A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I'm going to say - I REALLY enjoyed your report. All of it!!

And I was VERY surprised with your pic of your IP room - it really looks decent. I have stayed in rooms 10x worse than that that probably cost 3x as much as the IP's regular rate. It looks very clean & comfortable. And it isn't green.........(I think I could have survived that CC room though myself - looks like an old Super 8 room to me).

I will not hesitate to now add IP to my 'PLEASE GIVE ME A BUMP I CAN GET A HOTEL ROOM FOR THE NIGHT LIST IF YOU JUST GIVE ME THAT $400 AIRFARE CREDIT' list. I currently have the Super 8 at Ellis Island on it (looks like they just did a really nice room remodel) and the WWW could easily go on that list also, but I like Super 8's location better. So now up to 3 potential cheap choices if I can scrounge up a bump on a future trip. IP would be the ideal for location.

Bellago Buffet was ok for me - but I wouldn't go out of the way for it. And KingBB - guess what - they had peel & eat shrimp on the buffet both times I ate at it - and yes I had to peel my own. My fav from Bellagio buffet? The giant chocolate covered strawberries..............

 

It was a pleasure to read your report. Thanks for posting it. Yes, you're on a budget, but, look what you accomplished with your budget. You have an open mind and you're flexible. Yeah Circus Circus was a downer, but, it was worth a try and you made a good effort with it. I think you have a very balanced point of view. I'm looking forward to your future trip reports. Congrats on your graduation.

 

@lola Thanks so much for reading and for the well wishes.

@jgates Thank you!! I will have to try that SUper 8...sounds awesome. What do the rates go for? WHat site does it go cheapest?I definitely feel the same of the Bellagio buffet...

@cloudi You're too kind LOL @ comment about jumping slot machines. I do that ALL the time. If it's on, it's on. Off, it's off. I can't deal lol. Hope you have bundles of fun!

@Royal flusher Thanks for the comments! yEAH I am glad that my last trip to the Caesars pool (for a long time) was at their "exclusive" pool. It was nothing to write home about but it was free...then again, its only major point of it being elevated did not change it from all the other nice pools in Vegas. That pool is just too far. Thanks for the compliment

@john I think there was a pre-summer leap year sale thing. The 2 for 1 is not even worth waiting for (for another 4 years lol)...unless to experience it for the first time, or if you are staying at any of the hotels on the line. Deals go up on vmb all the time for all sorts of things (beware livingsocial! love groupon).

I have not had CET comps in a long time because I continue to short "pay" them but I would take cheap rates over comps any day because I risk so much less. Whether it's time or money, I feel a lot better at the end of my trip when I play for 5 seconds with like 20 bucks in one session than sit for 4 hours with $300. For the past few trips, I have been constructively and purposefully chasing comps and what a world of difference I have had in fun NOT even caring about future comps. I paid $200 total for 11 nights off casino rates alone. For comps of all these rooms, I could have easily bet $6,000-$10,000 coin-in. My only comp was at Stratosphere and that's where I played the most...and guess who is offering me casino rates? Stratosphere. I will give them some time on the comps but I am not hoping for them. After all, I didn't even like the room...or the service. I am at a point where I would much rather pay a cheap casino rate ($12 bucks a night) than get a comp, because psychologically I feel no obligation. But I digress.

I LOVE IP. My favorite hands down. IP is Vegas to me, and I am proud to say so. Some people do not like IP....seriously do not like it. Not me. It just brightens my world...sincerely more than any high-end hotels even. Sometimes I ask myself where I would stay if I were a billionaire...I mean, seriously....IP still has it for me. But DONT eat there. That's just creepy LOL. Some may say, I have no imagination...no, I just go based off of feeling. It just so happens that it's cheap for a student like myself. But with MGM new rooms (and also maybe Monte Carlo too...and possibly even Wynn or Palms or...lol), I could choose them if I were a billionaire too. The difference is, I would not necessarily choose all these places if I were not a billionaire (not because of affordability; they simply do not touch IP)...but if I were going to throw money around a little bit just for the sake of doing so, it would be these properties (too) especially since IP is leaving. Again, I digress.

Thanks for your comments! Thanks for reading. Yes, BF is back on-side. He's very good indeed

@liondown Thanks for your care and concern and for the awesome compliments. I like making my wallet happy...all in a 11-day's trip. Vegas is where wallets go to get happy...at least, the way I do Vegas. Coupons, slot points, and deals are good for the soul. If people want to spend more for less, hey, maybe that makes their heart happy

@techie thanks for the kind words. I'm glad I can say that I explored to know what I like. And there is no place better than the strip (or nearby) for staying purposes. Gambling purposes, you are better off every where else. I wonder if any one noticed that my bankroll dwindled significantly the minute I came to stay and play on the strip lol. I was not supposed to do that (play on the strip). On the strip, I feel like taking out a couple hundred to play whereas $60 bucks for the day works for downtown and Gold Coast area and even Days inn www. I take the $60 and feel comfortable. There must be something in the air on the strip/. "No holds barred" spray.

 

Is it me, or are there no pictures?

 

If you do go exploring Steakhouses next time, put the oldest restaurant in Las Vegas on your list. Open since 1955. New owners of course, but good beef!

http://www.bobtaylorsranchhouse.com/

IIRC, Mondays their special is $1 an oz for prime rib.

 

sorry, but i have to say it's you her pictures originally weren't showing up, but she fixed the problem.

 

in the beginning, there were no pictures but now there are. you should be able to see them.

 

OoOo sounds like an adventure!

 

Just to clarify, the $1 an oz special was two years ago before we moved, but the food was always good and not ala carte. The atmosphere is a hoot. Old western movie posters everywhere.

You walk in and have to go right past that open mesquite grill and see all those steaks cooking, still makes my mouth water.

Winter weather they have a roaring fire going in the fireplace.

 

Great trip report! Appreciate all the time you spent on it!

 

Great report! Got tired just reading it! We head out tomorrow and if we can experience a portion of what you did, it will be a great trip. Also, the pics were excellent.

 

Wow, what a complete TR. I could never remember all the details of what we do in vegas even on a 2 day trip. haha.

Ya if you havent explored Vegas much, the places you went to are those places you have to check out at least once. Through the years, I've been in pretty much all the major casinos(not the small mini mall ones like Dottys). I cant remember them all, but there are ones that stand out and I would come back to depending on what my trip consists of that time.

The review on the CC room sounds a bit harsh though, unless it was really that bad. But like you said, picture says a thousand words. The picture of the room isnt all that bad considering what the level of hotel it is. I've seen worse looking ones than that in Vegas. I've seen IP rooms that are just horrible. Stains on the wall, bird crap on the windows, bugs in the bathroom, etc. But I'm sure that isnt every IP room also. So other than the carpet color and old style comforters, is there anything that makes it bad? Like stains on the bed sheets, mold in the bathroom, etc?

As far as comparison on IP being a great place to stay for the price. I think there are other places that are in the same price range that are way better than IP. It really just depends on the time you are going and what is going on in town. I've compared IP vs other places on certain busy weekends where IP is in the $140-150 a night range. In comparison I've found places such as Monte Carlo, Renaissance, Strat, Luxor, Southpoint, Orleans, and timeshare Grandview that fall at same price or under. I would rather stay at those places before I go to IP. Personally thats just my preference.

I'm not knocking on your IP as a choice at all, I'm just giving insight based on my experiences.
I also thought you mentioned in comparing the Gold Coast room to an Aria room? I had to double take on that one. Aria rooms are top notch. Its not even comparable. The decor and details of an Aria room isnt even close to what a Gold Coast room is. Ok I admit I've never been to a Gold Coast room, but the Aria room is fully controlled with 1 remote control. From the curtains, bathroom lights, TV, music, hallway lights, etc. The beds are amazing in Aria as well. I'm a big Aria fan, so thats why I may sound defensive. haha. I just cant see it feeling as comfortable.

 

Thanks for the read! I really enjoyed all the pics. Great trip in bringing back 1/2 of the bankroll...

 

Wow. Nice trip report!

 

Agree with everyone else..excellent report. A lot of fun to read.

 

Great trip report and photos! I am itching at the thought of all those mosquitos in Laughlin (funny but I am planning to visit Mt. Charleston when I go in July and bought a whole bunch of bug repellent just in case there were any critters with more than two legs that I had to worry about - and I'm glad I did!)

 

Been a long time since Ive been to Laughlin, looks like nothing has changed much. We used to go there a few times a year since we were river rats. We used to take our boat on the river and up at Katherine Landing to go boating. We'd stay at one of the Laughlin hotels and I remember those pesky bugs outside. haha. Not missing those at all.

 

Man, do you get around...unbelievable!

 

I thought I made the rounds. You did it much better than anyone I've ever seen! Thanks for a great report!

 

I really enjoyed your report. I have a long trip coming up for work and decided to book my two weekend nights at WWW. It seemed fine and the laundry was a bonus.

I am glad you had a great time. Just curious I noticed you mentioned your boyfriend was with you. Did he hit all the places with you or did you venture off on your own while he did his thing? Is he into Vegas as much as you? Again just curious cause I would think he would have to really be into to the heat and the smoking everywhere to stay that long.

Again thanks for a great report.