Quick Jaunt to Vegas

I knew that I wanted to stay on the Strip, but most hotels were out of my price range. Luckily, I found a great deal at Bally's.

The location of the hotel was wonderful, had very easy access to the Paris Hotel (its sister property), and was right across the street from the Bellagio, Ceasars Palace, etc. For the location and ease of getting around alone, I would recommend this hotel.

The room itself wasn't spectacular, but how much time do you really spend in it anyway? It was nice but could have used some refurbishing (as in cleaning the windows and some paint). It was a big room with two queen-size beds and a large bathroom. The view was spectacular (even through the dirty glass)! We could see the Bellagio water fountain and light show and had a great view down the Strip.

The rest of the hotel was quite nice. They had some construction going on down in their shopping promenade, but the stores that were open were nice (expensive, but what isn't?). They had a great margarita bar in the back of the casino and a fun "sidewalk" cafe.

Wow, what a disappointment. Luckily, I wasn't expecting much. The rest of my family thought the dinner buffet was okay, but I would have to say yuck. They do seem to have a lot of food, but I guess they don't believe in quality over quantity, or at least not when feeding so many people. The offerings were pretty standard... chicken, fish, roast, lots of side dishes, and a dessert bar. I had heard the desserts were pretty good, and while they did have a lot of selection, they just didn't live up to what they could have been. The atmosphere was very casual and was basically a large room with tables everwhere with a buffet room at the back. The staff was very nice, but the food wasn't worth it.

We ate at their breakfast buffet one morning and absolutely loved it. The atmosphere was great, with friendly staff and good food.

The breakfast food ranged from fresh fruit to eggs and made-to-order crepes. Everyone will be able to find something here. The made-to-order crepe line was pretty long, but those guys are professionals and were able to make the line go pretty fast. The selection of fillings are endless. It may be a little pricey, but you will leave full and happy.

After walking up and down the Strip all day in very hot weather, we stopped at the California Pizza Kitchen. It had a nice atmosphere, casual, with a bar and sports playing on the TVs.

The food was excellent. Be warned - the portions are huge! A pizza is about the size of a dinner plate and could easily feed three adults (with all those toppings piled high.) This is a nice place to stop if you happen to be in the Mirage and need a bite to eat. The service was fast and friendly.

While I cringed at the price tag, I was determined to see a show and enjoy it. I had originally wanted to see Cirque (after seeing them in other cities), but they were "dark" while we were there. But I had heard great things about Blue Man Group, so we gave it a try.

It ended up being a lot of fun. It was not what I expected, but that's what made it so great. The music was pumping through the theater, and the crowd was having a great time. I won't spoil it for any of you who aren't familiar with them, but it does require audience participation.

The performers (both the Blue Men and the musicians) were on hand after the show to take pictures with the audience on their way out. Although I wouldn't pay that much to see them again (once was enough), I was very glad I had gotten to see them at all. It was quite an experience.

We took a half-day trip to Hoover Dam (with a stop at Lake Mead) with Vision Tours. Rather than dealing with a rental car in Vegas, we decided to let them lead the way.

The shuttle bus picked us up in the morning right from our hotel and took us to the "processing center." Once we got on our specified bus, we were to the Hoover Dam in no time. The bus driver was a riot; she kept most of us laughing the entire drive.

Hoover Dam was a site to see. Even though it was a million degrees outside (dry heat or not, it was hot!), we enjoyed a couple of hours of exploring the dam. It's unfortunate that you can no longer go deeper into the structure, but they did have some great exhibits and information. The memorials to the men who fell while building the dam were moving. This site is definitely a must-see.

After the dam, our bus driver stopped at Lake Mead for about 5 minutes so that we could get out and take pictures. It was a beautiful lake.

All in all, the trip was a success. Vision did a really great job, and we felt it was a good bargain for what we got.

We experienced the Eiffel Tower tour while waiting to go to the airport on the last day. It was about $9/pp, with the option to buy family portraits at the end (expensive). It was nice because it was pretty early in the day, so it wasn't too crowded.

After waiting about 5 minutes for the elevator up to the top of the Eiffel Tower (you also get your picture taken during the wait), you get to ascend to the top for a panoramic view of the Strip. It was a great overview, in both directions, of Las Vegas. It certainly looks different from way up there. I think it would have been cool to see it all lit up at night, but it was also nice during the daylight hours.

Not sure if it's worth the money, as we only spent about 10-15 minutes up there, but the view was spectacular anyway.