7.7.7 Getting lucky in Lake Las Vegas

Thursday afternoon Frank suggested we book a hotel for the weekend. Finding a reasonable weekend rate last minute on one of the busiest wedding days of the year in Las Vegas in no easy task. However, I managed to find a room available at Montelago Village on Lake Las Vegas for $160 on Saturday night.

After a couple days of anticipation Saturday had arrived. We packed and headed out around 2pm, traffic was a little heavy, and it ended up being about a 30 minute drive via 215. Upon check-in we requested a lakeview room in Luna Di Lusso. No lakeview was available, but we were assigned a studio "suite" in the west portion of Luna Di Lusso.

















The room was very nice, everything you could possibly need was provided. The view was nothing special since it overlooked the parking lot. But we’ll know next time it'll be worth an extra $20/night for the lakeview upgrade.

After we got situated we walked across the Pontevecchio Bridge to the village where the shops, restaurants and casino are located. I snapped a few pictures along the way.

Lake Las Vegas and Luna Di Lusso to the left


Marina and village to the right


Opposite side of bridge looking toward Ritz-Carlton


Ritz-Carlton


We walked through the village shops, but it was hard to see what each was selling because of the scorching sun. Not many people walking about probably had something to do with the 115 degree temperature.





We were getting pretty hot from our walk so we sought relief from the hot sun inside Casino Monte Lago. Sweet A/C, can't live in the desert without it. We made a stop at Club Uno for player's cards. We played once there before shortly after it opened, surprisingly Frank was still in their system after four years. I didn't have an account so I was entitled to $5 of free slot play.

First stop was $1 Crystal 7's with my free play, nada won there. We moved on to Blazing 7's, no luck there, either. Next we found full pay double bonus VP and made ourselves comfortable. Played for a bit, but no notable jackpots were won. Frank decided to play some blackjack and I hit the penny slots. Finally we each had some luck. We doubled our money and killed a decent amount of time. We met up and played misc slots. Said and done, we lost $20 between the two of us, that's not a win, but we felt pretty lucky.

We had time before our dinner reservations at Como's so we decided to return to our room and lounge a bit beforehand.

Refreshed, we headed over to Como's for dinner. Patio seating is available, but not offered tonight due the heat. Therefore, the indoor dining area was quite crowded, but tables were arranged in a way that allowed privacy from other diners. It took only minute to decide on our order. We started with onion soup and caesar salad, I selected filet mignon and Frank chose the rib eye for his entree. He also requested a side of au gratin potatoes.

We snacked on a variety of breads while waiting for our meal to arrive. Olive tapinade was served alongside the fresh and delicious breads. We shared our starters; both were nicely prepared, although the romaine hearts were dressed too heavily for tastes. The entrees were delivered in ample time, and each had a lovely presentation. Sautéed spring vegetables and mashed potatoes accompanied my filet. Everything on my plate was excellent and prepared to perfection. The filet had a peppered crust that sealed in the juices and the meat itself was tender. I savored every bite. Frank's rib eye was served with roasted fingerling potatoes and spinach; those were the low-lights of the meal. The rib eye, however, was outstanding. The au gratin potatoes were layered with care and they were delicious, as well.

We were quite full when our plates were cleared away, but we found it too hard to resist the dessert menu. We couldn't settle on one selection so we ordered two: chocolate bread pudding and molten cake.

Again, the presentation was delightful. My molten cake was beside an expresso cup filled with espresso flavored gelato; garnished with mixed berries. The bread pudding had several layers and was served with chocolate gelato. Unfortunately, the desserts were all show and no substance. They were the weakest links of the meal.

Service was great and our bill came to $140. We'll definitely return, but next time we'll forego the dessert.

The sun had set when we left Como's. We walked the lakefront and listened to the Jazz band. We planned to walk around the village and check out a few shops, but all the events of the day were taking a toll on Frank (he’s still recovering from last month's surgery). His back was achy and his legs were tight so we felt it was best to return to our room.

Looking toward the Pontevecchio Bridge


Before retiring to the room, we snuck a peek at the pool, but it was too crowded to swim. Instead, we called it a night and enjoyed the rest of our evening in our "suite".

We woke this morning at 8am, showered, and prepared for the day. We decided that we'd have brunch at MiraLago, but it isn't available until 10:30 so we had time to kill. I brewed a pot of coffee and we nestled outside on our patio. Frank check email on the laptop while I read a magazine, such a lovely way to start the day.

We weren't sure how far away MiraLago was so we hopped in the car and drove up the mountainside. If it wasn't for the heat it would be an easy walk. MiraLago is the cafe at Reflection Bay Golf Club. They offer Sunday brunch from 10:30-2:30 and it is $34.95. We had the choice of dining indoors or on the terrace; we opted for the latter since the views were spectacular.



Reflection Bay






We began with some bubbly, they served LeDomaine champagne and then we looked to see what foods were available. Eggs made to order were available from the kitchen. The buffet was divided by salads; cheese and crackers, fruits; breakfast items: eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, potatoes; lunch items: orange pork tenderloin, miralago steak, harvest veggies, turkey pot pie, stuffed shells, salmon, halibut; cold seafood: shrimp, crab claws, oysters, sushi; carving station offered lamb chops and prime rib. There was also a plethora of pastries and desserts to choose from.

We sampled a bit of everything. I didn't think to take a picture of our first helping, but I remembered on our second.

My sampling of fruits, cheese, claws and shrimp


My Caesar chicken salad with sun-dried tomatoes and croissant waiting in the wings


Frank has turkey pot pie, lamb chops, sausage, biscuits & gravy, and a stuffed shell


All in all, it was a really nice spread. We enjoyed it immensely. We felt it was worth every penny and thought it was better than all the top buffets we've had in Vegas. Our server's name was Jeff and he provided us with superb service throughout our meal. He was well-informed and answered all our Lake Las Vegas questions. Needless to say, brunch was excellent!

Reluctantly, it was time to go; we had to check out of the room. We packed up our belongings and then head home. We'll certainly return, we found Lake Las Vegas to be a tranquil escape from the craziness of the Las Vegas strip. It seemed liked we were hundreds of miles from home, but in reality it was only 30 miles away. As luck would have it, a stay at the oasis in desert is just what we needed.

 

Nice pics and report! That brunch sounds like a must-check-out. Also glad that Frank is on the mend and getting around better!

 

Very nice. Beautiful pics too!!

 

Great report! Your description and pics made me hungry. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

 

Great pics and report Kellee. Food looks great!

Is Frank wearing an old Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey? As a Bear fan I call shennanignans on him for wearing it and you for letting him.

Marty

After a closer look, thats a Chiefs jersey, no?

 

Thanks, all... and Marty, you got it right on the second try. Besides the obligatory Bears and White Sox jerseys he also has the KC LJ jersey.

 

Darn, every time I think I've completed our itinerary, someone posts something new that I'd like to do. Thank you for your trip report. My mouth was watering reading about your brunch at MiraLago. We will definitely make a trip there.

LC

 

That brunch at MiraLago sounds very appealing. Thanks for the write up Kellee

 

Well we'll have none of that! Get on the Cedric Benson band wagon!
Get that boy a 32 in Bear colors, preferably in away white cause it's so freakin hot there.

Marty

 

Very nice report. That looks like a real nice place and like you said somewhere to get away from the craziness of the strip but yet you're still close enough that if you wanted to you could drive to the strip.

 

That place looks GREAT! I'd love to try and stay there sometime. How far is Lake Las Vegas from the strip and downtown? (and of course by how far, I mean how much is the cab fare :evillaugh )

 

I'd have to wing a guess, but it was $40-45 from the Strip to Sunset Station, and that place is probably less than halfway to Lake Las Vegas, so probably pushing $100 to get out there by cab. And good luck getting one to take you BACK to the Strip.

 

Rent a car! Got ya! Thanks!

 

The easiest directions to Lake Las Vegas would be to get on the 15 South to the 215 towards the airport. Drive past the Henderson exits (passing right by Green Valley Ranch). Just past Gibson Rd., the 215 basically ends, and you have 3 choices. Choose Lake Mead Blvd - you'd want to be in the far left lane for this. Follow Lake Mead Blvd (not to be confused with a road that has the same name in the north part of the city... great planning guys!) past Fiesta Henderson and probably about 10 miles out into the desert. The entrance to Lake Las Vegas will be on the left, with a lovely golf course and waterfall.

 

What an awesome report. I love the LLV area and Miralago brunch can't be beat, in my opinion. Loved the pics too! Thanks for posting!

 

Brunch can't be beat.

The last 2 times in Vegas my wife and I have had a rental just for the purpose of driving to Mira Lago for the brunch. It took 20-30 minutes to get there by car. The food, service and presentation all go towards making it a meal to remember.
If only I could remember to pack my stretchy pants I'd fit more in.
Your pics brought back some great memories of the terrace and the food. Now I'm sorry that it's not on our itinerary this year.
We have a special dinner planned that day and I don't think my stomach could handle the overload.

 

Nice report. Glad you had pictures.