The airport in Las Vegas is just south of the Strip and so wonderfully close to everything. It was obvious that tourism is down in Vegas- based on the price of the room at the Palazzo and the lack of tourists on the Strip. The Palazzo is one of the latest additions to the luxury hotel inventory on the Strip. The location was perfect- on the north end of the Strip, connected by walkways to both the Venetian and the Wynn. We valet parked the car, registered for our room and made our way to the guest room towers (with the obligatory walk through the casino.
Our room was on the 43rd floor with a view of the Venetian and the South Strip. The “suite” was 750 square feet—twice the size of our motorhome – with 3 HD flat screen TV’s (one in the bathroom!). Everything was gorgeous. You walked into the room – bathroom on the left with a huge soaking tub, large glass shower, two fluffy white robes, lighted makeup mirror and wonderful scented soaps. Down the hall was the bedroom with two queen size beds, crisp white sheets, a huge HD TV and a credenza with ice bucket and two wine glasses. (How did they know we were coming?) Two steps down and you were in the “living room” with a huge picture window with a beautiful view (the drapes and the blinds opened and closed by remote control), with a HD TV, DVD, fax and copier and a huge L-shaped sofa. We unpacked, added our Walgreen’s 4 cup coffeemaker (no coffeemakers in Las Vegas hotel rooms!), and we were “home”.
But not for long- it was time to grab some lunch (after all, it was 1:00 LV time, but we were still on East Coast time). We decided to try lunch at the Grande Lux Café in the Palazzo. We stopped before lunch to get our “Club Grazie” cards and free $15 in slot play. (Added to the $50 in slot play and $50 drink credits from the hotel). One meal at the Grande Lux was enough to feed two people- but it was our lunch/dinner. After lunch, we took a bit of our “free” money and played the slots. But, we didn’t have much time- we were due at the Wynn for our show by 6:30.
The evenings cooled down significantly and we had a brisk walk from the Palazzo to the Wynn on the elevated walkway. We stopped outside the Wynn to see their beautiful 150 foot waterfall and then stepped inside to a holiday wonderland- trees loaded with sparkling white lights and gorgeous plants. The hotel/casino was built on the site of the old Desert Inn at a price tag of $2.7 BILLION. We had a bit of time before the show to get our players club cards (and another free $15 in play). I hit the jackpot (literally) with the Dean Martin slot. I hit a high of $280, but played it down to $210 before cashing out. Not bad when you’re playing on someone else’s money!
La Reve was spectacular. It’s hard to describe this Cirque de Soleil-esque show. La Reve (“the Dream”) theater is an “aqua theater in the round”—the seats circle a large stage made of water (one million gallons). The theater is very intimate- no seat is more than 40 feet from the stage. (We were fortunate to get seats outside of the “splash zone” – the first few rows where the audience gets wet). The show is a mix of aerial acrobatics, special effects and what the Wynn calls “artistic athleticism.
After the show, we played a few more slots then headed back to our room to relax and enjoy our view.
Day 2
We were up at 6 AM (our bodies still on East Coast time) and got to try out our bargain coffee maker. It paid for itself in one morning- room service for a pot of coffee was $12.00 –before tax and service – and we were well into our 3rd pot by 8 AM. After a leisurely morning, we walked from the Palazzo to it’s sister hotel, the Venetian. It was like walking into Venice – the “Grand Canal” running through the cobble-stoned shopping streets with cafes and gondolas – underneath a ceiling that is painted in the likeness of the sky on a picture perfect day. The canals lead to a replica of St Mark’s square. The stone is aged for a weathered look and the tiles are the exact copies of their Italian counterparts. The hotel reception area is designed to resemble the Doge’s Palace with beautiful inlaid floors and arched ceiling with gold and ceiling adorned with Renaissance paintings.
From “Venice”, we made our way down the Strip to the Bellagio and the feel of Lake Como in Italy. The Bellagio was one of the first true luxury hotels on the Strip and the extravagance is evident the moment you enter- with the blown glass flower sculpture on the ceiling and the beautiful conservatory. This time of year, the conservatory is decorated for the holidays with white and red and green flowers, huge snowmen, reindeers made of pecan shells and large mirrored silver boxes.
Once again, it was a walk through the casino to get to the Bellagio Buffet. We arrived at 10:50 AM—just in time to get in for breakfast prices, but take advantage of the full lunch offering. We had a VERY leisurely lunch- taking small plates and small pieces of just about everything—from fresh gulf shrimp to chicken Wellington, barbequed ribs, strange fish, carved turkey, salmon, and salads. And then, the desserts – there were hundreds of small plates with key lime pies, chocolate mousse, cheesecakes, cream puffs, chocolate raspberry cakes. We took a sampling and shared them over a cup of coffee. We were stuffed!
It was back to the Palazzo to get ready for our evening entertainment- Mamma Mia at the Mandalay. We got to the Mandalay early- a chance to play a few slots and walk over to the Luxor. We didn’t have much luck at their slots- but our losses were always fairly small. We wandered over to the theater and found our seats- behind two of the tallest people in the room. I took a chance and found a nice attendant and explained the situation- she hooked me up with the manager- who eventually got us two seats only a few rows from the front! Perfect seats- we were almost on the stage with the actors. The play is adorable- catchy, Abba tunes, a cute story and a cast who obviously loved their few hours on the stage. You couldn’t help tapping your feet and “mamma mia, here I go again..my my….” – how can I get that song out of my head!!
It was back to the Palazzo to get ready for our evening entertainment- Mamma Mia at the Mandalay. We got to the Mandalay early- a chance to play a few slots and walk over to the Luxor. We didn’t have much luck at their slots- but our losses were always fairly small. We wandered over to the theater and found our seats- behind two of the tallest people in the room. I took a chance and found a nice attendant and explained the situation- she hooked me up with the manager- who eventually got us two seats only a few rows from the front! Perfect seats- we were almost on the stage with the actors. The play is adorable- catchy, Abba tunes, a cute story and a cast who obviously loved their few hours on the stage. You couldn’t help tapping your feet and “mamma mia, here I go again..my my….” – how can I get that song out of my head!!
We drove back to the Palazzo- taking in the sights and sounds of the Strip at night. There’s nothing quite like it- the Wizard of Oz green and huge gold lion at the MGM, the primary colors of the Excalibur, the mini New York City motif at NY/NY complete with 150 foot Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State building and the roller coaster running inside and outside of the building, the Eifel Tower and lighted air balloon at the Paris Hotel, the pyramid and sphinx at the Luxor –even the McDonalds is glammed up with lights. After valet parking the car, we decided to use our $50 liquor credit at the Lavo nightclub – the new hot spot on the Strip. Well, talk about feeling old! The place was packed- wall to wall 20 year olds! We had visions of a few drinks at the bar- but settled for using our $50 for a bottle of wine- at the low end of their price list! We smuggled the bottle out of the bar under Mom’s jacket and took it back to our room for our own private view of the Mirage volcano from our picture window.
Day 3
Day 3
We made use of our wonderful Walgreen’s coffeemaker again before heading out to take in a bit more of the Strip- stopping at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace. It was over the top kitsch – trying to be Roman decadent, but coming across just a bit ridiculous- Roman colonnades, pillars, gigantic Roman statues… We took a trip up the circular escalators to the top, wandered through the “Forum” and decided that it was time for a bit of “Old Vegas”.
The drive from the Strip to Fremont Street is a depressing sight- poverty, pawn shops and abandoned buildings. Not a place you’d want to find yourself stranded at night. We parked at the Plaza and walked over to Main Street Station. Walking into the casino is like a trip back to early 20th century Victorian elegance. Wrought iron railings, stained glass windows, hammered tins ceilings, huge elaborate chandeliers…. We decided to chance another buffet- this one didn’t compare to the Bellagio- but was half the price and served it’s purpose- our “lunch/dinner” for the day.
We spent the afternoon walking Fremont Street- wandering into the old casinos- the Fremont (the first high rise in Las Vegas- built in 1956), 4 Queens, the California and Binions- where we got our picture taken with $1 Million dollars! John convinced me to try the “Dance Heads” DVD experience and put up the money if I could get my mom to try it. Well- it didn’t take too much convincing – and we were sitting in the kiosk in the middle of Fremont Street with a blue cloth draped around us – waiting for our debut. The music started- we were dancing girls singing “Viva Las Vegas” with our own Elvis. My head popped off my body a few times, but Mom got it immediately. She got the head bobs and facial expressions perfectly. We got a second shot at “Good Lovin” – I got to be the drummer (and lead singer) while Mom played bass guitar. What an experience- especially when they played both DVD’s for the crowd that had gathered outside the booth.
With DVD’s in hand, we played a few more slots- at the Fremont before heading to the Plaza. We picked up our tickets and I played my Super Jackpot Party while Mom found her machine right by the theater entrance – the Butterfly machine. We both walked away with a few dollars before the Rat Pack show started.
The drive from the Strip to Fremont Street is a depressing sight- poverty, pawn shops and abandoned buildings. Not a place you’d want to find yourself stranded at night. We parked at the Plaza and walked over to Main Street Station. Walking into the casino is like a trip back to early 20th century Victorian elegance. Wrought iron railings, stained glass windows, hammered tins ceilings, huge elaborate chandeliers…. We decided to chance another buffet- this one didn’t compare to the Bellagio- but was half the price and served it’s purpose- our “lunch/dinner” for the day.
We spent the afternoon walking Fremont Street- wandering into the old casinos- the Fremont (the first high rise in Las Vegas- built in 1956), 4 Queens, the California and Binions- where we got our picture taken with $1 Million dollars! John convinced me to try the “Dance Heads” DVD experience and put up the money if I could get my mom to try it. Well- it didn’t take too much convincing – and we were sitting in the kiosk in the middle of Fremont Street with a blue cloth draped around us – waiting for our debut. The music started- we were dancing girls singing “Viva Las Vegas” with our own Elvis. My head popped off my body a few times, but Mom got it immediately. She got the head bobs and facial expressions perfectly. We got a second shot at “Good Lovin” – I got to be the drummer (and lead singer) while Mom played bass guitar. What an experience- especially when they played both DVD’s for the crowd that had gathered outside the booth.
With DVD’s in hand, we played a few more slots- at the Fremont before heading to the Plaza. We picked up our tickets and I played my Super Jackpot Party while Mom found her machine right by the theater entrance – the Butterfly machine. We both walked away with a few dollars before the Rat Pack show started.
“The Rat Pack is Back” just moved to the Plaza and the setting is perfect. The theater is reminiscent of the 1960’s dinner theaters – with crystal chandeliers and red draperies on the walls. The show starts with the announcer encouraging “drinking, gambling and carousing”- not only encouraged, but mandatory. Then the voice of Buddy Hackett sounds- explaining that he’s sending the guys back for one last show. The 12 piece orchestra starts playing and you find yourself watching “Frank, Dean, Sammy and Joey” –Dean Martin, drink in hand singing songs like “Ain’t that a Kick in the Head”, Sammy Davis Jr. doing Mr. Bojangles, and Frank Sinatra with the brightest blue eyes- singing old standards. They even have an amazing Marilyn Monroe – who stole the show with her lap dance for a birthday “boy” in the audience. It was a bit of old Vegas and a perfect way to end our trip.
Our last night to enjoy the luxury of our room – we cracked open our last Bailey’s and enjoyed the view and sat up and talked till the wee hours. We had become accustomed to the luxury of Vegas- the drapes and blinds that operate at the touch of a remote, the automatic toilets, the sinks that turn on automatically, the paper towels and soap that dispense on their own, the doors that swing open as you approach- not to mention the joys of valet parking and maid service. How do we go back to reality?
Day 4
Our last valet park, a drop off of the car and time to enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the airport (and even throw a few dollars into the airport slot machines!). Our two flights were crowded, but once again, we had a window and aisle with no one in the middle. We got into Orlando about 7:30 that night and we were home by 9:00. E.D. and John were waiting with a glass of wine and a hot bowl of chili.
Our last night to enjoy the luxury of our room – we cracked open our last Bailey’s and enjoyed the view and sat up and talked till the wee hours. We had become accustomed to the luxury of Vegas- the drapes and blinds that operate at the touch of a remote, the automatic toilets, the sinks that turn on automatically, the paper towels and soap that dispense on their own, the doors that swing open as you approach- not to mention the joys of valet parking and maid service. How do we go back to reality?
Day 4
Our last valet park, a drop off of the car and time to enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the airport (and even throw a few dollars into the airport slot machines!). Our two flights were crowded, but once again, we had a window and aisle with no one in the middle. We got into Orlando about 7:30 that night and we were home by 9:00. E.D. and John were waiting with a glass of wine and a hot bowl of chili.
