US unlikely to open early November?

Well, as far as the US reopening, there’s good news and bad news. Firstly the good news – it’s still likely to be November. The bad news – it’s unlikely to be early November as promised, according to @joshglancy, the special correspondent for The Times. Apparently, the reopening of the US has hit multiple “kinks” that need ironing out before they reopen. Well, that’s understandable when the borders have been shut to the world and American’s have not been travelling in and out of the country…. oh, wait…

The US announced the reopening to dispel tensions with Europe without actually having a plan in place and are now struggling to achieve early November. I had been slightly suspicious as time went on that we were only around a month away and nothing official had been announced for an opening date. I can’t believe it is really that hard. They are already checking people’s documents and covid tests coming in and out. How can it take more than a month to simply tell Border control which vaccine certificates they need to approve and have a form for people to fill in with their details for contact tracing? Every other country has managed it, even just on paper if necessary!

Hopefully, they will want to get it done by Thanksgiving, which will be very important to Americans wishing to reunite with family abroad. 

BA transfer Avios broken

If you have a household account you may have noticed that you received an email saying that the household account facilities will not be available for a whopping 6 weeks while upgrade the system (it’s believed to be integrating all IAG loyalty into one common platform).

Another feature that is currently broken and has been for several days is the transfer Avios facility.  If you are a Gold member of the  Executive Club, you can give them to another member for free. You can send a maximum of 27,000 Avios per year from your account to anyone on your ‘Friends & Family’ list. Other members have to pay to transfer Avios so it’s usually not worth it. 

If you want to transfer Avios to someone, often you have planned to do so in order to buy something and it’s fairly time-critical. Sadly at the moment there is no news on when it may be fixed. BA say they are aware of it and working to fix it as a “priority”. The official word is that there is no workaround so if you had banked on transferring Avios to secure your dream flight it’s tough.

They say that there is no workaround but given that you can still buy Avios, surely they could find a way to allow people to transfer the Avios by buying them and then refund the fee? Sounds more like their is a workaround but they don’t want to do it!

New Hyatt Centric Cambridge

Cambridge seems to be the upcoming place for hotel openings currently. I really enjoyed my stay there when I reviewed the new The Fellows House part of Curio by Hilton.

Hyatt announced this week that the first UK Hyatt Centric had opened in Campbridge. Located in the heart of the new sustainable neighbourhood of Eddington – developed by the University of Cambridge – Hyatt Centric Cambridge opened alongside the new apart-hotel Turing Locke. 

The hotel has a strong focus on the environment. Sustainable modes of transport are readily available to guests and locals, including 200 cycle parking spaces, plus 20 electrical vehicle charging spaces in the car park. 80% of the hotel’s roof space occupies solar panels to assist with the energy used by the hotel and any leftover is fed back to the Grid. Hyatt Centric Cambridge partnered with climate positive business Dodds & Shute to source furniture and lighting from responsible suppliers and the large landscaped eco-courtyard has a rich variety of plant species, and an improved habitat for animals and insects.

All 150 guestrooms boast views across the private landscaped, courtyard garden or across the Eddington neighbourhood and all come with huge, super comfortable Super King beds.

The rooms comprise:

• 27 Courtyard View King Rooms
• 30 Deluxe Courtyard View Rooms
• 93 Eddington District Facing Standard Rooms

There are 4 dining options that offer a mix of international cuisine, using local produce from established Cambridge brands. The eco-conscious outlets are also a part of the Cambridge Sustainable Food – Local food waste scheme:

• KOTA’s coffee shop, with artisan baked goods, third-wave coffee from Saint Espresso roasted on site, as well as revitalizing juices and smoothies. 
• KOTA restaurant focuses on the Finnish concept of charcoal cooking and community dining; catering for guests and locals throughout the day with fresh, bright brunches leading into light daytime dining, and a chargrilled evening menu complemented by botanical cocktails.
• Dutch offers classic cocktails with a twist, serving lip-smacking flavor combinations inspired by exotic drinks. Guests can indulge in delicious light bites and sharing platters including cured meats, British cheeses, and antipasti.

• The seasonal roof terrace is the perfect spot for a sundowner and provides great views to match. You can try one of their imaginative, botanical cocktails which mix aromatics, fresh infusions, and shrubs. The menu also includes a selection of craft beers all from local breweries, as well as nibbles and small bites.

Hyatt Centric Cambridge rates start from just £120 per night or 8,000 points or 4,000 points plus £110.

You can find more details or book here.

The post NEWS: US unlikely to open early November?, BA transfer Avios broken & New Hyatt Centric Cambridge, appeared first on Turning left for less.

I have been to Hawaii twice now and am heading back for a third time shortly. It is fair to say that Hawaii is one of my favourite places I have visited. Hawaii has warm weather all year round, stunning scenery, amazing marine life and a unique culture.

Getting to Hawaii is, surprisingly, the cheaper part of the holiday. When you consider that the flying time is around 17 hours, not including connections, you can usually get ex Dublin fares for less than £1900.

Flights

The cheapest way to fly to Hawaii is either to use miles all/part of the way or to do an ex Dublin trip. Unfortunately the days of the £1000 business class Honolulu tickets seem to be behind us. However, there is currently a reasonable deal with American Airlines for around £1400-1800 return. This allows stopovers of less than 24 hours as well as multiple connections across the US if you wanted extra tier points. This deal must be booked on American Airlines Ireland site. Alternatively, if you have a more complex routing, you may be better off getting Propeller Travel to book it for you. I talked about Propeller in this article.

Who to fly with

It may surprise you to know that there are not flat-bed seats on many US mainland to Hawaii flights. If you want to get a flat bed you will need to choose your airline and route carefully. If you wanted to stick to oneworld, American Airlines have a couple of routes with flatbeds. They are both from Dallas to Honolulu and Maui. The rest of AA’s flights, as well as Alaskan Airline’s flights feature normal recliner seats in First Class. I can vouch for the fact that it is a long 5 hours in those seats!

If you aren’t bothered which airline you choose, I would recommend Hawaiian Airlines. Not only is their food and drink service great, they now have flat beds on their A330-200s which are available from New York and on certain West Coast flights. You feel like your Hawaiian holiday starts the minute you get on the plane and have the tropical welcome drink. Delta have Atlanta to Honolulu with flat beds all year and Minneapolis and JFK seasonally. They do also fly their Delta One lie-flat product between LAX and HNL occasionally. Finally, United fly flat beds on Newark and Washington routes to Hawaii.

Using Avios

If you wanted to use Avios, you have several optimum route options. A lot will depend on availability but Dallas is the one to aim as it has the flat-bed seats to Hawaii and breaks the journey up pretty well.

• Seattle on BA and then connect onto Alaskan Airlines.
• Los Angeles on BA or AA to connect onto American Airlines
• Dallas on BA/AA to connect onto American Airlines

If you decided to use miles just to get to mainland USA, it can still be a cheaper way to get to Hawaii but only slightly cheaper than going via Dublin. You can get first class return tickets to Hawaii from around £800 from Los Angeles and about £400 in economy.

Getting around

Car hire and transfers are generally pretty expensive. One of the cheaper ways to book is to use Discount car hire Hawaii. They book with the major operators but are usually cheaper or include extras such as petrol. I would avoid Dollar if you can, as out of 3 rentals, all the cars were dirty and twice they tried to overcharge us.

Getting around Honolulu

If you won’t use the car every day, you may find it cheaper to just hire a car for a few days when you will be out and about. Car parking is pretty expensive in most hotels at $10-30 a day. Alamo are a great choice for Waikiki, as they have several offices that are walkable from almost every hotel.

Uber is one of the best ways to get around, unless you have trolley passes included in your hotel resort fee. Ubers were cheaper than taxis and the wait was under 5 minutes most of the time.

The Waikiki Trolley is reminiscent of the cable cars of San Francisco. It is a bit like a hop on hop off tour. The trolley takes tourists to the popular destinations and provides information about the area.   An unlimited ride day-long pass is $23 or a four-day pass is $59.

Hotels and when to visit

Hotels in Hawaii are a bit of a law unto themselves. As there is something of a captive audience, they are generally a bit dated and very expensive. It definitely pays to do your research here, as even well-known brands can give below the usual level of comfort in Hawaii. Most hotels charge a resort fee on top of the prices, like Las Vegas. This is usually around $20-30 per night extra, so it can add up. It covers the cost of some extras such as wi-fi, bottled water and newspapers but each hotel varies. Obviously you could use points or miles to get your room to keep the costs down. Otherwise, I recommend looking at the hotel websites directly as many of them have special offers that are cheaper than then major travel booking sites, even after cashback. If booking with the major chains, remember you can get 6 Avios per £1 or cashback on many of them by booking through the relevant Avios/cashback sites.

As eating out is also expensive (even McDonalds!) then you could consider self catering. There is a large choice of self catering hotels in most resorts.

The best way to save money on your hotel is to plan the time you visit carefully. I have visited in October and January and there was a big differences in prices between the two visits, which were only a few months apart. The cheapest times to visit are April, May, September and October. These are usually some of the best months for weather too. I would avoid Christmas to March, unless you specifically want to see whales. This tends to be one of the most expensive times, due to the Americans and Canadians trying to escape the worst of their winter.

In terms of weather, Hawaii is warm all year round with the hottest months being the summer. It can be quite humid at this time too and there is a small risk of hurricanes during this period. The winter is cooler but temperatures are still in the mid 20s, even in January.

Honolulu

Most people spend at least part of their Hawaiian holiday in Honolulu. It is very different to the rest of Hawaii, as it is a large built up city with a maze of freeways surrounding it. When you arrive at Honolulu airport, if you are not hiring a car you can either get a taxi to Waikiki, which will cost around $40, or a shuttle. The airport shuttle, Speedishuttle, costs from $15 one way.  Uber are not allowed to pick up from the airport except with Uber Select which costs from about $60, one way.

Hotels

At the luxury end of the scale there are a few choices, but expect to pay through the nose for them! Most of the major chains are represented in Waikiki if you want to earn or burn points.  The closer you are to the beach, the more you will pay, so the way to save money is to stay a short distance from the beach.

The Modern

A good example of this is The Modern, which is rated No 5 on TripAdvisor. I have stayed here and in my opinion it has one of the best pool areas in Waikiki. The rooms are a bit stark for my taste but, to be honest, how much time do you spend in your room in Hawaii? It is located at the far end of Waikiki by the harbour, near the Hilton lagoon. There are 2 swimming pools which were never very crowded and a couple of great spots for a drink. The poolside bar was a lovely way to watch the sunset over the harbour, whilst The Study was great for a late night cocktail with some live music.

Moana Surfrider Westin

This is one of the most well known, historic buildings in Waikiki and has a colonial air about it. The rooms are not particularly luxurious being a standard Westin style. The public areas are gorgeous though they are very busy. It also has a great location, right in the heart of Waikiki. I would recommend the Tower Premier Room with a high floor for the best views of Waikiki and Diamond Head. You can also stay in the historic Banyan rooms that look out over the courtyard and pool, but these tend to be more noisy. There is a small swimming pool and you can get beach chairs for an extra charge.

Trump International Hotel Waikiki

If you can bring yourself to give your hard-earned money to Mr Trump, the Trump is one of the best value 5* hotels in Waikiki. This is probably because it is not on the beach. It is rated as no 3 on TripAdvisor, so it must be doing something right! The rooms are all self catering and start with studios at around £260 a night. Don’t forget you can get up to 13% cashback on that using Topcashback and one of the online booking agents such as Expedia and Ebookers.

When I visit in July, I will be staying at the Hyatt Regency and the Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection hotel by Starwood. I will review these hotels in a separate article afterwards.

You can find all the top Waikiki hotels on Tripadvisor here.

Restaurants & bars

There is plenty of choice of bars and restaurants around Waikiki, but they are not cheap by any means.

Alan Wong’s

If you do one fine dining experience in Hawaii, I would go for Alan Wong‘s. It doesn’t have a spectacular setting or a particularly fancy dining room, but the food is great. The menu is also amazing value at $89 for 5 courses, when you can easily pay that for some very average food in Waikiki. The menu often includes a lobster lasagne and the melt-in-the-mouth Asian twice-cooked short ribs.

Duke’s

Duke’s is a casual restaurant and bar in the heart of Waikiki. It serves one of the best value breakfast buffets on Waikiki, in a great spot right on the beach. It is something of a Waikiki legend and everyone should visit it once! The breakfast buffet costs $18 and has plenty of choice including made to order omelettes. The Barefoot bar serves cocktails as well as local beers.

Hula Grill

This is situated above Duke’s and has a great view over Waikiki. It is famous for its Hula dessert pie which comes in two flavours. The most famous is with chocolate cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge, toasted mac nuts & whipped cream! I would recommend sharing it, as the portions are enormous. It also does a range of Hawaiian and American food with prices in the moderate range.

House without a key

This is another great spot for a drink or a meal. It is situated in on of the most luxurious hotels on Waikiki, The Halekulani. Every night, there is Hawaiian music is paired with the hula dancing of five former winners of Miss Hawaii.

The Beach bar

This is situated at the Moana Surfrider and has a huge, old banyan tree in the courtyard overlooking the beach. There is usually music and a hula dancer at sunset but it gets very busy, so arrive early. A great spot for a cocktail at sunset.

Cheesecake Factory

This is a modern American chain restaurant and one of my favourites. Despite the name, it actually does a huge range of dishes from Korean to Italian and burgers. The cocktails are pretty good too. Unsurprisingly, they do a huge range of cheesecakes too. If you don’t have room, you can order it to go. The Cheesecake factory is in the Royal Hawaiian shopping centre.

Things to do

Hawaii 5-0 locations

If you are a Hawaii 5-0 fan, you will probably want to visit a few of the sites. The 5-0 headquarters is actually the Ali’iolani Hale building, which houses the Hawaii Supreme Court. Outside is the famous Kamehameh gold statue. Kamekona’s shrimp truck is usually shown at the edge of the lagoon by the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which is at one end of Waikiki. Tropics at the Hawaiian Village is usually where the team meet for drinks or dinner in the show.

Fireworks

These take place on Fridays at 7.45pm and last about 10 minutes. You can view them from the beach near the Hilton Hawaiian Village for free.

Ala Moana Shopping centre

If you want to go shopping whilst in Hawaii, head to the Ala Moana centre which is the largest outdoor shopping centre in the world. There are also a number of restaurants and bars including the rooftop MaiTai bar which has a great happy hour after all that shopping! It has all  the usual shops you would expect from a large American mall as well as plenty of Hawaiian specialities such as the Hawaiian Cookie Company and lots of souvenirs.

Pearl Harbour

This is about 30-45 minutes drive from the centre of Waikiki. Pearl Harbour, named after the pearl oysters once harvested there, is the largest natural harbor in Hawaii. It is the only naval base in the United States to be designated a National Historical Landmark. The Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbour resulted in 2,390 dead and hundreds wounded, and drove the United States into World War II. It is a sobering place to visit but it was well worth the effort.

You should make sure you reserve your tickets in advance, or you will face a long queue or may not even get in. The tour of the USS Arizona Memorial is free and lasts 75 minutes including the boat ride. You can get the tickets online or through the call centre daily from 7am, with bookings available 2 months in advance. 24 hours before they release additional tickets. They do have 1300 on the day tickets but there will be a long queue, unless you arrive at 7am! Admission to the Pearl Harbour Visitor Center, which includes two museums and the park grounds, is free.

Lu’au

A lu’au is a traditional Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by entertainment. There are plenty of companies offering lu’aus around Honolulu. It is slightly touristy, but fun thing to do. You usually get dinner including slow roasted pork, drinks and a show.

Cruises

If you are in Hawaii during whale season, I would strongly recommend a whale watching cruise. If not, a sunset cruise is the perfect way to end the day. There tend to be two types of cruises, the all you can drink or the set number of drinks and appetisers (called pupu in Hawaiian). If you want a more romantic cruise, I would recommend the set number of drinks, which is what we did. We certainly didn’t go short of drinks, as once you had the 2 free drinks, extras were only $1-2. This cruise tends to attract less of the party crowd. We used Port Waikiki cruises which cost $79 per adult and goes from the Hilton dock at 5.30pm daily. They also offer snorkelling and whale watching tours.

Surfing

There are a number of surf schools in Honolulu. Go Surfing is highly rated on Tripadvisor and does a number of private and small group lessons in surfing and paddle boarding.

If you would like more budget related tips on Hawaii check out this guide to Hawaii on a budget.

In the next article I will cover the main islands, as well as the rest of Oahu.

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A reader contacted me asking about cheap Orlando flights. ” I want to fly to Orlando in business class in November this year and would rather fly direct. I am open to suggestions though,  if there is a cheaper alternative. What are my options to get a good price?

I will look at flying direct first and then see what other options are available to save money and help you search for the best deals.

Direct flights to Orlando

Flying direct, the main options are BA or Virgin. Currently the cheapest they are pricing up is around £1600 which is actually not a bad price for a direct leisure business class flight. BA currently have a sale on so it could rise aftre this ends on 31st January. BA regularly have sales so it is likely there may be another sale with similar prices. With 10 months to go to the flight there is no immediate hurry to book unless you see a fantastic deal. The best way to look at prices, particularly if you can be flexible on dates, is Google flights. Use the graph or flexible dates options to find the cheapest fares. You can’t book on Google flights but at least you know what the options are.

One option you may not have considered is Norwegian Airlines. They only do what they call Premium which is definitely not business class but it is superior in terms of seat to Premium Economy on BA and Virgin. This usually prices out at around £800 return from Gatwick.They have 46 inches of leg room and food and baggage are included. BA and Virgin Premium economy only have 38 inches of legroom. The food and drink however are definitely more economy than premium. You also get lounge access which you would not get on BA or Virgin Premium Economy.

BA or Virgin?

If both prices for BA and Virgin are the same how do you choose which one to go for? If you collect Avios or will fly BA again in the future then the choice is fairly obvious. Flying business class for 2 people would get you a minimum of 12000 Avios each which is enough for a European flight each or 1 Club Europe if you pooled your Avios in a Household account. With Virgin although you would collect Flying club miles these would be a lot harder to spend as they only do long haul to a limited range if destinations.

If you are not bothered about the miles then you can make your choice on the product. If you are travelling with family, BA Club World seats are easier for having a conversation and I find them softer for sleeping. However overall I think the Virgin product is superior. There is direct aisle access, the food is better and more plentiful, there is a good choice of wine and cocktails and the staff have seemed more consistently good than on BA in my experience.

Indirect flights

Looking at other options such as flying via Dublin, this only saves you about £100 so it is not worth it by the time you buy the positioning flights.

Other ways to save money

Using Avios

There are a number of other options you could look at to save money. If you are flying in BA you could use Avios to part pay on a cash ticket. Example savings would be £250 for 45500 Avios to £60 off for £8000 Avios. You could consider taking out a credit card that gives you a sign up bonus such as the BA Amex, or Preferred Rewards Gold Amex to get some extra Avios. You will however need to factor in any fees before deciding if this is an option.

Combined flight and hotel bookings

You could also try adding a car or hotel to a booking to see if that lowers the overall cost of a trip. You can try this on;line with BA, Virgin or using a site like Expedia. With Expedia you could also earn via Top Cashback 5.5% cashback on a flight and hotel booking even if it’s just one night. This could save you at least £160 on 2 business class flights. Travel agents such as Trailfinders and Travelbag often have special deals if you book a combined flight and hotel package. Remember you don’t have to book all your accommodation to qualify for the discount. Top Cashback will give you a small amount back of up to £38 per booking through British Airways depending on how much you spend.

Travel industry discounts

If you know someone who works in the travel industry then a company called Touchdown frequently does British Airways ‘friends and family’ offers in business class.  You may still need the travel industry person’s credential to book.

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Las Vegas is a lot like marmite – you either love it or hate it. I am in the ‘love it’ camp and go at least once a year. Amazingly I have managed to go 4 times this year although in my defence once was by accident!

What happens in Vegas….

If you thought you knew what Vegas was all about, you may have to change your opinion if you haven’t been there or not visited recently. I remember years ago watching a TV series called Las Vegas and being very surprised when I got to Vegas and the people definitely did not look like the glamorous ones on the TV program! Now it would be a very different story. Vegas used to be a much more downmarket place a few years ago, full of stag nights, middle aged people chain-smoking whilst stuffing coins into the slot machines and $9.99 buffets. In the last few years Vegas has changed and the clientele is now much younger, affluent and a lot more stylish. Luxury hotels, Michelin starred dining, shops and ultra clubs  attracting residencies from some of the world’s top DJs have sprung up.

Getting there

If you are travelling from the UK the 2 main airline choices if you want to go direct are British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. If you are not bothered about flying direct the cheapest way to fly business class is usually via Dublin. My guide to ex EU flughts is here.

British Airways

The advantage of British Airways is that they fly from Heathrow rather than Gatwick like Virgin. If you fly British Airways they are currently using a B747 from Heathrow which although old, is still my favourite for Club World with the upper deck seats.

The Club at LAS lounge

There is no dedicated BA lounge at LAS, however the sub-contracted lounge is the Club at LAS. It’s nothing special but still a lot better than most lounges. There is a small selection of sandwiches, salads, snacks and crudities and a staffed bar with free drinks. They make a good margarita if you are so inclined. If you have a Platinum Amex card there is a Centurion lounge which has better food and wine plus a small selection of cocktails. However if you want to visit this lounge allow plenty of time as it is in D concourse which you will have to get the train to.

Using Avios or Flying Club miles

If you are travelling on miles you may struggle to get a redemption to Las Vegas. I usually end up flying via San Francisco as that normally has the best availability and I have had no issues getting through immigration and security quickly there. There is plenty of flights to Las Vegas from there and it takes about 1hour 20mins. Los Angeles and Phoenix are also close by for connections. Oakland could be worth considering, as a new route it may have more availability for Avios. You can fly from Oakland to Las Vegas using my favourite low cost airline, SouthWest. BA and the American legacy carriers could take a leaf out of their book. As well as getting 2 free checked bags, a free soft drink and snack, the staff are friendly and the whole experience relatively pain free. They also fly to Vegas from SFO, LAX and PHX amongst others.

Doing Vegas in style for less

Best times to go for cheaper prices

The most crucial thing about planning your trip to Las Vegas is timing. Hotel prices vary wildly according to occupancy and this is not just seasonal. Generally prices for luxury hotels are much cheaper compared with other major cities and tourist destinations. The things to consider before you book ANYTHING are:

Public holiday weekends

The first thing to do is avoid any US public holidays as Vegas is normally heaving. I stupidly once managed to book to go on Memorial weekend and I have never seen so many people in Vegas in my life. The pool was like human soup it had so many people in! Here is a good website for checking dates.

Conventions

Secondly you need to check if there are any major conventions in town. These can increase the hotel prices by 2 or 3 times when a major convention is taking place. Some of the largest ones involve more than 150,000 peope like CES in January. You can find out what conventions are on and the expected number of attendees on this website.

Day of the week

Thirdly if you can, don’t pick a weekend. If you are only in Las Vegas for a few days,it is cheaper to come during the week opposed to the weekend. You can usually get a cheaper rate Sunday to Thursday than from Friday to Sunday.

Best months to go

Finally there are a few periods of the year that are always cheaper. December is an inexpensive time. The exceptions would be during the National Finals Rodeo (usually the first week) and around New Year’s Eve. The downside to coming at this time of year is that contrary to popular belief it will most likely be cold. Temperatures can go down as low as 8°c during the day and 1°c at night and many of the pools close over the winter. The average daytime temperature is 14°c.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is late July and August. These can also offer attractive deals but it will be very, very hot. I was in Vegas at the end of July this year and the temperature peaked at 46°c with temperatures still well into the 30s at night! If you can stand the heat, this is one of the quietest times I have seen in Vegas. The best times to visit for the weather are March-May and October-November when it is pool weather but not scorching hot.

Other ways for doing Vegas in luxury for less

Travelzoo and Groupon

These normally have some good offers on activities and shows in Vegas. I have used Travelzoo for lots of show tickets and the happy hour car on the High Roller Wheel. This is where you get a free bar inside the car complete with bartender who will make you cocktails as you enjoy the view! Groupon sometimes has offers on activities such as the Scoot Red Rock canyon tour.

MyVegas

MyVegas is an app for Facebook, iPhone, and Android where you play blackjack or the slot machines with virtual cash and earn real FREE rewards. If you want to get free shows, buffets and even hotel stays within MGM group hotels you will have to put some time and patience in.  I often use it to get the odd freebie such as unlimited free wine and cocktails at the Aria Buffet. Whatever you do, do not spend any money to get more virtual cash. If you don’t play for a few days they will normally send you some in addition to your daily boost. This seems to only happen if you play through Facebook. The more often you play the more you unlock such as autoplay where you can leave your computer spinning for you rather than having to keep hitting spin. Once you have earned enough for a free reward you claim the code and then redeem it in Vegas. Make sure you read all the rules carefully before purchasing a reward.

Tix4Tonight

This company sells tickets to all the main shows for half price on the day of the performance. There is no guarantee what they will have each day but they normally have a good selection except at peak times. They also have discounts for restaurants and attractions as well. Be prepared to queue! There are 10 booths along the strip. More details can be found here.

Vegas.com

This site regularly has discounts on hotels, attractions and shows. They also do discount codes now and again. I managed to get a ticket to Titanic for only a few pounds using this site. You can find the website here.

In future parts I shall be reviewing luxury hotels, dining and attractions.

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