My First Time in Las Vegas: VegasRy

The first time I was in Las Vegas was March of 1999. Bellagio had just opened, Venetian was undergoing its finishing touches, and the Wynn was a distant memory. This was also waaaay before Las Vegas was as big as it is today, with little to no exposure in the media, being before The Real World, Ocean’s 11, and Las Vegas the TV show. The spring break destination came down to between Disneyland and Las Vegas, and I distinctly remember being asked: ‘So we are going to go and look at a bunch of hotels?’ Thankfully, (or not, depending on your viewpoint) I won that argument.

We stayed at Treasure Island and were upgraded to a corner room (This was long before the 20$ trick entered our universe) and were blown away by the sheer size of everything, and how over-the-top everything was. We ended up walking the entire strip, from Treasure Island all the way to Mandalay Bay and back.

We ate at Spago (Because it was in Showgirls) and The Buccaneer Bay Club (Long gone, Social House now), and saw O, as it was the best show on the strip at the time (Some would say it still is). Even before the days of ultra-lounges and 150$ show tickets, and it was all pretty over-whelming and pretty exciting as we were in the middle of the biggest building boom of the last 40 years. The next few times in Las Vegas there was always something new to see, which kept us coming back…many, many times.

Gambling-wise, I remember playing at Bellagio way back when 5$ tables were still plentiful, and after a session, I had a few silver, one dollar coins, and threw them into at nearby slot machine to get rid of them. Turns out I won 160$ on the 2^nd spin, a lot of money for a college student back them. (Side Note: I have since put well over 200$ into that same machine and have yet to win a dime…I swear they did it on purpose)

My favorite memory of this trip was when we saw the Bellagio for the first time. Naturally, we were blown away, and I wanted to bring back a souvenir for all of my buddies back in Iowa. So I went to the Bellagio gift shop and bought maybe 8 shot glasses, a decanter, mug, etc. Being the first night we were there, with the energy still running through my body, we ended up walking the entire strip, all the way to Mandalay Bay, all the time carrying my heavy as hell glassware.

The best part of this story though, was the next day when I realized that Bellagio, Mirage, and Treasure Island (TI was years away) were owned by the same company, and the very same items I purchased and dragged all the way up and down the strip…were available downstairs in the very hotel that we were staying at.

We’ve come a long way…the Excalibur hasn’t.

Requiem for a Tram

On our trip a couple weeks ago, we happened to find ourselves at the Monte Carlo Café around 3 in the morning for consecutive days. After our late-night meal, we faced the tortuous walk all the way back to the Bellagio. Even though the 2 properties are technically next door to each other, there is the little matter of the giant Project CityCenter construction site in between. Which at 3:30 in the morning makes the walk almost unbearable.

2 years ago, however, this wouldn’t have been a problem. There used to be a tram that ran between the two hotels that saved both time and valuable footsteps. I personally must have ridden the tram at least 20 times. Why, oh why, MGM-Mirage, could you not have found a temporary solution? I’m sure CityCenter will be a fantastic property, but think of all of the revelers that have to trudge the seemingly short (optical illusion) distance, not to mention those of us who have walked all the way to the back of the properties only to groan in disbelief to find the tram shut down.

Progress: But at what cost?

MGM states that there will be a people mover system built into Project City Center, but until then, bring your walking shoes…

VegasRy Restaurant Review: Fix

Fix is the first restaurant opened by the Light Group, which is known for operating nightclubs such as Light at Bellagio and Jet at the Mirage. Located next to Light, it serves what I would describe as upscale casual food, simple steaks, chicken and fish, but with a bit of a flair. I had eaten at Stack at the Mirage, (Fix’s sister restaurant) and while it was good, I was slightly disappointed.

The dining room is very open, with an interesting ceiling made of contoured wood, the same look at the wall at Stack. In fact, the dining room looks as though someone turned the room at Stack on its side. Very open and a bit cramped, it can be somewhat loud.

Fix has a nice array of specialty drinks, but we had the Acacia Pinot Noir, which is always a good choice. For appetizers, we had the Shrimp Louie, Chili Cheese Fries, and Calamari, which were all tremendous, especially the Shrimp. I had the Surf and Turf, one of their signature entrees, which consists of Boneless Short Ribs, and Lobster Croquette. Both were excellent. Others at the table had the Sea Bass, and the Chicken, and all received high marks as well.

For those looking for good food, without being too exotic or pretentious, Fix provides a solid alternative to all the ultra high-end restaurants in town.

An additional thought: There are 2 stand-alone restrooms in the restaurant, with a bathroom attendant that stands outside dressed in a tuxedo. When it is your turn, he rushes inside, gives it a quick once-over, and then announces "Welcome to the bathroom!". I wish I was making that up...pretty odd and very unnerving.

Score:
4 Cheques (Out of 5)

Bellagio Review (Service Emphasis)

Bellagio opened in October 1998. It was built by none other than Steve Wynn. (via his company Mirage Resorts, Inc.) Wynn purchased and demolished the Dunes hotel and casino in 1993 in order to construct the $88 million Bellagio. Bellagio brought a new sense of class to Las Vegas and has kept that reputation ever since. In recent years, competition has arisen with the likes of the Venetian, theHotel at Mandalay Bay, and Wynn's latest project, Wynn. Bellagio remodeled the casino floor in 2006 to keep pace and it remains one of the nicest casinos in this ever-evolving town.
While no one can argue with Bellagio's styling and overall beauty, it really didn't live up to its reputation while we were there. To be fair, the bar is set very high in my mind considering its reputation as well as in comparison to my stay there last July.

Overall, I was really disappointed with the service. For instance, we spent much of Friday afternoon poolside in a cozy cabana. The cabana's are nice as they seclude you as well as provide you with such amenities as a personal waiter or waitress, tv, bottled water, and snacks. The cabana's are not cheap at all, but they are great for overcoming a hangover.

We spent a few hours there and ordered a handsome number of drinks, which is where the complaints begin. I'm used to receiving a garnish or a straw in my beverages, but I didn't anticipate an apology with each one. Nearly every cocktail took up to 10 minutes to receive, which I find rediculous, especially considering the pool wasn't busy at all. Last July, I had better response times ordering drinks while in the pool which was 10 times more crowded than it was this past weekend. This was without a personal server too.

Our waiter kept namoring on about some new system the bar was trying out, which obviously wasn't working. This only compounded my concerns. How many systems to bartending can there be? I've been to a few establishments in my day and have seen how it works behind the scenes. It may be more complicated than it appears, but it in no way is it rocket science. Maybe it's time the Bellagio get booze tubes like the Venetian has. The "faulty system" excuse just got old and really affected my overall impression of the Bellagio.

Additionally, we had a surprisingly negative experience using the Bellagio concierge. We requested a reservation via the concierge for a table at Mix at theHotel and when we got there, there was no knowledge of such reservation. It wasn't that big of a deal at the time, but it just isn't something I'd expect from the Bellagio. Following up the next day, we discovered that the woman who booked our reservation no longer worked in that department. Apparently, she wasn't doing her job, but that rubs off on the reputation of the employer.

On the other hand, I had a $10 blackjack dealer named John from Idaho who was super friendly. He teased me by nearly doubling my stack almost immediately and then bringing me back to reality nearly as quickly. He cleared the table out with his face cards which were consistently unbeatable. I finally decided to leave the table vacant having surrendered all of my winnings and a bit of what I sat down with. John though, was as friendly as ever and offered to wave me back when the table got hot. I laughed this off as a nice gesture, which of course was a lie but it really made me think about how the Bellagio handles service. The $35 I lost at John's table in no way compared to the dent we made at the cabana yet, I felt so much more appreciated.

In terms of service, Bellagio's reputation sets itself up to fail and as a result, this time it came in under the expected level. I certainly wouldn't sway anyone from staying there, but I'm going to check out the Wynn and Venetian next to see how they compare.

3 cheques (out of 5)

VegasRy Link: VegasHotelSpecial.com

Anyone who's stayed at a hotel in las vegas, or signed up for a player's card, knows that you almost immediately begin receiving offers for discounted rooms and other deals. The problem is that these offers don't necessarily coincide when you are going, or where you want to stay.

Luckily there are a couple websites such as VegasHotelSpecial.com out there that compile these offers and codes, and let you pick and choose when and where you stay. These are great for finding deals and staying places that you otherwise not be able to afford.

For example, on our latest trip we used this site and an offer code for Bellagio when booking, and saved a lot of money...highly recommended.

Try

http://www.vegashotelspecial.com/

or this one:

http://www.fatwallet.com/t/63/704925/

The $20 trick at Bellagio

As we are always looking out for our readers at VegasRy, we decided to give the $20 trick a try while checking in during our latest trip. We are pleased to report that it was a success!

As posted here:

Had a reservation for 2 queen bed standard non-smoking room. Slipped the clerk a $20 between the Credit card and ID and asked if there were any complimentary upgrades available. Typed for a while, and gave me 3 options:

1. Jr. Suite with 75 square feet more room and a king and rollaway.

2. Lakeview smoking room with 2 queens.

3. Lakeview non-smoking with a king and rollaway.

Took option 2 as neither of us wanted to sleep in a rollaway, and not worried about smoke.

FrontDeskTip.com

Here we are!

Vegas Survival Tip #3: Know Your Surroundings

As everyone knows Vegas is very dry and usually extremely warm. As a result, dehydration is rampant. To combat this I have a drink with me at all times. It's usually a refreshing Ten & Tonic or one of the many other drinks we here at VegasRy love. These beverages have been documented in great detail in several past posts and in many yet to come. By combatting dehydration, you'll have little concern about bottle lip which is very common in Vegas. (Bottle lip can also be prevented by drinking only non-bottled drinks.) Anyways, back to the real reason for this post. A lot of good things come from staying hydrated. To name a few: you're healthier, less of the aforementioned bottle lip, clearer complexion, enhanced libido etc. One downside does exist though and that is you will inevitably need to dispose of all that liquid at some point. And once you do, you'll need to more and more frequently throughout the day. As a result, you must keep this in mind when choosing where to gamble. I make sure to only shoot craps at a table that is near a public restroom. In the rare event that this table is rediculously hot and I have an uncontrollable urge, I can make a swift run to relieve my humanly needs and return in as little time as possible. Time is precious because you never know when the tide will turn and house edge will kill the momentum. It's best to scope out the casino for the best-accessed restrooms from the floor and then choose a gaming table or machine of your fancy nearby. Cheers!

Here is a map of Bellagio's Casino floor with the optimal location for gaming in relation to the nearest restroom.

Vegas Drinks

A running theme we have here at VegasRy is reminiscing about famous drinks we had while in Vegas. They become a staple so instead of relying on our tastebuds and alcohol content, we refer to our past to decide the best drink based on the bar we are at.

One of our oldest and most loved traditions is to have a Beck's dark at the sportsbook in the beloved Bellagio.