Trip report Pt. 3: Food: God forbid we should pay full price for anything

South Point's boofay was running full steam ahead. We used the funbook coupons for half off the breakfast; about $6 each when the dust settled. We used the ACG play 300 get a boofay coupons; these are some of the many that have been extended into 2021, though there is no new book this year. No problem redeeming them. The boofay was excellent; a lot better than I remember it from several months ago, in fact.

The Coronado Cafe offers a ridiculously cheap breakfast ($3.45; steak and eggs, $5.99) between midnight and 6 am. We were up late enough to indulge a couple of times. We didn't eat at any of the other restaurants, but I've had several terrific meals at Primarily Prime Rib in the past, as well as at Zenshin. The latter has an extensive happy hour, which applies to most of the menu.

We used LVA coupons to have a cheap but excellent dinner at Emerald Island. The wheel spin coupons netted us $15, $20, and $15, respectively. Definitely worth a stop---and they have low-denomination excellent video poker, too!

The grand finale was the Gold Coast. We hit the LVA play-10-get-10, then we used the ACG $10 matchplay coupons at the roulette wheel; all three of us won. Then, we went to Cornerstone and used our spend $40-get-$20-off LVA coupons to have a fantastic dinner. They had an early bird prime rib special, $30 for a complete meal, including wine (5-6 pm). It was a huge prime rib; next to our table, another diner was happily digging into a far larger prime rib that was actually bigger than the entire plate (it overlapped). I must add that the service was absolutely top notch. The prices there are better than almost every other LV steakhouse and the food has always been some of the best I've ever had.

This trip rated:

Transportation: Z-minus

Food: A+

Gambling: A

Hotel: A

Value: A++

Kevin we think alike on your food choices.  We also hit the GC for the early prime rib special, great deal with the coupons.  We usually fly in early am and first stop is Emerald Island for breakfast which once your LVA 2-1 is gone your card points ad up quickly for your meal to be free. We go to Vegas every three months so just some playing gets us offers for weekly free food. LVA coupon is good any day for 2-1 meal, we used ours on Easter.  For years I've always spun the wheel and got $10-$15 but this time I got the $100. Nice it's cash in your pocket and not free play.  It's old Vegas with daily freebies like strawberry shortcake and free donut holes etc plus loose machines and a great coffee shop.

SP has excellent restaurants and we always like it there but tough to get free rooms.

Thanks for your report enjoyed all three parts and am glad you broke it down in three parts which makes for easier reading.

Great TR & info Thanks

Very impressive, Kevin.  Three reports, concise and telling it like it was.  Easy on the brain.   

Sorry the coming and going part was troublesome...supposed to be part of the excitement factor for a Vegas trip.  But now you are better informed on that. 

Makes me re-consider using Frontier, which just started a to/from Vegas from here.  I actually spent at least 2 hours researching the possibilities.  No rock bottom fares, though some better pricing...depending.  They fly to and from just two days of the week, which actually could have worked, but figuring out the other details, the minutia, the mysterious sign-up and price-up variations (pick seat? check bag? carry a purse?) wore me out. 

Anyway, enjoyed your TR pts 1,2,3.

Candy 

Thanks, Candy. My research on the various flight alternatives suggests that if you want the normal amenities, like checking a bag, being able to choose a seat, drinks and snacks, flying inside the plane instead of being strapped to the wing, and bathroom privileges, you wind up paying just about as much as you would on the regular carriers. That said, I don't mind having the option to ride steerage on the cheap.

I knew I wouldn't want to take a regular suitcase, since checked bags run about $55. They also charge for anything you take on the plane, except for one small "personal item." I stuffed four changes of clothes in a rucksack and hauled that with me---and a lot of other passengers appeared to be doing the same. Theoretically, you had to shove those items under your seat and NOT use the overhead bins unless you paid for them, but in reality, the "personal items" made their way up there as well.

They had one of those measuring bins right at the gate so the attendants could see if your carry-on (small) or your personal item (smaller) met the size requirements. On my outbound flight, there was a hilarious scene where one passenger's small rolly suitcase didn't quiiiiite fit in the bin. The gate attendant was insisted he'd have to pony up another $55 to take it on board. He grunted and strained and pushed, but couldn't force it into the bin. Finally, he climbed up and jumped up and down on it, and succeeded in jamming it in there, turning to the attendant with a triumphant smile. She smiled back and walked away. Then, he tried to get the bag back out of the bin...

Two vultures were flying south for the winter. They were waiting at the check-in gate, and one of them, since he didn't like airline food, was carrying a dead goat. His companion said, "You're crazy, they'll never let you take that on board the plane." He replied, "Don't worry, it's carrion." (Rim shot.)

Looks like someone has hijacked Kevin Lewis's LVA account. I can tell, because the hijacker enjoyed being in Vegas. ; )

This was due to the fact that I used coupons and other deals to save a great deal of money, and I patronized pretty much the only four casinos in town that still offer good gambling value.

The lemmings all around me were paying top dollar for everything, and that will only get even worse. That, I would not have enjoyed at all.

how did you get around while you were there?

That wasn't an issue: my friends from San Diego drove there, and we used their car to get around. They left the evening before I did, so I had to negotiate my own way to the airport for my return flight.

I'll take this opportunity to reiterate my warning: DON'T USE UBER. No-good unreliable scumbag assholes. May their collective intestinal systems experience painful bouts of "surges."

I definitely wouldn't have made this trip if my friends hadn't brought their car, as in general, taxis and rideshares are in short supply in Vegas, and we already know what it's like to try to rent a car for less than the GNP of several small countries. I would advise anyone coming to Vegas to do so by car if remotely possible.

What does the Coranado Cafe charge for coffee?

I used to get sucked into the Stations' cheap breakfast deal for $3.99 only to find out they charged another $3.99 if you wanted coffee.   Many of the cheap prime rib places do the same thing.   Still end up being decent deals but it pays to go to the back page of the menu to see those beverage prices.