I'm going to try and relate two trips in one report! Not that I'm lazy or a procrastinator! My first trip was back in July on the 14th and 15th. I received an offer from Sunset Station for two free nights (you know the kind you get when you put lots of points on your card!) so hubby, the kids and a friend Dennis headed out. Check-in was fast except that we had requested non-smoking and the only thing they had left on a wednesday arrival was a handicapped room. We took it mostly because it was close to the elevator! Room was basically the same but the bathroom was extra large which suited us fine. Went to the pool first and had a great time with the kids. Note: no food stand or cocktail service during the week. Details are sketchy since I waited so long! Kids and hubby went to movies while Dennis and I played. No luck but lots of fun. We all ate at the Mexican restaurant. No recommendations from me. Service was poor and food was just okay. I would take the Italian place anyday. Put kids into childcare and we all played video poker. Couldn't hit a royal so off to bed. Next morning we went to Carrows on the strip for breakfast. Great service and we beat the crowd. Drove around Henderson and stopped by Longs Drugs for supplies and gifts for the kids. One note: Henderson is great to stay for long trips due to the shops and all that is available outside the casino/hotel environment. Did some more time at the pool, played lots more with the predictable results! Put kids in childcare during lunchtime so we went to Fatburger. Being brought up on In and Out...I prefer I and O! But great burgers all the same. Hubby took kids back to pool while Dennis and I contributed to Sunsets bankroll! I did end up winning about $700 on a dollar vp at the very end which made me sleep great that night! Left Sunset Station thurs. am. and went to Orleans for lunch. A little luck there but nothing to write home about. All in all a great trip with mild temps for July.

I will do part two of my reports in the reply mode so hold any and all responses! <BG>!

Okay...for anyone that only likes Vegas stories~skip this part! this is my report on my trip to Laughlin. We take an annual trip to Laughlin during the summer. This year we had a total of 56 friends and family. I got us a group rate of $18/night at the River Palms (formerly Gold River) and we stayed for five nights. The trip usually runs from a sunday to a friday but we (as in my immediate family) decided to head out saturday night. We arrived in Laughlin about midnite. We got a room in the old section which I do not recommend. The rooms are old and worn but it did the job for the night. I ended up playing til 5am and then had to get up at 7am to go to Lake Mohave to get the boat we rent. Weather again like Vegas was unseasonably cool (100 vs. 120). Stayed on the lake until 10:30am so we could return to hotel to switch to our adjoining rooms in the refurbished tower. Rooms were nice nothing special but one strange note: no clocks in the room. Also, the only room service they have is available in the morning. Moved our bags and went back out to the lake. Had a great time and came back to the hotel around 5pm. Met up with some of our family and friends. We mostly dined on fast food this trip since we were on the lake from about 7am to about 6pm. Two notable dinners were at Harrah's and El Palacio. We had a group of 25 for dinner at Harrah's buffet and I was able to use my newly aquired Platinum slot card for a line pass~boy was by brother-in-law impressed <BG>! Food was great with a huge selection. Kids loved the pizza. The other must do for anyone that loves mexican food is the El Palacio on the other side of the river in Bullhead. It is about a 15 minute drive from the casinos. They have been a favorite of ours for years and this year they moved across the street and built they're own place. The food, decor, service and bang for your buck can not be surpassed in Laughlin. They sat us in two waves, one with 20 people and the other with 36. No problems! My gambling story of course is on the last night. I was sitting with my sister-in-law and her husband playing some vp machines that I would never play. My sister-in-law moved over so I did too. When I was down to my last 10 credits I was dealt four to the royal 9D QS KS 10S and JS. Dumped the straight and went for the royal and you guessed it...Royal Flush!!! Boy did we scream! People flocked all over us like we hit Megabucks! But it payed for the trip and that was enough for me! Possibly the most exciting royal I ever got because of the friends and family around me! Well, I guesss that is all I can remember. Great trip, okay hotel, great weather, and good luck. I would stay at River Palms again but as always, I prefer Harrah's. Any questions...let me know!

Pam,

THanks for the report. Congratulations on the royal. Being in Laughlin with 50+ friends must have been great. You probably dominated the town. We were in LV a weel later and the temperatures were hot and dry. When we got home to PA it was both hot and humid. Anytime you go home with money is a good trip.

Pam: Thanks so much for 2 for the price of 1! That was great that you took the time to write both reports.

Congrats on the Royal in Laughlin. What a wonderful way to end your vacation.

Regarding no clocks in the River Palms room,
there are no clocks in the rooms at Ballys in AC either <g>.

We were in LV around the same time, and the weather was much cooler than we expected--a pleasant surprise. Did you go out on the lake with the boat every day and make a day of it?

Veronica:
We were on the lake every day from around 8am until 6 or 7pm. Made for a full day but we had a blast. Our group takes up quite an area on the beach. We have found a great spot just outside of Katherine's Landing so it isn't too far from the dock. The weather was pretty cool for August which helped with the sunburn situation! Lake Mohave is pretty nice but I'm hoping to check out Lake Mead next year.

Pam,
Thanks for the 2 reports!
Your Sunset stay, wasn't such a good go in the gambling area, but sounds like you made up for that in the Laughlin trip! Congrats on the Royal. I can think of no better time to receive one, then when family & friends are around to see (proof that it can be done) LOL.
Thanks for supplying my Las Vegas fix! BTW, we don't use room service much, but it's one of the gauges we use when deciding on a hotel. We'll always ask if there is 24 hr room service. If not, we ask the hours. The less hours, the lower rating, when making our choices. After all, a full service hotel, should be just that....a FULL service hotel. I don't get hungry just at there apointed times. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]


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Lee-PA
Moderator, What's New Forum
lee@talkvegas.com

Thanks for the report. I'm way behind on reading these. Were you able to dock the boat at the hotel? How far did you have to go to rent it?



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Jeff, Gambling Moderator
senatorjm@talkvegas.com

Jeff:
We don't rent on the river...we go to Lake Mohave where they rent boats and jet skis at Katherine's Landing. Lake Mohave is about a 10-15 minute drive from Laughlin. The river ends at the dam just west of Laughlin. On the other side of the dam is Lake Mohave. On the way, way other side of Lake Mohave is Lake Mead. We have never cruised the whole lake but have enjoyed swimming in many of the coves. We actually stubbled upon a nude sunbather in one cove this year! Kids couldn't understand why we had to jam out of there fast <BG>! We rent a pontoon boat which is $185 per day or $800 or so for a week. They also rent ski boats and jet skis. You can check rates, etc. on web site for SevenCrownResorts (not sure of exact address). They also have an 800 number and rent at various lakes including Lake Mead. We hope to own a boat next year! We prefer the lake to the river due to the current of the river which is pretty fast in some spots and to avoid all the knuckleheads that cruise the river in the summer. Any more questions, let me know! And thanks for the reply.

Thanks for both trip reports and congratulations on the royal! It is especially nice to hit one at the end of a trip.

Pam,

Thanks for the boat info. That sounds like it would be a fun thing to do for a day.

jm