Quick LV Trip, Dec. 26-28

We (wife, son and myself), decided to take a quick trip to Sin City before the New Year.

Thursday- 12/26.  3 hour drive from So. Cal.  Stopped at the Orleans to play some free play and maybe get a few of the Raiders blanket and pillow gifts they were awarding.  Son lost $50, playing blackjack,  while my wife lost $100 playing slots.  I basically just played my free play on Cleopatras Wild Tiles.  Wife and I both got the gifts.   

Headed to the Olive Garden on Flamingo for lunch.  I got the fettuccine Alfredo, while wife and son got the chicken parm.  All of us enjoyed the meal.  This is a tradition we do everything we come to Vegas and the only meal we will probably pay for without comps.

Headed to the Westgate to check into our comped rooms.  This was an interesting situation and will get its own post later.  

To be continued.....

12/26 cont.

We got to the Westgate around 2pm, a few hours earlier than check in time.  One room was ready,  but the other one wasn't.   No biggie, we'll just put our stuff in the room that's ready,  which we gave to our son.  We would just get the keys later.  The front desk person told us they would put a rush on the room. Cool.  

The room we had the keys for on our initial check in was nice.  King bed in its own alcove and a nice sized living room area with couch,  desk and chair and big counter below the TV on the wall.  Also had a wet bar with a couple of stools. Big shower and lots of counter space where the sink was. 

Played our freeplay.   I made about $200 playing various slots in the high limit room, but gave that all back playing VP at both of the Westgate bars.  My wife turned her free play into $700 playing various slots, getting her biggest hits on the Monty Python Holy Grail slot.  Our son dropped $100 on BJ pretty fast and headed to the room.  But came back later to play BJ, craps and some roulette using the money my wife won from free play.  

About 7pm they found me playing VP at the Sports book bar.  Using some of my wife's food comps we got a large meat lovers pizza and ate it at the Sportsbook.

We then went to registration to get our keys to the other room.  It was across from our son's room.  We went in and......

To be continued....

The second room......was not cleaned.   There was trash, towels all over the bathroom floor and bed was evidently slept in.  Since this room was under my wife she called the front desk.  They told her housekeeping was going to clean it now and it would be ready by 10pm.  After my wife's slot host,  who booked the room for her,  heard about this, he gave her another $100 in food and beverage comps. We'll use those Friday night for dinner at Benijana. 

The room, which was ready about 10:15, was very similar to the first room, except that this room had two big oversized chairs instead of a couch.  It works for us.  

I ended up going to sleep around 11, but my wife wanted to keep playing.   She came back up around 2am, waking me up when she came in.  She played for a good long time,  but came back down a few hundred.  Such is life on a Vegas vacation. 

Friday's itinerary includes using free play and food comps for Breakfast at the Sahara, playing at South Point and dinner back at Benijanas.  

Enjoy your time there Edso.  Since I'm staying at the Sahara in May, could you let me know how the food choices were?  Take care.

Zeffers, the cafe is really good.   Good food and seservice.  It's not very big, though,  but wait was only about 10 minutes.  The only other spot we have tried is the little sandwich/ice cream spot near registration.   It's good for something quick late in the evening when other spots are closed. 

The restaurant was named by someone who wanted to call it "Zephyrs" but was too lazy to look up how the word was spelled?

It was named after the owner's great-great-great grandfather, Klaus Zeffer from Bavaria?

A "zeffer" is a kind of cocktail made with creme de menthe, tomato juice, and club soda?

Let us know!

I'm surprise someone hasn't gigged you about eating at a "chain", Olive Garden, which I actually like a lot and wouldn't hesitate to eat there. 

And speaking (or writing) about fettuccini Alfredo, here where I live (mid South, a best kept secret actually) is a wonderful family owned place that serves the BEST (IMHO) FA and similar white sauced entrees.  The place is so popular (food and price) that on Sundays you'd better skip church unless willing to wait in line a while for a table.

Anyway, I'd copied their Fett. Alfredo ingredients and have presented it to several so-called higher end "Italian" eateries in Las Vegas (and one at Beau Rivage in Biloxi) asking if they would/could prepare it for me, even though not on their menus.  Oh, certainly, no problem the server always says, appearing to rush off to the chef with my 'instructions' (ha).  Unfortunately they have no concept, I suppose, of how to put the ingredients (and nothing exotic in them) together to be anywhere close to that for which I've gone to the trouble to present a clean copy, and it embarrasses my BFF for me to ask.

I've educated my BFF that at higher end places you can ask for anything you want, and if they are worth their salt they will do their best to make it for you.

I've given up on Allegro at Wynn, having given them two chances to follow my recipe, thinking maybe 'different day, different chef.'  Both times got huge plates of what they call Fettuccini A., but nothing close.  Sigh...

More to the point, thanks for your very nice report.  Those room glitches happen, and at least your Host compensated you for your trouble. 

We once had our room emptied out one night early, while we were away dining or something.  That was a weird experience.  But then, it was at a Red Roof Inn in Shreveport.  We actually liked the place, had stayed there many times going to the horse races before casinos came along.  Oh, well.  A calculation error by a clerk, I'm sure, "Say, is this the twenty- third or the twenty-fourth?  Those folks are supposed to be out of 218."  Oops.

Nice of you to bring your son along...especially giving him your ready room!  Like is often said, "No good deed..." and all that.

Candy

Yeah, Candy, our host rocks.  We saw him last night and he gave us a late, late, late check out of 3pm for today.  My wife already requested the room our son used for our next trip. 

I will post the last installment of my trip report later today.  

Friday,  December 27-  morning and afternoon 

Started the day heading to the fitness center to find out it didn't open until 9am. Dang!  Well, I'll get plenty of walking in today,  so wife and I headed to Sahara to use our FP and food comps for breakfast.   

No love on the FP.  Wife used hers playing a Bank Busters slot and Mo Mummy was not in the giving mood.  

Breakfast at Zeffers was good.   Wife had chicken and waffles,  while I had the sausage omelette.  We brought back an order of chicken and waffles for our son, who slept in. Covered the entire bill with our food comps and wife's slot points.  Good deal.

After son finished his breakfast, it was time to hit South Point. Wife and son went to play the tables (BJ, craps and roulette), while I posted up at the center bar to play DDB and watch the bowl games.  Ended up about $100, hitting some full houses and a couple 4OAKs.  Nothing with kickers, though.  Son netted a $75 profit and wife broke even. 

Headed back to the Westgate to relax before our 5:30 reservation at Benihanas. 

More later......

Friday evening/night-

Headed to Benihanas for dinner.   Wife and I have been here a few times,  but first time for our son. We were seated with a young couple from Las Vegas and an older couple from Curacao.  Really good pretty dinner conversation about vacations and Curacao. 

Wife, son and I had the steak and chicken combo.  Started with an onion soup and a shrimp appetizer.  Our chef, Leo, was very skilled and entertaining.  After the soup and app, he cooked up some onions and zucchini for everyone.  Then he cooked the seafood that others had ordered for their entrees and then fried rice.  He finished off the meal cooking the steak and chicken.   Everything was great.  Meal ended with ice cream for dessert.   For the three of us it was over $170, but wife had the food/beverage credits,  so just charged it to the room.  Only out of pocket was the tip,  as the Westgate doesn't allow the food comps to cover tips. Oh well.  

After dinner my wife and son hit the tables while I went back to the Westgate sports book bar for some DDB VP.  Ended up losing about $100 over the next two hours,  but had plenty of cuervas and good conversation with the bartender,  Cesar,  who has been at the Hilton/LVH/Westgate since 1985.  Wife and son never told me how they fared at BJ.

Met up with my wife at 9:30, who was speaking with our host.  She showed him pictures of the room from the night before with the trash,  messed up bed,  and towels all over the bathroom.   He was very disappointed and embarrassed.  He did give up the late 3pm checj

Caught up with our son finishing up at BJ, and headed to the room after picking him up a drink and snack from the giftshop using my points. 

Asleep by 11pm.