This report may not be for everyone, it is very long and I may lose you in a few days. My hubby Liondownow and I usually go for 2 week trips, this trip was June 15-29.
We took off from Hawaii on the red eye at 1055pm on Hawaiian airlines. Plane ride was smooth until about 1 am when screaming baby woke up the whole plane. Flight attendant offered to heat a bottle, but parent declined, instead just kept yelling at her baby to shut up....this was 2 full hours of screaming, not crying, therefore no sleep was to be had by the whole plane. We landed at 6:15 and headed to terminal 3 where mother in law picked us up.
We were hungry dor breakfast and picked Boulevard grill for they are open 24 hours. When we got there, they did not start serving breakfast until 9:30...whaaaaat? So we went across the street to Southpoint instead to the cafe. We ordered much needed coffee and sourdough toast...this was done very well here. We dropped stuff at mom's house and took off for the southpoint again for some gambling. Lost some money on 50 cent keno and wheel of fortune game, but had a mimosa to remember that we could in this town with no judgement.
Took off for highly craved El Pollo Loco and ordered some chicken tacos, they were tasty, however we were going down hill fast from no sleep.
We play the MyVegas game and had a room comp at the Luxor this night, so we attempted an early check in. They let us in....Score! We headed up to pyramid room on inclinatior, it was really strange to ride sideways. Room was nice and really quiet so we tried to slam a few hours of sleep. The curtain would just not close all the way, but we were so tired we went out. Woke at 3:30 because we needed to get to Sporting House by 5pm for MyVegas comp. waking up after a few hours sleep equals getting hit by a baseball bat, however some sleep is better than none. We freshed up and walked to Sporting house at NYNY. Big hockey game that night so it was hoppin, but still ok to talk. I ordered steak salas, hub ordered French dip, food was excellent. We also split a bottle of wine. We had played a little life of luxury progressive ( the first edition that is only found in MGM properties, but we did not win, Alas!
We walked over to planet Hollywood to catch the rio shuttle because we had tickets to Pat Benatar and Cheap Trick at the palms. Played some poker until concert time. The concert was great...four hours of music....remember when concerts were long and you got your monies worth? well, this was the experience. Great venue at the Pearl theatre in the palms. Concert ended around midnight, took a cab back to Luxor and crashed hard.
Sunday we woke up pretty fresh considering our bedtime, we checked out of the hotel at Luxor and headed over to reservations at Bouchon at the Venetian for brunch. It was Father's Day and we still had to wait 20 minutes, but it was with the wait. Hub got us 2 mimosas as we waited to get seated.
We got seated on the patio, perfect temp outside, we clearly beat the heat wave. I ordered the corned beef hash (spectacular) and hub got sourdough waffles with vanilla butter, Wow! We had thought about a buffet, but this was much better and we did not over eat. Please check this out if you have not been, you will really love it. Portions are pretty big, at least for us.
Hub wanted to get out of dress clothes, so we changed into shorts. We checked into Rio for 5 night comp, and got upgraded to the diamond floor ( we are Platinum total rewards players). We went downstairs and played some poker and did pretty well. No quads, but plenty of full houses to keep us at about a "push".
We headed to Aria to go to American fish happy hour from 5-7. This is one of the few restaurants that do 7 day a week happy hours. We had some time to play pennies and grab a quick cocktail on the floor at Aria. I got a champagne and hubs got a Stella. We won a little money on Cats and Cleopatra II. We went to Mandarin Oriental for live jazz at the Mandarin Bar. This place is pricy, but VERY classy with great music. The view is spectacular, especially at sunset. Jazz is Wed and Sun nights from 5-8. After the great pampering we went to the Rio and played more poker until about midnight, the one time that Hawaii time helps us, since that is only 9 pm HST.
The next morning we are up and gambling immediately. Headed to Orleans to play, because we love it. For lunch we stopped by out MUST do, lotus of Siam for lunch. As usual, there is a line out the door at opening. Hub got spicy fried rice with chicken, level 7, I had the Pangang curry ( I hope I spelled that sort of right) and it blew away the green curry I had last time. I wimped out and got a level 6 for spicy. This place is just so good. We both were speechless as we ate this marvelous Thai food. Look it up and go!
We headed to Palms to play free play. If you go to slotplaycoupons.com you will get 40 dollars of slot play for 25 dollars. If you play poker, you will likely make money on this deal. Today after playing the slot play I plopped down on an old WIzard of Oz and hit the flying monkey bonus for 60 dollars, YaY, dinner is paid for!
It was time for Kerry Simon happy hour at palms place. They got rid of a lot of the drinks that used to be on happy hour, so drinks were disappointing, but the food......yum. We both had light Amstel lights, but the Mac and cheese, pigs and a blanket and spicy tuna sushi were well worth the trip. Rest of the night was uneventful, had to pick up teenage son from airport that was delayed over an hour, and by the time we got him to grandmas we decided to call it a night.
Next morning, up and off to pick up the son for some bonding. We went to the beloved In N Out and headed off to a movie "This Is the End". Hub opted out so it was just son and I. Did NOT look forward to this film, but ended up splitting a gut laughing through the whole thing. No spoilers, but this is pretty crass, so if you can't handle crass then do not go.
Dropped off son and got dresses to go to travelzoo offer for Andres at Monte Carlo. For 99 dollars, two people get a three course meal with prosecco. Since this a very high quality restaurant, we could not resist. We had 5:45 reservation. They had specific travelzoo menus so nobody would feel like they were different from other diners, which I really thought was classy. I had lobster bisque, hub had French onion soup, second I had the duck course and hub had chicken. Last course was chocolate soufflé . I loved it. Hub thought chicken was an overrated fried chicken. Later, headed to Rio and played three card nickel poker, lost a few bucks but had a lot of fun doing it.
Next day was Wednesday. We woke up and did some minor gambling at poker and then headed to the Southpoint casino to pick up Free Dennis Bono tickets. This guy does a show on Thursday for free, but you must pick up tix the day before. He will bring in local celebrities to his show. It is mostly an elderly crowd and we in our late forties look like teenagers in there, but it is a lot of fun. For lunch we went to Baja Migels upstairs. They have an unannounced lunch special that is 9.95 per person. You get a big house margarita, two plate combo (taco, enchiladas or chili relleno or a mix and match) and soup. They give you a lot of food and it is pretty good. The chips and salsa are complimentary and come with salsa, guacamole and bean dip. We paid with points.
We headed out toward the Gold Coast to see Lisa Smith combo. They sing jazz standards and the audience average is about 80 years old, but boy can they dance. We grabbed some 2 dollar XX (dos Equis) and enjoyed. During the breaks we hit the floor, playing Enchanted Kingdom, Dean Martins wild party and Reels o Dublin. Ended up winning a few bucks..... Pennies are fun at the Gold Coast.
After the closing number, we hopped in the car and drove to Stratosphere to grab happy hour at the Level 107 lounge and watch the Frankie Moreno show. Happy hour food we had Kobe sliders and chicken wings, nothing special about it, but what a view. These idiots sitting next to us caused such a big scene about the service and food they ended up getting comped. Hub and I were appalled that idiots like this probably plan this in advance. We apologized to our waitress that she had to put up with such scum...I could tell it made her day. We gave her an extra good tip.
We went to play Goldfish for awhile and then to the show. Frankie puts on a great show and highlights young talent that is so refreshing to see. Full price tix may not be worth it, but half price tix definitely are.
We headed to Rio and stayed up mega late playing poker. I hit several 4 of a kinds and four deuces so we ended up a couple hundred for the night.
Thursday has arrived, man does time fly....we met up with gramma an son and went to Famous Dave's BBQ for 6.99 lunch special. It hit the spot. Went to Dennis Bono show at Soutpoint and it was really good. He had on some 17 yo kid that just brought the house down. Geechy Guy was on also, local comic....and was very funny.
For dinner we decided to go to Capos Italian restaurant with a restaurant.com coupon. Place was real old school and a lot of fun. There was a live singer and piano and food was good, yet smaller portions, which I like. We retuned that night to the Rio and played wheel of fortune, queens wild and some hot pennies. We broke about even and called it a night.
Friday already????? Father Time needs to SLOW DOWN. We had to check out of Rio and check into Gold Coast on a two night comp. this is the only hotel that offers weekend comp, and even though the rooms are less than spectacular, because of my sapphire level, we got upgraded to one of the remodeled rooms. Electric Daisy Carnival was happening this weekend, so the hotels all over town are booked. We had plans to go town and watch the Phat Pack and hit a super early happy hour since show was at 5pm. Earlier we went to Meatball spot, at town square so were not as hungry right at 4 pm. We got to Chart house in Golden Nugget and got a great waitress who treated us like gold.
There was a girl at the bar by herself that was so trashed, she left for the bathroom and left her purse. Thank goodness nobody tried to steal it, however when she got back she had half a drink with a full one behind it. She paid her tab and left.....my guess, that the bathroom visit was likely not a pleasant one...mind you it is 4 pm......only in Vegas.
I ordered the hummus trio for 5 dollars, sounded small and hub ordered Kobe sliders. Sliders never came, due to mess up in the kitchen and when the hummus arrived I was flabbergasted at the size of this thing. I could barely put a dent in it, and so much was left. We asked for tab, needing to get to the show.
Plaza is where the show was, we were some of the youngest there. They put us front row...these 3 guys started this show after Phantom of the Opera closed down. They are seriously talented and sang songs from musicals and some fun numbers also....very entertaining. One of them sang Danny Boy and I literally cried it was so beautiful....I promised them after the show that I would let everyone know how good this show is....if you love musicals, you will love this.. This is worth full ticket price, but look at tix4less to get a better deal, I do not want this show to go away.
We headed back to the car and saw some Las Vegas luggage that we really wanted, but said we would come back and get it next week before we left....I do not have to tell you when we later returned it ended up being gone, so if you like something, buy it THEN.
Headed back to Gold Coast and chatted with bar tender while watching game 6 NBA championship. Played several of the usual suspects and then headed off to bed.
Saturday morning has arrived, as we woke up at Gold Coast for final night. This hotel is one thing that I love: Quiet. Today we played pennies until lunch time, they had a promo going on for inventory blow out, so we needed to earn points to get some items that we probably dont need. Plus, needed to earn this weekend comp since we did not plan to come back and play for the rest of the day.
For lunch we ate at the Noodle Exchange, there is a 6.99 special with an entree, soup and egg roll. I had Kung Pao and hub had Chicken Low Mein. We paid with points which is 40% off at Boyd Properties. This only ended up costing us around 11 dollars for both of us with points and we took the leftovers home because there is a ton of food with this deal.
The rest of the day was focused around spending time with the family. We hung out at the house, grabbed some Hooters wings and watched the Adrian Broner boxing match on Showtime. We also took a break from alcohol to give our livers a break. We thought about stopping by Southpoint around 10PM to catch the Spazmatics (80s band) but I was too tired and needed to get some much needed rest - so off to bed we went.
Originally we were going to go to the Jazz brunch at the Country club at Wynn on Sunday morning. We had a reservation, but decided to cancel it, because rich food was not really jiving with us today. After eating out so much, you just dont want to pay up to 60 dollars a person, when you can go to the Orleans and get the buffet with points basically for free, so we opted for that. I have to say I was sort of impressed with the buffet for what it was. There was seafood (shrimp, crab balls) and they have turkey bacon for the hub. They also had a chocolate fountain to dip fruit and delights into. I am glad we made this choice.
After, I wanted to play the new Willie Wonka machine. I hit a chocolate river bonus that was a ton of fun and promptly got off before it took all my money.
We needed to see if we could get in our new hotel for the night at the Mirage. Myvegas we had purchased through gold coins the 2 night deal, both hub and I for a combination of 4 nights. We were lucky and got in early. We went up to the room and really liked it, but it was warm so we cranked the AC and left to go to Caesars to play some pennies.
We love this Green Hot Shot game and got on to play. The waitress stopped by and we ordered some sugar free Red Bulls. I was playing 40 cents a spin when I got the last hot shot reel and two of the symbols were extra money...won 490.00 on a 40 cent bet. Hub and I could not believe it!! We made all our losses up with this machine alone...so we got the heck out of there. We got back to the room and it was still warm so we called to see if they could fix it. The repair man let us know that if it could not be fixed, they would move us to a different room. We gambled around until dinner and went to Onda to grab a few Apps at the bar.
Hub got meatballs and I got some sort of risotto ball. They were really delicious. We went up to room before going to( Myvegas) Love show. Room was still hot, so we called down and they moved us to the VIP floor 25th floor with a huge bathroom. We were thrilled about this and the view faced the front. Little did we know, but volcano action happens every hour on the hour until midnight, but I still would not have changed this room.
We went to Love, it was really really good. I am not a Cirque fan necessarily, but I do really like Beatles music and it was so well done. Hub wanted to gamble on the floor afterwards so we ended up staying up pretty late. We ended up losing some money, but with the earlier win, it did not put much of a dent in.
Next morning we were feeling a little rough. I had a hair appointment at Southpoint since the renewal was the next day. My appointment ended around 11AM and we headed to Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars.
I ordered the Shepards Pie and hub ordered the sliders. We got a side of fries. The food was excellent- i think the best shepards pie I ever had-- hub loved his food. We would have ordered beer, but we were just not ready to start up after last night. We played a little more Green Hot shot and went over to the Flamingo to pick up our tickets to Legends in Concert at 4PM. We took this opprotunity to look inside the Quad. I cannot believe this is the same casino, it looks totally different. I am sure the rooms are still the same, but the casino was unrecognizable.
Legends was pretty good. The stand outs were Rod Stewart and Michael Jackson- they both nailed it. Probably the best Michael I have ever seen- this guy can just flat out dance. After show we headed to RA at the fashion show mall for happy hour. Hub got wings and potstickers and I got the Viva Las Vegas Roll-- awesome sushi. We had to pick up our daughter and husband from the airport, which once again was about an hour late...by the time we got them to the Mirage to check in their Myvegas comps it was nearly midnight. We were going to grab a late night drink, but all were really tired, so we called it a night.
Tuesday morning and the kids are up and all over the strip as we peel ourselves out of bed after being here for a week and a half. They were looking for 1 dollar margaritas at Casino Royale, which apparently are no longer available. We met them around 10;30 and dropped them at Excalibur so they could walk to the Shark Reef that they bought on Myvegas. Hub and I wanted to grab a quick lunch and I desperately wanted a salad. I remembered we had some 50 % off buffet tickets for Southpoint buffet, so we went there. It averages 5 dollars a person with this savings and you get your soda plus whatever you want in the buffet- I personally think they have a great salad bar.
We headed to the house to get the wedding clothes ready. We chilled until about 2:30- we needed to pick the kids up at Excalibur so we could all meet at Silverton where the Hummer Limo would pick us- unknown by anyone in our party but hub and I. We got there early and got a lot of attention due to wedding garb, had a few moments to kill so we took pictures by the Shark tank.
Family was wondering why we were not moving to the wedding Chapel (Little church of the West) as we tried to keep our ride a secret. Finally, this huge Hummer Limo came around the corner. We went outside and my mother in law joked about it being our ride- we then let them know it was our ride. Everyone thought it was really fun- especially 17 year old son who was posting instagram as fast as his phone would let him.
we got the the Little church of the west- beautiful facility and very nice people and had a wonderful ceremony. This is just such a classy venue. We got one of the cheaper packages, but still they gave me a beautiful nosegay of red roses and hub's boutonniere. Photography was great also and no real pressure sales, just information to get everything from a DVD to just your 5 free photos only if you like.
We got back in the limo and headed down the strip where we popped open some champagne. I had a bucket list moment and unrolled the window yelling "Vegas Baby" as I startled an entire cab load next to us. As we drove down the road we got several looks, thumbs up and pointing. Daughter had to use bathroom so we pulled up to Ballys side entrance and rolled out. People came out and took pictures of the Limo while we were inside...of course I felt like a side show, rolling out of Limo and racing inside with wedding gear on...too funny.
We headed back to the Silverton after going all the way downtown and took the highway back. Driver was really cool. We ate at Twin creeks at Silverton, one of our favorite steak places due to ambience and price. The food was lovely and the service was top notch- they treated us like kings and pulled out all the stops. Big thanks to Twin Creek staff for making that day so special.
We parted ways with Mom and son and took daughter and husband back to Planet Hollywood for thier show - a hypnotist. Headed to bed.
Wednesday morning and felt refreshed...after getting to bed early felt pretty good. Took the kids to Excalibur for they had a all day buffet from Myvegas and the Tournament of Kings show. We all ate at the buffet for lunch, hub and I payed with points. This buffet is not bad- I had a pretty good salad and some Oreo cheesecake followed by a Cappacino. Not worth paying for, but OK for free or points.
We took the kids to Orleans to check in for 2 day comp. Both Hub and I got rooms to put the kids in one for the final night. We then headed to Circus Circus because they wanted to get our third grandchild a painted sign of their name, to match the other grand kids they got a few years back. Hub and i went and played Life of Luxury, but got no hits....grrrr.
It was time to go back and drop them off at Excalibur for Tournament show and they met up with Mom and son so they all 4 could go. This was all Myvegas and when they reserved they got front row. They all really liked it. Hub and I went back to the Orleans and played every game we could find. We had such a blast- played new Wizard of Oz game, Jungle wild, Brazillian beauty and Villlage people Party.....Micheal Jackson games were gone...Boo! These were some of the loosest games there. We inquired and they said that both Jackson and Elvis left the building. Got to bed late, but had alot of fun doing it. I forgot to mention that we hit Lotus of Siam again for dinner- because if there was going to be at least one repeat meal-- this was going to be the meal.
Thursday and only 2 days remain on the trip. We woke up and ate at the cafe at Orleans, decided to hit the pool in the morning...so we spent a couple of hours there relaxing with the whole family. We cleaned up and headed out to In N Out with the kids, they all love this place. We then went to the Galaxy Luxury theatre (think auto recliners, cocktails and alot of space) where we saw World War Z.. It was very hot at 117 so a theatre cool down seemed like a good idea. World War Z was good, but it did require quite an imagination to come up with that story.
We dropped son at Grammas and the older kids and hub headed to Orleans where we grabbed some 99 cent margaritas at the Cantina. We then headed to one of our favorite happy hours of all time: Rhythm Kitchen about 8 blocks from the Orleans. Hub had chicken wings w/chips (generous amount) for 4 dollars, I had steak bites for 5 dollars and the kids split a chips and salsa and pizza. The drinks are also half price and they have a great selection. We went back to Orleans and played a bank of old goldfish machines.
We all did pretty well on these. We had tickets for the comedy show at Big Als- which we found out this evening they were moving to the Gold Coast the next week....REALLY? This venue at Orleans is perfect for comedy- what a shame, but we LOVED all the comedians that night. We played some more all around the casino. Hub rarely leaves me to play other games, but I told him to go ahead and hang with the kids while I watched the house band. Not 10 minutes and I had a couple-- YES A COUPLE start hitting on me. He kept telling me what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...of all place the Orleans-- Really?
Anyway hub came back and I told him where he got a little peeved, but at least they had left by then. We decided to move to the Sex in the City Games and then to the Hangover games and pretty much played there till it was time to go to sleep. I was hungry so I grabbed a Chex Mix Hot & Spicy mix for the room with a Diet Squirt...it did the trick.
Next morning woke up and ate at the Cafe again, we both had 10 dollars credit for the rooms and spent it on breakfast both days. We grabbed the kids and checked out. Had to get them to the airport, so we stopped by request to In N Out again so they can indulge one last time. We said our goodbyes, but were about to say hello to hubs brother that flew in.
We picked him and his wife up at Harrahs and took them to Peppermill bar. They really liked the bar, and never expected the inside to ever look like that. We then headed downtown and hit the happy hour at Triple Seven brew pub at the Mainstreet casino. I had the quesadilla with black bean chili- my favorite thing on the menu and hub had a flat bread meat lovers pizza. Brother and wife split wings and we all had the fabulous microbrew they make on premise there. Meal was free with points and at 40% off was a steal.
We headed to the D and played the Sigma Derby horse game and then ended up playing at the Four Queens forever, because the bar tops were being very generous. They had never seen the show so we stepped out to watch Queen We will Rock you and We are the Champions on the Fremont experience. Hub and I sadly had to leave because we had a flight at 9 AM to Hawaii. We said our sad goodbyes and headed to our house to sleep our final night in Vegas. In 6 months we will live there permanently after I retire from the Military.
I love Vegas and love that everyone here loves Vegas- I continue to read your great trip reports and hope and encourage you all to continue writing your great experiences so we can discover new things in this great city.
Thanks to all that hung in here to read all this.....Aloha!
We took off from Hawaii on the red eye at 1055pm on Hawaiian airlines. Plane ride was smooth until about 1 am when screaming baby woke up the whole plane. Flight attendant offered to heat a bottle, but parent declined, instead just kept yelling at her baby to shut up....this was 2 full hours of screaming, not crying, therefore no sleep was to be had by the whole plane. We landed at 6:15 and headed to terminal 3 where mother in law picked us up.
We were hungry dor breakfast and picked Boulevard grill for they are open 24 hours. When we got there, they did not start serving breakfast until 9:30...whaaaaat? So we went across the street to Southpoint instead to the cafe. We ordered much needed coffee and sourdough toast...this was done very well here. We dropped stuff at mom's house and took off for the southpoint again for some gambling. Lost some money on 50 cent keno and wheel of fortune game, but had a mimosa to remember that we could in this town with no judgement.
Took off for highly craved El Pollo Loco and ordered some chicken tacos, they were tasty, however we were going down hill fast from no sleep.
We play the MyVegas game and had a room comp at the Luxor this night, so we attempted an early check in. They let us in....Score! We headed up to pyramid room on inclinatior, it was really strange to ride sideways. Room was nice and really quiet so we tried to slam a few hours of sleep. The curtain would just not close all the way, but we were so tired we went out. Woke at 3:30 because we needed to get to Sporting House by 5pm for MyVegas comp. waking up after a few hours sleep equals getting hit by a baseball bat, however some sleep is better than none. We freshed up and walked to Sporting house at NYNY. Big hockey game that night so it was hoppin, but still ok to talk. I ordered steak salas, hub ordered French dip, food was excellent. We also split a bottle of wine. We had played a little life of luxury progressive ( the first edition that is only found in MGM properties, but we did not win, Alas!
We walked over to planet Hollywood to catch the rio shuttle because we had tickets to Pat Benatar and Cheap Trick at the palms. Played some poker until concert time. The concert was great...four hours of music....remember when concerts were long and you got your monies worth? well, this was the experience. Great venue at the Pearl theatre in the palms. Concert ended around midnight, took a cab back to Luxor and crashed hard.
Sunday we woke up pretty fresh considering our bedtime, we checked out of the hotel at Luxor and headed over to reservations at Bouchon at the Venetian for brunch. It was Father's Day and we still had to wait 20 minutes, but it was with the wait. Hub got us 2 mimosas as we waited to get seated.
We got seated on the patio, perfect temp outside, we clearly beat the heat wave. I ordered the corned beef hash (spectacular) and hub got sourdough waffles with vanilla butter, Wow! We had thought about a buffet, but this was much better and we did not over eat. Please check this out if you have not been, you will really love it. Portions are pretty big, at least for us.
Hub wanted to get out of dress clothes, so we changed into shorts. We checked into Rio for 5 night comp, and got upgraded to the diamond floor ( we are Platinum total rewards players). We went downstairs and played some poker and did pretty well. No quads, but plenty of full houses to keep us at about a "push".
We headed to Aria to go to American fish happy hour from 5-7. This is one of the few restaurants that do 7 day a week happy hours. We had some time to play pennies and grab a quick cocktail on the floor at Aria. I got a champagne and hubs got a Stella. We won a little money on Cats and Cleopatra II. We went to Mandarin Oriental for live jazz at the Mandarin Bar. This place is pricy, but VERY classy with great music. The view is spectacular, especially at sunset. Jazz is Wed and Sun nights from 5-8. After the great pampering we went to the Rio and played more poker until about midnight, the one time that Hawaii time helps us, since that is only 9 pm HST.
The next morning we are up and gambling immediately. Headed to Orleans to play, because we love it. For lunch we stopped by out MUST do, lotus of Siam for lunch. As usual, there is a line out the door at opening. Hub got spicy fried rice with chicken, level 7, I had the Pangang curry ( I hope I spelled that sort of right) and it blew away the green curry I had last time. I wimped out and got a level 6 for spicy. This place is just so good. We both were speechless as we ate this marvelous Thai food. Look it up and go!
We headed to Palms to play free play. If you go to slotplaycoupons.com you will get 40 dollars of slot play for 25 dollars. If you play poker, you will likely make money on this deal. Today after playing the slot play I plopped down on an old WIzard of Oz and hit the flying monkey bonus for 60 dollars, YaY, dinner is paid for!
It was time for Kerry Simon happy hour at palms place. They got rid of a lot of the drinks that used to be on happy hour, so drinks were disappointing, but the food......yum. We both had light Amstel lights, but the Mac and cheese, pigs and a blanket and spicy tuna sushi were well worth the trip. Rest of the night was uneventful, had to pick up teenage son from airport that was delayed over an hour, and by the time we got him to grandmas we decided to call it a night.
Next morning, up and off to pick up the son for some bonding. We went to the beloved In N Out and headed off to a movie "This Is the End". Hub opted out so it was just son and I. Did NOT look forward to this film, but ended up splitting a gut laughing through the whole thing. No spoilers, but this is pretty crass, so if you can't handle crass then do not go.
Dropped off son and got dresses to go to travelzoo offer for Andres at Monte Carlo. For 99 dollars, two people get a three course meal with prosecco. Since this a very high quality restaurant, we could not resist. We had 5:45 reservation. They had specific travelzoo menus so nobody would feel like they were different from other diners, which I really thought was classy. I had lobster bisque, hub had French onion soup, second I had the duck course and hub had chicken. Last course was chocolate soufflé . I loved it. Hub thought chicken was an overrated fried chicken. Later, headed to Rio and played three card nickel poker, lost a few bucks but had a lot of fun doing it.
Next day was Wednesday. We woke up and did some minor gambling at poker and then headed to the Southpoint casino to pick up Free Dennis Bono tickets. This guy does a show on Thursday for free, but you must pick up tix the day before. He will bring in local celebrities to his show. It is mostly an elderly crowd and we in our late forties look like teenagers in there, but it is a lot of fun. For lunch we went to Baja Migels upstairs. They have an unannounced lunch special that is 9.95 per person. You get a big house margarita, two plate combo (taco, enchiladas or chili relleno or a mix and match) and soup. They give you a lot of food and it is pretty good. The chips and salsa are complimentary and come with salsa, guacamole and bean dip. We paid with points.
We headed out toward the Gold Coast to see Lisa Smith combo. They sing jazz standards and the audience average is about 80 years old, but boy can they dance. We grabbed some 2 dollar XX (dos Equis) and enjoyed. During the breaks we hit the floor, playing Enchanted Kingdom, Dean Martins wild party and Reels o Dublin. Ended up winning a few bucks..... Pennies are fun at the Gold Coast.
After the closing number, we hopped in the car and drove to Stratosphere to grab happy hour at the Level 107 lounge and watch the Frankie Moreno show. Happy hour food we had Kobe sliders and chicken wings, nothing special about it, but what a view. These idiots sitting next to us caused such a big scene about the service and food they ended up getting comped. Hub and I were appalled that idiots like this probably plan this in advance. We apologized to our waitress that she had to put up with such scum...I could tell it made her day. We gave her an extra good tip.
We went to play Goldfish for awhile and then to the show. Frankie puts on a great show and highlights young talent that is so refreshing to see. Full price tix may not be worth it, but half price tix definitely are.
We headed to Rio and stayed up mega late playing poker. I hit several 4 of a kinds and four deuces so we ended up a couple hundred for the night.
Thursday has arrived, man does time fly....we met up with gramma an son and went to Famous Dave's BBQ for 6.99 lunch special. It hit the spot. Went to Dennis Bono show at Soutpoint and it was really good. He had on some 17 yo kid that just brought the house down. Geechy Guy was on also, local comic....and was very funny.
For dinner we decided to go to Capos Italian restaurant with a restaurant.com coupon. Place was real old school and a lot of fun. There was a live singer and piano and food was good, yet smaller portions, which I like. We retuned that night to the Rio and played wheel of fortune, queens wild and some hot pennies. We broke about even and called it a night.
Friday already????? Father Time needs to SLOW DOWN. We had to check out of Rio and check into Gold Coast on a two night comp. this is the only hotel that offers weekend comp, and even though the rooms are less than spectacular, because of my sapphire level, we got upgraded to one of the remodeled rooms. Electric Daisy Carnival was happening this weekend, so the hotels all over town are booked. We had plans to go town and watch the Phat Pack and hit a super early happy hour since show was at 5pm. Earlier we went to Meatball spot, at town square so were not as hungry right at 4 pm. We got to Chart house in Golden Nugget and got a great waitress who treated us like gold.
There was a girl at the bar by herself that was so trashed, she left for the bathroom and left her purse. Thank goodness nobody tried to steal it, however when she got back she had half a drink with a full one behind it. She paid her tab and left.....my guess, that the bathroom visit was likely not a pleasant one...mind you it is 4 pm......only in Vegas.
I ordered the hummus trio for 5 dollars, sounded small and hub ordered Kobe sliders. Sliders never came, due to mess up in the kitchen and when the hummus arrived I was flabbergasted at the size of this thing. I could barely put a dent in it, and so much was left. We asked for tab, needing to get to the show.
Plaza is where the show was, we were some of the youngest there. They put us front row...these 3 guys started this show after Phantom of the Opera closed down. They are seriously talented and sang songs from musicals and some fun numbers also....very entertaining. One of them sang Danny Boy and I literally cried it was so beautiful....I promised them after the show that I would let everyone know how good this show is....if you love musicals, you will love this.. This is worth full ticket price, but look at tix4less to get a better deal, I do not want this show to go away.
We headed back to the car and saw some Las Vegas luggage that we really wanted, but said we would come back and get it next week before we left....I do not have to tell you when we later returned it ended up being gone, so if you like something, buy it THEN.
Headed back to Gold Coast and chatted with bar tender while watching game 6 NBA championship. Played several of the usual suspects and then headed off to bed.
Saturday morning has arrived, as we woke up at Gold Coast for final night. This hotel is one thing that I love: Quiet. Today we played pennies until lunch time, they had a promo going on for inventory blow out, so we needed to earn points to get some items that we probably dont need. Plus, needed to earn this weekend comp since we did not plan to come back and play for the rest of the day.
For lunch we ate at the Noodle Exchange, there is a 6.99 special with an entree, soup and egg roll. I had Kung Pao and hub had Chicken Low Mein. We paid with points which is 40% off at Boyd Properties. This only ended up costing us around 11 dollars for both of us with points and we took the leftovers home because there is a ton of food with this deal.
The rest of the day was focused around spending time with the family. We hung out at the house, grabbed some Hooters wings and watched the Adrian Broner boxing match on Showtime. We also took a break from alcohol to give our livers a break. We thought about stopping by Southpoint around 10PM to catch the Spazmatics (80s band) but I was too tired and needed to get some much needed rest - so off to bed we went.
Originally we were going to go to the Jazz brunch at the Country club at Wynn on Sunday morning. We had a reservation, but decided to cancel it, because rich food was not really jiving with us today. After eating out so much, you just dont want to pay up to 60 dollars a person, when you can go to the Orleans and get the buffet with points basically for free, so we opted for that. I have to say I was sort of impressed with the buffet for what it was. There was seafood (shrimp, crab balls) and they have turkey bacon for the hub. They also had a chocolate fountain to dip fruit and delights into. I am glad we made this choice.
After, I wanted to play the new Willie Wonka machine. I hit a chocolate river bonus that was a ton of fun and promptly got off before it took all my money.
We needed to see if we could get in our new hotel for the night at the Mirage. Myvegas we had purchased through gold coins the 2 night deal, both hub and I for a combination of 4 nights. We were lucky and got in early. We went up to the room and really liked it, but it was warm so we cranked the AC and left to go to Caesars to play some pennies.
We love this Green Hot Shot game and got on to play. The waitress stopped by and we ordered some sugar free Red Bulls. I was playing 40 cents a spin when I got the last hot shot reel and two of the symbols were extra money...won 490.00 on a 40 cent bet. Hub and I could not believe it!! We made all our losses up with this machine alone...so we got the heck out of there. We got back to the room and it was still warm so we called to see if they could fix it. The repair man let us know that if it could not be fixed, they would move us to a different room. We gambled around until dinner and went to Onda to grab a few Apps at the bar.
Hub got meatballs and I got some sort of risotto ball. They were really delicious. We went up to room before going to( Myvegas) Love show. Room was still hot, so we called down and they moved us to the VIP floor 25th floor with a huge bathroom. We were thrilled about this and the view faced the front. Little did we know, but volcano action happens every hour on the hour until midnight, but I still would not have changed this room.
We went to Love, it was really really good. I am not a Cirque fan necessarily, but I do really like Beatles music and it was so well done. Hub wanted to gamble on the floor afterwards so we ended up staying up pretty late. We ended up losing some money, but with the earlier win, it did not put much of a dent in.
Next morning we were feeling a little rough. I had a hair appointment at Southpoint since the renewal was the next day. My appointment ended around 11AM and we headed to Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars.
I ordered the Shepards Pie and hub ordered the sliders. We got a side of fries. The food was excellent- i think the best shepards pie I ever had-- hub loved his food. We would have ordered beer, but we were just not ready to start up after last night. We played a little more Green Hot shot and went over to the Flamingo to pick up our tickets to Legends in Concert at 4PM. We took this opprotunity to look inside the Quad. I cannot believe this is the same casino, it looks totally different. I am sure the rooms are still the same, but the casino was unrecognizable.
Legends was pretty good. The stand outs were Rod Stewart and Michael Jackson- they both nailed it. Probably the best Michael I have ever seen- this guy can just flat out dance. After show we headed to RA at the fashion show mall for happy hour. Hub got wings and potstickers and I got the Viva Las Vegas Roll-- awesome sushi. We had to pick up our daughter and husband from the airport, which once again was about an hour late...by the time we got them to the Mirage to check in their Myvegas comps it was nearly midnight. We were going to grab a late night drink, but all were really tired, so we called it a night.
Tuesday morning and the kids are up and all over the strip as we peel ourselves out of bed after being here for a week and a half. They were looking for 1 dollar margaritas at Casino Royale, which apparently are no longer available. We met them around 10;30 and dropped them at Excalibur so they could walk to the Shark Reef that they bought on Myvegas. Hub and I wanted to grab a quick lunch and I desperately wanted a salad. I remembered we had some 50 % off buffet tickets for Southpoint buffet, so we went there. It averages 5 dollars a person with this savings and you get your soda plus whatever you want in the buffet- I personally think they have a great salad bar.
We headed to the house to get the wedding clothes ready. We chilled until about 2:30- we needed to pick the kids up at Excalibur so we could all meet at Silverton where the Hummer Limo would pick us- unknown by anyone in our party but hub and I. We got there early and got a lot of attention due to wedding garb, had a few moments to kill so we took pictures by the Shark tank.
Family was wondering why we were not moving to the wedding Chapel (Little church of the West) as we tried to keep our ride a secret. Finally, this huge Hummer Limo came around the corner. We went outside and my mother in law joked about it being our ride- we then let them know it was our ride. Everyone thought it was really fun- especially 17 year old son who was posting instagram as fast as his phone would let him.
we got the the Little church of the west- beautiful facility and very nice people and had a wonderful ceremony. This is just such a classy venue. We got one of the cheaper packages, but still they gave me a beautiful nosegay of red roses and hub's boutonniere. Photography was great also and no real pressure sales, just information to get everything from a DVD to just your 5 free photos only if you like.
We got back in the limo and headed down the strip where we popped open some champagne. I had a bucket list moment and unrolled the window yelling "Vegas Baby" as I startled an entire cab load next to us. As we drove down the road we got several looks, thumbs up and pointing. Daughter had to use bathroom so we pulled up to Ballys side entrance and rolled out. People came out and took pictures of the Limo while we were inside...of course I felt like a side show, rolling out of Limo and racing inside with wedding gear on...too funny.
We headed back to the Silverton after going all the way downtown and took the highway back. Driver was really cool. We ate at Twin creeks at Silverton, one of our favorite steak places due to ambience and price. The food was lovely and the service was top notch- they treated us like kings and pulled out all the stops. Big thanks to Twin Creek staff for making that day so special.
We parted ways with Mom and son and took daughter and husband back to Planet Hollywood for thier show - a hypnotist. Headed to bed.
Wednesday morning and felt refreshed...after getting to bed early felt pretty good. Took the kids to Excalibur for they had a all day buffet from Myvegas and the Tournament of Kings show. We all ate at the buffet for lunch, hub and I payed with points. This buffet is not bad- I had a pretty good salad and some Oreo cheesecake followed by a Cappacino. Not worth paying for, but OK for free or points.
We took the kids to Orleans to check in for 2 day comp. Both Hub and I got rooms to put the kids in one for the final night. We then headed to Circus Circus because they wanted to get our third grandchild a painted sign of their name, to match the other grand kids they got a few years back. Hub and i went and played Life of Luxury, but got no hits....grrrr.
It was time to go back and drop them off at Excalibur for Tournament show and they met up with Mom and son so they all 4 could go. This was all Myvegas and when they reserved they got front row. They all really liked it. Hub and I went back to the Orleans and played every game we could find. We had such a blast- played new Wizard of Oz game, Jungle wild, Brazillian beauty and Villlage people Party.....Micheal Jackson games were gone...Boo! These were some of the loosest games there. We inquired and they said that both Jackson and Elvis left the building. Got to bed late, but had alot of fun doing it. I forgot to mention that we hit Lotus of Siam again for dinner- because if there was going to be at least one repeat meal-- this was going to be the meal.
Thursday and only 2 days remain on the trip. We woke up and ate at the cafe at Orleans, decided to hit the pool in the morning...so we spent a couple of hours there relaxing with the whole family. We cleaned up and headed out to In N Out with the kids, they all love this place. We then went to the Galaxy Luxury theatre (think auto recliners, cocktails and alot of space) where we saw World War Z.. It was very hot at 117 so a theatre cool down seemed like a good idea. World War Z was good, but it did require quite an imagination to come up with that story.
We dropped son at Grammas and the older kids and hub headed to Orleans where we grabbed some 99 cent margaritas at the Cantina. We then headed to one of our favorite happy hours of all time: Rhythm Kitchen about 8 blocks from the Orleans. Hub had chicken wings w/chips (generous amount) for 4 dollars, I had steak bites for 5 dollars and the kids split a chips and salsa and pizza. The drinks are also half price and they have a great selection. We went back to Orleans and played a bank of old goldfish machines.
We all did pretty well on these. We had tickets for the comedy show at Big Als- which we found out this evening they were moving to the Gold Coast the next week....REALLY? This venue at Orleans is perfect for comedy- what a shame, but we LOVED all the comedians that night. We played some more all around the casino. Hub rarely leaves me to play other games, but I told him to go ahead and hang with the kids while I watched the house band. Not 10 minutes and I had a couple-- YES A COUPLE start hitting on me. He kept telling me what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...of all place the Orleans-- Really?
Anyway hub came back and I told him where he got a little peeved, but at least they had left by then. We decided to move to the Sex in the City Games and then to the Hangover games and pretty much played there till it was time to go to sleep. I was hungry so I grabbed a Chex Mix Hot & Spicy mix for the room with a Diet Squirt...it did the trick.
Next morning woke up and ate at the Cafe again, we both had 10 dollars credit for the rooms and spent it on breakfast both days. We grabbed the kids and checked out. Had to get them to the airport, so we stopped by request to In N Out again so they can indulge one last time. We said our goodbyes, but were about to say hello to hubs brother that flew in.
We picked him and his wife up at Harrahs and took them to Peppermill bar. They really liked the bar, and never expected the inside to ever look like that. We then headed downtown and hit the happy hour at Triple Seven brew pub at the Mainstreet casino. I had the quesadilla with black bean chili- my favorite thing on the menu and hub had a flat bread meat lovers pizza. Brother and wife split wings and we all had the fabulous microbrew they make on premise there. Meal was free with points and at 40% off was a steal.
We headed to the D and played the Sigma Derby horse game and then ended up playing at the Four Queens forever, because the bar tops were being very generous. They had never seen the show so we stepped out to watch Queen We will Rock you and We are the Champions on the Fremont experience. Hub and I sadly had to leave because we had a flight at 9 AM to Hawaii. We said our sad goodbyes and headed to our house to sleep our final night in Vegas. In 6 months we will live there permanently after I retire from the Military.
I love Vegas and love that everyone here loves Vegas- I continue to read your great trip reports and hope and encourage you all to continue writing your great experiences so we can discover new things in this great city.
Thanks to all that hung in here to read all this.....Aloha!
