1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

TR - Oct 30-Nov 6

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by theakstk, Nov 7, 2009.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. theakstk

    theakstk Tourist

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2007
    Messages:
    27
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15

    My Trip Report

    Wife and I are just back from a week in Vegas! Only home for a day and already miss Sin City. The weather was unseasonably warm all week. Everyday was sunny and low to mid 80s with very little wind allowing for lots of pool time in the mid afternoon. This time we stayed at the Wyndam Grand Desert Resort which is just off the strip, one big block east of Planet Hollywood on Harmon Ln. We rented a car from Dollar at the airport. Car rental prices seem higher than on previous trips. This time I booked a few months prior to our trip and got a base rate of $118 which becomes $194 once they add all the ridiculous taxes and multiple misc charges. Still works out to less than $30/day and makes for a much more flexible trip than relying on shuttles, taxis and walking. Once we started renting a car in Vegas it has become one of those luxuries we just don't want to give up. Instead of a day by day account. I will just mention a few highlights and observations on our trip. There is too much to put in one post, so I will start with this post and post again with a few more thoughts as my memory strikes me and I get time to post.


    * We tried the All-You-Can-Eat Chinese lunch special in the Victorian Room at Bill's. I think the special runs from 11am - 3pm. It costs $9.99 and you can choose from one of about 10 or 12 dishes. The meal includes rice and a fortune cookie plus refills of the particular dish you ordered. I ordered the Kung Poa chicken and wife had a Stir-fry Vegetable dish. Wife was full after the first helping. The initial portions were large, but I had a second helping of
    the tasty Kung Pao. We enjoy Chinese food and felt both dishes were excellent. We left full and satisfied from a very decent Chinese lunch. If you are looking for a substantial lunch on the strip and like Chinese, I think this is a great value.

    * This trip we spent some time at Hooters Casino. It's located just south of the Tropicana Hotel and across the street from MGM. It was an easy walk or drive from our timeshare at Koval and Harmon. The casino is small, decidedly not upscale and tends towards a younger rowdy crowd, which is fine with us. The overhead music is classic rock with lots of great oldies. We loved the tunes. Wife found a bank of 9/6 JOB machines and we had a great time and both played for hours. 9/6 JOB machines have virtually disappeared from Vegas casinos. Of course there are still 9/6 JOB machines at Palms (which we did visit). Wife hit four 4OAK during her Hooters session. Drink service from the Hooters girls was decent. We both walked away with JOB winnings in our pockets and smiles on our faces from the many comped rum & Cokes and Coronas. It is not Wynn, but it was a fun jeans and t-shirt time.

    * We went to see the Human Nature performance at the Imperial Palace. It was a fabulous show. One of the best shows we have seen in a long time. A must do for anyone heading to Vegas and looking for an evening show. The 4 mates from Down Under perform a Mowtown tribute that is high energy, engaging and just plain fun to watch (and participate). It is one of the shows where everyone leaves the theater with a smile and a spring in their step feeling better than they did 90 minutes before they stepped into the showroom.

    We hadn't been to the IP in a few years, but noticed it doesn't smell! Looks like they have refurbished the casino area a bit. The Dealtainers are still there and we watched "Jennifer Lopez" perform to great hoots and applause as we were leaving the IP after the show. Bottom line, Human Nature should be on everyone's Vegas to do list - 5 star

    rating.

    * We ate at Grand Lux 3 times during our week. Like our previous experience, the food and service was excellent. The portions are big and we think the prices are very reasonable. One evening we split the Fire-roasted Vegetarian Pizza. What a treat. Thankfully we did split it because it was more food than either of us would have like to consume at one sitting. If I recall right there were 10 vegetarian toppings and lots of melted cheeses without the oozing grease seen with other brands of pizza. On another day we stopped in for our usual plate of Asian Nachos - Yummy! In our books Grand Lux at Venetian and Palazzo are one of our favourite casual and reasonably priced eating spots on the strip. We never miss a meal or two there.

    More posts to come.
     
  2. texas_aggie_girl_93

    texas_aggie_girl_93 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2006
    Messages:
    2,251
    Location:
    Katy, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    39
    Asian Nachos are one of my favs too.

    Looking forward to reading more! :thumbsup:
     
  3. Blondie76

    Blondie76 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2008
    Messages:
    409
    Location:
    Midwest
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    We enjoy Grand Lux too. Nice to leave the casino with some of their $$$ in your pocket. :)
     
  4. Greensideup

    Greensideup Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2009
    Messages:
    105
    Location:
    Carrollton, Texas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    Probably the first good review I have read about Hooters. Surprised nobody else has mentioned their playable VP, although I'm not a VP player.
    Thanks, and watching for more.
     
  5. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2008
    Messages:
    17,827
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    130
    Thanks for the tip of the Victorian room lunch....we just may give that a try in December. I agree that Human Nature is a must see; we saw it in September and loved it!! Asian Nachos at the Grand Lux are on my must do list each and every trip, love them!:eek:
     
  6. VegasDiva

    VegasDiva VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2009
    Messages:
    3,104
    Location:
    Calgary , Alberta , Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    great report

    I have a 2-4-1 coupon for Human Nature and would love to see them, as I read more n more positive reviews about it ...... will try for next Monday night!! Also wouldn't mind that buffett at the Victorian room , sounds tasty and filling ......

    glad you both had a marvelous time
     
  7. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2004
    Messages:
    3,104
    Location:
    South Texas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    31
    Thanks for the post. Glad you had a good trip.

    later, GVJ
     
  8. Dutch

    Dutch Tourist

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2008
    Messages:
    6
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    2
    Its funny how your opinion of a based is often biased by how good your luck is there. I have been to Hooters with my wife twice and we had great luck both times. Therefore I love it! Who cares if its run down, if you walk out with more money than you walked in and got a few free drinks, its my kind of place.
     
  9. DJ Ran

    DJ Ran VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2009
    Messages:
    1,133
    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    Nice read so far, give us more.:licklips:
     
  10. theakstk

    theakstk Tourist

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2007
    Messages:
    27
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    Part 2

    A few more rambling thoughts and observations from our recent Vegas trip.


    * An additional note about our Hooters gambling experience. While we found and enjoyed the wins on the JOB machine (which is just in front of the cashier cage), the BJ at Hooters sucks. The $3 BJ game they advertise in big letters on their billboard out front of the casino is the horrible 6/5 BJ game with the no double after split rule, no surrender and no re-splitting aces giving a house edge of a whopping 2.12%, Their 6 deck $10 tables have a more typical house edge and rules but you can find the same return at other nice casinos with $5 minimums.

    * We enjoyed a very romantic dinner at Ago at the Hard Rock Casino. Ago is an Italian spot that is only open for dinner. We had never eaten there before but found the food delicious and the service excellent. We had a window table for 2 overlooking the pool area. We used a Restaurant.com coupon which made the meal very affordable. We bought a $25 dollar coupon when they had their 80% sale on a few months before our trip, so it only cost $2. The coupon requires a minimum $35 food order. The prices are a bit high but I recall they were in the ballpark of those at Stratta at Wynn.

    * After we arrived at McCarran about 5pm (10 minutes early) and picked up our rental car from Dollar we headed out out for a Grimaldi's Pizza dinner. Everyone on the board raves so much about their NY-style pizza pies that we had to try it for ourselves. Even though it was still rush hour in Vegas getting to Grimaldi's on Eastern S. was quick and easy. Our pizzas where very good. The crust was particularly delicious, chewy and thin. We thought our pizzas were a bit light on the cheese, but we did not include extra cheese as one of our toppings.

    * Once we were stuffed with a great pizza meal we headed across the street to the Walmart Supercentre. Since we were staying at a timeshare suite with a kitchen we bought breakfast fixings and some healthy stuff like fruit and cereal and some unhealthy snacks. The store is huge and you can get all your supplies and any last minute stuff for your Vegas stay here. We picked up some delicious and well priced Australian Shiraz to enjoy in our suite prior to starting our evenings. There is also a liquor store there with very reasonable prices and a few sale items. We picked up a bottle coconut flavoured rum. It goes with juice, coke and as we found out it even tastes great sipping straight up! Once our tummies were full and our grocery bags were full we headed off to check-in and begin our week in Vegas.

    * One lounge act that we always try and work into our schedule is Dian Diaz at the Fontana Room at Bellagio. The Fontana Room is a smallish intimate lounge just off the main Bellagio casino. There is an attached balcony overlooking the Bellagio Lake and the fountains. When the foutain show starts people leave their table and migrate out to the balcony to watch the show. A different perspective to enjoy the fountain show. Dian Diaz has a great voice and a strong band backing her up including two horn players. They perform R&B and cover some classic jazz and rock tunes. There is a dance floor in front of the band and people get up and have fun during the more danceable songs. We usually have a good time listening and dancing and this trip was no exception. Dian is usually there Wed to Sunday from 10pm for 3 sets. There is another group that does earlier sets and we have seen a few of the other bands in the past and they have been very good as well. The schedule is on the Bellagio website so you can check who is actually performing at the Fontana Room. There is a one drink minimum but no cover charge. The Fontana Room is a lounge on our must do Vegas trip list. Give it a try.
     
  11. BackInVegas

    BackInVegas VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2008
    Messages:
    1,809
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    Nice report thanks, for Fontana room recommendation

    I will check that out on my next trip.

    Which should be in the winter just not sure when yet. And i hope to be going solo or with my wife on the trip. I need some me time in Vegas.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.