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First time at Bellagio - June 6-9

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by spicole, Jun 9, 2014.

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  1. spicole

    spicole No shirt, no shoes... NO DICE!

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    My Trip Report

    After sporadically visiting Vegas for the past 18 years or so, my wife and I finally decided to stay at the Bellagio for the first time. We have visited less often since our daughter was born, but we decided we needed a weekend away by ourselves.

    Trip highlights: Pool time, gambling losses, Absinthe, dinner at Michael Mina, Javier's, and Julian Serrano.


    We flew Southwest out of Houston early on Friday, landing in Vegas at 10:45 AM. Cab fare to the hotel was about $16, which was less than the average rate advertised at the new giant sign in McCarran.

    The check-in lines were a little haphazard, but we only had to wait a few minutes. We were able to check in immediately, which was great. I did not try a sandwich for an upgrade as we already splurged on a reservation for a lake view room in the main tower. We ended up on the 16th floor on the north wing with a great view of the fountains.

    We had lunch across the street at Cabo Wabo and then spent the afternoon at the pool. While the pool was busy, it was indeed very tranquil as other posters have indicated. We had the pre-theater "sunset" prix fixe dinner at Michael Mina. It was fantastic. I spent the extra money for the lobster pot pie. Worth every penny! My wife had the salmon and the wine pairing. After dinner we saw Absinthe. It is in the running for one of the best shows I have seen in Vegas, definitely in the top 3. I loved the raunchy humor and the style of performances. I didn't reserve tickets until Friday morning. I called the concierge at Caesars and was able to reserve discounted tickets.

    We walked around for a while after dinner. We picked up some sodas and water at Walgreens. Sodas and water were $5 in the vending machines at the B! We ended up hitting the sack without hitting the tables. Yes, I am getting old, and besides, the 2-hour time difference was killing me. The final highlight was seeing some toddler on one of those tricycles with the long steering handles for the parents. He was trucking through the crowd in the middle of the casino in the B with dad trying to catch up. This was after 10:00 PM on a Friday night.
     
  2. spicole

    spicole No shirt, no shoes... NO DICE!

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    Part 2

    Saturday

    Saturday was pool day for her, gambling for me. I spent the dough on the reserved "Cypress Pool Lounge" chair for Sat and Sun so she would have a dedicated spot with shade and service. I lost at the blackjack tables, but won over $700 on a single roll at the craps table to bring myself close to even. A guy on the other end of the table was on an absolute heater which kept me from catching the Belmont Stakes in the sports book. There was no way I was cashing out in the middle!

    I had lunch at Noodles, while my wife had a salad at the pool. Noodles was very busy with dim sum available on the weekend. I had some rolls off the cart for an appetizer and pork fried rice. The portion was very generous.

    We trekked over to Aria for dinner at Javier's. We were about 20 minutes early, so I killed 15 minutes at the blackjack table. I promptly lost $800 betting $50 each on two hands. Twice I had 20 on each hand against a dealer 5; both times, the dealer flipped a face for 15, then drew a 6 for 21. Brutal. Food and drinks were good at Javier's, but the restaurant was much louder than I remembered. The hostesses didn't seem to have their shit together. The wait staff was obviously working hard, but seemed to be stretched a little thin.

    After dinner we wanted to check out the Quad and the Linq. I stayed at the Imperial Palace a couple of times back in the day and had not yet seen the renovations. I was actually impressed. Some people on this board complain about some of the cheaper properties "not even trying anymore", while others are lamenting the twilight of cheap rooms on the strip. Places like the Quad needed this type of refresh. The O'Sheas part of the casino was packed with a band playing. I agree with some of the other posters - they may have been better off making the entire property O'Sheas.

    We liked the Linq. It was busy but not too crowded. People watching was great. There were more little kids than we expected to see. I picked up a "premium screwdriver" at the fresh juice place. It was good but way too weak for the price. I was tempted to get a frozen concoction at Purple Zebra but thought better of it. My wife had a terrible experience with a giant carnival drink several years ago. Since then our rule of thumb is to never drink anything out of a plastic container bigger than your head. I wisely passed.

    The Flamingo was just sad. The pit dancer did look like she was enjoying herself. We checked out the casino in the Cromwell. I really liked the update. For those of you crying into your beer over the loss of Bill's shouldn't worry. I think CET did a great job with this casino without spending too much money. We could see Drai's from our room at the Bellagio and it looked hopping all weekend. I'm sure we could hear the club noise if we really listened hard but I don't think it is an issue.

    Overall, we liked the update to the Quad and especially the Linq and the Cromwell. The Linq used to be some shitty alley with a tour bus stop!
     
  3. spicole

    spicole No shirt, no shoes... NO DICE!

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    Part 3

    Sunday

    We had breakfast at the cafe in Bellagio. There was a brief wait even though there was a lot of empty seats - our guess is that someone didn't show up for work. Portions were bigger than we expected. She had the french toast and I had the eggs (whites) with sausage and hash browns. The french toast and sausage were both excellent.

    My wife hit the spa. She said it was the biggest and best spa she has ever been to, hands down. She liked it better than Aria, which she felt was small with too large of a co-ed area. While she was getting rubbed, I went back for more punishment at the blackjack tables. After getting pummeled, I needed a break and headed over to Aria. The results were more of the same. I did sample Five50 with a slice of the Blanco. The pizza was great, but I also picked up a can of Diet Coke to go with it. Four freaking fifty! Bah. Back to Bellagio for more abuse. My results were brutal all weekend.

    While heading back to the room for a quick break, I heard a couple loudly enjoying themselves just a few doors down from our room. Yes, I am a perv.

    We cancelled reservations at Olives, then headed over to the Cosmopolitan to check out dinner options. We ultimately decided to head back to Aria for dinner at Julian Serrano. It was quiet when we got there then slowly became packed while we were there. We weren't especially adventurous on our selections, but they were all hits - seared scallops, some mini tomatoes and mozzarella, some potato dish, chicken skewer, lamb skewer (great), and the sliders. Aria was actually really busy on Sunday night, while the young crowd obviously thinned out at Cosmo. The dancers and dealers at the new(?) pleasure pit in Cosmo all looked really bored out of their minds.
     
  4. spicole

    spicole No shirt, no shoes... NO DICE!

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    Part 4

    Monday

    We slept in. My wife caught a few last rays at the pool while I put in a final hour at the table. While I got to hear the amorous young couple the previous day, my wife heard some guy just puking his guts out a few doors down. Remote checkout, cab ride, and airport experience were all a breeze. (I am posting this while on my flight back to Houston. WiFi on Southwest FTW!)

    Overall impressions of the Bellagio:
    • Service was great across the property. I had a couple of dud dealers, but the pit staff was all very friendly and professional.
    • The property was in very good shape. Carpeting, paint, wall coverings, furniture, everything was all clean and in great repair.
    • The foot traffic was heavy all weekend.
    • I wish the Bellagio would have another bar area or two just open to the casino, maybe in the middle of the floor.
    • Elevators were always fast - I think our elevator bank only serviced 8 floors.
    • Our room was very nice - we had one of the "green" rooms. I thought the size was good, not small as others have said. We did wish they would have had robes in the room.

    Gambling results:
    The Mlife desk had me at $128 avg bet for 12 hours, which seemed right on. I earned about $50 in Express Comps, and they took an additional $200 off our bill. This sounds about right - please let me know if I was shorted! Results were really bad.

    Coda:
    I am already booked at the Aria for a "guys" weekend on August 28-31 for the college football opening weekend. I expect somewhere between 5-8 of us, early 30s through early 40s. I think we are making the right choice... Aria seems to be much more younger and hip than Bellagio, and I especially like the modern architecture. Rooms at Cosmopolitan for that weekend are obscene. I can't wait to go back!
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2014
  5. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

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    Sounds like a great time (except for the losing). Thanks for sharing!
     
  6. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Thanks for the report! The non-gambling parts sounded pretty enjoyable at least!
     
  7. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Good report, fellow H-towner. Sorry to hear about the bad luck on the tables though.
     
  8. techie223

    techie223 High-Roller

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    Thanks for the report. I love the Bellagio, maybe because it's the first casino I stayed at, but I think it's a great property.

    Love Absinthe :thumbsup:
     
  9. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    You didn't knock and yell "House keeping...coming in!!!":wink2:
     
  10. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    I am assuming they took off $200 because that is all you had.
    Maybe its because they are MGM or simply because its Bellagio but I get more than that taken off and gamble much less than what you listed above.
    As long as you had a good time it really shouldn't matter. :peace:
     
  11. Keyma623

    Keyma623 Low-Roller

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    Thanks for the report. I am living through these reports while I wait for my trip in 11 days. Sorry about the gambling. .I am worried about losing on my trip.
     
  12. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Lol

    Sounds like a great trip. Very wise to ensure your bride had a comfy spot at the pool with service; happy wife, happy life.
     
  13. blackjacker2

    blackjacker2 Never ever play 6:5, it is not blackjack

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    Hi. Thanks, really enjoyed your report, lots of interesting detail. Well written, amusing and informative.
     
  14. JosieCat

    JosieCat VIP Whale

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    Nice trip report. Thanks for posting! Sorry about the losses. Yes, Bellagio is still my favorite M Life property. Love it!
     
  15. Second_To_None

    Second_To_None Low-Roller

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    Nice report - thanks for sharing. Sux that u lost - unfortunately so did I on my last trip...

    I'm actually considering staying at B for my next trip - next May. In previous trips to Vegas - have always stayed at CET properties (mainly because they are comped). I may not get comped - right off the bat - at B; hoping I can, at the very least, get room comped based on my play. Happened to my wife and I at Bahamas - we were given a reduced rate based on our play at CET properties in Atlantic City. When we checked the bill - just to get an idea of where we stood - after a few days, it was a ridiculously low amount. My wife asked them to include the room rate as well - no need to keep it separate. Wife was told they comped the room for the previous nights based on play in the casino past few days. We were, pleasantly, surprised - didn't expect it. Hope it works similarly at B...

    I agree with you on Absinthe - saw it last month - GREAT SHOW!!!! Seen 'O' and Mystere - loved them both. Absinthe is AWESOME; highly recommended!

    Wife has been to Canyon Ranch Spa at Venetian and absolutely loved it. Does anyone know how spa at B compares to Venetian?
     
  16. spicole

    spicole No shirt, no shoes... NO DICE!

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    Unfortunately, no. Our bill was about 10x that! I am Platinum with Mlife, but that wasn't based entirely on play - I had two trips in late 2012 and early 2013 with some big spend, including a group of rooms under my name. My room was expensive, even with the standard Platinum discount. My wife racked up big charges at the pool and spa, including a pool-side massage and lots of drinks. Our meals at MM, Javier's, and JS were all spendy, and then there's the resort fees.

    ... and yes, I had a great time!
     
  17. spicole

    spicole No shirt, no shoes... NO DICE!

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    I used to play more at CET and enjoyed great comps at a much lower play level. I also like how the Total Rewards program and website works. Very transparent and fast. I didn't gamble much, maybe 1 or 2 trips to Vegas per year. To put it bluntly, though, in recent years I have moved out of that tax bracket and have really enjoyed the nicer rooms at places like Mandalay Bay and especially Aria. Also, I really only play blackjack and craps and the BJ conditions are much better at MGM properties than CET. I am paying more overall for my entire Vegas experience but it has been worth it to me.

    I have heard that the Bellagio is very tight on comps; some others on this board suggest that it takes $250-$400 avg bet for 4 hours per day to get comp room offers from the B. It will be interesting to see what kind of offers come my way in the future.
     
  18. Second_To_None

    Second_To_None Low-Roller

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    $250-$400 avg bet for 4 hours??? Rio it is for next trip!!!

    I generally play $10-$15 limit at CET properties and quite a bit on slots as well - have never paid for a room at CET properties in Atlantic City, Vegas, New Orleans (other than my very first trip to Vegas about 8-9 years ago).

    Thanks for the info - much appreciated.
     
  19. thestugot

    thestugot Low-Roller

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    That blows. I use to mostly play blackjack. I hate the grind of that game at times. I now play mostly craps.
     
  20. snapcat

    snapcat Low-Roller

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    Thanks for the report! I'll be there in September - first time I've actually stayed at the Bellagio. We got the Fountain View room, so I can check that off my bucket list.
     
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