Being the "Best Woman": Planning the Last Minute Bachelor Party
Planning the bachelor party? Check... or so I thought in my last entry of the Being the "Best Woman" series. Thanks to a pandemic outbreak of the swine flu (originating in the very country of the stag party destination -- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico), my Best Woman planning skills were really put to the test...in an emergency kind of way.
Photo courtesy of www.southwestga.com/news
With a week left before the scheduled bachelor party weekend, the groomsmen and I were in a frenzy. The swine flu (not to mention the increasing violence in Mexico) had the bride and groom breaking a sweat. Do we cancel our trip to Cabo? Can we get refunds? If we cancel, where should we go so last minute?
Did we cancel our trip? - YES. Although we had been very excited about basking in the Mexican sun and sipping tropical cocktails, no one wanted to risk getting the swine flu, particularly the groom.
Did we get refunds? - MOSTLY. After much time on the phone with travel agents, online travel sites and airlines, the hotel in Cabo was fully refunded but some flights were only giving credit despite the extraordinary circumstances.
Where did we decide to go last minute? - Back to the handy destination chart I went and it was clear what the next best location was... VEGAS!
A familiar destination for us Los Angelenos, Vegas met most of the requirements of the bachelor party. It was an easy flight/drive away and a place where anything was possible (seen The Hangover?). With no time to be wishy-washy, I took it to a vote among the attendees. The result? No surprise - a unanimous yea with one request: Be as kind to the wallet as possible, please.
Is it possible to stay within "the budget" in Vegas? - YES. Here's how:
1. STRIKE A HOTEL DEAL - We booked a few 4* hotel rooms for less than $100 a room per night on www.priceline.com 4 days before our date of arrival. It came out to $50 per person for hotel for the weekend.
TIP - Try booking hotels through www.hotwire.com or www.priceline.com. Check out the latest winning bids/prices on www.betterbidding.com to help guide you in your quest for a steal.
2. CREATE A BUDGET - We pooled together a fund and assigned a fund manager. Each attendee pitched in $400 for group meals and activities at the beginning, and the fund manager's job was to calculate and allocate enough resources to pay for the activity. Other than the fund manager, the rest of the party could go simply with I.D.s in hand and credit cards in the safe.
$400 per person is expected to cover at least the following:
- one night of bottle service at nightclub
- one night of "activities"
- group dinner at steakhouse
3. LIMIT GAMBLING - We planned a lot of time poolside. Hours spent poolside is typically much nicer on your wallet than hours spent at the tables.
RESULT - The estimated total? The same $600 per person including flight/drive, hotels and meals/activities we would have spent in Cabo now in Vegas. The planning process? Deliberated, decided, rearranged, and planned in 2 days with 4 days to spare. Phew. Now all that was really left to do was actually attend the bachelor party... in Vegas. 4 days and counting. Oh boy..
Photo courtesy of www.southwestga.com/news
With a week left before the scheduled bachelor party weekend, the groomsmen and I were in a frenzy. The swine flu (not to mention the increasing violence in Mexico) had the bride and groom breaking a sweat. Do we cancel our trip to Cabo? Can we get refunds? If we cancel, where should we go so last minute?
Did we cancel our trip? - YES. Although we had been very excited about basking in the Mexican sun and sipping tropical cocktails, no one wanted to risk getting the swine flu, particularly the groom.
Did we get refunds? - MOSTLY. After much time on the phone with travel agents, online travel sites and airlines, the hotel in Cabo was fully refunded but some flights were only giving credit despite the extraordinary circumstances.
Where did we decide to go last minute? - Back to the handy destination chart I went and it was clear what the next best location was... VEGAS!
A familiar destination for us Los Angelenos, Vegas met most of the requirements of the bachelor party. It was an easy flight/drive away and a place where anything was possible (seen The Hangover?). With no time to be wishy-washy, I took it to a vote among the attendees. The result? No surprise - a unanimous yea with one request: Be as kind to the wallet as possible, please.
Is it possible to stay within "the budget" in Vegas? - YES. Here's how:
1. STRIKE A HOTEL DEAL - We booked a few 4* hotel rooms for less than $100 a room per night on www.priceline.com 4 days before our date of arrival. It came out to $50 per person for hotel for the weekend.
TIP - Try booking hotels through www.hotwire.com or www.priceline.com. Check out the latest winning bids/prices on www.betterbidding.com to help guide you in your quest for a steal.
2. CREATE A BUDGET - We pooled together a fund and assigned a fund manager. Each attendee pitched in $400 for group meals and activities at the beginning, and the fund manager's job was to calculate and allocate enough resources to pay for the activity. Other than the fund manager, the rest of the party could go simply with I.D.s in hand and credit cards in the safe.
$400 per person is expected to cover at least the following:
- one night of bottle service at nightclub
- one night of "activities"
- group dinner at steakhouse
3. LIMIT GAMBLING - We planned a lot of time poolside. Hours spent poolside is typically much nicer on your wallet than hours spent at the tables.
RESULT - The estimated total? The same $600 per person including flight/drive, hotels and meals/activities we would have spent in Cabo now in Vegas. The planning process? Deliberated, decided, rearranged, and planned in 2 days with 4 days to spare. Phew. Now all that was really left to do was actually attend the bachelor party... in Vegas. 4 days and counting. Oh boy..
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