The bachelor party is a rite of passage for all men headed into matrimony. A way of saying goodbye to the single life, but also a chance to celebrate the pending nuptials with close buddies. Although a good stag party can happen anywhere, there’s nothing quite as exciting as a Las Vegas bachelor party. Bright lights, inescapable music, and seedy glamour all contribute to an atmosphere that enhances a night (or weekend) of faux debauchery. So whether you are a best man searching for bachelor party ideas, or a newly engaged couple planning an epic Stag & Doe Night, here are a few pointers when it comes to awesome bachelor parties in Vegas.
Book an awesome suite.
Nobody wants to travel hundreds of miles, get to Vegas, and sit around some guy’s living room that you found on Air B&B. Booking a great suite is absolutely essential for party success. Hotel suites in Las Vegas are like celebrity penthouse apartments for a fraction of the price when you use a service like Expedia, and have an assortment of amenities perfect for any group. Hot tubs, wet bars, breakfast service, and ginormous-screen TVs are just the beginning. Many suites have huge windows that overlook the Las Vegas strip, and a view of the Sin City lights beneath the dark desert sky will get your heart pumping with enough adrenaline to go all night. Get a suite large enough to sleep everyone in your group without anyone assigned to the couch. You’ve gotta have a crash pad!
Start drinking immediately.
As soon as you unlock the door to your hotel room, start drinking, if you haven’t already. If you’ve booked a good suite, there will be an ice bucket with champagne waiting for you, but if not, come prepared with booze and bar gear of your own. Don’t get carried away with Fireball shots before you’ve even unpacked your sunscreen, but having a toast to the groom upon arrival will get things started on the right foot. If you’re planning to crack open the minibar anyway, we recommend shaking up a Sidecar cocktail, paying homage to classic Las Vegas nightlife.
Find a great party pool.
Your hotel is likely home to several pools. Some are full of family fun with water slides and pool noodles. Skip these. As soon as you’re unpacked, slip on your swimsuit, some SPF 45, and find an adults-only party pool, which will include a swim-up bar and no posted rules regarding four-letter words. This is a rudimentary element of the Las Vegas bachelor party. Now that you’re in Vegas, it’s important to get a little sun, settle into the climate, and get some relaxation before heading out for an all-nighter. Nobody wants to be the first one to go down.
Get reservations at the best restaurants.
Nutrition and sustenance are key, and if you want to get a taste of the best food Las Vegas has to offer, you’re going to need to make a reservation before you get there. Sure, the buffets are great, and there’s no shame in shuffling over to one of the hotel restaurants for the blue plate special, but Vegas is home to some of the best restaurants in the world, with menus created by top American chefs. Making your dinner reservation is probably the first thing you want to do, right after booking your hotel suite. No take-home boxes, guys, just clean your plate.
Two words: indoor skydiving.
Not everyone is a daredevil. Some of your friends will freak out when you say “skydiving.” Indoor skydiving, however, is a one-of-a-kind experience not offered in most cities. Indoor skydiving is less risky than jumping out of an actual plane or helicopter, but the exhilaration is just as intense. If one of your buddies wants to sit this one out, it’s okay. Tell him to stay up in the suite and enjoy a glass of rosé.
Consider using a bachelor party planner to help pull together a proven list of top-shelf activities. Think of it as having a gatekeeper to your weekend–someone who has done this many times and knows exactly how to keep the party rolling for a 72 hours or more. They can even get you access to special events clubs that you’d never get into on your own. At Bachelor Vegas, you can find bachelor party packages inspired by the movie The Hangover, or fly high over the Vegas strip in a helicopter. From craft beer to poker to the NHL, your crew can have a trouble-free stay with a concierge to show the way.
Relax on the golf course.
Not everyone can play golf, but anyone can enjoy Las Vegas golf courses. Cruising around the hot desert, narrowly avoiding cacti and huge lizards is the closest you’ll ever come to being Indiana Jones, not excluding the indoor skydiving. There are so many beautiful courses that you can almost draw straws as to which one will be the best. This is another area where it’s good to plan ahead, but you can usually squeeze in a short round, even last minute.
Go gambling, of course.
This one almost goes without saying, but for those of you who will create a spreadsheet with a column for each day and a row for each waking hour, we didn’t want you to forget. Spend at least a little time out on the floor of a world-famous Las Vegas casino. You’ll snag some free drinks and likely run into a ton of other people having a really great time. If you had bachelor party shirts made, continue not wearing them. It was a terrible idea anyway. Between slots, cards, roulette, and all of the other games, there’s a table for everyone in your group. And who knows? If someone hits the jackpot, maybe you can stay an extra day or two. Or at least compel him to buy a few rounds later on.
Hit the clubs.
This is the part that everyone will remember. A group of buddies going out, bar hopping, dancing, and having the time of their life is where true friendships are permanently sealed. Go online and make a mental list of all the clubs you want to check out. You’ll find lots of suggestions on the best bachelor party locations. Be flexible, though, because you never know where the night will lead you. One best practice, though: Find a couple of clubs that are walking distance from your hotel, and go there last. Inevitably, you’ll have a couple of buddies that are ready for bed before the rest of your posse, so being close enough for them to get back safely removes any worry or late night planning for the rest of the group. It might be the city that never sleeps, but for humans, that doesn’t turn out as well.
