Three Nights at Mirage

Hello fellow vegas lovers!!! This might be long, but a lot was covered in 4 days and I don't want to miss anything. Please bear with me.

My dear husband and I flew out of Newark NJ to sunny Las Vegas on Sunday May 24, 2009 for 3 nights in the Mirage Hotel. Our flight was uneventful. Upon arrival to McCarren we were picked up by Dean in one of the Mirage's Limos. The limo itself was a little old, but no complaints because it was complimentary.

Check in and rooms- We were comped a "Mirage Suite" for three nights before arrival. Check in was swift, although you are never sure where the line is for this hotel. I did not ask for an upgrade, nor was I offered one. Before arrival I had called to ask about location of these rooms and was told that all views were either strip or pool view. I was happy with this result. HOWEVER, upon checking into my room, I had neither the strip or pool. I had a lovely view of the parking lot and mountains. You could see Treasure Island next door, so I guess technically it was a strip view, but not the one I anticipated. We were located on the 28th Floor and thankfully one of the first few suites off the elevators, so the walk was fine.

The Room - I was not overly impressed with the room. The two bathrooms was a nice feature, but a little annoying as the shower was in one, but I kept all my stuff in the other, as the vanity was bigger. The decor was alright, but nothing amazing. There was no coffee maker or I-Pod dock. I called VIP services and was told that there were no I-Pod docks in the suites. This was a little disappointing. My husband was very happy with the room because there was enough space to chill on the couch and not be stepping on each other. It would get a 7 on my scale, but the Tower Suites are definitely a better way to go.

Housekeeping - Our room was always cleaned and there were more than enough towels left. We did not have a price list for the mini bar which was a little annoying. I wouldn't let my husband take anything because I was afraid of getting banged $10 for a coke!!!. We finally got a price list on the last day and found out they were $4.

On to the Trip -

Sunday - We played at the Mirage and had dinner at Kokomo's. The dinner was very good and the staff was very nice. No complaints here. The meal cost about $150 plus tip for the two of us for dinner. We then went down to Fremont Street to enjoy the laser show. It was a huge party down on Fremont Street and definitely crowded. Uneventful, but fun!!!

Monday - MIRAGE SPA DAY - We had spa reservations for 10:00 a.m. The Spa at the Mirage is very nice. All the staff is very accomodating and more than happy to assist you. I had booked a Desert Dreams for $225. Started off with a 50 minute aromatherapy massage and then a pear and apple body scrub. Definitely worth the money. Great. My husband had a Gentlemen's special for $160. This consisted of a 50 minute massage and a facial. He had never done this and I thought it might be nice for him. He said it was pretty good. NICE FEATURE - The prices had changed (more $) from the time I booked until I got there, but they still honored the prices I was quoted. This did impress me.

We ate at the cafe Caribe for lunch. Good food and fast service for a glorified diner.

We went to the Excalibur for the Tournament of Kings for dinner. It was a lot of fun. My husband has always wanted to do this. I felt a little over priced at $65 a person. But - It was enjoyable. We then went to NY NY; Luxor; MGM and back to the Mirage to play a little. No big wins, just big donations.

Tuesday - We spent the day doing very touristy stuff and playing around. We started off at the Venetian for Gondola Rides. I have gone to Vegas every year for 10 years and have never done this, but always wanted to. My husband told me if I didn't go this year on one, I would not be able to complain anymore about not doing it. I have to say, I did enjoy this. From there we went to the Palazzo. Just walking around and in the shops. From there we went to the Wynn where I finally won a few hundred on a slot machine . We walked back to the Mirage around 3:00 and had a late lunch early dinner at the BLT Burger. Good food!!!

Terry Fator - AMAZING SHOW. I COMPLETELY RECOMMEND IT!!! I was a little nervous after reading reviews that it would be over the top with his love of the armed forces. It was not. I bought the tickets in February or early March and we had front row center seats. So lucky we did. My husband got called up on stage and did a Cher duet with Terry. IT WAS AMAZING. Terry Fator gave my husband and I a gift bag after the show and we were put at the front of the line for autographs and photos. I have seen a lot of shows in Vegas and this was absolutely one of the best. He is great.

From there we went to the Paris to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We waited in line about 45 minutes. The view was amazing, but I am afraid of heights, so I only lasted about 5 minutes. It was good while it lasted. My husband finally won a few dollars there so it was back to the Mirage for us!!!
We went back to the Mirage to play slots a little. I won a few hundred on a machine and decided enough for one day. My husband wanted to play a little more so told me to sit down next to him and play $20 in a $.02 machine. I played for 2 spins and to my amazement hit a jackpot of $1600. WOO HOO. I was super excited because I could pay back his markers. (We don't take a lot of cash with us; markers are safer if you can get them)!! The Jackpot win was awesome and we were leaving the next morning.

Tuesday - We were flying out on the 11:45 a.m. flight to Newark. Flight was delayed because the Pres was in town. Lucky I called ahead. We had a limo back to the airport reserved for 9:00 a.m. We changed that to 11:00 a..m. because our flight was moved to 1:30. We just played around and donated back a few hundred of our dollars. I forgot to mention that I had $300 in Free Play from the Mirage for my visit. I still had $10 left as we were going up to our room to get our bags and check out. My husband was walking by the $5 machines and told me to play my last $10 in free play in one. I put in $5 of my own money and won $75. My husband then pointed out that if I play the max ($15) I might get a chance to spin and win. I NEVER PLAY THIS MUCH MONEY). I figured since I won $75 I would do it once take my $50 and call it a day. I hit the button and to my amazement, I got a chance to spin the wheel. I was so excited...spun the wheel and to my shock it landed on the 500 credit win. I won $2500 !!! Like all women, I screamed in amazement and called my mom!!! I took my money and ran.

Check-Out - I knew the bill to my room would be a little high because of the Spa Treatments and meals. However, upon review of the bill they had charged me an extra $600 for the room for 2 nights. They immediately corrected this and comped me one meal of $60.00. We had gone to the Casino Host office to ask what else they could comp, but we were told we didn't play enough. You need to have an average of 4 hours a day on the table at $50 per hand. We only averaged $35 a hand for 4 hours a day. We also only earned 6500 points on the machines. I am not sure if that is a lot or not, but regardless we were given no more comps than what we came in with.

Our limo back to the airport was nice and check in was fast. Security was quick. Our flight was delayed until 2:30 again. My husband won $450 in the airport playing another nickel machine. Our flight finally boarded, but was very bumpy on the way back. We landed about 3 hours late.

It was a great trip and finally a profitable one. I am looking forward to next year for my 30+ birthday visit!!! Hope I didn't bore you all!! Thanks for all the tips before I left. Looking forward to visiting you all again soon.!!! xoxo - Kathleen

 

Thanks for the TR Ski and congrats on the slot wins!

 

Nice TR. Getting up on stage at Terry Fator's show must have been a big highlight!

 

Nice TR!

 

Excellent TR! Congrats on the wins We love the Mirage, it's usually a lucky place for us and it just feels comfortable....not too stuffy and not too dumpy...jussssstttt right

Nice hit on the comp'd suite! We've never been able to get more than a Tower Deluxe room from our host.

 

Nice T.R. and congratulations on those wins @ the slot machines! It's always time to do the happy dance when you come out a winner!

 

Enjoyed your trip report, you guys packed a lot into your trip!!! Nice hits.....

 

Congrats on the slot wins it always nice to have a win like that right before you leave.

 

Thanks for the Trip Report. Some nice wins on the way out of town.

later, GVJ

 

Nice wins; it's always great to be able to take the wins home with you and not reinvest!

 

Congrats on those hits at the end!

 

Well Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Great wins and congrats on a wonderful trip. Thanks for posting!