Las Vegas gives you serious bang for your buck right now

As hotel mavens, we're constantly reading about travel deals, be it on Twitter, on blogs, or right in our email in-boxes. Lately we've noticed that one city keeps popping up over and over again. That city?


Las Vegas.


With rock-bottom prices on flights and hotel rooms (plus plenty of buffets to boot), Sin City is our pick for where to have a cheap (and warm!) getaway right now. Shop wisely and we'll bet you can plan a long weekend for just a few hundred dollars (okay, so that doesn't include all the money you're going to blow at the craps tables).


So just how cheap is Vegas right now, you ask?


We used the Oyster rate calendar to check out hotel prices for next month and found that rates dip as low as $38 a night. For flights, we checked a handful of February weekday flights on several booking engines; both Expedia and Orbitz offered us roundtrip, non-stop flights for $279 including taxes from New York City and $139 including taxes from Los Angeles. (Flying on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays generally increases the cost.)


Below are some classic Vegas hotels that have jaw-droppingly low prices during February. All prices include taxes. Also note that you can often find additional discounts on a hotel's own website or on discount sites like TravelZoo.com.


Hotel: Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Location: Downtown/Fremont Street, Las Vegas Prices: Starting February 8, most weeknights cost just $44 (with an occasional $55 night here and there). Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays range from $55 to $178. Read our hotel review.


Hotel: Flamingo Las Vegas Location: The Strip, Las Vegas Prices: Weeknights in February range from $50 to $67. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are less of a bargain, at between $66 and $215. Read our hotel review.


Hotel: Monte Carlo Resort & Casino Location: The Strip, Las Vegas Prices: Weeknights range from $63 to $90, while Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays range from $74 to $192. Read our hotel review.


Hotel: Hooters Casino Hotel Location: Off the Strip, Las Vegas Prices: Prices in February dip as low as $40 on Monday through Thursday nights and don't go higher than $60. Fridays through Sundays range from $50 to $141. Read our hotel review.


Hotel: Stratosphere Hotel and Casino Location: The Strip, Las Vegas Prices: At $38 to $46, weeknight prices here are the cheapest we found on the Strip for February (prices at Downtown/Fremont Street hotels tend to be cheaper). Friday through Sunday nights range from $40 to $156. Read our hotel review.


Hotel: Excalibur Hotel & Casino Location: The Strip, Las Vegas Prices: Excalibur also offers some of the Strip's lowest rates. Weeknights can mostly be had for $40 to $46, with a few $69 nights thrown in. Fridays through Sundays range from $97 to $153. Read our hotel review.