My First Trip Report- 3/17-3/20

Just got back last night and my fiance and I had a great time. Hope this isn't boring for you guys as we're pretty low-key people. We're pretty busy, and the purpose of our trip was to recharge and spend 3 uninterrupted days together.

Saturday, March 17th: We flew into Vegas from Seattle via San Francisco. A circuitous route, but we had flight coupons for United that we had to use. Unfortunately they do not fly direct from Seattle to Vegas. The flights and connections were uneventful, which is great. We also only brought carry-ons since United lost our luggage twice the last time we flew (thus the travel coupons!) Arrived in Vegas around 8PM.

We rented from Budget and the car was fine. Toyota Corolla. The AC worked, so we were happy.

Checked in at The STRAT (I know, I know...but we had a great deal and we don't spend much time in the room anyway.) I asked if there were any complimentary upgrades, and she said no since they were nearly sold-out, but she could upgrade us for $10 a night to a Spa King room in the premier tower with a view of the strip. We decided to go for it, and we were pleased with the room. Unfortunately we were a little too tipsy at night to get in the jacuzzi, so we never ended up using it. Still the view was nice and the room was more spacious. The bonus was when the check-in person told me that there was something waiting for me at the concierge desk. I went over and was presented with beautiful red roses with a decidedly Vegas touch: some of the greenery was spray painted gold. A little tacky, but very, very Vegas! I thought it was some sort of present from the players club (ha ha), but it turned out my fiance had arranged a pre-birthday present. Not a bad guy to be marrying!

We decided to have dinner at Fellini in the Strat. We had eaten there before and were pleasantly surprised. The meal was decent and relatively inexpensive for all we got. After that we decided to hit the casino a bit. We sat at the bar by the sports book and had a few beers, but had to drink them slowly as we were so stuffed! When we could finally move, we started playing. I'm mainly a slots player and my fiance just plays to keep me company. He ended up playing for hours on the same $40. I lost a bit more than that, but still got good playing time. Didn't hit as many WoF's as I would like though. To call drink service spotty would be a compliment. We considered paying for drinks, but just decided to wait it out. Finally we found a goldmine...a bank of slots near the area where the drink girls go to fill up. We decided to play right there for a while and were handsomely rewarded. We stayed up until about 4 and called it a night.

Saturday, March 18th- Woke up a little hung-over and in need of grease. We got it...Breakfast at Roxy's at the Strat which was okay, and it was sort of fun to see the singing waitresses. We had planned to go to Red Rock Canyon that day but decided it was just too hot to hike...Instead we spent the day by the pool which was just what we needed. It was great to get some sun (not a lot of it in Seattle these days). We went in early and napped before dinner. We decided to get dressed up (we rarely have the chance here in casual Seattle), and we went to Emeril's. It was a good meal, and the service was great. My guy had the barbecued shrimp (which were great) and I had the short ribs (which were not great) as appetizers. For dinner I got the cajun steak and he the steak and shrimp combo. Both were good, but the real stars of the night were the corn bread and the mashed potatoes. Yum...We begged off desert, but they brought us complimentary mango sorbet anyway as we were celebrating our engagement. A nice touch, and there's always room for sorbet. We checked out the MGM and headed back to the Strat as my feet were killing me. We retired to the Strat, changed clothes and gambled a little. Fiance was still milking his $40. I couldn't believe it. Luck of the Irish I guess. Where's the luck for the Italian girl??? I (again) spent a little more, but nowhere near what I had budgeted. I also chanced a few hands of blackjack (I'm a newbie) and did pretty well. We found a lovely drink girl who we tipped well, so she took good care of us. Too good, as we were pretty plastered. We went to bed on the early side as we planned a day of hiking. I also downed a bottle of gatorade and some water before bed. A VERY wise decision...I felt like a million bucks the next day.

Monday, March 19th- HIt Lucky's at the Strat for breakfast. It was decent. Drove out to Red Rock Canyon and did the loop with stops to hike and take pics. What a gorgeous place. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a break from the bustle of Vegas. On the way back we checked out the Wynn and had a late lunch at Corsa Cucina. I highly recommend it. We shared the meatballs as an appetizer and each had pizzettes. Everything was delicious and the service was very nice. We were slightly underdressed as we came from hiking, but they let us in without a word and service was great. The Wynn is gorgeous. I'd love to stay there sometime. It was very low-key. Steve Wynn has outdone himself.

We went back to the room to get refreshed and changed for dinner at Canaletto at the Venetian. We had a little time so we walked around the Bellagio which was gorgeous. I loved the casino, and would love to stay there sometime. We gambled a little (lost) and got to see the fountain show and the conservatory. Their easter display was beautiful, but the experience was diminished as it was sooooo crowded. After that we walked over to Caesars to check that out. Not really my bag, but some parts of it were lovely. After that, we headed to the Venetian for our dinner. We got engaged in Italy this summer, so it was nice to see the recreations of all the things we had seen in the real Venice. We ate outside on the "patio" and had a good dinner. My rotisserie chicken was perfectly cooked, but my guy's lamb was WAY underdone. I know lamb is supposed to be rare in the middle, but this was rare most of the way through. He ate what he could, and had some of my chicken as I was stuffed. Our server noticed his mostly uneaten plate and comped us his meal. It was a very nice gesture. Overall, the meal was good. We headed back to the Strat for our last night of gambling and drunken debauchery. We found the same drink girl and she kept 'em coming. She was too fast, and several times were were left with two beers. She headed toward us again and we told her no more. Still, when she came around again she had two more that we didn't ask for. We took them anyway, as she was a sweetie. We played slots and damned if my guy wasn't still playing with his forty dollars! I hit the ATM only once on the whole trip. I'd say we got a lot of playing time, as I came home with no winnings, but more than half of my planned bankroll in tact., That is winning to me! We played a little single hand blackjack at $5 and $10 tables and called it a night around five when fiance could barely stand. And he calls himself an Irishman! Did the gatorade trick again and woke up feeling great.

Tuesday, March 20th- Sadly our last day! We had planned to spend our last day by the pool, but it was coldish and windy. We decided to have breakfast and go up to the pool anyway in our clothes to just read and relax. It was nice and relaxing, which was just what we needed. Time ticked away, and it was time to hit the rental car return and head home. Flights were bumpy but quick, and we landed in Seattle at about 11pm. It was 39 degrees! Quite different from the 90 it had been in Vegas...My flip-flops were not cutting it.

What I learned: All in all we had a great time. I think next time we will stay at a nicer property (seeing Wynn and Bellagio spoiled me!), but the Strat was good enough for our needs. I think I would rather stay mid-strip and be able to casino hop without worrying about driving. Also, next time I'll skip United and fly straight through...Too much time checking in/security/all of that for what should be a 2hr flight. I'll also play more blackjack, as I did better than I thought. All of that rule memorization paid off, even though it was hard to add in a drunken stupor. I guess I'll have to play earlier in the night!

 

Thanks for the TR echo. I was surprised to hear about an unsatisfactory meal at Canalleto, but I'm glad they took it off your bill. I've had two really good experiences there.

 

fun!

Fun trip report -- thanks. Makes the 81 days on my counter feel like forever!!

 

Hello again - I read this over on TA. Nice to see you here as well.

 

Whats TA ?

 

Nice TR. I have to agree we always try to get a nonstop out of seatac. We enjoying staying on the strip just because we have so many gambling and dining opportunities so close. I never thought about drinking gatorade and water before I crash I'm going to have to do that. Anytime you come back from Vegas with money its been a winning trip.

 

Thanks for the trip report. You hit a lot of places I have not yet been to - this is really helpful to me

 

Good Report

Good report! Red Rock Canyon is a nice place to get away for a few hours.

 

Tripadvisor. Read everything there with a grain of salt. Or a margarita's worth. I can't stand to read it any more--too whiny (on the whole...) However, if this trip report is there as well, there must be some gold among the dross

 

Thanks for making me go look up your 25 cent words Hoya

 

Good job!

First trip report...no way! You sound like an old pro.
You reported on all the right stuff, meaning that you make all of us waiting for upcoming trips even MORE anxious!

I've stayed at the Stratosphere a few times and always enjoyed it. Probably because I was like your fiancee, I could play for hours on a $50 bill!

And count me in on experimenting with the Gatorade & water.

 

Not boring at all. Great read. Sounds like you had a great trip & glad your money lasted longer than mine did! *LOL* Thanks for posting.

Congrats on your engagement.

 

Thanks so much for the nice praise, everyone! I do post on TA as well, but I know the true Vegas pros are here!

I thought that after my trip I would spend less time here...No such luck! Now I'm just excited to go back and do all of the things I ran out of time for this time! I'm actually thinking of going back in the summer for a bachelorette party with the girls.

Thanks for the nice engagement wishes, too...The wedding's coming soon and we're so excited. Mostly for the honeymoon!