Saturday, September 23, 2006

Las Vegas rates best honeymoon value

Las Vegas is the "best value" honeymoon destination and tops the list for gaming, according to Modern Bride's travel agent survey published earlier this year. Las Vegas ranked as the third best destination for weddings.

Here's a sampling of what travel agents said about Las Vegas:

"Las Vegas is a very 'up' town," Audrey Goldstein of Shenandoah Travel in Davie, Fla., told the magazine. "People go there for excitement and entertainment. Some are into gambling -- yet other couples go for the shows, which are some of the best around."

"You can get a mini-suite in Las Vegas for what an ordinary room would cost at a deluxe hotel elsewhere," said Leslie Aeed of Travel Creations in Phoenix.

"People love going to see all the wild hotels shaped like pyramids or with roller coasters zooming across the facades -- there's great people-watching!" said Natalie Hansen of Stockton Travel Service in Stockton, Calif.

Las Vegas is the United States' leading value destination -- and not just for honeymooners. The average room rate is $62, compared to the national
average of $75.16.

And it's true that Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world. More than 100,000 couples get hitched in Las Vegas each year, and 3,000 couples wed on Valentine's Day weekend alone. The ease and convenience of tying the knot in Las Vegas has led to a proliferation of professional wedding services -- offering everything from medieval costumes to ceremonies on motorcycles.