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On a Budget or a Bankroll

Las Vegas has always been a terrific city for both bargain hunters and big spenders. It's a land of extremes, an intensely glowing metropolis of lights surrounded by a veritable black hole of barren desert. You can stay in decent hotels that cost less than an economy rental car, or you can splurge on a lavish dinner at a chichi French restaurant that costs more than a plane ticket to Paris.

For gay travelers, Las Vegas has become increasingly popular - and not only among gamblers. Queer folks from California, Arizona, and other Western states have moved here in droves during the past decade, lured by a mushrooming job market and the low cost of living. The gay nightlife scene has flourished, offering not only conventional bars and discos, but also outlandish drag and musical acts at casino nightclubs.

Deciding how to spend your money is an enjoyable dilemma in Las Vegas - there's much to see and do, and it's easy to have a good time no matter your economic situation. Here's the lowdown on the hot deals and decadent delights of Sin City.

Las Vegas on a Budget
Casino hotels make their money on gaming rather than room revenue, keeping rates low in hopes that guests will gamble more. If you wager a lot in the casinos, you may have fun, but you're likely to leave Las Vegas with empty pockets.

One reliable money-saving strategy is eating at the cheap buffets found at nearly every casino. The popularity of these bargain meals has diminished a bit over the years, but you can still score a major dining coup at several places. Favorites include the six jointly owned casinos with "station" in their name: Boulder Station, Sunset Station, Texas Station, etc. These places offer cheap buffets as well as inexpensive rooms and gaming tables with low minimums. Station Casinos, Inc., is also one of the most gay-inclusive job recruiters in the city. Another spot that's a hit with all-you-can-eaters is the Orleans Hotel and Casino, whose French Market dinner buffet normally costs just $11 (or $16 for the grand Monday-night seafood spread).

Reasonably priced a la carte restaurants are easy to find, too. The Mediterranean Cafe, which serves cheap and tasty Greek and Middle Eastern specialties, has a strong gay following, as does inexpensive Viva Mercado's, a wonderful family-run Mexican restaurant - try the potent margaritas, highly charged salsas, and perfectly cooked Mexican dishes, many of them seafood or vegetarian. Even some of the fanciest casinos have excellent eateries that won't set you back a ton; at the MGM Grand's Coyote Cafe, a Santa Fe import, the Grill Room is pricey and somewhat inconsistent, but the adjacent Cantina offers inventive and affordable Southwestern chow (plus Nevada's largest selection of tequilas).

The city's bustling club scene is another easy place to score bargains - many of the city's gay and lesbian bars offer tantalizing drink specials. Favorites include Free Zone, one of the best mixed-gender queer clubs; Cobalt disco, which draws a cruisy, social bunch, especially for its Sunday tea dance; and Icon of Las Vegas, the city's classic cruise bar, with diverse dance music, a fireplace, and comfy seating - it's where many people go before heading next door to Gipsy, the main dance club for the younger set. The Las Vegas Eagle is leather central and also serves pretty cheap drinks.

The glitzy shows in Las Vegas can set you back a lot, but the gay show-bar Sasha's, home to the city's longest-running drag revue, has reasonable cover charges as well as a moderately priced restaurant. Campy Hamburger Mary's, which is open 24/7, serves great burgers and American chow; the dishy employees, some of whom dress in drag, are a hoot. Cool Cat Cafe is a gay-popular coffeehouse, a nice option for sandwiches, desserts, and coffee or tea.

As for hotels, the Riviera is a gay and lesbian fave. This centrally located but slightly dated amalgam of towers and wings has spacious guest rooms that cost as little as $29. The club La Cage features Frank Marino, who stars as "Joan Rivers" and headlines a cast of female impersonators; this long-running Vegas extravaganza costs $30. Nearby, the gay-friendly Stratosphere offers special rates during Las Vegas Pride but is always a bargain; the sleek rooms at this massive hotel-casino complex, which is anchored by an 1,149-foot tower, start at an amazingly low $19 midweek. The only drawback: you'll have to cab it or drive (albeit a short way) to the more popular casinos.

For a slight splurge, stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, the domain of trendoids, music junkies, and other scenesters. Except during busy times, you can score a nice room here for under $75. Highlights include chic postmodern rooms bathed in exotic colors, a 1,200-seat concert hall that hosts top musicians, and a swimming lagoon fitted with an underwater sound system. The Hard Rock has some great affordable eateries, including Mr. Lucky's 24/7, which serves tasty pub fare: fajitas, burgers, and thick milkshakes.

Las Vegas on a Bankroll
Most of the glamorous casinos in Las Vegas lie along the Strip, the nickname for six-lane Las Vegas Boulevard south of downtown - near here, too, is the small patch of gay bars and other businesses known as the Gay Quarter (aka "the Fruit Loop").

A favorite haunt of high-rollers is the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. You could stay here for days and never run out of ways to spend money. The fancy rooms will set you back at least $150 (high for Vegas), as will dinner for two at Olives, the restaurant owned by handsome chef Todd English (once named one of _People_ magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People"). At the same property you can sample sublime contemporary French fare at Sirio Maccioni's Le Cirque or the very juiciest chops at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's retro-chic Prime Steakhouse. And don't overlook the fabulous shops, including Armani, Moschino, Prada, and Tiffany.

One of the area's newest luxury retreat, with a January 2003 opening, is the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas, a Mediterranean-inspired resort and casino with a 36-hole golf course, a 30,000-square-foot spa, and 350 rooms and suites. The most exclusive units are tucked inside a structure built to resemble Florence's famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. Just 17 miles from downtown, it's perfect if you prefer a more secluded setting.

With its guest rooms occupying the top five floors of the 39-story Mandalay Bay Casino Resort, the ultraposh Four Seasons hotel has at ground level a private lobby, pool, health club, and restaurants, plus access to the Mandalay Bay's casino, eateries, and shops. Top dining picks include Aureole, run by noted New York chef Charlie Palmer, and Border Grill, helmed by TV chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. Mandalay Bay is also home to the gay-popular House of Blues restaurant and music club. Another dazzling high-end hotel is The Venetian, whose fanciful exterior artfully replicates the city for which it's named. Here you might dine at branches of Manhattan's renowned French restaurant Lutece, the L.A.-based Joachim Splichal eatery Pinot, or trendy Star Canyon, which has a gay following in its hometown of Dallas.

Celebrity chefs are all the rage in Las Vegas these days, creating a bounty of gastronomical temples that charge astronomical prices. Other outstanding eateries charging the big bucks include the Hard Rock Hotel's Nobu, which offers LV's ultimate sushi experience, and the MGM's New Orleans import, Emeril's, which presents the kicky fare of TV superchef Emeril Lagasse. If you don't mind paying a $20 cover, MGM's Studio 54 nightclub offers arguably the wildest night of reveling on the Strip. It's touristy yet trendy, mainstream yet gay-popular. This Las Vegas take on the notorious Manhattan disco of the 1970s is a memorable place to finish off an over-the-top vacation.