Winter In The Desert Oasis - The Final

Saturday:

When the advisory says that you should arrive two hours for departure from McCarran Airport, they’re not kidding. I had expected that an early Saturday morning would be different but I was wrong.  My morning flight was due to take off at 8:00am so I left Bally's at 6:30, thinking this would be the calmest time at the airport.  However, I was greeted at my terminal with a line snaking around longer than a nightclub queue waiting to see Kim Kardashian. Fortunately, the line moved very quickly and I was able to get through the subsequent security again without experiencing my first pat-down.  I took advantage of a stop-over in Memphis to order some genuine BBQ and returned home to snow flurries hitting my face as I walked out of DCA.

To sum up some of the mistakes I made, here are once again my Learning Experiences, for your reading pleasure.

1. Renting a limousine may seem expensive but it can also be a great value in the long run.  Shuttles can be slow and taxis in traffic (see Part One) can make the cab fare savings negligible.  Limos can be practical if you want to pick up essentials you'll need for your stay. Having your limo reserved before hand will help ease the stress of your arrival as your driver will be there to greet you, assist you with your luggage, and allow you to arrive in style at your hotel destination.

2. Always read the menu before you walk in a restaurant. Or, in the case that you have the choice of a "mini-buffet" within your coffee shop (see Part Three), make sure that you preview the items so that you'll know how (un)appetizing they are.

3.  If you have to forget to put any items in your suitcase, make sure that they are the ones that you don't need the most. (Part Three again)

4. The tram between the Luxor and Mandalay Bay hotels does not begin operating until 9:00am. (Part Four)

5. The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace has its own taxi stand. It is a long walk from Caesars' main entrance on the opposite side. (Part Five)

6. Finally, if you're coming to Vegas on business, it is best to stay at the hotel where said business is being primarily conducted. Whatever savings you may perceive in staying elsewhere will likely be countered by the extra time, resources and energy it takes to get there, particularly if you will be spending all day in a convention center that is in the back of an already huge resort complex. (Part Four)

Even if you're in Vegas for leisure, picking a hotel whose amenities interest you the most would be a wise decision. As much casino-hopping as one may plan to do, you may end up spending more time at your home base than you may think. There's nothing like being able to start and end your day at a place that you enjoy.

Thank you for reading my mini-novel...and Safe Travels!

Winter In The Desert Oasis - Part Seven

Friday:

On my last full day in Vegas, I set out for appointments to tour several more casinos. While casino-hopping is a popular pastime, virtually all of these hotels, along with the Wynn and Encore toured yesterday, offer enough amenities that one wouldn't need to leave.

Mandalay Bay is the southernmost hotel on the Strip. It's so close to the airport, one can often see it from the arriving plane. At 550 square feet (or about 50 square meters), the standard rooms are among the largest in Vegas. One can certainly not miss the restaurants as their signs are printed in HUGE BOLD LETTERS! The pool complex is rather massive as well and includes an adults-only section where bikini tops are optional. The House of Blues restaurant offers culinary and musical pleasures on a nightly basis. The Eyecandy Sound Lounge is an open-air nightlclub with a relaxed vibe. Next door to Mandalay Bay is "THE Hotel", the non-gaming property and a decidedly mellower vibe.

Next I toured the Monte Carlo. When I last visited this hotel in 2007, I recall thinking that the property was rather dull. Since then, the Monte Carlo has come a long way.Their offerings include Brand, a steakhouse that evolves into an intimate dance club at night; the Minus 5 Lounge, where one can take a break from the desert heat (if one isn't visiting in, say, December), put on a parka and sip frozen drinks; and Jabowockeez, the dance troupe made famous on "America's Got Talent".  Monte Carlo's best feature may be its exclusive Hotel 32 floor where guests receive such amenities as a round-trip limousine ride from the airport, daily happy hour and a dedicated concierge.  The pool area is relatively small by Vegas standards but features one of two "lazy rivers" on the Strip.

Following a pleasantly tasty refueling at the Monte Carlo buffet, I came across my favorite slot machine, Super Jackpot Party. Having some time to kill before another appointment, I said “What the heck!” and stuck a few dollars in. I started off slow initially, adding to the roughly $50 I had lost over the week. But suddenly I hit on a good bonus round and BAM I win $50 worth of credits! I cash out immediately and call it a week on gambling as I managed to stare down “the house” and call it a draw. A moving walkway connected the Monte Carlo to my next destination. The Aria.

The Aria, part of the new City Center project, is unique from most Vegas hotels on the Strip. For one, its reception area is separate from the casino. The hotel is also LEED-certified which will please environmentally-conscious guests. I was stunned by the rooms' floor-to-ceiling windows and impressed by th touch-screen technology available to control all of the amenities. Numerous sophisticated restaurants abound to please every palate. Also in City Center is the non-gaming hotel Vdara. This all-suite hotel features full kitchen facilities in each unit and the views can be just as stunning as from their neighbor Aria. Their heated outdoor pool area is open year-round. Crystals is City Center's high-end shopping destination and includes actress Eva Longoria's Haze Nightclub.

After touring all of these hotels, it was late in the afternoon. You would think on a Friday night in Vegas, I’d be pumped up. But as it was my sixth day there, I was pretty tired. I ended up sticking close to “home” (Bally’s) and jumped across the “border” to Paris and Le Burger Brasserie for another “Le Turquie” Burger. I was greeted by the same semi-friendly bartender that I met on Sunday. As for the female servers, their football jerseys were replaced by what looked like can-can dancer outfits…not that I was complaining. Afterwards, I went around the corner past Napoleon’s Dueling Piano Lounge - which was hopping pretty well - and got some gelato from the dessert place in Paris. I brought my French haul back to my room at Bally’s and watched some Sports Center before finishing up my packing for the morning.


Next: The Final Chapter...believe it or not.

Winter In The Desert Oasis - Part Six

Thursday:

I didn’t feel particularly hungry this morning but I knew I wouldn’t make to lunch without some sustenance. So I went down to the gift shop and bought a cup of cereal, a pint of milk and a bottle of juice. For about $7, it was a true breakfast of champions. After enjoying my own self-catered room service, I caught another cab down to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for my last day of “conventioning”.

At the end of the day, I headed up to the Wynn hotel to meet up with a sales manager who was taking me on official tour of both the Wynn and its adjacent property, the Encore.These are truly magnificent properties although it may not be totally apparent to visitors passing through. They are subtly different with the Wynn emphasizing a floral theme while butterflies adorn the floors of the Encore. The flower garden that connected the hotels was truly a sight to behold. While the standard rooms are excellent in each property, I was really impressed by their Spa Suites which featured a dedicated room with a massage table where you could receive in-room treatments.
I caught a taxi back “home” to Bally’s and got to chatting with the driver who happened to have an iPod full of dance music tracks to keep himself entertained. It turns out that he was a DJ in a past life and, at a similar age to me *cough forties cough* was still very much in tune with what was going on. It was an enjoyable ride for me as it’s not often I meet too many kindred musical spirits. I took his card for future reference since the experience was as good as any “party bus” as far as I was concerned.

I had to change quickly as I was already a little behind in meeting some local friends for dinner. I headed over to the Tuscany casino, about a half-mile east on Flamingo Road just after Ellis Island. I’ve stayed here in the past for a size-friendly social convention and found it to be a laid-back place where you can get a quality meal for a good value. We went to their coffee shop where I ordered a NY Strip Steak with two sides for about the same (or less) that it would have cost for just the entrée at a coffee shop back on the Strip.

Another benefit that most off-Strip casinos offer is a smaller footprint to get around. If you've been to Vegas a few times or otherwise feel a shortened commute (and requisite car rental) would be worth it, then there are some quality properties for all budgets within a few minutes of the legendary Las Vegas Strip.

My local friends had a surprise for me after dinner  They took me out to the suburb of Henderson to introduce me to Ethel M’s Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden. While I had heard of this place before, I didn’t realize until then that it was essentially the upscale version of Mars/M&M’s until I walked in the door and saw some of the same candy paraphernalia that was probably at M&M World back on the Strip. I did watch some of the process of the candy being made - including real live employees! - although apparently the audio narration was over for the day. An Ethel M’s store was conveniently placed at the end of the tour and I decided to bring back a holiday treat for my lady. Once outside again, I visited the cactus garden. If it were any other time of year, I probably would have walked on by. But since the cacti were decked out in holiday lights, it was actually a cool thing to check out.

The ladies dropped me off back at Bally’s where I “donated” a few more bucks to Super Jackpot Bonus Party before calling it a night.