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5 nights in Vegas- 8/2 to 8/7

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Dutch34, Aug 9, 2013.

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  1. Dutch34

    Dutch34 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2009
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    Location:
    Brookfield, MO
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    100

    My Trip Report

    It had been a long year since my last trip to Vegas. Since that time I started dating a great gal and this was our first 'real' getaway together. Since I'm a Vegas veteran (40+ trips), she had to like Vegas for us to have a future (not really :rolleyes2:), but it would be a bonus. I'll cut to the end of the story and say she loved it as much as I do and we had a fabulous trip.

    So without further ado, I'll try to give as much detail as I remember, for those that like to read that kind of stuff (like I do!)

    Friday August 2nd
    Flight out of STL was fine and on time. Rented a car without issue and off to Palms Place for the first two nights (free). I'm a fan of Palms Casino. I like the vibe of the floor and typically those that frequent the nightclubs there don't play at my table (they have one or two double deck pitch blackjack games that start at $25 and that's my game). The dealers are friendly and the cocktail staff is hot...so I like it (for the record, I'm a 43 year old Dad of 2 and my GF is 35, and a mother of 2). Anyway, we check in and have a one bedroom suite looking at Bellagio and CP. What a room! It has a wrap around balcony, but it's locked due to idiots throwing things off of there in the past. Boo. But we did ok without it. A tub right along the window facing the strip was heavenly and the showers...oh the showers there have to be among the best on the strip. Big enough for 4 or more (not that we found out...), 3 shower heads, including one from above...just amazing. 1.5 baths, full kitchen, modern look and feel...it was great.

    So we shower up and for her first night in Vegas, we have to hit the strip, so I take her right to Bellagio to see the fountains. Here she is in her very first cab ride ever (really)...

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    So we do that, walk around the Conservatory and head to Cosmo for dinner at China Poblano, which was muy yummy.
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    We made our way back down the strip and went to the Venetian and into the Bourbon Room for a while. The emcee there, Mark, is fantastic at keeping the party going. We had a blast there and left after several hours. After that, we went to a place were certain females tend to take their tops off and we got to spend $14 per beer (BEER?!?!) while there, but it was fun. I think we hit the sheets around 3:45am....ouch.

    As for gambling for the day, I played a bit of DDBJ at the Palms and lost $300. The damage at the other establishment was a bit worse. Bankroll down $700 for the day, dinner included.


    Day 2, August 3, Palms Place

    Awoke after just a few hours sleep to head to a couples massage off strip. I forget the name of the place but it's off Sahara in a strip mall...not much to look at, and the massages were ok. For $60 each it wasn't a horrible deal. Afterwards, we went back to the Palms for a bite in their 24/7 cafe (good food, fair price) and since she is a napper (and I was beat), we took a nap (me for 30 minutes...her for 3 hours). As I hadn't gambled much, I got up and went downstairs. It was a great decision. I bought in for $300.

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    So now, with the bankroll back up above sea level (up about $400 overall and up $700 gambling), we get ready to go see Carrot Top. Say what you will, but I love his show as I've seen it twice now and laughed so hard I've cried both times. The GF loved the show too. Prior to the show we ate at the Tacos and Tequila on the 2nd floor of the Luxor- got the nachos and a few beers and had a nice picture of us taken...
    450.jpg

    I played a bit of DDBJ there and lost $200 prior to the show. Damn. After the show, we visited a place called Couples Oasis. No details to give other than it was fun, but not as fun as we would have liked. We have fun no matter what we do, so that's never the issue...and my GF was looking fine, I thought...

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    Day 3- moving day to Palazzo

    I had a comp for two free nights at Palazzo so even though moving sucks, it gives her a chance to experience life on the strip for 2 nights. So off we go...we upgraded to a Fortuna room, and I must say for the money, the standard room is just as nice. There wasn't much difference at all to be honest- maybe a larger walk-in closet, but I don't recall going to Vegas to be excited about my closet space. Call me crazy...

    Today needed to be a calmer day given our previous two nights exploits. We ate at a Noodle place at Monte Carlo (yummy) and got our kids some M&M's for $125 (not quite that much but holy cow...it's M&M's....). We check in and another nap is in order for her, which means I'm headed downstairs. Palazzo had $100 minimum on DDBJ so I headed over to Venetian where I found a $25 table and a great dealer named Marijana (MaryAna is how you say it). Lovely, mid-50's lady...and I did quite well with her. The GF ventured out and found me after about 2.5 hours of play and I was up $700 so I cashed out. It was time to head downtown and show her Fremont Street, so I called a long time blogger / Vegas Cabbie- LVCabbieChronicles on Twitter / Blog. Andrew picked us up at the V and I told him to give us the grand tour. I've been reading his stuff for years so it was great to put a face with all that wonderful writing. He dropped us off after a pleasant, but too short ride. We took in some shows and saw a great band and had a blast...
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    We got back, played a little more DDBJ (up $200) and went to bed.

    Monday August 5th
    As you all know the last day in Vegas generally sucks, knowing you're leaving the next day. I was bound and determined to not let this happen, I started off playing DDBJ in the Palazzo and doing very nicely to pad the bankroll.
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    We walked the strip and made our way to Caesar's, which I hear is a pager friendly hotel. We defiled a statue, as most do... 477.jpg
    (most people do this, right??) And we grabbed a bunch of drinks. The little mojito hut near the statue in the picture is evil. We went to PH and she grabbed a slushy drink (hello tipsy...) and we eventually made our way over to Bellagio for the famous buffet. We stood in line for an hour at 5:00 on a Monday. The food was fine, but not as 'wow' as I recall it in the past. Thankfully a waiter came out when we still had 20+ minutes to wait and said there were a few seats at the bar...we scooped those up very quickly. Enjoyed the meal and took a cab back to Palazzo where I won another $700 playing...DDBJ. Now at this point we're both sad we're leaving, so I made the executive decision to say one more day. I changed our flights (with fees) and everything else would take care of itself. Boom! Happy with our decision, we headed back to the Bourbon Room for more good times after a shower and nap. As we sat there, we talked with the Emcee and he eventually gave us tickets to Rock of Ages for Tuesday night...what a great gesture...and again, this guy knows how to throw a party. I highly suggest going in here for great music and really good times. We stayed until 1:00am or so and headed up to the room for the night.

    Bonus day- Tuesday, Aug 6
    I checked with the bosses at Palazzo and they wanted $200 a night for our room and wouldn't budge. I couldn't do that, so I checked around and wouldn't you know Palms Place had something for $50. Sold. We could have stayed anywhere, but we knew that was nice and for as much as we'd be in the room...it worked great. So you know the routine at this point..she napped and I headed downstairs to find this waiting for me eventually...

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    This is not a duplicate of the first win at the Palms. It's the exact amount (I think) and it was one of the most fun runs I've had. If I'm on a good run I'll add $25 each time. My dealer (Jessica) was hell bent to get me to $150 a hand...and she did. And then $175...and then $200 (BJ!!!) and eventually tapped out at $225 a hand, but a nice run indeed!! So up another $1,300 I run back to the room to celebrate :wink2: and we get ready for the Rock of Ages show. I called my cabbie friend and he took us, chatting us up again the whole way. Again, much too short of a ride, but great to see him again.

    The show was good, not great. Great music but the singing was just 'ok'. The crowd kinda just sat there even though to me, it was one to sing along to and clap and whatnot. I'm very appreciative of the free tickets and glad we went. After that, the realization of the end of our trip set in, so we headed back and tried to sleep (FAIL), but we stuck it out and were up and out by 7am for the long day of travel back to STL....

    Thanks for reading...I can honestly say it was the best trip I've ever had to Vegas...and that's saying something.
     
  2. McGoo

    McGoo Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2012
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    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    Great report, looks like you guys had a blast, thanks for writing it up!
     
  3. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

    Joined:
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    The bonus day decision is always a good one. Sounds like you had a lot of fun and some good wins! I really like The Palms Casino too and the 24/7 Cafe reminds me of the great value restaurants all the hotels used to have back in the day with their 24/7 specials.
     
  4. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

    Joined:
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    Congrats on a great trip and hope you both have many more together!! Thanks for sharing your experience with us....sure helps us make it till our next one. :)
     
  5. deadeye

    deadeye Tourist

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2013
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    Location:
    Odessa
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    Good report and pics. Ha love those bonus days i'll sometimes book a extra CET comp day and with SWA credits and no change fees have two return options love those bonus days.
     
  6. trex323

    trex323 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2010
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    Location:
    Manitowoc, WI
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    Sounds like you two had a good time. Nice work on the BJ wins. KCCO!!!!!
     
  7. Mitkraft

    Mitkraft VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2012
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    Location:
    Houston, TX
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    Nice report, nice wins, and nice Pics. Thanks for posting!

    If you aren't already familiar with it, Hoteltonight is great for bonus days! I'm not sure if they have a droid app but I use them on my iPhone/iPad. They very often have great deals for last minute Vegas hotels (literally last minute, you can't book till after noon on the day your looking for).
     
  8. GetEmLuke

    GetEmLuke Tourist

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2013
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    Location:
    Odessa, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    Great Report

    I know the drink hut you're talking about. I got the best Dragonberry Mojito there. Was so good.:thumbsup:
     
  9. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2010
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    Wow, some nice luck. Congrats. :beer:

    Personally I would have purchased 50 bags of M&Ms from the CVS, opened them and dumped them in a bag.
    Give that to your kids and tell them you got them from the M&M store.
    They won't know and it would have been 1/10 of the cost. :wink2::thumbsup:
     
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