Call one of my old haunts – TripRes.com - I use to use them when I travelled to Las Vegas. They had a great website that list all the deals. And what is different from them, than making a reservation directly at the hotel is you pay for the stay all at one time. With Hotels, you reserve and pay them at the hotel.

I would prefer to stay at a location where I can cook my own food, since I am watching my eating. And the customer service person recommended this hotel

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Click Here for My Las Vegas Updates 2012

Post from January 2, 2010

Nothing like planning a trip last minute. But I wasn’t sure I could go until now. So the best strategy I have today is to find a flight for 200 bucks and then see if there are hostels, yea I am trying that again, on the Las Vegas Strip that are reasonably priced. And I should be good to go. I put a call out to one of my tech ladies list serves to see if anyone is interested in sharing a room. But if not the hostel will work fine. I have missed the Computer Electronic Show the last 2 years and don’t want to miss it this year again.

There is a blog  called Hole In The Donut Travel that caters to my last-minute wooes. She has great tips of tavel. So I will be going thru it today to see what deals I might be able to get. Who Knows!

So Here I Go Again! – DeeniceGoesToLasVegas.com!

Update - Unfortunately,  did not get to go in 2010, BUT I did go in 2012

I saw this Artist: Chuchito Valdes about a month ago at HR-57′s Historic Jazz Place. He Blew us away! A few of us are going down to HR-57 tonight(Friday, 12/18/09) to see him perform. If you have not made plans for this evening, YOU MUST CHECK this artist out. There is a charge to get in.

Date: December 18th & 19th

Time: 9PM

Cost: $20
HR-57

1610 Fourteenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20009

Phone 202-667-3700

NO RESERVATIONS – LIMITED SEATING

Last evening, I had a wonderful chat on Facebook with Lulu from Indonesia. She is an English Teacher. We discuss creating an exchange program for adults so we could visit each others countries. I went on Kayak.com to check the fares. It would costs between $1300 and $1700 RT (roundtrip).

So now I need to find out what are the various inexpensive ways to travel to far out countries would be. But we both liked the idea of traveling to each others countries. Could be a new great adventure.

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Here is a new one I was not familiar with  called  SKYAUCTION.  It allows you to  bid on airfares (kinda like Ebay), hotels, vacations etc.

Kayak is a great website for travel because if incorporates all the popular travel websites like Priceline, Travelosity, Expedia etc. all at one site! Ease of use is the ticket!