Vdara Trip Report

Warning...I'm a 58 y.o. married guy so anyone looking for tales of blackouts and hook ups should stop reading right now.

We spent this past weekend at the Vdara comped for 2 nights after losing our November booking due to their delayed opening. We arrived about 6 pm after the taxi driver had to call his dispatcher for directions because he had never done a drop off there. There was only one family checking in ahead of us (this was Super Bowl weekend, remember) and we were promptly booked for a "deluxe lake view" room on the 41st floor. As a reader of these boards, I knew to ask at the desk for dishes and utensils to be sent to the room for breakfast. The view from the room was amazing, presenting a panaroma from the Eiffel Tower and Bellagio fountains all the way to the Palms and mountains to the west. Immediately after we entered the room, our bags arrived and the bellman gave a detailed explanation of the room features including the motorized blinds. We left for a 7:00 reservation at Julian Serranos in the Aria which is just a 3 minute walk from the Vdara. If you like tapas and don't mind dropping about $200 for 2 people, you gotta go here. If you just want to stop by for a drink, they have the best sangria I've ever tasted. When we returned to our room, the dishes had been delivered and the table for two had been set with high quality napkins and flatware.

The next day, I had a massage and my wife had several services done at the spa and salon. The staff were satisfactory but nothing to brag about and the facility itself seemed a little sparse compared to Bellagio and Caesars.

Saturday night we ate at American Fish in the Aria which was almost as good as Serrano's but the portions were quite small and the preparations were rather basic for about the same size bill. We saw La Reve at the Wynn which was enjoyable but not quite up to the level of the 'real' Cirque shows.

Overall, we enjoyed the quiet, smoke free Vdara which was a nice respite from the noise and smoke everywhere else. It was certainly easy enough to walk to the Bellagio or Aria whenever I wanted to hit the slots or have my choice of restaurants. I also enjoyed the feeling that I had found an undiscovered place which is not an easy thing to do in Vegas. Would I stay there again? Maybe. I'm always looking for a new place to check out (since the Bellagio went down hill) and City Center does feel a little isolated from the Strip but I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a peaceful place in Vegas with great views and the comforts of home.

 

Vdara

I'm a 50 yr old and loved your report. While I love reading all types of trip reports, I still love the ones I can relate to. I can only take so much of reading about the cocktail waitresses, strippers, beer pong, etc.

Loved the laid back trip report. I will be celebrating my 51st Birthday in Vegas in Oct. Definitely looking forward to checking out the new City Center. Thanks for sharing your report.

AllieWhitt

 

Lovely TR seems you had a very restful yet entertaining trip, I was in Vegas last November but CC wasn't open yet, would like to check it out on next trip , not sure when that will be

 

Great stuff, thanks for the report!

 

My wife and I will be staying at the Vdara in a few weeks, thanks for the good report. It will be our first time in Vegas we cant wait!

 

Ahhhhhh.... VEGAS!!!!!!!!!

Nick

 

I love any and all trip reports!!! Thanks for sharing!

 

Nicely done - not a place I'd probably stay at but enjoyed the read. Thanks for posting!

 

Nice. Agreed that it's nice to read about folks who tactfully appreciate their surroundings and don't treat everything like they're part of The Hangover.

Unfortunately, it's getting tougher and tougher to find spots on the strip that invite and create this luxe, upscale environment.



BN

 

Enjoyed the report, no need to apologize everyone's Vegas trip is different.

 

Never apologize for a trip report. Vegas is totally different to everyone and to what type of group is going. Glad you had a nice quiet time and I am only 30 but honestly and thinking about a trip like in the future, if I don't start drinking on the plane like usually. Thanks again.

 

Thanks for posting, we all do Vegas different. Garry

 

Didn't apologize, just warned. :wink One more thing... WiFi and 3G reception is horrible in both Vdara and the Aria. More than once, I lost service on my IPhone all together. Props to the Concierge desk in the Vdara for doing my Southwest boarding passes in 2 minutes flat.

Thanks for the comments.

 

I am so glad I read this. We are off for the second time this year to Vegas ( went on NYE) and staying @ Vdara for 5 nights starting this Sat! So excited for some much needed R&R. We are in our late 30's and bringing our 8 yr ( sorry kid haters she has to come, no sitters here @ home). So, our Vegas trip will not be of the Hangover calibur, more enjoying good food, good drink, some gambling in shifts, all the lions, tigers and dolphins and family time. No doubt we will be enjoying our room by 9pm. We are flying this time with the awesome deal Southwest had going, could not pass it up! Thanks for the check in tip on the utensils.

 

Please excuse me for my ignorance; but, why did you have dishes and flatware delivered to your room? Do these rooms have refrigerators in them?

 

Thanks for trip report. I was thinking about cancelling my Vdara reservation after reading Bellamom's report today, but maybe it is luck of the draw.

At least between your TR and bellamom, we know what to look out for. I'll celebrate my 55th birthday there as well as the wedding and it'd be nice to have nothing go wrong.

 

Vdara...

Thanks for the trip report!! I like to read everyone's style for their time in Vegas!!

As to those thinking about any of these new hotels, I guess it is a matter of the upside (how good they could be in newness, quality, etc.) and the downside that more than one member here has experienced. I am not sure they are up to providing "a great experience" on a regular basis. As Beeejay mentioned elsewhere, customer service seems to be a lost are in Vegas at this point. I wish these places were living up to expectations--I really like staying in a brand new place!!

 

Yes they do as well as a microwave/ 2 burner stove top. The microwave was smoking this morning, no I am not kidding and now we are having electrical "issues" in the room. Anyone booked here, please take from our experience so far, re-schedule somewhere else. SO not worth the frustration. I now have a cold sore from all this stress on our "vacation".