The Hotel, Bellagio Penthouse, and Ceasars Augustus Tower!

What a trip. My friend frank and I decided to take a spur of the moment excursion out west. There was about 2 weeks of planning involved in this. Usually its months that I have to wait to go, but since we waited until the last minute to book everything, the wait wasn't all that bad. Ill Break this up in to 3 sections for each hotel.

DAY ONE - We left Utica (central NY) at about 3:45 am after staying up all night. Drove to the airport and got the most desireable parking space right next to the garage. Syracuse airport was surprisingly busy that early in the morning. This was Saturday January 7th. We flew US Airways. Small, cramped, and uncomfortable. But, unless youre in first class or an exit row, who really is comfortable on an airplane? We had to connect in Chicago. There was a very small layover, maybe 15 minutes and then time to go. Not even enough time to go outside and have a cigarette. Those of you who have been to Chicago airport know everything is a long walk. There is no way I could have made it outside and then back thru security to have a cigarette. Anyway, REALLY craving a smoke we were off to Fabulous Las Vegas. Flight was uneventful and long. But once we started out decent, my heart started beating and man was I happy. It has been over a year since I have been to Vegas, so needless to say I was very, very happy to be there. Plus I had a Vegas Virgin with me which always adds to the excitement. It's always fun to watch the expression on peoples faces when they first see the strip in all it's glory. We had booked a Bell Trans limo to pick us up, but the jerk never showed up, so we took advantage of another limo that was waiting near the taxi line. Always good to start off with a touch of class. To me, its worth the $60. We stopped at the liquer store on paradise to get the traditional bottle of Cristal, some grey goose, Johnny Walker Gold, and Hennesy. Fully stocked up, we were off the the Luxor. That is where Frank was staying the first night. We Dropped him off and I was off the THEHotel. Let me tell you, I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! Other than the plain entrance in the parking garage, I can not find any fault with this place. Well, other than that scent that they spray everywhere - halls, rooms. I have allergies and it kinda annoyed me, but you get used to it. I walked to check in about 11:30. I had reserved a corner suite, which provides a great view, espically from the bedroom. It was an additional $40.00. To me, It was well worth it. I dont know what the difference is between the corner suites and the regular rooms, but I think the bedroom is a little smaller. Im sure that one of you will know. Feel free to comment on the difference. I know that the TV in the bedroom was the same size as the TV in the living room. I had room 24815. Obviously, any room ending in 815 has the great view. I tried bribing the clerk with $50.00 to get a penthouse, she walked back into that room behind the desk and came back and said that they were all booked up and there was nothing she could do. If I wanted to wait a few more hours, she could get me on a higher floor, I just wanted to get out of my clothes, throw my luggage in the closet and change so I could get down to the casino. She did inform me that the room wasnt clean yet, but she called housekeeping and said they would be there within the hour. That was fine with me. The only disadvantage to the room is that it was the last one at the end of the hall. It did'nt bother me one bit. The walk was not that bad. As soon as I walked in I was amazed. Pictures really do not do this place justice. I knew what to expect, but there is a difference once you are REALLY there. Even though the room was dirty from the previous guests, I was still impressed. I changed and walked thru Mandalay Place to go and check out Frank's suite at the Luxor. He bribed the clerk $50.00 which got him a Pyramid Jazuzzi Suite on the 29th floor. Note for all you Luxor Fans, The 29th Floor does not have the overlook. That was one of my favorite features about my stay there in march 2003. We were on the 12th floor in a jacuzzi suite and the view was pretty cool. I dont know how far up it goes, but I do know that the 29th floor does not have the overlook. Keep that in mind if thats important to you. There were only about 14 rooms on the floor, one of these was a massive suite that took up an entire side. So there are some suites in the pyramid that arent the jacuzzi suites in the corner. If i remember correctly from the travel channel special on the Luxor, I think it might have been the "Queen Nefertiti" suite. House keeping had the door opened so of course i had to peek in, and it looked like the one that I saw on the travel channel. Impressive, huge foyer lots of couches, flat screen TV, and that about all i could see the wet bar was in the way from the angle that i was looking. We played a little single deck blackjack at the luxor and frank won about $500.00. I lost 100 faster then you can say 100. And what the hell is up with all the 6:5 blackjack all over the place??? I have to say it was a little dissappointing. But other than that, i have no complaints. We were waiting for the remainder of our party to arrive, our friend Jim who was flying in from Atlanta. I got the call from him that he was leaving the airport so we starting walking back to the hotel. I was in awe everytime i walked in or out of this place. It is one of the most impressive hotels i have ever seen in my life. I love the black marble all over the place. It is truly first class in my opinion. OH - know I know what everyone is talking about when they say there is a strange noise in the elevator lobby. It sounds like a freakin wind tunnel in there. I never had to wait for an elevator more then 15 seconds. And all the staff that I encountered there were always friendly and helpful when i had questions. Back to the room. The guest bathroom is a good size and very clean. The mini bar is overpriced, but that is to be expected. They have this awesome gourmet trail mix on the bar, which came in handy when the munchies kicked in. We spent most of the remainder of the afternoon catching up on old times in the suite. We were all best friends in high school, and have always kept in touch. It was awesome to watch the strip light up from the comfort of our suite. I do agree with some previous posters how they tend to play out the "THE" at the beginning of everything. Even the friggin toilet paper!!!!! There were some super comfy robes in the closet. I took one and called housekeeping to tell them there was only one and they propmptly brought another one. SCORE ONE!!! I did feel a little guilty, but it didnt last long. What a robe. Now I could spend an entire day telling you how great the bathroom was. I have never been in a bigger bathtub in my life. It was a small pool. VERY impressive. They give you soooo much stuff. I had a small bag filled with stuff. Yes, i take everything thats not bolted down. The bath salts are awesome. My mom loves it. The shower was huge! The seperate room for the toilet was great also. Plenty of room. By far one of the best hotel bathrooms i have ever been in. Ceasars palace tower was almost as nice, although a little gaudy in my opinion. They take gold and marble to a new level in the palace tower. Anyway, back to the hotel. Moving on, the bedroom had one king bed, and two slanted walls of windows. The right hand side you could see half of the Mandalay Bay tower, the pool, the airport ( i saw the planes that fly Area 51 employees no markings at all except for a red stripe TRIPPY!!!) from the other window you had the same view you had from the living room. All the way down the strip. And being on the 24th floor, we were high enough up that luxor didnt obstruct our view. It was well worth the extra 40.00. Plasma TV's were great and the reception was great. Note : if you want to use the DVD player, you have to call down to the front desk and get a special remote, which was no big deal at all. I would give this place 9 out of 10. The only bad thing about this place is its location, and that damn scent they pump thru the whole place. We didnt eat at any of the restaurants there so i cant comment on that aspect. I would not hesitate to stay there again. I still cant get over how cheap it is to stay there to begin with!!!!! I only ended up paying i think 269.00 for a saturday night! Then the $40.00 for the view. I had no complaints at all about the place and was very very happy with it. I would definately recommend this to anyone who wants a little peace and quiet out of their vacation. It's busy, but not so busy that it annoys you. You never have to wait for a cab, and all the staff i encountered were great. I may have found my new home in Las Vegas. Moving on - I got an email from bellagio the day before we booked, So i reserved a Lakeview Penthouse Suite for the next 2 nights. Ill start day 2 with the Limo Pick-up. Stay Tuned!!!! Day 2 coming soon!!!