Honeymoon in Las Vegas

An August 2004 trip to Las Vegas by ryenquinn

This journal entry describes my best and worst of our honeymoon in Vegas.

  • 8 reviews
Vegas is a wonderful and magical place where all your wishes can come true. You can win millions. You can eat like a king and shop like a star. You can hike up a mountain or dive in a lake. You can party in world-famous clubs or have your own private party with hired entertainment (wink, wink). I love it and will always go back.

Quick Tips:

Vegas is not all about gambling. It is a resort city that is there for your pleasure. Have fun when you go and take advantage of what the city has to offer. There are incredible clubs, restaurants, and shopping around every turn. Enjoy and spoil yourself.

Best Way To Get Around:

WALK! It is the best way to work off the weight you gain from the buffets.

Mandalay Bay Resort and CasinoBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Mandalay Bay"

The hotel is very nice but falls just short of excellent. The pools make you feel like you are in paradise, and the spa was worth every penny. I wish I had spent more time in the spa instead of losing my shirt at the tables. The restaurants are a bit pricey, but that is to be expected with a wondrous variety of restaurants and bars (check out Red Square and Areola for spectacular visuals). I loved the buffet!! They have great pizza and included swordfish with lunch. The room was bigger than our first apartment, but the bed was a little on the hard side for me. I had hoped that they would have done something special for us considering it was our honeymoon, but they hardly acknowledged it and put us in a room with a terrible view. When I asked to move, they said no. Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone for a delightful vacation, but it is definitely not one of my favorite resorts.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by ryenquinn on April 22, 2005

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(702) 632-7777

Caesars PalaceBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Caesar's Palace"

This grand dame of Las Vegas hotels/casinos was worth the money. The desk person upgraded us to a suite for the time we were there (which was a great treat). The suite included a welcome picnic basket to congratulate us on our wedding. It was a nice touch and something we did not get from the MBay. The selection of food and entertainment is incredible with a double digit number of restaurants and the HUGE Forum Shops (which is a destination itself). The pool area was large and clean with a section designated for European sunbathing (READ - TOPLESS). Our suite was long and narrow and included a Jacuzzi tub with his/hers bathrooms that connected through the two-person shower. It is really nice to be able to walk right down to the Forum Shops and not have to worry about lugging your wares back to a car or walk them down the street. While I was not able to visit any of the bars, my friend told me that he visited them and was quite impressed by the designs and feel of the places. I loved it and would stay there again in a heartbeat.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by ryenquinn on April 22, 2005

Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 731-7110

Bay Side BuffetBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Mandalay Bayside Buffet"

This buffet, while one of the more expensive in Las Vegas, had great food and friendly service people. We ate here a number of times and always left happy and full. There are two sides to the buffet, so there is never a line. The selection, while not overly large, was more than enough for us. Lunch included swordfish and a number of dishes from around the world (Asian, Italian, and American fare). My wife LOVED the Pizza. Though you don't usually want to fill up on Pizza at a buffet, this pizza might be worth it. If you want to splurge on a buffet, pick this one. If it is a nice day, get one of the tables near the outside windows for a real island feel.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by ryenquinn on April 22, 2005

Bay Side Buffet
3950 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
+1 702 632 7777

Pharoah's Pheast BuffetBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Luxor Pharaoh's Pheast Buffet"

This is one of my favorite buffets in Las Vegas. There is always a huge selection of food, and the staff is always friendly. It is designed to look like an Egyptian dig site with Stone walls and mummys. The price is around the average for the large resorts ($14 for lunch). The food is tasty and plentiful, including a HUGE salad bar and smoothy area. The breakfast fare is average with made to order omlets and a nice assortment of fruits. Lunch and dinner always seems to have ham, turkey, roast beef, and/or prime rib. I have never had to wait for an item because they had run out of it, but I have had to wait in a rather long line during peak lunch and dinner hours. I will visit this buffet every time I go to Vegas, just like I have the last six times.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by ryenquinn on April 22, 2005

Pharoah's Pheast Buffet
Luxor Hotel - 3900 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(702) 262-4102

Carnival World BuffetBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Rio Hotel Carnival World Buffet"

This is another of my personal favorite buffets in Vegas. The place looks like a food court, with every type, size, and color of food you could possibly want. There is an area for American, Italian, Asian, Mexican, and many other types of food. The dessert Island is very large with an incredible selection of tasty treats. I love their key lime pie--one of the best ever. Even my very picky wife liked it!! They recently (just over a year ago) enlarged the seating area and installed computerized Point of Sale systems to speed up the LONG lines that form here. Remember-There is a Seafood buffet at the Rio as well. If you want that, be sure you are in the right line. This buffet is always rated as one of the best in Vegas and I agree.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by ryenquinn on April 22, 2005

Carnival World Buffet
3700 West Flamingo Road Las Vegas, Nevada 89103
(702) 364-9192

Cafe GelatoBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

This place is the home of the best gelato in the United States. It is almost as good as the real thing in Italy. If you are a gelato lover, this is a must-stop place in Vegas. For those of you who have never had gelato, it is a very rich and flavorful ice cream/sorbet that is native to Italy. While there are a number of places that make gelato around the country, no one makes it like the Bellagio. As I understand it, the Bellagio hired the best gelato chef in the world to make the gelato there. He makes it authentic tasting, and if you close your eyes, you could imagine you were sitting in front of the Duomo in Milan. There are over 15 flavors, like lemon (my fav), coffee, hazelnut, chocolate, and raspberry. It is a treat that is well worth it. I PROMISE! If you try it, email me and I will update this posting with your comments.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by ryenquinn on May 16, 2005

Cafe Gelato
Bellagio Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 693-7111

Bally's Big KitchenBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Bally's Big Kitchen Buffet"

Bally's Big Kitchen Buffet is one of the favorites of a number of my friends and family. They like it for very simple reasons: it is clean, the lines are not long, the food is great, and the cost is reasonable. My wife and I are picky eaters, and we were both very happy with the selections. Since this was once a higher-priced Asian food restaurant, the buffet keeps the Asian influence with a number of inspired dishes. Normally, the selection of food is the same as at every other buffet in the city (turkey, beef, prime rib). The room is spacious, and the plates they give you are HUGE. This is a great buffet at a price that will not break the bank.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by ryenquinn on May 25, 2005

Bally's Big Kitchen
3645 Las Vegas Blvd S Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 736-4300

About the Writer

ryenquinn
ryenquinn
Cleveland, Ohio

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