Las Vegas - You Can Sleep When You're Dead

The highlight of this trip was the wave pool and lazy river at Mandalay Bay. I’ve never had so much fun at a pool before. We body surfed the waves, we jumped the waves, we got knocked over by the waves, and we watched cute boys in the waves. It was fun in the sun. Then we rested by taking an intertube down the lazy river – a river/pool with a 2 mph current that lets you relax and enjoy the ride.

Just staying at Mandalay Bay was a treat in itself. Normally out of my price range, I managed a great rate for Sunday night – my last night there. Thus far, it’s my favorite Vegas hotel – but I haven’t stayed at the Bellagio or the Venetian yet. The casino was exquisite, the room was huge (with two vanities), and we requested a great view and got just that!

Two staples of every trip my friend and I make to Vegas are a trip to the Luxor Spa and Friday night '80s night at the House of Blues. Friday night always hosts '80s dance music at the HOB - it’s the music of my generation, and every song inspires me to boogie on the dance floor. Then, my aching feet and aching everything else gets taken care of the next day with a wonderful massage and facial at the spa.

The newest slot machine game and my favorite of the trip was the Men In Black penny slot. Frank the Dog and Zed make an appearance, and it’s one of the most interactive and fun slots I’ve ever played. Frank the dog even sings, "And now we’re back. From outer space." It gets stuck in your head.

Last, we tried something new this year – the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues on Sunday afternoon. It was a great breakfast followed by some "church up in here." Don’t expect to sit much – you’ll be on your feet! I even went up on stage!

Quick Tips:

Tips: Always look in the complimentary hotel magazines for coupons – Mandalay Bay even handed them out when you checked in. Look online as well – I printed out a ton of coupons for the Dessert Passage mall in the Aladdin before I left.

Also, take lots of change for playing the slots and also for tipping.

And always, ALWAYS request a room with a view. Can you believe that some people just take what they’re given? We requested views in both hotels and ended up with something fantastic to look at.

Best Way To Get Around:

You could walk - and this I recommend if it's your first trip. That way you'll get the whole experience. But now that I've been a few times and done the touristy side of Vegas, I take cab rides and save my feet for the dancing and shopping!

Something new I learned this time as well. The line for cabs at the airport was REALLY long - 15 planes landed all at the same time, so someone my friend met on the plane suggested we split a limo. Why not, we're in Vegas. There was a Town Car owner with a sign that read, "Knight Group." Our very knowledgeable new friend asked how much to take a town car - . But I was thinking, what about the poor Knight group? Well, there was no Knight group; he just can't solicit overtly at the airport. Good to know! We saved about 30 minutes in a taxi line, and our new friend picked up the tab. Woo hoo!

I had always wanted to stay at Mandalay Bay, located at the very south end of the Strip, but didn’t have a deep enough pocketbook. (One Wedneday night in October, it was listed as $524 a night!) A quick stop to their website landed me a $129 rate for my last night in Vegas (Sunday). So, I lugged my stuff down the strip after checking out of a two-night stay at the Aladdin.

Mandalay Bay did not disappoint. The room was HUGE with a bathroom that could’ve doubled as an extra room. There were two vanities (thank you!) and a separate shower and bath, plus an extra little room for the toilet, so one person could go and another could still be at the sink.

However, the draw for me was more than the room – it was all about the POOL! It’s listed by the Travel Channel as one of the top pools in Vegas for a reason. The 11-acre faux beach (with 1,700 tons of sand) serves as a sitting area around the fantastic wave pool. The size of the waves can be adjusted (they even go high enough to have surfing competitions) and make for tons of water fun. A new wave comes about every 5 minutes, and everyone waits in anticipation so they can either jump the wave or body surf it into the “shore.” Honestly, I’ve never had more fun at a pool. We were lucky, as there were seats when we got there because the wave pool was temporarily shut down. But when it’s working, you need to get there early to get a seat!

And if the wave pool wasn’t enough, there’s another fun water experience – the lazy river. Rent an intertube for $20 per day (or just take advantage of one left behind from someone else) and float your cares away on the 2 mph current. The path even takes you under a waterfall! (Note, the waterfall is real, and it’s forceful. Hold onto your sunglasses, or anything else.)

Since the hotel is in Vegas, I’ll tell you a bit about the casino as well. The décor is very high-end; however, you can still find the nickel and penny slots. It’s not as smoky as some of the other casino floors and there seems to be more space between the slots machines for easy traveling.

Some of the other draws of Mandalay Bay, which I ran out of time and didn’t get to experience (next time?), are the Aureole wine bar where a “wine angel” is lifted on a pulley to get the wine you order (they’re stacked to the ceiling) and the Shark Reef, which allows you to be surrounded by sharks, rays, and their newest addition, sawfish. There are also 16 restaurants on site and a spa.

I liked Mandalay so much, I’m thinking of just forgoing all the gambling next trip and using the money to stay here again!

The Aladdin hotel sits smack in the middle of the trip, right next to the Paris hotel and across the street from the Bellagio – so we had quite the view when we requested a room with a Strip view. We looked right out over the Bellagio fountains – my favorite free entertainment in the city.

The room was pretty spacious, with a large bathroom featuring a separate tub and shower, plus a separate room within the room for the toilet. The lights were on dimmers – though I’m not sure why you’d need mood lighting in the bathroom, but whatever! The beds were comfy, but the pillows were a little on the small side. We really liked some of the automated features – automated wake up calls that you could program yourself, and video (or phone) check out.

The casino is spacious, and, as a bonus, it’s on a different level than check in and guest services, so there’s no space issue. For some reason, I found it a bit smokier than most, but maybe there was a ventilation issue or something. There are plenty of slots, plenty of gaming tables, and this particular casino played host to the new "Men in Black" penny slots. These slots were always in play, and everyone was enjoying themselves immensely.

The Aladdin also features the Dessert Passage shops, where you can buy everything from Alpaca wool to jewelry to cosmetics. If you go to the information desk first, you can get a coupon book to use in most all the stores (buy one get one at Ben and Jerry’s, buy two get one Nestle cookies, etc.) Make sure you’re there on the top of the hour to see the thunderstorm in the middle of the "dessert oasis" – it "rains" from the ceiling into a small pool.

Speaking of pool – don’t expect much from the sixth floor rooftop version at the Aladdin. It serves its purpose, but it’s nothing extra special. If you want to catch some rays, you can fight for the limited chair space, but there’s no view to look at, and the pools (there are two – one on each side of the courtyard) are relatively small and crowded.

When you consider that you don’t spend a whole lot of time in your room to do much other than sleep – the Aladdin is more than enough hotel for anyone. Our room was reasonably priced at $209 per night for a Saturday and Sunday – making it one of the more affordable of the themed hotels. I’d recommend it among the mid-priced offerings, but I think Mandalay Bay ruined Vegas hotels forever for me.

Watching the sunset from the top of the Stratosphere tower made us a little hungry, so when we came back down to earth, we began looking for a place to eat. We found a quiet little Italian place in the Stratosphere, and, since we wanted to remember our Italian trip from the spring, we decided that Fellinis was a good choice.

Boy, did we get to relive our trip! Each room is painted with a different scene from famous Italian cities. For example, we were seated right next to the wall that featured a painting of a gondola floating underneath the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. After dinner, we walked into the next room just to check out the painting of the Spanish Steps in Rome. (Although there was something missing – all the people blocking your view of the steps!)

I ordered chicken alfredo and my friend ordered a sausage pizza. My food was top notch, though way more than I could eat, and my friend gave the pizza the highest compliment – she said that the pizza was on par with the pies we’d eaten at the base of the Accadamia Bridge in Venice. We, unfortunately, had no room for dessert, but they offered quite the selection.

The service was very good – warm bread arrived quickly, our water glasses were always filled, and our waiter even practically stood on a chair to get a picture of the two of us eating there.

If you’re in the Stratosphere area, make sure to treat yourself to some amazingly authentic Italian food and take a stroll through the different rooms to get your Italy fix.

Unfortunately we realized much too late in the day that we would actually need a reservation if we were going to eat at one of the many steakhouses in Las Vegas. Fortunately, we were able to procure an 8:30pm reservation at The Steakhouse in Bally’s. We did try to get in on standby in a few other locales, but didn’t want to wait until 10:30pm to eat. So, we made our way over to Bally’s to get some side of cow. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that dinner here was a fallback as far as I was concerned, so I’m probably a little harder on the place than I normally would be.

The décor of The Steakhouse was very masculine – dark colors and dark wood. Our waitress, while certainly competent, wasn’t what I would expect for a place where I was paying nearly $60 for dinner. She had the raspy voice of someone that had smoked like a chimney for 50 years, and just didn’t have the refinement of the wait staff that you would expect from a high-end restaurant. My water glass was dirty; and the Sprite I ordered came in a very small glass – don’t be stingy!

Now, I will admit that the filet mignon that I ordered was VERY good. It was cooked just right, was tender and juicy, and the mushroom sauce that I ordered with it was the perfect accompaniment. However, the baked potato I ordered as a side (which cost $8 on its own) was a little undercooked and room temperature.

This was a $60 dinner – which is a treat for me, not something that I normally do. I just expected a bit more for the money. Again, I’ll admit that my steak was very tasty. However, the steak being good wasn’t enough to make up for the fact that I’d just spent a lot of money and I wasn’t entirely happy.

My recommendation is that you plan ahead and make a reservation a few days before your trip and make sure you’re spending your money at a place where you’re going to feel like it’s money well spent.

On my last visit, I stumbled upon The Village Buffet at the Paris hotel. Now, it has become a staple for my pilgrimage back to Vegas.

For $13, you can partake in one of the best breakfast buffets that Vegas has to offer. Don’t believe me? Ask Zagats – they also give it rave reviews. The buffet has everything: scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes – the normal American buffet fare. But this being the Paris hotel, they’ve got to throw a little French in the mix. My advice, head straight to the back of the buffet, picking up a chocolate croissant on the way, and get in the line of people waiting for the freshly made crepes. You can mix and match fillings – my favorite is the raspberry filling – plus you get your choice of toppings. I prefer the powdered sugar, but to each his own.

The catch with this buffet is the line. Expect to wait at least an hour. However, it’s worth it. A group behind us in line was wondering if they should wait or go elsewhere. We encouraged them to hold out for the buffet. They saw us again once we were inside and loudly exclaimed, "You were right!" We also learned that around 11:30am, they switch from the breakfast buffet over to the lunch buffet. So if you want breakfast, get there before 11am – if you want to make more trips, get there before 10:30am. (Don’t forget to include the wait times.)

This buffet is, in my opinion, one of the best in Las Vegas. It’s certainly not the cheapest or the quickest by any means, but you’ll leave more full than you’ve probably ever been, and vowing to come back again.

If a good time is what you’re after, put on your dancing shoes and your best club clothes and head on over to the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay – a.k.a. HOB.

Every Friday night, the DJ spins the vinyl and the house rocks out on old-school ‘80s music. Flock of Seagulls, Blondie, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and others bring back memories and bring out the dancing machine in most everyone. In my next job, I’d like to be the HOB dancers – there are a few stations where very sexy women show some very smooth moves and make the rest of us look bad.

Every so often, they’ll turn on the smoke machine and a foggy mist will fill the dance floor and produce some interesting lighting effects.

Drink prices – as in every locale in Vegas – are a little on the pricey side. A sex on the beach ran me $8, and I was thirsty from all the dancing so I drank it down fast and had to order another. But the bartenders were attractive, so we didn’t mind waiting. There’s also always a good mix of people – from the weird to the normal to the nerdy, but it doesn’t matter because you’re all there for a good time.

The cover charge is $15, payable at the door. The lines can get long at opening time (11pm), but the party really starts hopping around midnight or later. My advice for you is to play the slots and get some free drinks before you come in so you can save a bit of money.

The HOB also has a restaurant attached – though I’ve never eaten there, I’ve heard it’s tasty. Also visit the HOB shop that’s attached for some interesting Vegas souvenirs.

This is one of the few things that I do each time I go to Las Vegas. It’s just a great time with great music. You should definitely go! But plan to stay up late – you’ll dance until the sun comes up!

Every Sunday at 10am and 1pm, the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay hosts the Gospel Brunch. For a $40 ticket price, you can have access to a great, southern-style brunch buffet and some good old gospel music.

The buffet has not only your standard fare – scrambled eggs, bacon, bagels, cinnamon rolls, etc., but throws a bit of southern into the mix with biscuits and gravy, cheese grits, fried chicken, blackened catfish, and more. Don’t expect to eat much else that day, because you’ll certainly be full.

The eating portion of the afternoon takes about 45 minutes, and the second 45 minutes is performance time. The performers ask if it’s ok to, “Have a little church up in here,” and everyone jumps to their feet and says, “Yes!” The next 45 minutes is filled with food for the soul – and a very interactive performance. The singers take time to acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries, and newlyweds, and are always encouraging the audience to clap, sing along, raise their hands, and stand up and dance. They even invite anyone who wants to come onstage during their closing song to come on up and sing with them. I was into the moment – so I went up on stage. What a blast! The singers danced with us, took pictures with us, etc.

My friend who went with me is usually very anti-church, and she had a great time. I think it’s always good to make church fun and entertaining, as well as informative. I grew up in a very somber church, and experiences like this really make me see that church isn’t all sin and evil. It’s fun, it’s praise, it’s joyful!

Take an hour and a half and have a little church up in here. Amen and pass the biscuits!

It took me three trips to Sin City to figure out that the best place to get a sunset photo in Las Vegas was from the top of the Stratosphere tower on the far north end of the Strip. Since Las Vegas is on the “edge” of its time zone, the sun sets a little earlier than you’d expect. This fact slipped our mind – as our cab driver went all NASCAR on us to get us to the tower as we were watching the sun slip behind the mountains.

We did manage to arrive at the tower, get our tickets ($9 just to go to the observation deck), and get up to the top to see a little color left in the sky. We also got to watch from high above as the Strip began to light up in all its neon glory – one hotel at a time.

While we were on top of the world, we got to watch the newest thrill ride in Vegas – the Stratosphere’s new XScream ride. This is essentially a big see-saw that throws its riders over the side of the building. Maybe it’s because I’m older and wiser now, but I’m just not ready to trust something that hangs me over the edge of a building. Next year – April 2005 – the Stratosphere will take crazy people to a whole new level of craziness with a swing ride that is suspended off the tower. Um, I’ll say no to that as well. I have, however, ridden one of the tamer rides on the tower – the roller coaster that circles the top. Although it’s still quite scary – you see nothing but the strip below – I didn’t feel like I was going to be plummeting to the concrete below. There’s one more ride (yes, it’s nearly a theme park in itself) that essentially shoots you up the Stratosphere’s needle.

While you’re at the Stratosphere, take some time to play the slots. It’s a Vegas secret that the Stratosphere offers better odds on their slots to attract visitors all the way up the Strip to their slightly-more-remote location. There are also some good restaurants (see the Fellini’s journal) and some interesting shops as well.