Warning: these were low-energy Escapades ….. I drove into town tired, focused on R&R (mainly rest) and didn’t run around like the Energizer Bunny. LOL, I never did have the energy to take trip notes, so I’m just going to start rambling and see where it leads me – after all, that worked out pretty well during the trip.
I think everyone knows I live out of a suitcase and move around to wherever I can get free hotel rooms, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I stayed at four hotels on this trip: Orleans, Sam’s Town, Flamingo and M. The nice thing is that all of the hotels read my reservation request for a QUIET room far away from the elevators, so I actually got some sleep on this trip!
There’s really nothing new to report at the first three hotels (except they finally have safes at the Orleans!), but M is growing on me. The rooms are both “resort” and “functional” – with one interesting quirk. Evidently, the Rio and M were built by the same guy. Do you remember that lovely little window in the Rio bathrooms? (The one that looks out into the living area) Well, the M version is that I could soak in my tub and gaze out at the Las Vegas strip<g>. It’s really quite a nice view since the window into the living room is floor-to-ceiling and about 3 feet wide. The bathroom has separate tub, shower and water closet and dual sinks, all nicely done in gold & tile. There is a built in armoire on one side of the room, with plenty of closet space (more in the bathroom), a safe built into one of the drawers and lots of desk room, with plenty of electrical hook-ups readily available without having to duck down hunting for an outlet. There’s also a Bose radio (no CD option) in addition to the large LCD television screen over the desk, and a couple of easy chairs with a nice glass coffee table. The rooms IMHO are geared toward comfort, not over done with glitz that looks nice but contributes nothing to comfort. One neat touch is the keypad by the door – you need to insert one of your room keys to turn on the electrical circuits, which is a nice energy saving touch. There was also a switch to light up the “do not disturb” sign and a switch for the sheer floor-to-ceiling shades, but you had to pull the blackout curtains the old-fashioned way. I also appreciate the GREAT overhead lighting over both the bed and desk. Assuming they keep sending me offers, M will be my hotel of choice at the end of my trips – I like shaving 20-25 minutes off that long drive home.
M was generous with the free gifts on this trip – I came home with a lucky St. Patrick’s Day t-shirt, a 1st Anniversary t-shirt (actually a long-sleeved thermal type), a windbreaker, a 3-bottle wine-carrier, which held the free wine I scored, or I can take out the divider and have a nice insulated carrier for other things. LOL, I only lost a couple of things along the way – it’s a really pathetic thief that stole the TalkVegas magnets off my car, not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, although he’s probably a legend in his own mind<g>.
M was the site of some of my more memorable dining on this trip, starting with brunch with Linda, Randy, Lindsey & Michael (the next two generations of the Wendell & Maxine clan of dynamic Texans). That was a fun brunch! However, a pattern also started to emerge that morning when I volunteered to stay at the table with the drink orders – a job I passed off to Randy when the Texans beat the wait staff to the table. The drinks were just being delivered when I returned to the table after a leisurely tour of everything the buffet had to offer – a definite step down from the outstanding service there on previous trips, and it was much worse when I ate there again on my last night. I was halfway through my “appetizer” plate before the waiter even took my request for a glass of water. LOL, the food was still excellent, but I enjoyed a leisurely meal and a glass of wine, and nothing was cleared off the table during the 40-45 minutes I was there. M still rates a tie for my favorite high end buffet, based on quality and “bang for the buck” since their dinner came to $24, which includes free beer or wine if desired.
The other half of the tie is the buffet at Mandalay Bay, a bit pricier at $30, including tip, but the seafood there is worth the extra $$$ IMO. I knew I was going to eat too much there, so I walked down from the Flamingo – as far as the tram at the Excalibur anyway. LOL, I intended to take my first monorail ride on the way back, but I ate enough that I decided to walk both ways<g>. I remember prime rib, king crab, shrimp and ribs – and excellent service. I think my dessert was bread pudding, but I really went heavy on the fresh fruit and light on the desserts on this trip. Sam’s Town was the only place I really hit the dessert bar, but that’s because the rest of that buffet (with the exception of the prime rib) was pretty forgettable<g>.
One thing missing on this trip was salad – I just hit the fresh fruit instead, but I did intend to get a Cobb Salad late one night at the Flamingo Coffee Shop – which was closed when I went down about 10:30 pm one night. (24 hour town???) Instead, I ended up with a very good/bad experience at the Burger Joint next door. I totally enjoyed a very good bleu cheese burger, sweet potato fries and a coke, but $24 for a hamburger? Ya gotta be kidding me! I’m glad I tried the place, but I won’t be going back any time soon.
I had a very nice brunch with the Taters at the Orleans coffee shop, even if that’s the other time I really busted the diet with “Country Benedict” – sometimes I just can’t resist temptation. It wasn’t the best version I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t anywhere near the worst either – and the company was great.
Naturally, we all hit various machines after eating, and it was one of those fun days when all three of us came out pretty well. I also ate at Don Miguel’s one night at the Orleans, a good late night enchilada combo plate.
I hit the IHop out by Sam’s for blueberry blintzes on Sunday – one of my favorite Las Vegas traditions, although I almost never visit the IHop just a mile from my home<g>. There were peach crepes at the Red Top coffee shop at M, and they were both excellent and possibly just a little too fancy for my simple tastes – the crepes were actually closer to a flaky croissant, and the filling was a rich cheese combo instead of the peaches I was expecting, but it was good enough that I might try them again some day. The sports deli at M also does a very nice pastrami sandwich.
LOL, with all the eating, you might assume I was hitting the exercise rooms along the way – NOT! I came into town tired and was basically walking myself back into high energy mode – right up to the point that the wind kicked up all kinds of unfamiliar pollens that curtailed my strip walking. If anyone with allergies is heading down to Las Vegas in the next month – take lots of allergy meds! I never did make it across the street to either Caesars or Bellagio, but I enjoyed my last walk from Flamingo down to Encore – that was worth the trip, just to see those red chandeliers! With March madness in full swing, these weren’t fast walks, but it was good exercise and good people-watching to just amble along with the crowds. I already commented elsewhere that City Center annoyed me with their less-than-friendly accommodation of walking tourists<g>.
I’m never too tired to catch a Big Elvis show, but that was it – no Corrie Sachs or even Dennis Bono out at Sam’s Town due to March madness, and I just didn’t feel like checking out anything else. LOL, I guess I should have made the trek to the Clark County Museum a couple of years ago – it looked like it had been closed for some time. Solera @ Stallion Mountain has been on the back burner since it opened, and I finally snooped around out there – loved the Palomino model, and it’s gone waaay down in price. It was around $350k a couple of years ago, but they had one available for $200k now. It was tempting to visit the $200k version, just to see how many things in the model had been upgraded because it was really nicely finished. Bowling was the other recreation, but I only did one practice session out at Sam’s – intended to bowl at South Point on my last day, but I was on another mission out there<g>.
The gambling went rather well on this trip.
I was definitely in “defensive mode” – playing almost entirely quarter bonus poker since I was going to be in town for 10 days. I was more concerned with containing damage than with winning, and I pretty well kept out of trouble for the first 5 days – right up to hitting a progressive Royal at Sam’s Town on Sunday. YEE HAW! I normally only write that when I hit Deuces, but Deuces never happened, on a deuces machine anyway. Along the way, I hit FOUR straight flushes, and I hit Aces 5-6 times, mainly on BP. I came home ahead, even when I REALLY tried to find those elusive Deuces at South Point on the last day<g>.
Altogether, it was a lazy trip but still fun. My thanks to the Texans and local friends that made it so much fun.
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