Christmas at Bellagio Dec. 23-26

So this is kinda funny. I noticed last night that the sink in the bathroom was not draining. I thought it was just a slow drain. Nope. Sink was still full of water this morning so it must be completely clogged. When I got back to the room this morning I also noticed it was leaking underneath the sink. Called guest services and they sent somebody up. He is now in the bathroom plunging the sink and I'm awkwardly sitting here watching TV hearing strange plunging sounds coming from the bathroom. This is probably the most upscale hotel I've ever stayed at and it's the first time in my life I've ever had to call for maintenance to fix a problem in a hotel room. Maybe it's a sign that I should stick with with the lower end properties!

 

The maintenance guy was here for over an hour but apparently got it fixed. He wrote me a coupon for $25 dining credit. Looks like I'm getting 2 desserts at dinner tonight!

 

Times have changed. A few years ago in the B I left $25 and a note FOR the handyman. But that was different I suppose, it was my fault and he definitely eaned it

 

Spent the afternoon playing slots and some ultimate. Almost all of the tables were up at $15 minimums in the early afternoon. Two $25 craps tables. Nothing too exciting but I did hit this on a triple spin video poker machine:

Too bad I was just low rolling on ten cent denomination! After I got that I upped the ante to quarter denom but switched to double double bonus and hit this:


Wish I could've hit this when I was playing my free play in a $10 machine!

Went to the Mayfair Supper Club for dinner. The ambiance was incredible. Probably the most interesting atmosphere I've ever experienced in a restaurant. Kinda both old school and modern at the same time. I ordered from the welcome back menu where you order an appetizer, entree, and dessert for a reduced price. I started with the coconut shrimp. They were quite tasty. Had the lobster thermidor for the entree with a side of truffle pasta. The lobster had good flavor but it had a pretty rubbery texture. The truffle pasta was outstanding. Those of you who recommended it weren't lying! For dessert I ordered the black forest cake from the welcome back menu and also added the cigar. I hate to say it but I didn't like the desserts at all. The cigar was just plain weird. I had seen pictures of it and just had to try it, but it will be a one-time experience for me. They bring it out under a smoke-filled dome and then take the lid off at your table. The smoke went everywhere and the table then smelled like a bonfire for the next 5 minutes. And the smell lingered so long it almost tasted like I was eating and actual cigar! And the cake was not really a cake at all. I don't even know what it was, but it was a little better than the cigar. Overall I enjoyed the Mayfair and would definitely go back, but I'm gonna steer clear of those desserts!







After dinner I went over to the El Cortez to see if I could see Slotlady from YouTube. Didn't see her while I was there but did get a couple of silver strikes!



Came back to the Bellagio and played some Mississippi Stud for a couple hours. Won a couple hundred which is pretty rare for me on that game especially after playing that long at a $15 minimum. Going to bed now. Might try to wake up early to head to Circa.

 

Maybe you got properly hammered, ate the cigar and tried to smoke the black forest cake?

The Mayfair does look intriguing, I think I'll have to try it, enthusiasm dampened by the general consensus being that they weren't over the moon with the food.

I've never spent Christmas Day in LV, so I'm interested to hear how that goes, Happy Christmas to all

 

Woke up early to go to Circa. Pretty nice place. I wanted to go between 3 and 5 am to get the shrimp cocktail at Saginaw's for 99 cents. Ordered that along with a reuben and matzo ball soup. The reuben was very good. The chips that came with it were fantastic. I'd go there just to order those again. I don't know what the consensus is on the "famous" 99 cent shrimp cocktail, but I thought the cocktail sauce was disgusting. It's like spicy yet overly sweet ketchup. I couldn't even eat it. I thought the shrimp, though small, were pretty good though. I had never had matzo ball soup before and I wanted to try it. It was ok. I have nothing to compare it to but it was alright. Overall I liked Saginaw's. From what I've read online it seems everyone's biggest criticism of it is the prices, and I would tend to agree. It seems just a little overpriced for what you get, but I'd still go back.





Walked around Circa for a bit after eating. I know what you're thinking: "Please don't tell me he's gonna post a picture of the sports book. I've seen a million pictures of the sports book!" Well sorry to disappoint but here's an obligatory Circa sports book picture!


Walked around Fremont street for a bit and hit up the Four Queens to see if I could continue my luck on silver strike. And I did! I hit the $40 silver strike! Also hit another $10 on a different machine.





Here's a few random Fremont street pictures:




Going to Din Tai Fung at Aria for lunch today! Looking forward to trying the dumplings.

 

Liking the pics!
Good to hear you liked the truffle pasta at MF.

 

Went to Din Tai Fung for lunch at Aria. Dropped a quick $500 on $15 craps before I ate. Aria had a $15 and a $25 craps table open. The $25 was full and the $15 was empty when I got there. Lunch was good. I didn't think it was as spectacular as some reviews on YouTube but still good. I ordered the pork Xiao long bao, crab and pork Xiao long bao, shrimp and pork spicy wontons, and chocolate mochi xiao long bao for dessert. The chocolate ones definitely stole the show. They are a must-try if you ever go there, especially if you like chocolate. The chocolate explodes in your mouth and taste incredible.

After lunch I headed over to Caesars palace to match to diamond. They told me I was signed up for the 5x tier credit multiplier and need to get 1,250 tier points to maintain diamond status for next year. So I would need $1,250 coin in to get it. I literally lost $560 on a Buffalo Gold Revolution machine before hitting $1,250 coin in. Pretty terrible. And whatever perks I end up using being diamond status is likely not gonna be worth $560. I guess that's how they reel you in.

Back in my room now waiting for dinner at Spago tonight. Watching some basketball to see if any of my crazy parlay bets hit.

 

I think I'm having PTSD flashbacks from my Thanksgiving trip. The slots at Bellagio today have been as tight as they were at Mandalay Bay over Thanksgiving. Lost way more today than I did yesterday with way less coin in. But that's par for the course for this degenerate!

Went to Spago for dinner. Had the lamb which came with some bean thing on the side. I figured I wouldn't like the beans so I also ordered the potato puree. I was right about the beans. They didn't even seem like they were cooked as they were very "al dente." The lamb was really good. The potato puree was also very good. Very buttery. For dessert I ordered the chocolate souffle, and it was probably the best chocolate-based dessert I've ever had in my life! (Is it a coincidence the 2 best things I ate today contained chocolate?) As I was devouring the souffle the waitress came by and jokingly said, "Looks like I should put another one in the oven." I laughed, but little did she know I was seriously considering ordering a second one! (Surprisingly I didn't order a second one.) If you ever go there you have to try it if you like chocolate or sweets in general. I basically licked the plate clean (see below). Also I noticed that Spago packed everybody onto the patio and the inside of the restaurant was practically empty. I'm guessing this is how restaurants are "cheating" the 25% capacity rule. Pack 25% occupancy into the most desirable parts of the restaurant and leave the other parts empty. Seems like it defeats the whole purpose of the capacity restrictions. I noticed the same thing at Mayfair last night. But I was happy to sit inside away from the crowd.


Here are some views of the strip and fountain from inside the restaurant.


Here are a few souvenirs I've gotten from the Bellagio and Aria gift shops. They were about 60% off, about 4 bucks each. Definitely wouldn't have paid 10 bucks for them, but for 4 they were worth it.


Gonna call it an early night and try to get as much sleep as possible. Won't be getting home until late tomorrow night and want to catch up on sleep now so that I can be at least somewhat productive on Sunday. Goodnight and Merry Christmas!

 

Just woke up and literally had a dream that I ordered a second chocolate souffle at dinner last night! LOL!

 

nice job on that 40 I’ll at strike. The machine wasn’t working when I was there. The bill reader wasn’t working. I wanted to give it a shot.

 

Went to Sadelle's for breakfast again. Thankfully they put me in a booth instead of the wicker chairs this time. Ordered the eggs benedict again with extra hollandaise. It came out with a gravy boat full of hollandaise! Also ordered the french toast as I had seen good things about it online. It was good. Crispy on the outside and really custardy and creamy on the inside. Had to get a sticky bun to go and will have it as a midmorning snack before I check out. Gonna have to kill several hours after checkout before my flight. Will probably low roll it on tables and slots. Maybe will venture down to the Luxor/Excalibur area to see if I can find any lower limits. Bellagio had 2 $10 craps tables open this morning.

 

Here are some action shots I took of the fountain from my room last night.

 

I had the same
Opinion of the cigar dessert at mayfair. It was just not my favorite.

I will use those calories next time on another old fashioned!

 

Good information. This was the dessert I was curious to try so thank you both! I will definitely spend those calories elsewhere!

 

This is going on my to-do list for my next visit to Bellagio. How did you get the lamb cooked? Rare, maybe medium rare.

This question is for anyone with an answer. Can you get the fountain music on the TV?

 

Yes, there is a channel on the TV that plays the music for the fountain show that is currently playing. When there is no fountain show, it plays other instrumental type music, if I remember right.

 

My guess is ‘scared’.

 

I ordered it medium rare. Some pieces seemed a little under medium rare, which I didn't mind, but the end piece was overcooked to almost well done. If you ever go I'd recommend skipping the entree portion and just ordering 2 or 3 chocolate souffles!



I didn't know about this. That would've been fun to listen to while watching the fountain show from the room.

 

Well if you're wondering why I didn't post an update today it's because I was too busy making an epic gambling comeback! I checked out shortly before 11 and did the walk of shame to the ATM for one last withdrawal to get me thru the day until my flight. I had 4 hours to kill and with the way my luck was going I knew I'd have to low roll it or I'd be sitting in the airport for 3 hours. I went to Excalibur in search of a $5 ultimate table. They had one $10 table open, so I walked over to Luxor and they had a $5 table going. Bought in for 200. Lost my first 5 hands. That's the way my luck was going, so I figured even at a $5 minimum I might be losing the rest of my bankroll in a short period of time. Wasn't getting any hands and almost had to rebuy, but then my luck turned. I started hitting some decent hands and slowly but surely built my stack back up to where I had a few hundred in front of me. Things were going so well I upped my bet and was betting between 10 and 25 (so much for the $5 minimum). Then it happened. I was dealt the Jeffrey Dahmer hand, 8 jack. I hit 3 more 8s on the board for quads! Was betting 25 on each spot so it paid over a thousand bucks! Then about 20 minutes later I lowered my trips bet to 15 and was dealt pocket aces. An ace came on the flop and another on the river! Quads again! I couldn't believe it. Had a $5 tip bet on the trips for the dealer for that hand, so they made $150 on it. Thankfully they let me take a picture of each hand. That will be one ultimate session I'll never forget. By far the best I've ever done on that game. Booked a $2,500 profit.


But I wasn't done! It was getting kinda late and I needed to get back to Bellagio to pick up my suitcase. When I got there I remembered I still had $20 in point play that I wanted to burn before I left. So I went to a slot and after a few spins hit this $700 bonus!


By this time it was getting really late, so I rushed out to get an Uber to the airport and got to the terminal right when they started boarding. What a way to end the trip! The comeback didn't get me quite back to even, but I'm counting it as a win!

I'm home now. Overall another great Vegas trip. I haven't really decided whether I liked the standard room at an upscale resort better or preferred a suite at a lower end resort like Mandalay Bay. They both have pros and cons. I did miss having more space and a separate living room, but I really enjoyed the fountain view and Bellagio in general. I'd say it's probably a wash for me, but if I had to choose I'd probably lean towards Bellagio just cuz of the fountain view and location. It was really fun watching the fountain show from the room.

Thanks again to everybody for following along on my trip report! I'll leave you with some random pictures of my walk to Luxor today and some pics from the plane as I was flying out. Until next time!