Luxor -July 17-20

First - thanks to all of you for getting the informaiton out there in an accessible format where good discussion can take place.

This was my first trip to Vegas.

We got in around 1:30pm and got the rent-a-car and drove to Luxor. Did the valet parking thing. I went straight to the registration desk and got in a line of a few folks where I waited maybe 7 minutes to speak with someone. I tried the $20 trick - didn't work. I asked and received a non-smoking room in the West Tower. He had a beautiful view of.... the crossing between the Luxor and Excalibur.

Room was bigger than I thought with the TV integrated into the wardrobe and drawers. Shower was bigger than mine at home with a separate tub. We got the Nefertiti special and got some coupons to use. This made the value pretty good for $59/Thurs and $99/Fri&Sat.

Since we had BMG tickets for 7pm on Thurs, we stuck around the Mandalay Bay/Luxor/Excalibur resorts. Our seats were pretty good and enjoyed it. After that, we walked up to Bellagio and saw the fountains. My wife loved them. We made it to the forum shops at Caesar's and came back after a long travel/show/walk day. I popped down to the Casino to make up for the great rates that I got.

Friday - we went to the Hilton for the Trekkie experience. I am a moderate Trekkie. If a TREK show is on, I'll watch it and have a good understanding of characters and cultures, but I don't have Spock ears or a phaser. I got a 2 for 1 admission by signing up for the Hilton player's club with a coupon. Almost ate at Quark's, but remembered the 2-for-1 Lunch buffet coupon back at Luxor. We enjoyed the Lunch buffet.

We hit the Luxor pool in the afternoon. It is OK, but nothing to really write about. I could count the total number of kids on one hand. Access to pool was no problem, you had to show room key for towels (as many as you want). My wife had a Spa Treatment while I did a little BlackJack (ended up $1 after 2 hours and tipping for drinks and the occasional tip bet). We also hit the King Tut exhibit because we had free tickets - I'm glad I didn't pay for them.

We drove and self-parked at the Venetian to check out things there. Ate at one of the restaurants there. We started to walk to Bellagio and RAIN started! We headed back to Venetian to retrieve car and head back to Luxor - RAIN didn't last long (remnants of Claudette).

Sat -headed over to Fremont Street in the am. We were glad we didn't stay down there. Things in general seemed a little more "used" than the Strip. We then headed to my cousin's place in Summerlin for a family event.

Sun - Drove to Hoover Dam in the am. It was neat to see such an impressive structure and learn a lot about how/why it was built. Drove to Aladdin to check out the place we almost stayed and the Desert Passage Shops. Had lunch at Cheeseburger at the Oasis which was pretty good. Headed back to Luxor after lunch to use the 2 free spa passes. Packed and did the late check-out (half day price) to leave by 6pm. Drove to Bellagio to see the fountains that my wife liked so much. Walk around to some other Casinos/hotels that hadn't made it to yet. Ate dinner and drove to Airport for the red-eye.

Next Time: We will most likely want to stay at Mirage, MGM, or somthing along those lines. Luxor was a good value for this trip. Service was good and requests were honored for the most part. I would recommend Luxor to others.

Will I go back? Yes, but probably not until I have a conference or other family reason to go. Vegas can be a lot of fun. It was for me, but it is a long trip and a little different culture than I am used to.

Thanks again to everyone for their input. It definitely made my trip more enjoyable as my expectations were properly set.

 

Almost forgot...

I asked for a late check-out when I checked in because we had a 11pm flight out on Sunday. This request was granted for half the full day rate. I called down on Saturday to the front desk to make sure everything was square. The girl told me that no late check outs were being given for Sunday. I told her that I was calling to reconfirm my late checkout request. She punched it up on the computer and said "you're set".

If you want a late check out (past 1pm - they give you until 1pm for free if you ask), remember to request it upon check-in. This is probably the same deal at any Mandalay Bay Resort.

 

Yep, the strip is Shania Twain, downtown is Johnny Cash. Good for you for having a look-see. Sounds like you had fun and hit a good mix of Vegas. Excellent point at the end about expectations.

 

Great trip report! I'll be staying at Luxor 24-28

cali

 

Hey Doc...

I'll take it one step further...The Strip is Julia Roberts, downtown is Lyle Lovette...or, not to put too fine a point on it...The strip Heather Locklear, downtown is Tommy Lee...

Mikey

[ July 21, 2003, 08:50 PM: Message edited by: HurricaneMikey ]

 

If downtown is Tommy Lee, the strip is more like Pamela Sue Anderson.

 

So which is Anna Nicole Smith, and which is J. Howard Marshall II?

 

I think those would be Atlantic City and Laughlin, respectively.

And while we're at it, North Strip is Phyllis Diller.

[ July 21, 2003, 10:14 PM: Message edited by: doctor_al ]