August is the best time to visit Las Vegas. Crowds are scarce, prices are at the lowest of the year, and the desert temperature often hits 110 degrees and above on the famed Las Vegas Strip. The best Vegas hotel prices are for the nights of Sunday through Thursday.

For instance, while a dinky New York, London or Paris hotel charges $350 a night for a room not much bigger than a closet, Sin City’s major luxury resorts offer posh two-room suites for $100. Of course, at the top of the luxury hotels on the Strip, visitors can pay out $1,000 a night or more for a suite fit for a king, or if they play the gambling tables long enough, get them absolutely free.

Food prices in Vegas range from ridiculously cheap to outlandishly expensive. For instance, some hotels offer the famous all-you-can eat buffets for from $10 to $20, including quality beef, chicken and seafood entrees, and arrays of many Chinese, Mexican, Italian and other ethnic dishes. And where else can you eat three helpings of cake topped by globs of ice cream?    

Of course, Vegas hotels don’t offer cheap lodgings and food because they are lovers of humanity. Vegas is a gambling joint, and visitors are supposed to bet the family savings on the various games. However, there are thousands of penny, nickel and quarter slot machines that provide thrify visitors a day’s entertainment for just a few dollars.

Las Vegas has no rivals in the world for quality entertainment. On any night, and just a few city blocks apart, there are all kinds of shows beckoning visitors, from Broadway productions to tiger acts to famous stand up comedians to circus acrobats to naughty strippers. The top shows may cost $100 a performance, but there are also $25 shows in smaller venues that offer just as much fun.

Downtown Vegas, where it all started just after World War II, still provides the Old West version of the town. The vintage hotels there attract visitors with low-ball prices for rooms, meals and entertainment. Whenever or wherever you go in Vegas, even in the hot, hot summer days and nights, you’re sure to have a great time.