Oct 11-15 Fitz and Aladdin

October 11-15, 2003 Fitzgerald’s & Aladdin

Hubby says my trip report is boring. Sorry. Can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself

We flew America West, Raleigh to Phoenix to Vegas. Decent flights, better fares and itineraries than Southwest (not as good as our favorite Delta itinerary, but $200 cheaper a ticket this time) No food. Not even a snack. For 3 ½ hours. Crazy I tell you!! So we left Saturday morning at 7:50 (I screwed up and thought the time was 7:00 but realized after we were already on the way, so we had time to stop for breakfast at Biscuitville. Yum!!) Our line was not long, security not too bad. They recently changed the security lines at the airport, took us a little while to figure out where the old stairs went. But, by following the hordes of people, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out where they moved the line. Our flight left on time, started the day off with kahlua and coffee, then moved on to bloody marias (tequila instead of vodka) and wine I had in my water bottle. We flew to Phoenix, changed planes, landed on time in Vegas. Got our bags, took the Showtime shuttle to Fitzgerald’s (took off as soon as we got on board, there were only two couples on, so it was a VERY quick trip!!) We got to the hotel around 12:30 and amazingly our room was ready. We asked for 2 doubles because we were sharing with our friends that night, got a room on the 9th floor. Nice enough room, smallish but with a table & chairs in addition to the beds, and a safe. Took a little nap (I had QUITE a bit to drink already, on the plane) and a shower and we were ready to go out. Wandered over to California, saw a Hawaiian high school 25th reunion costume party—some great costumes—they really got into it. We gambled some, heard from our friends that they made it in to town. We had dinner reservations at Redwood Grill at 5:30, got right in. I love the booths—we had half a long semi-circle booth (seat) with a table in front of us, so we got to sit next to each other and canoodle a little. The bread was whole wheat sourdough, I had soup (chicken Florentine—very creamy, not very much spinach) and Dane got the salad. We ordered a tuna sashimi appetizer to split, Dane got the lobster thermidor, and I had a petite filet with crab in a black bean sauce. The side of veggies was perfect, but the garlic mashed potatoes in a wonton skin were a little dry for my taste but Dane liked them. We had a bottle of wine (Australian cabernet/shiraz blend) and split a piece of chocolate something or other (Chocolate heart attack?) for dessert. ($120 total, including tip) We’re full now, ready to drink, gamble, & meet our friends. We all spent some time at Las Vegas Club and Fitzgeralds. Those mudslides at LVC are my favorite in Vegas—for flavor and value! The boys were doing well at the craps table at Fitz. I found a Press Your luck machine at 4 Queens that loved me! Watched a couple of the light shows—caught the first one (the boring one I don’t like, with the new age music) and the classic rock one I LOVE. Also good bands playing on Fremont St, one doing 80s music. Yep, I was the crazy girl dancing & singing with a yard mudslide in my hand….One of them at least Stayed up late (for me, regardless of the time change!!) Sunday we grabbed breakfast at the Fitz coffee shop and I went to get a mudslide, and gambled a couple hours. Packed and headed to Aladdin around noon, and miraculously our rooms were ready there too. With the Travelzoo package we booked, we had a free upgrade to the Resort room, and my friend & I checked in together to see if we could be close by. So we were down the hall from each other on the 15th floor (non-smoking). I forgot to ask for a king bed, so we got two queens but our friends got a king. The beds were fine; we also had a table & chair, sofa, and coffee table. Our room was the hospitality suite for the trip, so we set the bar up right away. The tub truly is amazing. Wow. Not quite enough of a slant, but if you use one of the towels as a pillow it works great for reading while soaking—I love the little arm rests!! I brought bath salts with me and enjoyed a couple of long soaks. My biggest complaint about the Aladdin rooms is the quality of the sheets--terrible. I admit I'm spoiled when it comes to sheets, but I think the sheets at the Fitz were better. We ate lunch at the Todai sushi buffet in the Desert Passage shops. Very good! There’s a discount coupon in the Desert Passage coupon book. $52 for both of us with a 20oz beer each. Tons of sushi, plus hot foods, noodle dishes, tempura, cooked to order crepes, and desserts. Salads & fresh fruit. Truly tons of food to choose from! Our friends had two sisters with them, one of whom had never been to Vegas before, so after they checked in, we spent the afternoon walking down the Strip oohing and aahing. We had dinner at Noodle Asia in Venetian. Food was good, but the service was terrible!! They forgot an order of potstickers—not delivered until the end of the meal, and we’d asked 4 times, AND we eventually told them to cancel the order. They didn’t refill water, etc. Not impressed.

Monday we had breakfast at the Aladdin coffee shop, Café Zanzibar (we had a free breakfast or dinner with our room) Afterwards we hit the pool for an hour and then went to the new outlet mall. Got lost en route, made it there, shopped a little. Bought new running shoes. Ate at the Binions Snack bar before catching the bus back to Aladdin (I LOVE those Ham & beans!!!) Stopped at LVC to get Corona and Mudslide before lunch. Monday night we brought the group back downtown, meeting other friends for dinner and a little more gambling. Had another meal at the Great Moments Room. The food was good as we remembered it (hubby and I both had surf & turf and the house salad, shared a couple of bottles of Merlot among the group) but the service was not as good. Hubby ate surf & turf, but what he ORDERED was the special, filet and scallop soufflé. One of the wine bottles was charged at the wrong rate. Overall pleased, though. Gambled downtown, did great again at my Press Your Luck nickel machine at 4 Queens. Boys didn’t do quite as well at craps this night. Saw a couple light shows. The Vegas Virgin was not impressed with downtown, but we all agreed in the cab ride back (she took a different cab) that she was high maintenance and wouldn’t be coming with us on any future trips Tuesday was spa day—I had reservations for a wrap & massage, and the others were going to exercise & use the steam rooms, etc. Hubby and I went to the Boardwalk snack bar for a biscuit breakfast, gambled a little bit there, picked up some souvenirs at the drugstore next door, then back to Aladdin to meet our friends at 10:00. Hubby went straight to the steam room, the rest of us went to the gym. Very nice. Tons of cardio equipment, free weights, weight machines, fitness balls, and about 8 big tvs mounted from the ceiling, and you could change the channels if you want. Exercised for about 20 minutes (it’s Vegas baby, I’d already had a drink with breakfast ) then Heidi and I went to the ladies’ spa. Steam room a little, then Jacuzzi. At 11:00 I said goodbye and went to my treatment. Oh, did Lila do a GOOD job!!! I had the exotic coconut milk wrap and well-being massage. About 2 hours of good smelling wonderfulness. I had a 20% discount coupon (in the Desert Passage coupon book) and it included 18% gratuity, I think the total was around $200. I’d do that again!!! Lounged in the sauna a little, showered, played with the lotions & potions, then at 1:45 I figured I better go find hubby in case he wanted lunch or something. He said the men’s spa was NOT great, that Golden Nugget was better—the staff were surly and inattentive, the steam room was out of commission, the Jacuzzi wasn’t fun, etc. He only stayed about half an hour. Poor baby! My experience was SOOOOOO much better!!! The others had headed down to the Welcome to Vegas sign (never made it—fooled by the distances) so we went to the sushi bar in Boardwalk. Can’t remember the name (Fukiyoki or something?) but it was REALLY good. Yum. Got a couple of Coronas and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. $35. Met the others at NYNY. Still don’t like that place. Played a little, NO cocktail service. Got a couple of fish & chips to go, walked back to Aladdin and ate in the room (we have MUCH better cocktail service there!!! ) Drank with the others, then they went off to dinner (using their Zanzibar free coupons) Won some more at the Aladdin Press Your Luck. Hubby did NOT win me the Boxster. Oh well. I was craving nachos, so we went to La Salsa Cantina for some chicken nachos, then went to “X†at 10:30 (also free tickets with our room) The show was pretty good, but hey, it was free. I don’t think I would have wanted to pay the $45 ticket for it. I fell asleep at the end (it was really late and I didn’t have a nap) Hubby rates it as better than Crazy Girls but not as good as Midnight Fantasy. The women were good looking, and most could dance well. The Playboy Lingerie model of the year or whatever she was had a nice body but no brain, and NO acting ability. Off to bed afterwards, then up early in the morning. No line at the airline counter, no line at security, and no problems with the flights home. Gambling was good (craps good to Dane, Press Your Luck good to me, video poker so-so to me) Lots of drinking, good food (no Sushi King, no Peppermill this trip, but you have to try new stuff too!!) One of the funniest moments of the trip—walking through the casino the third or so time, hubby says “You know, I just can’t hear that ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ slot machine without thinking of our new dvd, ‘I ream of Jenna’, and our friends start laughing and say—damn, you’re right! We just bought that dvd too!!†Ah. We love to travel with these friends
!!!!!

 

There it is! I almost posted a "HEY! Where is it?" last night when I checked and still no Hoya Report Gotta get these things done while there's still a tiny bit of memory working.

Tell hubby I disagree, it's not boring. But did you end up winning or losing? Important detail left out!

Kitty

 

Great trip report Hoya!! Sounds like you had a great time. I can't believe the mixture you drank on the plane " Clean up on isle 9 " would be heard if it was me doing that
I can't wait to get to Vegas T-5 Yipeee

 

Hubby ended the trip up quite a bit (I still had to pay for my own spa treatment though ) and I was down, but not down by nearly as much as I have been on other trips. How's that? I'm glad you didn't think it was boring I did forget things--it took me a day and a half to remember what I had to eat at Redwood Grill!!

 

Sounds like a great trip in spite of your friend-the Vegas Virgin. Some people are so down that they try to pick themselves up by trashing everything else to be lower than them but you've got the right solution. Think positive and leave the complainer at home.

Now that Playboy Lingerie model sounds like my type of gal! Brains really aren't what I look for in a woman.

 

Yeah--but if the girl is live I want there to be some quality-added over what I can get in a magazine

 

I love the report I just dont know if I can wait until March to go its killing me

At the Aladdin did you have jacuzzi tub or just reg tub

I want or need a jacuzzi tub and I did NY NY last time and it was good but I want in the mid of the strip a little more or maybe Golden Nugget downtown ?????

I cant wait to go

 

Aladdin has regular tubs (although they are big, no jets). I didn't even see jacuzzi's offered for the larger suites.

Kitty

 

The Aladdin tub was just a soaking tub (I say "soaking tub" specifically because that's what it is--very deep, no jets, no overflow valve so you can be in up to your neck ) I don't know if Golden Nugget has whirlpool tubs in the rooms or not--that was my biggest complaint about the room, the tub was not comfy for soaking/reading--otherwise I LOVED GN!!!

We have a hot tub at home we use almost daily, so I guess I don't need one in my hotel on vacation. By all means--call or email GN to see if they have one.

 

Hoya,

Sounds great...eat,drink....eat,drink...gamble..

When I go away, I don't really look for the pool,

because my pool is like 91 degrees most of the

time...sorta like your hot tub.

sunni

T-34 and counting

 

Hoya,

Great report! Have you started planning that next trip yet? Rumor has it that you'll be back in March, 2004.

T-54

 

Thanks for the fun read, Hoya. Gonna have to check out Boardwalk on the next trip, you always seem to have good things to say about it.

Interesting that your hub ordered the Lobster Thermidor. Not many places you can find that, according to the review of the Redwood Grill in the LV Review-Journal.

 

Nice report, Hoya!

I know what you mean about no food on planes these days. I just got back from Boston; flew Delta Colorado Springs to Atlanta to Boston (and back same route); no food on any of the legs. At least Atlanta had lots of options at the airport, but you have to budget in another $15 or so for food!

 

I guess I'm used to no food on flights 2 hours or less, which most of mine are, but when flight is almost 4 hours, I would at least expect a deli bag or something!! Oh well. I always have snacks along with my mini bottles!!

Doctor_al--that review was one of the deciding factors for Redwood Grill! We're glad we did it--really enjoyed the place!