All four corners of Vegas - w/pics !

I wanted to get to Vegas before pool season ended so I jumped on Southwest for the first week in October.    Im still boycotting the strip so I needed to find a good HQ away from the big gouge.  I ended up visiting all four corners of the metro area with only a total of 45 minutes on the strip - more on that later.  

My home base was the Cancun Resort by HGVC.   Its just north of South Point Casino on Las Vegas Blvd.     Their big selling point is the phenomenal pool area which is a full acre of tropical landscapes, an enormous lagoon  and 4 hot tubs.     At the center is a giant Mayan pyramid with an impressive waterfall on one side and a series of water slides on the other.    Best of all, they keep it heated so it was comfortable despite the weather only reaching highs of the low 80's for my trip.     Another bonus is the poolside bar and grill which offers up drinks and eats at sane prices.   Beers are $6.    If you want the Vegas Pool experience at a sane price this is a good place.     Nightly room price including resort fee  starts around $180.    

The rooms themselves are empirically good but subpar for an HGVC resort.    Small kitchen, cheap/older appliances and fixtures.    No washer dryer in unit - that's a big faux pas.  Beds were a little too firm for my taste.    But, again, its all about the pool.

EAST

Sunday I went EAST.    Emerald Island was my first destination.   This has become a regular stop.   it feels like a Fremont St casino circa 2005.    I cashed in the coupons for the wheel spin and diner.  

   $13 Steak and Eggs was cut in half with the LVA coupon.   For $6.50 you get this:

Steak was thin but tender and seasoned well.    I like that they serve the potatoes on a little bed of grilled onions/peppers. One thing I noticed was they cut corners with the eggs.   THey dont use grade A large eggs....they use those little tiny ones.    C'mon guys!  Charge and extra quarter and use the good eggs !

As usual - gambling was fun on the loose slots and good VP schedules.   I scored a 4OAK for a quick $100 and a bonus round on one of the slots.

My evening destination was Green Valley Ranch.    I think the last time I was there they had a buffet(and a  pretty damn good one).    How long ago was that?   This turned out to be a great place to watch Sunday Night football.   The sportsbook is huge with lots of comfy chairs and sofas.    It was only about half full so securing a seat was not an issue.     The ongoing promotion features cheap beer bottles and $2 Frozen Margaritas.  THe latter was surprisingly good.  I was expecting a gas station slushy with cheap hooch in it.    Actually it was on par with what you get at your neighborhood Mexican Restaurant.   You can taste the lime juice in there.

Right next to the sports book is a big bank of 100% pay video poker.  

You can play Double Double Bonus at 25, 50, or $1.   You dont get points but who cares with that +100%  pay?

No hand pays - but lots of small hits like this one.

SOUTH

I had some mailing offers from Silverton after giving them alot of play last year.   They made me check into one of their rooms for 3 days which I didn't use.   I was more interested in the $50 food credit and $100 of play.

   I gave their steakhouse, Twin Creeks, a try.    Wow !   This is an amazing room with soft jazz playing in a dim atmosphere.    On Thursdays they have 30% off steaks and $20 bottomless wine.    I jumped all over that.    This joint rivals any place I've been to on the strip - but its also about as expensive.  Even with the discounts and food comp I still managed to spend over $100.  

Silverton had a nice 8/5 Bonus Poker with Progressive at $1.   I chased it last year and for one day this year.   Then they downgraded it right in the middle of my trip.   It was 8/5 on Saturday and by Monday it was 7/5.  WTF?!?!     See ya !    I probably wont be getting another mail offer from Silverton again  =)

WEST

I set my sails WEST and headed out to Durango.    This was my first time visiting.    Definitely a different approach from other Station properties.  Its a very open concept.    The casino floor is basically two giant football fields of gambling space with all of the restaurants and other retailers in the walls around it.     The great big rectangle makes it very easy to navigate.  There is no getting lost in the twisty corridors most casinos make you wind through.   The Cannery Casino does it the same way on a smaller scale.

I had a fun hit on a triple play VP machine where my 4OAK was slapped with a 10X multiplier.  

The best thing about Durango is the satellite location of Shang's Artisan Noodle.    THeir home location on Flamingo Road has a 45 minute line at all hours of the day.   I walked right in and sat down at the Durango location.     This place needs to be on your Vegas bucket list if you have not tried it.    It routinely makes top lists of Asian restaurants nationally....and after one sample of the Beef Noodle Soup you will understand why.

All in all, I liked Durango but it hasn't done anything to dethrone Red Rock as the jewel of the Station Properties.   I guess there was no big casinos in the SW corner of Vegas Metro so they just put one out there.    VP schedules aren't as good as other Stations.

NORTH

I finished up my tour-de-Stations up North with Santa Fe.   Its been forever since I last visited this place.  I think Saddam Hussein was still alive.  I remember it being very quiet with sparse crowds.   Not anymore.   THat neighborhood has developed quite a bit - plus they get all the former Texas Station/Fiesta Rancho patrons.       Santa Fe had a bigger crowd than Green Valley Ranch.   Also, plenty of full pay VP there.    

Much like GVR they have a gorgeous sports book with lots of seating.   I watched the Eagles get spanked by the Giants on MNF and kissed my $100 wager good bye.

Lucky they had some good VP schedules too !

Another bonus was the oyster bar.    Why would you stand in line for an hour at the Palace Station location?   This one has immediate seating with the same menu.    Those pan roasts are incredible....creamy tomato sauce with a cajun twist -   Kinda lika an Italian Vodka sauce with creole seasonings.     

CENTER

I couldn't have a Vegas vacation without at least a little bit of time at Ellis Island.    The LVA coupons are only the beginning.    The kiosk has a whole bunch more.    They gave me THREE $10 table bet coupons for some reason.  Im not a high roller with a ton of play so it must be pretty easy to get.    I printed those babies out and hit the $5 craps table.   They are in the midst of renovation so construction fences were everywhere.    THis place looks nothing like it did just 3 years ago.    Can you imagine how gangbusters this place would be if they fancied up their hotel?

Who says slots dont pay?

OK - so I didn't completely boycott the strip.   I did make a quick trip to the strip to see the Bodies expo at the Horseshoe.    Its been in Vegas forever and I just never got around to it - so why not?  Just 45 minutes is what it takes to walk through.     Meh.   Kinda underwhelming.    Especially in this day and age where you can see pictures of just about anything on the internet.  

Be careful before you donate your body to science.   Your corpse might end up conducting a symphony at a Las Vegas tourist attraction.

Whoa!  He forgot to wear his cup !

Next door was the Twilight Zone mini golf. I didn't play - I just went in and took the picture.   That looked more worthwhile than Bodies.

Later on I had to check out the RIO .  I had tickets for the only Star Wars production worth seeing since Return of the Jedi.      It made my Death Star explode.   It made my light saber erect.  It made my Wookie want to invade the Empire.    It made other raunchy metaphors occur.      

This show was a really good time.   Sometimes my Attention Deficit Disorder kicks in around the 45 minute mark for most shows.   This one was great all the way through.   Lots of realistic costumes and special effects including a life size Jabba the Hutt.   The emperor does Miley Cyrus' wrecking ball song with the Death Star.   

They let you take pictures during the final song.

I also stumbled on a great promotion at the RIO which is $3 craps every day from 3:00AM-3:00PM.    I made sure to come back the next day and give it a look-see up close.   Sure enough its for reals.    I bought in with $50 and suffered through the constant explaining and tutoring the dealers were having to do with the newbies.     And then one of those newbies got hot.   Really hot.   He kept rolling and rolling and rolling and getting one point after another.   I bounced out of there with $500 in the low roller session.    Fun time.    

LOCAL EATS

I tried a few  non-casino eateries based upon some recommendations .

Siegel's Bagelmania
I've been wanting to go here since they opened.     They have a full deli menu and lots of baked treats.   The bagel breakfast sandwiches are what they are known for.
I totally get it.     Pick your bagel and breakfast meat and they throw it together with some schmear,egss and cheese....and a hashbrown cake.    $20 for that and coffee sounds like a lot but it isn't.  The sandwich is huge as is the quality.  I ended up going twice.

Rebellion Pizza
This one came across my social media feed.    Two locations :  north and south suburbs.    THey make amazing pizza but everyone raves about their meatball sub.   The bread, meatballs and marinara are all made in house.    Its humungous.   That soft, yeasty bread holds everything together nicely.   I went for lunch and ended up being too full for dinner.    They give you four meatballs - each one is slightly smaller than a tennis ball.

The Bar
If you ever made the trip down to South Point then you certainly drove past this place which is about a block across the street.  The Bar is about as exciting as the name would suggest - just a neighborhood watering hole.  But the food is good and cheap enough.   $3 tacos on Taco Tuesday.    I just went for a cocktail.  It nice to have a legitimate Old Fashioned made with good bourbon and not have to drop a $20.       They are only $12 at the BAR.   Good enough for me especially since it was close to my hotel.

And dont forget Frankies up on Charleston.    No Vegas trip is complete without a pop-in.
Two more of their cool swizzle sticks to add to my collection.   Go to their website to see recipes for some of their popular drinks.    I make two of them at home.  

Until next time, Happy Trails.   Lets all hope the post COVID gouge is done.

Great trip report and thanks for posting plenty of pics. As a fellow off-stripper (usually Red Rock or Suncoast) I need to finally check out Durango. Glad you enjoyed the show at Rio - we have tickets for next week's trip. Also planning on Siegels - haven't been there for almost 20 years, when it was a much smaller Harry's Bagelmania. Onward thru the fog...

Fantastic Trip Report, PJ.  Thanks for sharing.  You had some nice 4OAK hits too. 

Thanks for sharing this, gives me some insight into places I should check out!